My Iron Lung

My Iron Lung
📅 Released	26 September 1994
🎙️ Recorded	1993–1994
⏳ Length	4:35
🏷️ Label	Parlophone; Capitol;
🤑 Producer	John Leckie;
Radiohead chronology
	;

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My Iron Lung is a song by the English alternative rock band Radiohead. The song was originally from the My Iron Lung EP but later featured on the bands second studio album The Bends. The song charted at number 24 in the UK, but didn't receive that much radio attention in the United States. As of May 2021, the music video has 5.1 million views on YouTube

Recording[edit]

"My Iron Lung" was Radiohead's reaction to "Creep" (1993), their successful debut single.^[1] The caustic, self-reflexive lyrics use the iron lung as a metaphor for the way "Creep" had both sustained the band's life and constrained them ("this is our new song / just like the last one / a total waste of time / my iron lung").^[2] Songwriter Thom Yorke said in 1995: "People have defined our emotional range with that one song, 'Creep'. I saw reviews of "My Iron Lung' that said it was just like 'Creep'. When you're up against things like that, it's like: 'Fuck you.' These people are never going to listen."^[3]

Radiohead recorded versions of "My Iron Lung" at RAK Studios, but were not satisfied with the results. Instead, they used a performance recorded in May 1994 at the London Astoria, with Yorke's vocals replaced and the audience removed.^[4] According to producer John Leckie, "Considering it was recorded in the back of a truck outside the hall - not the best sound to get something from - we did quite well."^[5]

The lyrics caused very little controversy on the second verse "We scratch our eternal itch/a twentieth century bitch/we are grateful for our iron lung".

Nigel Godrich first worked with Radiohead on this recording, going on to engineer The Bends and to produce their later work.

In popular culture[edit]

"My Iron Lung", along with an acoustic version of "Fake Plastic Trees", is featured in the 1995 film Clueless.^[6] It is also featured as a downloadable song for Rock Band.^[7]

EP Track listing[edit]

All tracks written by Radiohead.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"My Iron Lung"	4:36
2.	"The Trickster"	4:40
3.	"Lewis (Mistreated)"	3:14
4.	"Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong"	4:40
5.	"Permanent Daylight"	2:48
6.	"Lozenge of Love"	2:16
7.	"You Never Wash Up After Yourself"	1:44
8.	"Creep" (Acoustic)	4:19
Total length:		28:23

Personnel[edit]

Thom Yorke – lead vocals, guitar
Jonny Greenwood – guitar, keyboards
Ed O'Brien – guitar, backing vocals
Colin Greenwood – bass
Philip Selway – drums

Production

"Permanent Daylight" produced by Nigel Godrich and Radiohead
"You Never Wash Up After Yourself" recorded live in a fruit farm by Jim Warren
"Creep" (Acoustic) recorded live on the air at KROQ Los Angeles, 13 July 1993

References[edit]

↑ "Radiohead's The Bends at 20: The Story of an Anti-Capitalist, Anti-Cynicism Classic – NME". NME. 2015-03-12. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
↑ Runtagh, Jordan (2018-02-22). "Radiohead's 'Pablo Honey': 10 Things You Didn't Know". The Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
↑ Malins, Steve (April 1995). "Scuba Do". Vox (55).
↑ Garcia, Sandra (July 1995). "Decompression". B-Side (51).
↑ Randall, Mac (2012-02-01). Exit Music: The Radiohead Story Updated Edition. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-4584-7147-5. Search this book on
↑ James, Becca. "Cinema Sounds: Clueless". consequenceofsound.net. Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
↑ "New Rock Band DLC: Weezer, Radiohead, The Pretenders". WIRED. Retrieved 2018-05-09.

External links[edit]

Review Waiting...[edit]

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[1] "Radiohead's The Bends at 20: The Story of an Anti-Capitalist, Anti-Cynicism Classic – NME". NME. 2015-03-12. Retrieved 2018-05-09.

[:12-2] Runtagh, Jordan (2018-02-22). "Radiohead's 'Pablo Honey': 10 Things You Didn't Know". The Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-05-23.

[3] Malins, Steve (April 1995). "Scuba Do". Vox (55).

[:1-4] Garcia, Sandra (July 1995). "Decompression". B-Side (51).

[:0-5] Randall, Mac (2012-02-01). Exit Music: The Radiohead Story Updated Edition. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-4584-7147-5. Search this book on

[6] James, Becca. "Cinema Sounds: Clueless". consequenceofsound.net. Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 23 September 2016.

[7] "New Rock Band DLC: Weezer, Radiohead, The Pretenders". WIRED. Retrieved 2018-05-09.

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