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OK Computer Track Ranking

12. Fitter Happier (Track #7)
Score: 49 (Average Rank: 10.35/12)
Biggest Fan(s): MetalmindStats (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): TheArkOfTurus, RyoCaliente, VeryInsane, HBJDubs, neonreaper, SpikeSetsFire, Seanchan, Seginustemple (#12)

ChainLTTP: I absolutely adore this interlude, but it's not really a song so

CasanovaZelos: The definitive album-only track. This is going to be near the bottom of pretty much every list, but thats not to say it serves no purpose. I would never listen to Fitter Happier on its own, but I also cannot imagine OK Computer without it. Its a foreboding transition to the back half of the album that really sticks.

Giggsalot: It's weird that people hate on this, it's the conceptual heart of the album and it does its job perfectly. Sure, in these album rankings it kind of acts like the fodder line, but there's no shame in that.

Johnbobb: this is basically a skit so it's kind of hard to rank, but it still sounds good and fits well within the greater album.

11. Electioneering (Track #8)
Score: 74 (Average Rank: 8.88/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Snake5555555555 (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): ChainLTTP, Raetsel_Lapin, CasanovaZelos, Evillordexdeath (#12)

ChainLTTP: would be a better song on The Bends, but even with Jonny's shredding it's still a weak part

CasanovaZelos: The weakest moment of OK Computer, a purely alternative track that doesnt hit nearly as hard as those on their previous album. The lyrics arent nearly as interesting, either, just a basic take on political back and forth. Now that I think about it, the weird slogans make this feel like a precursor to Kid A what a difference it makes when the music itself is pushing boundaries. I dont think this is a bad song by any means, but it does stick out in a weird way.

Giggsalot: Actually kind of underrated, if this was on The Bends it would be one of the best songs there. The burst of energy the album needs after Fitter Happier.

Johnbobb: this is literally just a Muse song and no one can tell me otherwise

10. The Tourist (Track #12)
Score: 79 (Average Rank: 8.71/12)
Biggest Fan(s): ChainLTTP (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Jesse_Custer, Giggsalot, MetalmindStats (#12)

ChainLTTP: The best closer next to the Abbey Road Medley and A Day in the Life. Sums up the entire point of OK Computer in a single track and god damn if it can still get to me 15 years after I first listened to the album straight through. I will be playing this song when I'm on my death bed, looking back at my life, and I will be at peace.

CasanovaZelos: This one has never done too much for me on a sonic level, though I do like the way it cycles back around to the opening. Another crash is impending. Our narrator may be lucky, but only in the sense that he keeps surviving. There is a constant theme of feeling stuck, and using this track to make the whole album feel like a cycle drives that theme home. That elevator ding is a perfect closer.

Giggsalot: Like Airbag, this feels like an appropriate end, which cleverly hides the fact there's almost no song here at all. It's definitely possible that I might think more of this if it was by Low or Red House Painters - in principle, I like a lot of the artistic choices here - but given that Radiohead closers are almost informally amazing, this is a weird exception.

9. Subterranean Homesick Alien (Track #3)
Score: 93 (Average Rank: 7.59/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Sanke5555555555 (#12)

ChainLTTP: this song is lyrically perfect and makes me more introspective than anything besides the #1. I love it so much

CasanovaZelos: The comedown from Paranoid Android; not quite depression, but more an introspective take on feeling like an outsider in your own world. The spacey sound here is key to OK Computer as a whole, even if I rarely listen to this one outside of the album proper.

Giggsalot: I really like the dreamy folk vibes here, which makes me wish Radiohead would tap into this sound more frequently. But they've never really paired it with a great song (see also Give up the Ghost). I like the lyrics here and this climaxes well, but there's not a lot else here for me.

8. No Surprises (Track #10)
Score: 106 (Average Rank: 6.88/12)
Biggest Fan(s): SpikeSetsFire, Evillordexdeath (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Johnbobb (#12)

ChainLTTP: such a perfect juxtaposition of lovely melody with dark lyrics that came to define this era

CasanovaZelos: Much like Let Down, an uplifting tune paired with depressing lyrics. Unlike Let Down, it feels like this depression will stick. Like Karma Police, I feel this one is a bit too simple to justify its acclaim, but Yorkes vocals are so powerful. Its also a better song while actively listening; there are layers here I always forget in retrospect. If Im harsh on these two tracks, its only because I feel like almost every song on here deserves the same level of attention. This is still a classic, reaching stunning emotional heights through its relative simplicity.

Giggsalot: I came here planning to write that this was a tiny bit too cute, but that's bullshit. Not my absolute favourite here, but this is perfect in its own right. The album probably should have ended here, the last two songs feel a bit like footnotes after this.

Johnbobb: Probably the only song on the album I'm outright consider "not good." Boring, repetitive, and just kind of unnecessary.

7. Airbag (Track #1)
Score: 130 (Average Rank: 5.88/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Evillordexdeath (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Giggsalot, HBJDubs (#10)

ChainLTTP: the perfect opener: "in an interstellar burst, I'm back again to save the universe." Fuck me, it's so good

CasanovaZelos: Though not my favorite track on the album, "Airbag" does a great job capturing what makes the full album so effective. After starting with an abrasive guitar, the song pulls back to let Yorke's gentle voice shine. Though we never return to that opening sound, it leaves a pervasive sense of foreboding. This is an album defined by contrasts, and "Airbag" makes a simple statement - after a horrifying accident, the survivor is simply happy to be alive, but he can't quite put everything behind.

Giggsalot: As alluded to above, the bookends on OK Computer feel 'appropriate', which is an ideal way of hiding that they're not especially great songs. Airbag has cool atmosphere and a nice guitar tone but not a huge amount else.

Johnbobb: what a fucking way to start an album

6. Lucky (Track #11)
Score: 130 (Average Rank: 5.76/12)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats (#11)

ChainLTTP: this takes me back to college so much. The Pink Floyd track of the 90s

CasanovaZelos: First he survived a car crash, now our narrator survives an air crash. However depressing this album can get, theres a theme of survival as well. This is the only outright optimistic track on the album - the way Yorke delivers its gonna be a glorious day the final time can bring me to tears. While this will likely be overshadowed by other tracks on its own, this is the cathartic release that makes OK Computer work as a cohesive whole.

Giggsalot: Actually a bit underrated, probably their best straight up britpop song. That chorus fucking soars, man.

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