Thom Yorke admits He Regrets Writing "High and Dry"

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has admitted he regrets writing "High and Dry," the iconic 1995 single from the band's breakthrough second album, The Bends. Widely regarded by fans as one of the group's defining tracks of the 1990s, the acoustic anthem is a song Yorke now wishes he had never penned.

Thom Yorke © Rolling Stone

In a conversation with Harry Styles for Rolling Stone magazine, Styles questioned Yorke on his evolution as a composer, contrasting his modern production-heavy mindset with the straightforward acoustic songwriting of Radiohead's early era.

"I Wish I Hadn’t": Yorke on "High and Dry" and Acoustic Guitar Tropes

When Styles cited "High and Dry" as an example of traditional, craft-first songwriting, Yorke was quick to express his ambivalence toward the track.

"Yeah, a guy with an acoustic guitar. Singing his song. That particular one I wish I hadn’t, but there’s nothing wrong with that."

Elaborating on why strummed acoustic tracks rarely resonate with him, Yorke explained that his listening habits lean away from typical singer-songwriters:

"I don’t listen to a lot of singer-songwriters. I listen to a lot of mad old folk music, or I listen to film music, or I listen to electronic music. The banging away on the guitar thing is sometimes when it really speaks to me, but not a lot. I’m not quite sure why that is – probably because we grew up when there was a real renaissance of that, and The Bends was that."

The OK Computer Burnout: Begging Management to Stop Touring

The singer also reflected on the overwhelming fatigue around the release of Radiohead's 1997 masterpiece OK Computer. By the time the record arrived in shops, Yorke was already burnt out on the material and desperate to explore new creative ground, but was bound to a massive two-year global tour schedule.

"When we finished that record, we’d been already playing those songs too much. I literally begged [management, saying] ‘I can’t, I can’t do it. I need to move on.’"

Instead of stepping back, the band stayed on the road, creating an environment Yorke found deeply damaging to his artistic process.

"Two years later, we were still going. That was just really f***** up because the moving on thing is not a luxury. That’s entirely essential. You know? Everybody has their different ways of dealing with this. Personally, I rely on not doing it for too long… I wish I could do it for a long time. I can’t."

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