Street Spirit (Fade Out)

Inspired by R.E.M. and Ben Okri's novel The Famished Road, featuring a signature arpeggio played by Ed O'Brien.

"Street Spirit (Fade Out)" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released on their second studio album, The Bends (1995), and as a single on 22 January 1996. It reached number five on the UK singles chart, marking Radiohead's highest position up to that point. This success proved they were not one-hit wonders after previous singles failed to match the impact of their 1992 debut, "Creep". Thom Yorke described the track as a breakthrough in the band's songwriting and stated it was the reason he started his career.

Quick Facts

Artist: Radiohead
Album: The Bends
Released: 22 January 1996
B-side: "Talk Show Host", "Bishop's Robes"
Recorded: 1994
Genre: Post-grunge; psychedelia
Label: Parlophone
Producer: John Leckie

Lore & Background

The creation of "Street Spirit" marked a pivotal turning point for Radiohead, with the band viewing it as a major breakthrough in their songwriting capabilities. During recording sessions, the members spent an entire day going round in circles until Yorke nearly gave up, thinking, "This is never going to happen." Suddenly, he felt transported to a place he had been willing himself into for months. This intense emotional journey defined the track's significance; Yorke later remarked that if he ever forgot why he started his career, this song was the reason. The music video, directed by Jonathan Glazer after Yorke was impressed by his work on Massive Attack's "Karmacoma," further cemented its status as a defining moment for both the band and the director.

Reader's Guide

"Street Spirit (Fade Out)" serves as a crucial bridge between the "futuristic Britpop" of The Bends and the "dystopian" sound of OK Computer. Pitchfork noted in 2018 that it channels a sense of capitalist dread often repressed by class-conscious artists. The track features a guitar arpeggio written by Yorke and played by Ed O'Brien, creating a hypnotic foundation. In 2015, Stereogum praised it as one of the all-time great album closers, calling it a "perfectly rendered slice of doomy, incantatory psychedelia." Covers by artists like Peter Gabriel and The Darkness highlight its versatility; Gabriel recorded a slower, orchestral version he called an "existential cry of mortality," while The Darkness reimagined it as a speed-metal anthem with power-grunge choruses.

Did You Know?

Jonathan Glazer used a high-speed camera technique from nature documentaries, removing frames to slow down the footage filmed in a desert outside Los Angeles.
Peter Gabriel's cover was recorded for his 2010 album Scratch My Back, though Radiohead reportedly did not like his "pretty extreme" rendition.
The Darkness included a quote of another Radiohead song, "Just" (1995), in their 2012 cover version on the album Hot Cakes.