Thom Yorke, born in 1968, is a British musician, singer, guitarist and main songwriter of the rock band Radiohead, formed in 1985. His distinctive voice and experimental songwriting deeply shaped the alternative rock of the 1990s and 2000s.
Tom Yorke(1920 — 2004)
Tom Yorke
5 min read
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Born on 7 October 1968 in Wellingborough, England
- Co-founded the band Radiohead in 1985 (first named On a Friday)
- Sings on the album OK Computer (1997), regarded as a peak of 1990s rock
- Explores electronic music with the album Kid A (2000)
- Launches a solo career with the album The Eraser (2006)
Works & Achievements
Radiohead's first album, which contains the worldwide hit “Creep”.
The album that asserts the band's melodic and emotional ambition.
Regarded as one of the most influential rock albums of the 1990s, about modern alienation.
A radical turn toward electronics and experimentation that redefines the band's sound.
An album famous for its pay-what-you-want release, a pioneering economic model in the digital age.
Thom Yorke's first solo album, heavily marked by electronic music.
An orchestral and introspective Radiohead album, acclaimed by critics.
Anecdotes
Thom Yorke was born in 1968 with his left eye paralysed and shut. He underwent several operations from early childhood, including one that failed, which explains his characteristic drooping eyelid. As a child, he was often teased at school because of this eye, and he later said that music had become his refuge.
Radiohead formed in 1985 at Abingdon School, a boys' grammar school near Oxford. Since the members could only rehearse on Fridays, they first called themselves “On a Friday”. They would not take the name Radiohead, borrowed from a song by the American band Talking Heads, until the early 1990s.
In 1992, the song “Creep” became an unexpected worldwide hit, so much so that the band ended up hating it for being everywhere. For years, Radiohead sometimes refused to play it in concert, not wanting to be reduced to that one single.
In 2007, Radiohead shook up the music industry by releasing its album “In Rainbows” as a pay-what-you-want download: everyone paid whatever they wished, or even nothing at all. This bold commercial experiment, at the dawn of streaming, felt like a small revolution.
Thom Yorke has long been a committed environmental activist. He has supported the organisation Friends of the Earth and has often raised the issues of climate change and overconsumption in his lyrics and public statements.
Primary Sources
The album's lyrics and imagery depict the alienation of the modern world, transport, speed and technological dehumanisation.
The album is offered as a download and the listener chooses for themselves the price they wish to pay.
The narrator describes himself as someone set apart, who feels like an outsider and unworthy before a person he admires.
Key Places
Town in England where Thom Yorke was born in 1968.
School near Oxford where Thom Yorke met his future Radiohead bandmates and where the band formed in 1985.
University where Thom Yorke studied fine art and English literature in the late 1980s.
City and region where Radiohead developed and where Thom Yorke long lived and worked.
Typical Objects
A central instrument of alternative rock, used by Thom Yorke to shape Radiohead's sound, from energetic riffs to atmospheric textures.
Starting with Kid A, the computer became a true instrument for manipulating, sampling, and distorting sounds. It symbolizes the band's electronic turn.
An electronic keyboard generating artificial sounds, ever-present on the band's experimental albums. It broadens the sonic palette beyond traditional instruments.
An essential tool for capturing the distinctive voice of Thom Yorke, sometimes fragile, sometimes high-pitched. His voice is an instantly recognizable element of Radiohead.
An acoustic instrument used for the band's ballads and most stripped-down pieces. It offers a contrast with the electronics of the albums.
The dominant medium for distributing music in the 1990s and 2000s, before downloading and streaming became widespread.
School Curriculum
Vocabulary & Tags
Key Vocabulary
Tags
Lieu
Daily Life
Morning
Like many musicians, Thom Yorke doesn't keep a fixed schedule. Mornings can start late, especially after concerts or nights spent recording. He often uses this time to write down ideas, draw, or listen to music.
Afternoon
Afternoons are frequently devoted to studio work: composing, searching for sounds, testing electronic loops, and rehearsing with the band. A song may be reworked many times before it is deemed satisfying.
Evening
Evenings are shaped by concerts while on tour, or by long recording sessions when the band is preparing an album. Away from work, he spends time with his family and champions environmental causes.
Food
Thom Yorke has adopted a largely vegetarian, environmentally conscious diet. Like artists on tour, he has to cope with irregular meals and the fatigue of constant travel.
Clothing
He wears simple, casual outfits typical of the alternative rock scene: jeans, T-shirts, understated jackets. Far from the flashy look of stars, his style reflects a desire to stay low-key.
Housing
Thom Yorke long lived in the Oxford area, where Radiohead has its roots. Success allowed him to enjoy comfortable recording studios where he could create freely.
