High and Dry
"High and Dry" was released as a double A-side single alongside "Planet Telex" on 27 February 1995 by Parlophone and Capitol Records.
"High and Dry" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released on their second album, The Bends (1995). It was originally recorded as a demo during sessions for their first album, Pablo Honey (1993), with live engineer Jim Warren at Courtyard Studios in Oxfordshire. Although the band initially dismissed the recording as "too Rod Stewart," it was later rediscovered and remastered for The Bends. Thom Yorke had performed an early version with another band, Headless Chickens, while attending the University of Exeter in the late 1980s. He explained that the lyrics concerned a relationship with "some loony girl" he was dating, which eventually became mixed up with ideas about success and failure. Decades later, in 2006, Yorke reflected on the track as "very bad," noting that their label at the time, EMI, had pressured him into releasing it.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Radiohead
- Album
- The Bends
- Released
- 27 February 1995
- Recorded
- 1993–1994
- Studio
- RAK (London), Courtyard (Oxfordshire)
- Genre
- "High and Dry":Post-Britpop
- alternative rock "Planet Telex":Shoegaze
- experimental rock
- Label
- Parlophone, Capitol
- Producer
- Radiohead
- John Leckie
- Jim Warren
Lore & Background
The history of "High and Dry" is rooted in experimentation and rediscovery. While attending the University of Exeter in the late 1980s, Thom Yorke performed an early version with Headless Chickens. In 1993, Radiohead recorded a demo at Courtyard Studios, Oxfordshire, but dismissed it as "too Rod Stewart." Years later, this discarded recording was found and remastered for The Bends. The song's influence extended well beyond the band; in 2017, Pitchfork credited it, along with "Fake Plastic Trees," for influencing the "airbrushed" post-Britpop sound of Coldplay and Travis. The Irish Times went further, stating that "High and Dry" had "essentially invented Coldplay." Despite Yorke's later criticism of the track in 2006, describing it as "very bad" and citing label pressure from EMI, its impact on subsequent rock acts remains a documented part of its legacy.
Reader's Guide
Listeners exploring "High and Dry" should note its dual existence as both a discarded demo and a polished album track. The song was recorded at Courtyard Studios in Oxfordshire with engineer Jim Warren before being remastered for The Bends. For the single release on 27 February 1995, two distinct music videos were produced to reach different markets. Directed by David Mould, the UK video features Radiohead performing at the Vasquez Rocks outside Los Angeles. For the American market, Capitol Records commissioned a second video directed by Paul Cunningham, set in a roadside diner and inspired by the 1994 film Pulp Fiction. Notably, MTV requested edits to this US version to remove a shot of an exploding car. Fans can also trace the song's lineage back to Yorke's time with Headless Chickens at the University of Exeter in the late 1980s.
Track listing
CD1
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | High and Dry | 4:17 |
| 2 | Planet Telex | 4:18 |
| 3 | Maquiladora | 3:27 |
| 4 | Planet Telex (Hexidecimal Mix) | 6:44 |
| Total length | 18:46 | |
CD2
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Planet Telex | 4:18 |
| 2 | High and Dry | 4:17 |
| 3 | Killer Cars | 3:02 |
| 4 | Planet Telex (L.F.O. JD Mix) | 4:40 |
| Total length | 16:17 | |
12" vinyl
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Planet Telex (Hexidecimal Mix) | 6:44 |
| 2 | Planet Telex (L.F.O. JD Mix) | 4:40 |
| 3 | Planet Telex (Hexidecimal Dub) | 7:32 |
| 4 | High and Dry | 4:17 |
| Total length | 22:14 | |
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