Today in Music History: May 21, 1997
“OK Computer” landed—and nothing was ever the same.
27 years ago, Radiohead dropped their third studio album and redefined what rock could be. OK Computer wasn’t just a record—it was a transmission from the future. With haunting lyrics about tech-fueled isolation, dystopian capitalism, and the unraveling of modern life, it predicted the 21st century with eerie accuracy.
Recorded in a mansion, layered with staircase reverb, and produced with almost no separation, this album lives and breathes discomfort in the most beautiful way. “Paranoid Android,” “Karma Police,” “No Surprises,” “Lucky”… Every track hit like a philosophical gut punch.
EMI called it “uncommercial.” The world called it a masterpiece.
Certified 5× Platinum in the UK. Grammy winner. A generational shift in sound. Inducted into the Library of Congress. And still, to this day, undeniably essential.
Happy anniversary to the album that made millions of us feel understood in our quiet chaos.
OK Computer, we salute you.
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