High and Dry

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"High and Dry"
Single by Radiohead
from the album The Bends
Released	February 1995
Recorded	1992-1993
Genre	Pop, Rock
Length	4:20
Label	Parlophone (UK) Capitol (US)
Writer(s)	Thom Yorke
Producer(s)	John Leckie Radiohead
Radiohead singles chronology
"Stop Whispering" (1993)	"High and Dry/Planet Telex" (1995)	"Fake Plastic Trees" (1995)
The Bends track listing
"The Bends" (2)	"High and Dry" (3)	"Fake Plastic Trees" (4)

"High and Dry" was the second single taken from the Radiohead album The Bends, and appeared as a double A-side with the album opener "Planet Telex". It was released in the UK on 5 March 1995 and peaked at number 17 in the UK singles chart.

The song was actually recorded during the Pablo Honey sessions but was dismissed by the band, who thought that it sounded "like Rod Stewart".^[1] However, during the sessions for The Bends it was rediscovered, dusted off and re-mastered, as it was felt that it worked well with the rest of the album's content. The version that appears on the album is simply the original demo; it was never re-recorded.

It is widely regarded as perhaps Radiohead's most accessible pop hit, and was a live favourite, though it has not been performed in a decade. There was speculation this was mostly due to the demands of the vocal part on Thom Yorke's voice. However, in a recent interview Thom said he "had his arm twisted... to put [the song] anywhere" and described it in the following words: "It's not bad, you know. It's not bad... it's very bad. [Laughs]".^[2]

A cover of this song appears on pop-jazz singer Jamie Cullum's album Twentysomething. Cullum's version was also released as a single. Bilal has also covered the song. Jorge Drexler covers the song on his 2006 album Doce Segundos de Oscuridad.

In the early 2000s as the band's style became less conventional, Moby and Courtney Love both lamented that Radiohead no longer wrote "songs like 'High and Dry'."

There were 2 versions of High & Dry/Planet Telex released. CD 1 with a red cover and CD 2 with a blue cover.

Contents 1 CD Singles 1.1 CD 1 1.2 CD 2 2 Music videos 2.1 Version 1 2.2 Version 2 3 References

[edit] CD Singles

[edit] CD 1

1. "High & Dry" - [4:17]
2. "Planet Telex" - [4:18]
3. "Maquiladora" - [3:27]
4. "Planet Telex (hexidecimal mix) - [6:44]

[edit] CD 2

1. "High & Dry" - [4:17]
2. "Planet Telex" - [4:18]
3. "Killer Cars" - [3:02]
4. "Planet Telex" (l.f.o. jd mix) - [4:40]

[edit] Music videos

[edit] Version 1

Produced to air in the United States and directed by Paul Cunningham. The band arrive at a diner and order. The rest of the people on the diner are involved in dramas of their own, which are revealed through the use of flashbacks. A couple and the diner's cook are involved in an unspecified crime. A businessman is hiding something in his briefcase. In the end, the two dramas are resolved when the guilty parties are betrayed, the cook gives the couple a time bomb and the businessman is ambushed and killed (though the murder is only suggested).

[edit] Version 2

Produced to air in the United Kingdom, it shows the band performing in a desertic setting amidst trucks and filming equipment. By the end of the video, it rains on the band, but they continue playing. It was shot in black and white and directed by David Mould. This was actually the first version of the video produced, but the band expressed dissatisfaction with it, leading to the other video. Only the US version appears on their 1998 video compilation 7 Television Commercials.

[edit] References

1. ^ High and Dry lyrics.
2. ^ Interview with Thom Yorke.

v • d • e Radiohead
Thom Yorke • Jonny Greenwood • Ed O'Brien • Colin Greenwood • Phil Selway
Discography
Albums: Pablo Honey • The Bends • OK Computer • Kid A • Amnesiac • Hail to the Thief • TBA
EPs: Manic Hedgehog • Drill • Itch • My Iron Lung • No Surprises/Running from Demons • Airbag/How Am I Driving? • I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings • COM LAG
Singles: "Creep" • "Anyone Can Play Guitar" • "Pop Is Dead" • "Stop Whispering" • "My Iron Lung" • "High and Dry"/"Planet Telex" • "Fake Plastic Trees" • "Just" • "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" • "Lucky" • "Paranoid Android" • "Karma Police" • "No Surprises" • "Pyramid Song" • "Knives Out" • "There There" • "Go to Sleep" • "2 + 2 = 5"
DVDs: Live at the Astoria • 7 Television Commercials • Meeting People Is Easy • The Most Gigantic Lying Mouth of All Time
Related articles
Nigel Godrich • Stanley Donwood • Dead Air Space • Covers of Radiohead songs • Rare songs • Trivia
Other projects
Bodysong • The Eraser • Spitting Feathers
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