Creep" is a song by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, written by vocalist Thom Yorke. Radiohead released "Creep" as their debut single in 1992, and it later appeared on their first album, Pablo Honey (1993). During its initial release, "Creep" was not a chart success. However, upon re-release in 1993, it became a worldwide hit. The band began to dislike the song, as fans attended their early gigs primarily for the performance of "Creep". During the mid-to-late 1990s, "Creep" was played less frequently at gigs and in 1998, the band dropped the song from setlists altogether. It would not be played live again until 2001, and has since appeared sporadically in the band's live sets. However in 2009, during the Spring tour of South America and Mexico, the song was played at almost every gig. It also opened their set in the 2009 Reading Festival. "Creep" is one of Radiohead's biggest hits, and has been used in various media as well as having been covered by a number of musical artists.
| Single by Radiohead | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| from the album Pablo Honey | |||||
| Released | September 1992 | ||||
| Format | 7", CD, CS | ||||
| Recorded | 1992 | ||||
| Genre | Alternative rock | ||||
| Length | 3:59 | ||||
| Label | Parlophone EMI | ||||
| Writer(s) | Thom Yorke | ||||
| Producer | Sean Slade, Paul Q. Kolderie | ||||
| Radiohead singles chronology | |||||
| |||||
| Alternate cover | |||||
 1993 re-release cover | |||||
Background and recording
Thom Yorke wrote "Creep" while studying at Exeter University in the late 1980s.[1] Guitarist Jonny Greenwood said the song was inspired by a girl that Yorke had followed around who showed up unexpectedly during a show by the band.[2] Though original, the song borrows heavily from the melody and chords of The Hollies' The Air That I Breathe, and writers Hammond and Hazlewood were given songwriting credit in the liner notes for Pablo Honey. In particular, the ostinato of "Creep" is taken from the first four chords of the verse of 'The Air That I Breathe'. The melody of that verse is also echoed in "Creep"'s middle eight, (She's running out again...).
In 1992 during rehearsal sessions with producers Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie, Radiohead spontaneously performed "Creep". Yorke described "Creep" to the producers "our Scott Walker song"; Slade and Kolderie misheard the singer's remark and mistakenly believed the song was a cover.[3] Tension arose due to unsatisfactory attempts at recording other songs, so to improve morale Slade and Kolderie requested the band play "Creep" again. The band recorded the song in a single take; after the performance everyone in the room burst into applause. Once the band assured Kolderie that "Creep" was an original song, he called EMI to tell them to consider the song as the band's next single.[4] While the recording had minimal overdubs and the band did not intend to release it, the producers were impressed with the song.[1][5]
[edit] Composition and lyrics
Play (help·info)The G-B-C-Cm chord progression is repeated through the whole song, just alternating between arpeggiated chords in the verses and last chorus and loud power chords during the first two choruses. In G major these may be interpreted as I-III#-IV-iv.[6] According to Guy Capuzzo the ostinato musically portrays "the song's obsessive lyrics, which depict the 'self-lacerating rage of an unsuccessful crush.'" For example, the "highest pitches of the ostinato form a prominent chromatic line that 'creeps' up, then down, involving scale degrees 
– ♯– 
– ♭....[while] ascend[ing], the lyrics strain towards optimism...descend[ing], the subject sinks back into the throes of self-pity...The guitarist's fretting hand mirrors this contour".[7]
When the song shifts from the verse to the chorus, Jonny Greenwood plays three blasts of guitar noise ("dead notes" played by releasing fret-hand pressure and picking the strings). Greenwood said he did this because he did not like how quiet the song was; he explained, "So I hit the guitar hard - really hard".[2] Ed O'Brien said, "That's the sound of Jonny trying to fuck the song up. He really didn't like it the first time we played it, so he tried spoiling it. And it made the song."[8] During the song's outro, Jonny Greenwood plays a piano figure. Kolderie forgot to add the piano part during the final mix until the end of the song, but the band approved of the final result.[9]
According to Yorke, "Creep" tells the tale of an inebriated man who tries to get the attention of a woman he is attracted to by following her around. In the end, he lacks the self-confidence to face her and feels he subconsciously is her. When asked about "Creep" in 1993, Yorke said, "I have a real problem being a man in the '90s... Any man with any sensitivity or conscience toward the opposite sex would have a problem. To actually assert yourself in a masculine way without looking like you're in a hard-rock band is a very difficult thing to do... It comes back to the music we write, which is not effeminate, but it's not brutal in its arrogance. It is one of the things I'm always trying: To assert a sexual persona and on the other hand trying desperately to negate it."[10] Jonny Greenwood said the song was in fact a happy song about "recognizing what you are".[2]
The version issued for US radio play replaced the line "So fucking special" with "So very special". The group was worried that issuing a censored version would be a "bit of a sellout" according to Jonny Greenwood, but they decided it was acceptable since Sonic Youth, their idols, had done the same thing. Nonetheless, Greenwood noted the British press "weren't impressed" by the action.[2] During the recording session for the censored lyrics, Kolderie convinced Yorke to rewrite the first verse, telling him he thought the singer could do better.[11]
[edit] Success and reaction
Despite initial reluctance, staff at EMI ultimately grew enthused by "Creep", and the label decided to issue it as a single.[12] "Creep" met with little success in the UK when it was first released in September 1992. Radio 1 found the song "too depressing" and refrained from playing the song.[13] "Creep" reached number 78 on the UK Singles Chart, selling only 6,000 copies.[14] The band soon moved onto a second single, "Anyone Can Play Guitar", to promote the album Pablo Honey, and released a non-album single, "Pop Is Dead".
Towards the end of 1992, acclaimed DJ Yoav Kutner played "Creep" incessantly on the Israeli radio. He had been introduced to the song by a local representative of EMI. The song soon became a national hit. Radiohead quickly set up tour dates in the country to capitalise on the success.[15] "Creep" had similar success in New Zealand, Spain, and Scandinavian countries.[16] Around the same time, the San Francisco, California radio station KITS added the song to its playlist; and soon other radio stations along the American west coast followed suit. A censored version of the song was made available to radio stations, and by the second half of 1993, the song had become a hit nationwide and peaked at number thirty-four in the Billboard Hot 100.[1] By the time Radiohead came to the United States, they were surprised by the success of the song. Yorke told Melody Maker in 1993 that many journalists misunderstood the song, asking him if it was a "joke".[13]
Radiohead initially did not want to reissue "Creep" in the United Kingdom, but eventually relented. Bassist Colin Greenwood said that "after doing so well in America, there was this tremendous pressure from radio people, the press, the record company, even our fans, to put it out".[17] The 1993 reissue reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart.[18] In June 2008, "Creep" reentered the UK Singles Chart at number 37 after its inclusion on the compilation album Radiohead: The Best Of.[19]
[edit] Performances
This led to the band's creation of "My Iron Lung", which featured as the title song of their next release, My Iron Lung EP (1994), and as track 8 on their second album The Bends (1995). This track deals with how "Creep" was the song they relied on, how it was their "life-support, [their] iron lung". Thom explained in an interview that they did not want to stop playing it as that would be making a big deal about it; however, he often made comments before the song on stage which suggested he had little respect for anyone who wanted to hear it.[citation needed]
After mid 1998 Radiohead did not play the song live at all until the final encore of a 2001 hometown concert at South Park, Oxford, when they played it in a seemingly impromptu decision after an equipment failure on the organ just after the start of "Motion Picture Soundtrack".[20] Thom Yorke commented that they would be playing a "slightly older song... I think." This is probably because "Creep" and "Motion Picture Soundtrack" were written on the same day, but "Creep" was released in 1992 while "Motion Picture Soundtrack" was finally released eight years later. To date, the last major performance of the song was at Reading Festival 2009, where it opened their set[21].
[edit] Covers and other versions
In April 2008, Prince covered "Creep" at Coachella. This version was captured on a video from a concert-goer's cell phone, and promptly uploaded to YouTube. However, it was quickly taken down at Prince's request. After finding out about the blocking, Thom Yorke was quoted as saying, "Well, tell him to unblock it. It's our song."[22]
Korn performed "Creep" on their unplugged album.
Anberlin covered "Creep" in Lost Songs as did Scarling. on their single of "Band Aid Covers the Bullet Hole".
G4 performed the song, first on the The X Factor live show, and then on their self-titled debut album.
Damien Rice has recorded versions of the song, contributing one to the Starbucks (Hear Music) compilation album, Sounds Eclectic: The Covers Project (2007).
Tears for Fears released a live version of the song as a B-side on the single for "God's Mistake" in 1995, as did The Pretenders on the third disc of their 2006 box set Pirate Radio.
The song was covered by Finnish rock supergroup Northern Kings on their debut album, Reborn.
Abney Park performed "Creep" on their 2005 album Taxidermy.
Oklahoma-based band, Axium, which features American Idol Season 7 winner David Cook, covered the song in a concert live in Tulsa, Oklahoma and featured in the live album, Alive in Tulsa.
Frank Bennett recorded a jazz rendition of the song for his album Five O'Clock Shadow.
Moby performed the cover of the song live on a few concerts.
Amanda Palmer performed an acoustic cover of the song on the ukulele for Black Cab Sessions.
Bill Bailey performed a Hindi version of the song at Wembley Arena as part of his 2008 Tinselworm tour, with the Bollywood Pandits, which he described as "Hindi Indie."
Allison Crowe regularly performed the song in concert sets of her rock bands in the '90s and up until 2003 (when she went solo).
The song is also featured on the video game Rock Band, which is available on the Nintendo Wii, PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360.
[edit] Track listing
- UK original release
- "Creep" – 3:55
- "Lurgee" – 3:07
- "Inside My Head" – 3:12
- "Million Dollar Question" – 3:18
- (Cassette)
- "Creep" – 3:56
- "Faithless, the Wonder Boy
- UK 1993 re-release (CD)
- "Creep" (Album Version) – 3:58
- "Yes I Am" – 4:25
- "Blow Out" (Remix) -
- "Inside My Head" (Live) – 3:07
- UK 1993 re-release (12" vinyl)
- "Creep" (Acoustic) – 4:19
- "You" (Live) - 3:39
- "Vegetable" (Live) - 3:07
- "Killer Cars" (Live in Japan) - 2:17
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