334 Words about the Lyrics of Ok Computer

The foundation of my lyrical style came from Ok Computer. In fact, there was a time when I was still figuring out how to write a passable song that I would look to that album for “approval” on any musical – but especially lyrical – idea I had. It got to be creatively crippling because of how I saw Ok Computer and the topics it addresses and the way it addresses those topics. To my mind then – and I still see it like this, I think – Ok Computer doesn’t address its primary subject matter directly.

The theme of the album is this unnamed dread that takes shape through allusions and not through descriptions. There are specific references. “Exit Music” is about Romeo & Juliet (it helps to know that going in, but I think it’s clear within the song as well), “Subterranean Homesick Alien” is about aliens, and “Electioneering” is about … electioneering. But these topics seem to be symptoms of a more central issue, and addressing them in songs is merely an oblique avenue to something bigger. This is most clear in “Subterranean…”, in which the protagonist speculates about aliens, but serves mostly to illustrate his own loneliness. Why is he so lonely? It’s not obvious.

It’s even less obvious what’s bugging the narrator of “Karma Police”. His list of the grievances others have caused him: talking in maths, buzzing like a fridge, having a Hitler hairdo, and crashing a party. In the last verse, he makes clear his real problem is that he’s “given all [he] can” but “it’s not enough”. Enough to do what?

The impressive thing to me about the lyrics of Ok Computer is that despite all the vaguery going on, the feelings elicited by the songs are still very immediate. It may go unnamed, but it is still very definitely dread. So when it came to writing my own songs, that’s where I started: trying to evoke strong emotions without getting too caught up in what was causing those emotions.