Wrote AWKWARD Drunken Confession For a GIRL He Was STALKING…Became BIGGEST Hit! | Professor of Rock

Coming up, it’s a song that spoke for a generation, but was never intended to. A throwaway track that this band didn’t much like, and one of the guitarists actually tried to sabotage it in the studio. That however backfired. And only made the song better. Lyrically, it tells the story of a doomed, drunken confession the lead singer, Thom Yorke made to a girl he was infatuated with… and well, was basically stalking. Let’s just say he crashed and burned. But the song itself, rocketed up the charts, somehow managing to be both cathartic and self-loathing at the same time. In fact, this track got so big, the rock establishment tried to paint the band as a one-hit wonder. It’s the insane story of Radiohead Creep from their 90s classic Pablo Honey. So would they still be standing when all the dust settled? Plus, find out why they basically blacklisted Creep for years. The story is coming your way… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.
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Hey music junkies, Professor of Rock, always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. We’ve just hit 900k subs and need your help to get to 1 million… Hit the Subscribe button if you adore rock n roll!
I’m excited to return to another one of my favorite shows that we do on this channel. It’s called Breakthrough. In this show we break down songs, albums or events that kicked open the door to an artist or band’s career and gave them the momentum to rocket to long-term success. For today’s episode, from Radiohead’s 1993 album Pablo Honey, it’s a track that touched a nerve with a generation, Creep.
So the five members of Radiohead first met as teenagers in the mid-80s at a boys-only grammar school in Abingdon… which is a small town outside of Oxford, England… although they weren’t called Radiohead back then. Consisting of Thom Yorke on vocals and guitar, Colin Greenwood on bass, his brother Jonny Greenwood on lead guitar, Ed O’Brien on guitar, and Phil Selway on drums, the band called themselves On a Friday… which referred to the only night each week they could rehearse.
Influenced by the likes of Joy Division, My Bloody Valentine, R.E.M., The Pixies, and The Smiths, On a Friday played their first show in 1987 at the Jericho Tavern in Oxford. However, the band would have to go on hold thanks to parental pressure to focus on academics… So the boys scattered to various universities. For instance, Thom Yorke found himself at Exeter University. There he continued to hone his lyric-writing skills and played guitar in a techno band. On a Friday reconvened whenever they could, typically during holidays, but they wouldn’t permanently reunite until the summer of 1991 in Oxford.
Picking back up where they left off, the guys got more serious with gigs and recorded multiple demos… Word spread about the band, and EMI ultimately offered On a Friday a multi-album deal. However, the offer came with a stipulation. They had to change their name. So inspired by the Talking Heads 1986 album True Stories, they chose Radiohead. By May 1992, Radiohead released their first EP, Drill. And the collection scored some airplay with the song Prove Yourself leading the way. But overall Drill garnered little attention. So the band teamed up with producers Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade to

[@ProfessorofRock]

Poll: What is your pick for the greatest SONG TITLE of all time?

[@rogerdeahl9629]

He's Not Heavy, He's My Brother! 🤣

[@peterd.9978]

“Get Your Tongue Out of My Mouth Because I’m Kissing You Goodbye” - Ray Stevens

[@surlechapeau]

"Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" - Johnny Rivers

[@petercena9497]

The Endless Plain of Fortune - John Cale Something Happened to me Yesterday - The Rolling Stones Everywhere with Helicopter - Guided by Voices

[@Lam_3-22-23]

Boys Say When, Girls Say Why- The Producers Teenage Lobotomy - The Ramones

[@thatonedude1003]

The progression of Radiohead from the “Creep” era to “Ok Computer” and beyond is just phenomenal. Creep is a great song…it holds a special place in my life’s soundtrack.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Very cool!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

They got off on a great start.

[@toecutterjones]

The entire album The Bends is their masterpiece, it's absolutely perfect front to back.

[@ProfessorofRock]

I agree. Same with OK COMPUTER!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

And OK Computer

[@charliekopp443]

I completely agree. It’s a perfect album.

[@matthewdigiacomo2580]

Absolutely! And the video for 'Just' is a masterpiece as well.

[@Hollylivengood]

I actually cry every time I hear this song. Always wondered what is the lady thinking today? She found the one sensitive man available in the 90's that the rest of us were hoping to find, and she called him a creep. I always assumed the crashing guitar part was in sympathy with the feeling of the song. You know how you do when someone is talking to you about getting rejected, and you slap the table, or call the rejector names, or whatever? It has that feel.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Sometimes in situations like those, it’s hard not to get angry.

[@JeighNeither]

Sounds like you're romanticizing the source material w/your own bias's/experiences, which is part of the magical effect art & especially music has on us. It's how one song has seemingly endless interpretations. I admire your vulnerability. Thom would likely disagree w/your afterthoughts though, based on his rare interviews. As rare as they were, an awful lot of them evoked thoughts about his growth as a person. He wasn't very happy with himself, not only in the Creep era, but when reflecting back on himself from a healthier place. We meet the right people when we do, & if we never do, maybe there just wasn't a right person. Maybe you're so amazing, nobody was good enough for a life pairing? I've lived enough emotional extremes to know it's the ride that matters & how your heart's been touched along the way. Sorry to sound like a greeting card.

[@Chaotic313]

I feel the melody for the bridge (running out the door) samples/borrows from the song Air That I Breathe's bridge (peace came upon me) melody. THAT is what has always struck me most about this song. The genius of pulling the emotions of that song about a person who only needs the air he breathes and her....and in Air that I Breathe he does have her. In Creep he will never have her. Never have that. And those lyrics - running out the door set to that music....you feel his pain in a way you wouldn't otherwise. And I think the suggestion of Air that I Breathe is subtle enough that many won't register it. Just feel it. Again, genius.

[@davidguffman]

Absolutely! Thank you for pointing this out. I'm so surprised no one else has pointed this out. It's pretty much a note for note copy of that songs guitar verses.

[@fourthtunz]

I had heard that Radiohead had to pay or decided to pay the hollies for using that chord progression?

[@Chaotic313]

@@fourthtunz will have to look that up!

[@Chaotic313]

@@fourthtunz seems they settled out of court.

[@trinaq]

Almost anyone can resonate with not feeling "good enough" for a crush or potential romantic partner.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Exactly! That's why the song resonated with so many!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

It’s a tough feeling. It sucks.

[@TheRoadDawg]

So true. Ironically I found myself on both sides of that situation. In HS I was friends with all “groups”, but since I played several sports, and was considered a “Jock” and “Popper” (I found out 30 years later that meant Popular). I was head over heels for the Queen Popper, but being quite poor and knowing she came from money, I knew I wasn’t good enough. What I didn’t know during that time was that a beautiful girl, who would have been in the “head” category, had a crush on me. I was always attracted to her, and we constantly made extended eye contact in the halls, but she had dated a good friend of mine, so I stayed clear of ever breaking the ice. I suddenly, and unexpectedly, moved high schools the Christmas vacation of my senior year. After I moved, I was reminiscing about my old school, going page by page in my Junior Yearbook. I came across a page full of a letter by this hallway starer…a full-on confessional of her unwavering love and desire for me.?!!?? I was dumbfounded. After I had put so much effort into attaining the Queen of our class, with just a little success, mainly due to attrition and circumstance, there was someone who felt that way about me. Someone I had secretly admired and was definitely attracted to, but due to “bro-code” had stayed clear because of her on again-off again relationship with a friend. He wasn’t so close that I wouldn’t have approached her had I known those stares were that serious. I looked her up years later and what a beautiful and charming woman she became! Luckily, I met my soulmate a few years after I had switched high schools, when I moved back to my original “home”, and we have been happily married for 36 years! We have two beautiful children and 4 beautiful grandchildren. It is still cool to think back to those youthful triumphs and failures to get those little butterflies in your stomach again. What might have been had we had the nerve to speak one word differently…

[@cc1k435]

GenX was a generation that raised itself-- latchkey kids and locked out of the house til the streetlights came on otherwise. No wonder we felt that way!

[@TheRoadDawg]

@@cc1k435 My wife and I were just talking about this. When we were very young, I was born in 67, we left Summer mornings and would walk the streets all day without even checking in. We lived in Lexington County, right next door to the notorious Richland county, one of the largest per capital Gang populations in the nation, Columbia, SC. Crazy to think we walked or rode our bikes to friends houses or Putt Putt, Zesto’s, etc whenever.

[@surlechapeau]

POR, Congratulations on 900K Subscribers!!! Well earned everyday my friend!!!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks so much! Appreciate you daily viewing!

[@lindamcfarland9656]

This song is one of those tunes that everyone seems to identify with as far as feeling not good enough or inappropriately attached to someone before there's even been any mutual relationship established. I had no idea of the origins, but I remember being both the 'creep' obsessing over a guy who liked me, but didn't feel anywhere near as strong and being obsessed over by a guy who came on way too strong and pushed into the total stalker mode. Fortunately, though it was inappropriate, it didn't end up dangerous. This song reminds me of both myself and that other guy and I kind of think we all have those moments somewhere in our foolish youth😆.

[@ProfessorofRock]

It's so true.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

My parents always say don’t rush into relationships with a significant other because of this exact reason.

[@lindamcfarland9656]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 wise advice!

[@mitchellbaker9434]

I remember hearing this song for the first time, and also thinking, "One trick pony". Certainly didn't think they'd make albums like OK Computer, or perfect songs like Everything In It's Right Place.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Wow. Did they prove everyone wrong!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Well, thank God they did!

[@wheredowegofromhere79]

How do you do it? You’re like a machine a new video every day, scheduled interviews. AND each episode is a morsel of rock history and done with love and care. Most people who upload once a day would have some loss in quality. Not you though! Keep rockin professor and sharing this rich history of music with the world.

[@Geezer-yf8hv]

Often, he releases 2 or 3 vids a day! I don’t know how he does it, either!!! And always great quality and informative!!

[@quistunes]

Yeah, he blows my mind. Much gratitude for his dedication, knowledge, & respect for music.

[@Jfromtexas]

I honestly think the spot on Beavis and Butthead helped propel this song to such heights. I remember that episode vividly and Beavis reacted the same way I did when I first heard that pre chorus guitar crunch. Yes!!! Great song.

[@ProfessorofRock]

YEs!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I have watched that countless times.

[@angelaengler2387]

I saw Radiohead open for REM, they were so fantastic! I ran out and got the CD with Creep on it, SO GOOD! It’s one of those songs that multi generations ❤️

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Love it.

[@thesjkexperience]

I was a guitarist in original bands throughout the 80s. It’s amazing how little music you hear outside your band and the other bands you play with. You also hear 90% of your music live.

[@karenshapiro5907]

I'm a 70 year old grandmother and I love this song. Have you ever heard the accapella version done by Voiceplay? It's an amazing version as well.

[@sariahut1]

One of my all time favorites from a pivotal year for me. I didn’t truly discover what music would really mean to my life until my late teens and this song (genre of music really) was essential in that discovery. Thank you professor for spotlighting this incredibly emotional piece of 90’s genius.

[@Heartwing37]

How do you not have 10 million subscribers? This is one of the greatest channels on KZbin!!!

[@laurat1129]

Radiohead was everything in the '90s-'00s. They were atmospheric and moody, just right for the times, and I used to play them a lot driving in LA. While I haven't listened to them in awhile, I still think of "Fake Plastic Trees" frequently. And I hear "Creep" on Boston radio a lot, though it also isn't my fave of theirs. A true GenX song, yet young ppl of any era can relate to it. Isn't it funny how the songs bands hate (self-abnegation maybe) often resonate w/listeners and become hits?

[@angelaengler2387]

Fake Plastic Trees is such a great song, my daughter and I LOVE IT

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I know I can relate to this song because I’ve definitely been there.

[@endcensorship874]

I remember when I first heard this song, I didn't stop playing it for days! I thought for sure this was gonna be a one-hit wonder, and I was so happy when they kept coming back with more and more great songs. The best band of the 90's in my opinion.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks for sharing. It's crazy everyone thought they were going to a be a one hit wonder.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I’m glad they were here to stay.

[@Ireneharnack1138]

I always listened to Live105 when I grew up and lived in San Jose. Thanks for giving the mention and bringing up an awesome time in my life!

[@cnph7067]

Lots of good stations in the Bay Area but FM99-The Quake and after it left the airwaves in 87 Live 105 were my favorites. Honorable mentions in the 80’s at least were were KFOG and KMEL- Camel 106 but both were more album rock focused where The Quake and Live 105 were focused on newer stuff. The Bay Area was such a great place for music from concert venues, clubs and radio.

[@Trollificusv2]

I was well past teenage when I heard it, and it still hit me right in the heart...the obsession, the inadequacy, the worship, the shame...yep I remembered all that. That rude guitar insert really does elevate the song, and he captured the worship/infatuation of such situations "Your skin makes me cry." So raw. Every time I hear it, I'm thrown back to that time. An embarrassing time, but intense, and worth remembering.

[@SmileyMikey]

Adam, congrats on hitting 900K subs! You deserve 4X that. Rawk on. \M/

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks!

[@MtnYetiBarbie]

Oh I guessed what this was immediately! One of my absolute most favorite songs since the first time I heard it. Thanks for reviewing this

[@TipaMoe]

This is the best band of all time in my opinion. I love their music. All of their albums are so different. They can put themselves down all they want, but they made me feel less alone in the big bad world.

[@iamlalapalooza]

I was a mom of teenagers when Creep came out and i didn't even know it was going on.. I first heard it a few months ago and Loved it! Love it. I think my experience of raising two boys leant me the awareness of male coming of age that made this song really resonate with me. Anyway. yeah. it's timeless and amazing and sad as it is it is real too and a rite of passage for us all in one way or another.

[@fleishum]

I love hearing stories like this because we the fans might see one interpretation of a song while the band might have a different perspective. It's a cool space to explore.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks.

[@invictusbp1prop143]

Me too. There’s an interview with Everlasting on an old JRE Podcast where Everlasting is telling Rogan about his song 55Roses being about his daughter who was very ill due to being born with cystic fibrosis…she couldn’t pronounce the name of the condition, so she ended up saying it as “55 Roses”. So the songs actually a pretty sad song about his little girl but it hit him one time when a fan he met as saying how much the song meant to him because it was like Everlasting had written it about the guys brother who he’d lost recently. He went on to say the song got him thru the shock and eases the pain of losing his brother. So Everlast just let it go and let the guy go on hearing what he heard in the song and after another meeting, he got another story about his song about his daughter being about another guys breakup. And Everlast said that he realized that it doesn’t matter what he writes his songs about, they end up taking on a meaning for fans that fits their lives and makes them feel something…about someone…or some place in time and as long as people find connections like that, that touch them and stirs emotion, it becomes each fan’s song about something in their life. And he decided that’s the way songs should be. If a song makes you feel and remember and makes you happy or sad or both, because it’s about something meaningful to you, then it’s about all those things that different people feel it’s about and that’s what makes music special. Everybody’s listening to the same song, but they’re each hearing different songs and he said it’s so much better that way because he gets to keep the song he wrote about his baby girl for himself but still gets to share it with so manny people who love the song because it’s also special to them because Everlast wrote it about something special to them. So he figures most all songs are and should be like that…kind of custom to each person. I always figured everyone hears most good songs a little different anyway, because if you’ve listened to something a bazillion times, it has certain memories buried in it for you of things you did while listening to it or just during the era of your life you were living while playing the song on repeat. Misty Mountain Hop and any Steve Miller Song, and F’ing Hostile, and Wasted Years, anything on Tesla Mechanical Resonance, Hey Joe, Shout it Out Loud, Holy Diver…all these songs and more spark really specific memories in my mind and if I close my eyes and I drift away…I can smell the interior of my 72 Cutlass, or a rich running carb on another car or something about the vehicle I drove at the time, and houses we lived in or cheap cigarette smoke and warm beer or whatever and I can remember so many things that I never think about until a song takes me back there…I can almost feel the mullet flapping in the wind racing down this road we had a 1/4 mile marked out on and the smell of the fertilizer and hint of the lake just like a summer night in the early 90s…friends who are gone now…or might as well be…nervous feelings and gut wrenching empty chest aching for a certain girl, or intense fear of new things, or the cold chill and indescribable feeling washing over and hair standing tall on the back of the neck while hearing Stevie Ray sing Life By The Drop on a special called The Gone Before Their Time Friday with a tall boy between my legs taking my time driving home…finding out when I got there that my buddy passed away…just about the time Stevie Ray was playing…still can smell the pasture where I parked n sat in the back of my truck that night because I didn’t want to go inside…and remember the songs that played…. Everybody hears them differently. I’m rambling big time. My bad. And I probably reinvented most of what Everlast actually said, but it was something along those lines. And it always stuck with me. I guess because I have such a connection to so many songs and they really are sometimes the one thing I can count on actually bringing a smile or a good feeling with it…or a tear.. if anyone actually read this boring encyclopedia, sorry it’s stupid long.

[@hobbiesrus]

Wooo 900K subscribers! Creep never represented Radiohead, but I never got into them that much. Creep resonated around the world, and that is something impressive in itself.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Exactly! Thanks for watching!

[@dom-perignon720]

We were just talking about this song last night and how much of it they lifted from The Hollies "All I need is the air that I breathe". Hadn't realized that it'd been a contentious issue for the band.

[@ProfessorofRock]

That's so cool!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I just listened to Air That I Breathe before I opened this.

[@chipb1193]

Radiohead is one of my favorite concerts of all time. Radiohead opened for REM in Chicago at the World

[@sandijohnson2216]

I miss Chicago ❤❤. Favorite venue is the Metro. Practically grew up there lol.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Wow! So cool. Love REM!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

How was the show?

[@casketrace6087]

As a 90’s kid, I love to see you branch out of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s! Totally dig all of it but really cool to see.

[@ericbgordon1575]

I have to say that Radiohead is one of those bands whose music went right by me when I was a teen. I don't think I even heard "Creep" until they were inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in March 2019 and one of the bands I was in (the Meetles) was pushed to learn it for a one-off gig playing in the rain in Brooklyn, across Flatbush Avenue from Barcley's Center where the induxtion ceremony took place. Momentarily, I identified with the lyric.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks for sharing Eric. Have you listened to all their stuff since then?

[@ericbgordon1575]

Not really, Adam.

[@leonardticsay8046]

@@ericbgordon1575missing out. The rest of their catalogue is nothing like Creep, but it’s avant-garde and catchy. Weird yet still hooky.

[@ericbgordon1575]

Point made, @@leonardticsay8046.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Better late than never, Eric!

[@ginam830]

I love this song so much. I’ve def been the creep. I only hope I’ve also been the angel for someone. One of my favorite songs to sing.

[@DJarry394]

We have all been creeps or angels at one point

[@logansfury]

Oh yeah! The road to 1 million subscribers! Proud to be part of the count :)

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks Logan! Please help spread the word!

[@Fakeaorta]

Great Video! Awesome information! That guitar sound on 'Creep' was one of those.... "What was that?" moments. 'Street Spirit' is maybe my favourite song of theirs.

[@christophergraves5687]

PROFESSOR OF ROCK: You are a good man. I really appreciate what you do. Keep real music alive, while the mainstream establishment tries to destroy it. Merry Christmas Professor 🎄

[@antonleimbach648]

I still think Pablo Honey is their best album. It came out when my son was born and the feelings I had about myself, the highs and lows, all just come right back when I play it.

[@JeighNeither]

I feel for anyone that has to ride in a car you're driving that has a radio.

[@My_mid-victorian_crisis]

I've mentioned often that I was heavily into karaoke during the '90s. This was one of my favorite songs to sing. What you said about the communal feeling of alienation is SO true. It is absolutely hilarious the lyric tracks for karaoke at the time, instead of "weirdo", I saw everything from "widow" to "window", long before the meme of being a "weird dough".

[@Chaotic313]

😂

[@WilliamSilva-dq6zj]

I want you to notice...... when I'm not around. That was such a huge statement. It's the one that really spoke volumes.

[@billybubba8344]

Its an iconic song. Even if the band doesnt like it, they should recognize the impact they had and are still having on millions of people. Very few can claim to have done that.

[@danfrost2076]

Congratulations on your success man. You have very much earned it. You are quite fantastic at your craft.

[@dianewilliams1125]

Merry Christmas Professor and a blessed New Year! My 39 yr old son and I are audiophiles and your site is such a pleasure! Keep on rocking! Stay safe and healthy! PEACE! 😊😊😊

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thank you Diane. Tell him hi!

[@wtmf80]

The guitar in that song always gives me goosebumps. loved this song!

[@Krullmatic]

Man! Congrats on the 900k! I started watching you when you had around 200k. Thanks for all of the knowledgeable Rockin' videos!❤️🎸🤟😝🤟❤️

[@Gunpaw1958]

Even with bands like this, that I care zero about, you make it interesting. Thanks!

[@austintrousdale2397]

Adam, congratulations on hitting 900K subscribers 👏🥳

[@sandijohnson2216]

Love Radiohead. One take recording of Creep reminds me of the remake of Mrs. Robinson from The Lemonheads. That was also recorded in one take, you can hear it in the song - but that made it all the more endearing during the grunge period.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks Sandi!

[@c.e.anderson558]

The Police did "Murder By Numbers" live one take in the studio

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Good call.

[@javinthayer5269]

A band I was in covered this song at a Battle of the Bands back around 97 or 98 - for the first time through the chorus, our 2nd guitarist forgot to turn up his guitar for Jonny's "duh-duh, duuuuh-duh" - the sound guy thought it was his fader being off...well, they both turned up at the same time for the next duh-duh and practically broke the house speakers...Love Radiohead...love these episodes of PoR - keep 'em coming

[@billmimms]

I love the irony of this song. I love this show. This kind of reminds me of the story with the MASH theme song, Suicide Is Painless. A kid was instructed to write the stupidest song. Now it's amazing how many "musicians" are seen on KZbin "singing out their heart" with what they think is such a "beautiful performance" of a song that was written to sound silly and stupid.

[@PaulLoh]

I remember as a teenager hearing this on the radio for the first time. That guitar part made me turn it up and listen intently. I was at work at the time, but I didn't care. This was the coolest thing I had ever heard. I would watch MTV for hours just to catch the video, or Beck's Loser. It was a formative time in my life. I was transitioning from high school to the real world. I went to the record store every day in hopes of catching the latest releases from my favorite bands. Before the internet, that was the only way to know when new music had come out. Sponge, Paw, School of Fish, Deftones, NIN, K's Choice. Lots of great music made my youth magical and temporarily distracted me from the insanity of life on my own.

[@nicholassheffo5723]

Thank you for another excellent video professor and you should do many more Radiohead videos. I know you have limited space and time for each one, but I was surprised you did not note the connection between CREEP and THE AIR THAT I BREATHE, but maybe that's for another video. :0)

[@carriemorley356]

What a Great Story! You always amaze me with what you come up with! I always wondered about that song. Great song by the way! Thanks buddy. Unrelatedly- I hit the link below to check out the 80s collection for a Holiday gift for my little brother … but they’re OUT of stock and may not be available ever again. Just don’t know. Fixing to order Zennie glasses though! 😂 Merry Christmas 🎁 🎄 🎉Happy New Year 2024 Sweetheart❤

[@JasonsWeirdReads]

I’d love more Radiohead content. There’s so many great songs to choose from.

[@ProfessorofRock]

What would you like to see next?

[@JasonsWeirdReads]

@@ProfessorofRock Paranoid Android, Karma Police, or Airbag from OK Computer. It would be absolutely awesome if you had a story on Pyramid Song from Amnesiac.

[@rohnnyjotten3985]

@@ProfessorofRock If you are looking for a 'story' to go with a song I'd check out 'How to Disappear Completely' by Radiohead, the back story involves Michael Stipe, and Thom has often said its his best song.

[@mangrove]

On the Scott Walker documentary 30th Century Man (produced by David Bowie!), the other Radiohead members referred to "Creep" as their "Scott Walker song", a torch song in the same vein as a Jacques Brel composition.

[@terrycarter8929]

I finished basic training in October of 1993 and went to tech school at Lowry AFB in Aurora, Colorado. I went to this big record store I never heard before and now forgot. They had a machine with head phones and an asortment of songs. I listened to them all and was really impressed by the song Creep. I also liked the song Little miss can't be wrong by the Spin Doctors. I bought both on cassette and didn't hear Creep for many years. It became popular in the Toledo, Ohio area in the early 2000's.

[@Utility073]

Glade I found this channel.. almost a Casey Kasem vibe …

[@blazerocker1734]

My local radio station played the *hell* out of 'Creep' back in the day. I thought the song was okay but the continuous play made me loathe it and I would groan every time I heard it. Today it's not played very often and I no longer groan when I hear it.

[@billmongiello4885]

hey professor, every time i think i've seen your best video you come out with a better one like this...thanks for the insight

[@kimzwolinski9919]

I don’t know how but I totally missed this song until a few years ago. The first time I heard it was at the first Foo Fighters concert after the pandemic. Dave Chapelle showed up and sang this song ( not very well 😂). The whole audience belted it out with him so it was obvious it was a huge song so I looked it up. I’ve listened to it a hundred times since then and I love it ❤❤❤

[@omarvasquez445]

I remember riding in a car with some good friends of mine and this came on, we were all mesmerized and just listened to it without saying anything. I don't know about my friends but it was my first time hearing this. We didn't even know who it was. A few years later I bought Pablo Honey and the bends. Listened to those 2 CDs for a year. Thanks Professor 👓

[@ProfessorofRock]

So cool! Thanks for sharing!

[@omarvasquez445]

Thank you Professor 👓, you're the best ​@@ProfessorofRock

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Do you like the song today?

[@Eden_Rivers]

Dammit, I miss the 90s. This one can completely embody what life felt like in my teens and 20s. Angst, I'm convinced, is the greatest thing you can embody in a song and this one takes the cake. It rivals all Robert Smith has given us, and that's saying a lot. My favorite cover of this is by Carrie Manolakos. Seriously. You don't see it coming.

[@mariedouglas4650]

I love this song!! Remember when it came out in the early 90s. So original and so addictive! Loved early 90s music - when I was in my early 20s.

[@MetalMama-Mimi523]

Cam attest, as a record manager throughout the 80's - 00, this was one of those albums you had to make sure you kept up with the trends or you wouldn't have product to sell and this one definitely was one of those trends.

[@bensfisher6065]

I learn some facts I didn't know about -CREEP- That I didn't know before.. thanks P.O.R.. KEEP ROCKING..🤟🤟🤟🤟

[@pinballinc1752]

Congrats on reaching 900K!!

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks! What would you like to see next?

[@johnnyxmusic]

@@ProfessorofRockA million? ❤️❤️❤️

[@johnnyxmusic]

@@ProfessorofRock it might be fun to see something on Rick Springfield… If you can find the right angle. I have a 45 of one of his first single goals… “Speak to the Sky.“ It’s interesting because he was on General Hospital or whatever and he was like a daytime heartthrob and we had a big pop career and everything and as far as I know he’s still out there today playing. Of course, professor… I wouldn’t be surprised to find that you’ve already done a feature on him. I don’t know how you do it every day. Such passion, such quality, search on bridal enthusiasm you have found your life calling.

[@pinballinc1752]

@@ProfessorofRockI have a category Idea called "1 in 60,000". The concept being there are 60,000 songs (at the time I thought of the idea, that number can change) uploaded on Spotify every day. I, myself,.am constantly going down rabbit holes and finding absolute rare gems. Often with less than 5000 total plays. Find one of those rare gems, contact the artist and do a segment. You'll be at 5m in no time!

[@wpl8275]

The song is an excellent example of how pacing in music is important. If the beat and pacing are the same all the way through a song it can be unmemorable. So rap songs tend to all sound the same. The beats the same. The way the rap sounds is the same. It's just boring. But a song like Creep or Stairway To Heaven starts slow and then picks up pace. It's that change of pace that keeps you interested in the song. It's explosive and contemplative at the same time. It drives home the lyrics and gives extra meaning. Too many songs today just aren't interesting to listen to. They don't mean much lyrically and they don't sound like anything. Creep speaks to so many people lyrically and the music connects with them as well.

[@irishbear76]

You like-a the crescendo!

[@crob635]

Johnny Greenwood did make it more exciting. Didn't know Thom was actually stalking someone.😮 I remember reading how much the band hated the song. But it was so so good. They have other great songs as well. Karma Police is also one of my favs from them and more.

[@drewtheunspoken3988]

Radio Head is jyst a fascinating band in general. It took me years to appreciate their music outside of Creep but I'm so glad I did.

[@Rossturnerphoto]

I used to work with someone that was a big Radiohead fan. She once told me a lot of their fans consider Creep their least favorite Radiohead song because it’s the one everyone knows.

[@LastBastian]

And that's how you know Creep and their "real" fans are pretentious twats. lol

[@rosspayne2235]

Merry Christmas Professor !!!

[@loginregional]

Left civilization in 94, didn't return till 25 years later. All I ever knew of Radiohead was "so effing" special. Seriously.

[@T10elC]

There's a brilliant scene in the French film "Happily Ever After" by Yvan Attal, where Charlotte Gainsbourg is listening to "Creep" at a CD kiosk in a FNAC, and Johnny Depp walks up and starts listening to "Creep" on the kiosk next to Charlotte. "Creep" is the perfect song for the scene.

[@ProfessorofRock]

That's right!

[@MyName-pl7zn]

Best self loathing song ever! Imho. Who hasn't felt like " I don't belong here" or as a "weirdo" Radiohead may not like the track but we can relate, I mean we definitely have all been there! That loud guitar riff is perfectly placed! You have to do ok computer professor it is a stellar alternative album. I hope you continue to do 90s tracks too so many great ones. I would love an episode on Somebody I Used To Know even if it isn't in the "rock era"

[@ProfessorofRock]

No kidding. Such a feel good song really! Will do!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I’ve definitely been there, multiple times! Especially when I started at each new school I went to (4 times)!

[@MyName-pl7zn]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 wow that is very difficult to start a new school that many times, you have done well to roll with the changes

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

@@MyName-pl7zn I’ve gone through so much just to be here today.

[@MyName-pl7zn]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 hopefully your life will get stability, I understand, I have moved quite a bit in my life too

[@punk2pasture]

You forgot about "Just", it drove kids like me mad when the video came out. What did that guy say that made everyone lay down on the sidewalk? It took me years to find out said, or should I say what he meant by it. So many people, myself included, saw what happened to all the people who heard those words, yet we so desperately wanted to hear them as well, You do it to yourself and that's why it really hurts. Thom is an unrated musical genius who doesn't get the credit he deserves. I'm so honoured that I had a chance to see Radiohead in the late 90s

[@lar57jsy]

Not a fan of RHead or that style of music, but amazingly you kept it interesting and had me watching the whole video! Interesting story/presentation! Thank you. Keep of the great vids! :D

[@johnnyxmusic]

Nice to hear some commentary on the cover for the single… Is Lee Harvey Oswald the creep in question? Is it meant to be an anthem for him?

[@mikenicholson7465]

Radiohead's debut album is just amazing power pop but with extra terrestrial guitars that turn your head. Love it.

[@Whisper_292]

900k! CONGRATS! Next stop, 1M.

[@ProfessorofRock]

Yes! Please help us get there! What would you like to see next?

[@Whisper_292]

@ProfessorofRock Gosh, I don't know. I've been asking for 90's, and you did that, so thanks! Ooh, maybe a Go-go's or Bangles.

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

I can’t believe it. A job well done.

[@MikeB-1965]

Creep and High and Dry are two of my favorites from them. Fake Plastic Trees is another great and interesting song from Radiohead. Have you done a piece on that one?

[@ProfessorofRock]

Not yet. Will add it to the list.

[@fortheloveofmusic860]

"The Radiohead song for people who aren't really into Radiohead..."

[@rogerdeahl9629]

❤ Ah, Creep. Very haunting song. Radiohead was a great band....... too bad they didnt get more success. Thanks for this, Professor. Have a great Christmas if I dont get on here before then. 🎉

[@ProfessorofRock]

Thanks for listening Roger. Really appreciate your support!

[@gavburger]

A) they still exist, and B) they've sold 30 million albums.

[@endcensorship874]

The. Heck. They're still around and recording amazing stuff, including soundtracks! They are the legends. You should check out their other stuff, you might like it!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Merry Christmas Roger!

[@littlecatfeet9064]

@luke5100 agree with you and others. They stayed a huge band, selling out huge arenas and having more hit songs like High and Dry, Paranoid Android and Karma Police.

[@verdinox4548]

I remember when this track first came out, I was going over to jam with this bass player friend of mine at his house. He had just bought the Pablo Honey CD, and he had become totally obsessed with Greenwood's chunky distorted guitar stabs (aka: the "gun-cocking" part) right before the chorus. He just kept skipping backwards on the CD and listening to that little part over and over for like an hour. I was like, "Could we hear the rest of the song now, please?"😂 It really was a great addition by Greenwood, though. Adds a whole new dimension to the song.🎸🎶🎵

[@2ToneWalt]

The one band I'm a big fan of who in my opinion haven't made a bad album, I've seen them so many times I've lost count, one of the best being in their home town of Oxford.

[@ProfessorofRock]

So cool. When's the last time your saw them? Have you seen SMILE?

[@2ToneWalt]

@@ProfessorofRock 2017 Coachella and 2018 Glastonbury and yes I have seen Smile. 👍

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

You’re a big fan!

[@siryogiwan]

man, that brought back so much nostalgia from 90s

[@bigboivito]

For me Radiohead will always remind me of high school, not like everyone here but us young folk just skating around enjoying life

[@benjamincundiff9813]

I have only seen Radiohead in concert once, at Endfest 97 in Bremerton, WA. I was a huge fan of The Bends and "Creep" and was excited to see them live. OK Computer had just been released, but I hadn't yet heard it. They played a 7 song mid-day set which included tracks"Talk Show Host", "Airbag" and "Paranoid Android". I'm still hoping to see them one day when I already know the album they're touring behind, but am grateful that I got to see then at that stage in their career.

[@oldschoolfunkster1]

When I first heard this song I didn't think much of it. Until I heard the version by Haley Reinhart. She brought out the lyrics and basically made it her song. I HIGHLY suggest searching her singing it with Postmodern Jukebox.

[@JohnWhitakerHRHardball]

Johnny's stroke made this song....also, Top Ten "singing in the car when you're alone" song

[@new_england_times553]

The Prince cover of Creep is amazing!

[@kidamnesiac1724]

My favorite band of all time. Creep isn’t in my top 50 sings from them, but it did introduce me to them in 1993. Ok computer is the greatest album of all time.

[@BC_Cutler]

I liked Creep when I first heard it on the radio back in the summer of '94. Some time later my wife gifted me Pablo Honey and I thought it was just so-so. The only other stand-out track on that album for me is "You"....Great song!!! Then the Bends came out and the first song I heard from that album was "Just", which I immediately dismissed because I thought the opening guitar riff was a ripoff of "No New Tale to Tell" by Love and Rockets 🤣(Great song! Great band!). I eventually saw the video for "Just" which really grabbed me and then the song started to grow on me. Fast forward a year or two and OK Computer is released. I think the first song I heard off that album was "Let Down", which I thought was a great song, but being a cheapskate, I wouldn't buy an album unless I knew there were at least two or three songs on it that I liked. So I went to Futurshop where one could sit down at their listening bar and preview any CD before purchasing it, and I gave the album a listen. I can't say I was immediately blown away by it, but I liked it enough to buy it. But then the more I listened to it, the more it grew on me until eventually I was completely obsessed with it! I've been a passionate Radiohead fanatic ever since! 😄

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

There are so many songs with accurate titles . I met this band in 92. A friend of mine named Slade sent me this album and 12" single. Those were Good Times. In one word "Dynamite!"

[@ProfessorofRock]

How are ya sir!

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

@@ProfessorofRock Going through it right about now. This is going to be a pretty bad Christmas. Not the worst but up there ! Thanks for asking my friend!

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

Was your friend named after the band?

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

@@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980 Hey Silly Lilly, 😜 🤪 no he was the guy that ProRo was talking about after I made my statement

[@xxlilly_playsxxkiz9980]

@@constipatedinsincity4424 Oh! I guess I need to Run Runaway from your friend Slade, or else I’ll feel the noize!

[@anadraham2995]

🔥Thank you for this ProfessoR🔥

[@Yyazween]

It's sad they didn't like Creep. It's my go to sing. I love to sing it, it always makes me feel better and less alone. It's a beautiful song.

[@nicholasperry2380]

I got into Radiohead the first time I heard that guitar crash. Been chasing a girl for a while and that was the first time we clicked. Didn't last sadly but great memories and even better for this video. I'm getting hooked.

[@MrJayehawk]

I was in university when Pablo Honey came out and I recall discussing it with my room-mate. We agreed that Creep was a great song but the band was likely a one-hit wonder. I could not have been more wrong. 30 years later they have built an incredible catalogue and are still one of my favorite bands.

[@pcno2832]

The first time I heard it on he radio, I could tell it was brilliant, but I also noticed something else that came back to haunt the band. When they came to the line "She's running out the door .." , I was thinking "Peace came upon me and it leaves me weak, so sleep, silent angel, go to sleep." Apparently, I wasn't the only one to notice and the band was eventually sued by he writers of The Hollies' "The Air That I Breathe", and had to share writer's credit with Mike Hazelwood and Albert Hammond. I imagine it was totally inadvertent; it would have been easy, especially for someone who was 5 years old in 1974, to have that tune in mind without remembering that it came from something that already existed. Sometimes, a similarity with an existing song can make a later song annoying, but in this case, the resemblance seems kind of cool.

[@scubaguy007]

"He started following her around. Some reports say for weeks, othets say months." Reports?! Police reports? 😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@Shauma_llama]

I remember hearing this on Live 105 and thought it was amazing the first time I heard it. I liked the whole album really. They may not like this song, but it's the one they'll be remembered for. 😅

[@JaceDraccus]

All through the opening I was thinking "it can't be Creep"... but it was. Nifty. In some ways it's a very relatable song. I can't say I have any particularly strong memories associated with it, but at times it has resonated with how I was feeling. Not surprised Yorke doesn't like it though, from the little I know of him he's pretty particular about music. Kind of like Kurt Cobain, I guess, always searching for the perfect sound... I also like the memes that come from it, like "I'm a crepe, I'm a weird-dough..." Although to some extent I think my favourite Radiohead songs are Just and Karma Police. But this is close to them.

[@lesliesnowdon8490]

There's a guy who has a KZbin channel who invites people to sing with him. There was a guy who sang Creep. He was amazing, they were in a train station i think, the echo just added to it. Its my favorite version.

[@jerrylev59]

Occasionally one has to endure the experience of pursuing that which is superficially highly attractive and failure to attain it in order to discover what can be successfully achieved and will bring true happiness. The lyric works due it's sincere confession of vulnerability of the ego, which apparently many more people can relate to than they had ever imagined.