Entertainment news and discussion on TalkFuse.
In 1995, Radiohead turned a songwriting competition into a classic. Now, it has been streamed over 324,000,000 times
Radiohead’s ‘Just’, released on 1995 album The Bends, began as a songwriting challenge from Thom Yorke to guitarist Jonny Greenwood: fit as many chords as possible into one song. The result became one of the album’s defining tracks, showing how the band was moving beyond the sound of its debut and experimenting with more complex guitar music.
The song’s shifting, sometimes dissonant chords include a key change in the guitar solo and a so-called “Hendrix chord” near the end, while Yorke’s vocal carries across the changes. It reportedly ran to around seven minutes in rehearsal before being cut down for release. Its video, directed by Jamie Thraves, features a man lying on a pavement and a crowd demanding to know why; the band chose to keep the story’s meaning secret.
In short
- Yorke challenged Greenwood to use as many chords as possible.
- ‘Just’ was cut down from a seven-minute rehearsal version.
- The band kept the music video’s meaning secret.
Explained simply
Radiohead are an English rock band whose members include singer Thom Yorke and guitarist Jonny Greenwood. Their 1995 album The Bends followed their debut, Pablo Honey, and marked a move towards more varied guitar music.
“Just” was one of the songs on The Bends. Its many chord changes reflect the band’s experiments with songwriting, while its video, directed by Jamie Thraves, leaves viewers to wonder why a man is lying in the street.