Radiohead Popular Song Rankings [2025]

DaydreamingRadiohead15rank/position

Radiohead – Daydreaming

For music fans who, like me, spent their teens in the ’90s and were baptized by alternative rock, I suspect many first discovered the genre of electronica through Radiohead.

Their 2000 album Kid A, which boldly foregrounded electronica influences, was truly shocking.

In recent years, Radiohead have reached a point where they can seamlessly incorporate electronica as one facet of their own sound, and their 2016 album A Moon Shaped Pool is a masterpiece that only a band fluent in all genres could create.

Since this article’s theme is electronica, the track featured here, Daydreaming, is a minimal, piano-ambient-style song whose electronica-like weightlessness and Thom Yorke’s hushed vocals linger in the ear.

True to its title, it’s a dreamlike, beautiful number, yet the lyrics are far removed from mere ethereal beauty; drawing on events in Thom Yorke’s personal life at the time, they depict a world that is quintessentially Radiohead.

Be sure to check it out, including the suggestive music video.

Exit MusicRadiohead16rank/position

Radiohead Exit Music live (high audio quality)

It’s so cold here; we smile, and wrapped in an unending peace that will never fade, we finally become one.

Radiohead’s Exit Music, which portrays Romeo and Juliet—who could only be joined in death—has become one of the most highly regarded songs among Thom Yorke’s lyrics.

Harry Patch (In Memory Of)Radiohead17rank/position

Harry Patch (In Memory Of)

Radiohead, the British rock band that’s hugely popular in Japan as well, is a group everyone knows.

They’ve created numerous classic songs over the years.

Among them, the track I especially recommend is Harry Patch (In Memory Of).

Inspired by Harry Patch, the legendary soldier who fought in the trenches during World War I, the song honors his bravery while decrying the folly of war as an anti-war piece.

This track also marked a turning point where Radiohead began releasing songs with more concrete, specific lyrics.

It’s a work that can be considered significant in discussing their career.

How To Disappear CompletelyRadiohead18rank/position

Radiohead “How To Disappear Completely” Original Music Video by David Herrera

A track included on Radiohead’s 2000 album Kid A.

It was inspired by a conversation between frontman Thom Yorke and R.

E.

M.

’s Michael Stipe, and features a string section performed by the St.

John’s Orchestra.

Lotus FlowerRadiohead19rank/position

Radiohead – Lotus Flower

Radiohead, a rock band that represents the United Kingdom, is said to experiment with each album and possess a musical style not confined to the rock genre.

The vocalist Thom Yorke is also active in his solo work.

It’s said that their classic song Lotus Flower has a PV (music video) featuring an Egashira 2:50 version.

Street Spirit (Fade Out)Radiohead20rank/position

Radiohead – Street Spirit (Fade Out)

A song by Thom Yorke with a strange, dark message.

It was inspired by Ben Okri’s 1991 novel The Famished Road.

It became Radiohead’s first UK Top 5 single and one of the most anticipated and requested songs at their concerts.

The National AnthemRadiohead21rank/position

Radiohead – The National Anthem (music video)

An original soundscape where electronic experimentation intersects with rock’s impulse.

Featured on the classic album Kid A, released in October 2000, this track is a masterpiece that epitomizes Radiohead’s innovation.

Anchored by its bassline, a flood of sound unfolds as a chaotic brass section infused with jazz elements vividly expresses the anxieties and isolation of the digital age.

It portrays society’s sense of stagnation and paranoia in a unique musical language, leaving a deep afterglow in the listener’s mind.

I especially recommend this work to listeners who continue to explore the possibilities of music.