Radiohead Score Fourth Billboard Hot 100 Hit as "Let Down" Goes Viral on TikTok

"Radiohead's "Let Down," a song from their seminal 1997 LP OK Computer, has charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #91 after recently going viral on TikTok. While Radiohead have found consistent success on Billboard's album chart, they haven't necessarily replicated it with their singles in America; "Let Down" now serves as the fourth Radiohead song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and their first to chart in 17 years, following "Creep" in 1993, "High And Dry" in 1996, and "Nude" in 2008."

"The song's recent viral stint isn't owed to any specific zeitgeist reference (though it was used during the emotional climax of The Bear Season 1); instead, its newfound popularity comes from Gen Z discovering the song's devastating tenor for the first time as well as a range of cinematic, sweeping, or emotional images with "Let Down" as the soundtrack. "How can a song be so depressing yet so hopeful at the same time?," reads the caption to one video using the song."

"Radiohead haven't released a new album since 2016's A Moon Shaped Pool, but they've been gearing up for more action of late; this month, the band offered the live album Hail to the Thief Live Recordings 2003 - 2009, which featured altered and expanded arrangements of songs from their 2003 LP Hail to the Thief. Radiohead also celebrated the 30th anniversary of their 1995 album The Bends by unearthing a rare, previously unseen acoustic performance by Thom Yorke."

Radiohead's "Let Down" from their 1997 LP OK Computer climbed to #91 on the Billboard Hot 100 after going viral on TikTok. The track became the band's fourth song to chart on the Hot 100 and their first entry there in 17 years, following "Creep" (1993), "High And Dry" (1996) and "Nude" (2008). The viral surge came largely from Gen Z users pairing the song's devastating yet hopeful tenor with cinematic, sweeping, or emotional imagery, rather than a single zeitgeist reference, though the song appeared during The Bear season 1 climax. Radiohead released a live album, marked The Bends' 30th anniversary with rare performances, and formed a new business entity, signaling renewed activity.

Read at Consequence