| "Planet Telex" | |||||
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| Single by Radiohead from the album The Bends |
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| Released | February 1995 | ||||
| Recorded | 1994 | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 4:19 | ||||
| Label | Parlophone (UK) Capitol (US) |
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| Writer | Thom Yorke | ||||
| Producer | John Leckie Radiohead Nigel Godrich |
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| Radiohead singles chronology | |||||
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| The Bends track listing | |||||
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"Planet Telex" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, the opening track from their 1995 album The Bends, and also released as a double A-side single with "High and Dry", although receiving far less airplay. "Planet Xerox" was the song's original title, but as Xerox was a trademarked name, they needed permission to use it. They asked Xerox if they could use the title for the song, but with lyrics like "You can force it but it will not come" and a chorus repeating the line "everything is broken", Xerox declined. Radiohead then changed the title to "Planet Telex". The only song written in the studio during the Bends sessions, it evolved from an abandoned coda to the earlier song "Killer Cars". It was recorded one night when the studio chef decided to take the night off. The band decided to eat out at a restaurant, where the band consumed a great amount of alcohol. Inspired to write, they returned to the studio from the restaurant and recorded the song. Thom Yorke sung the vocals lying down with a microphone placed next to his head, completely inebriated. This is one of the most frequently remixed songs in Radiohead's catalog.[1] Some see its more atmospheric keyboard-dominated sound, compared to other tracks on The Bends, as an indication of the band's future sound on albums such as OK Computer and Kid A. Radiohead have commented that the first or last songs on their albums tend to point ahead to their next album. "Planet Telex" was also pitched slightly sharp in post-production, giving an almost "in-between keys" feel to the song. Live, the song is performed in the key of E.
References
- ^ Planet Telex lyrics (1994).
