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Radiohead's 'Lucky' is the lead track from the 'Help' EP due for release in late October 1995... The vast majority of monies owed go directly to the 'War Child' charity which is working to alleviate the suffering of children in Bosnia
Another track that seems a bit of a misfit on a Now album, especially noting its lack of success as a single (though it did feature on a million-selling album a couple of years later). In mood as well, it seems unlikely to appeal much to the stereotypical Now purchaser. Indeed it was allegedly rejected by one radio station for sounding "too depressing", not that I'm under the impression many other stations played it either. Between this and the fact that Radiohead aren't named on the front cover, this interrupted an otherwise unbroken run of 16 Top 40 hits over 15 years, and yet only six of those hits made it to Now album. For the record, the other three tracks on the EP were a live version of '50ft Queenie' by PJ Harvey, 'Momentum' by Guru and an untitled instrumental track that was actually by Portishead.
The sleeve note oddly glosses over it, but this lead track derives from the Help album,one of the more laudable achievements of the Britpop era. 20 exclusive (at the time) tracks were recorded on the 4th of September, and the record was in the shops by the 9th, too soon for them to list the tracks on the cover. This didn't stop it shifting enough copies in a single day to become the week's biggest seller, although to Brian Eno's annoyance it was treated as a compilation and thus excluded from the main chart (I should imagine this induced some mixed feelings in the Levellers, who gained their only Number One album for this reason). Over the years, I bought it on both cassette and CD, but last time I looked I couldn't find either of them so by the time you read this I may have to buy another copy.
Whilst some of the material was just rearrangements of old material or cover versions, 'Lucky' was at the time an entirely new song, though I don't know whether it was written specifically for the occasion. It seems to capture Radiohead at a pivotal moment in their career, somewhere between the relatively conventional rock of the first two albums and the more avant-garde soundscapes they've tended towards since. It still sounds like something that was written on guitar and arranged afterwards, but for me at least the emphasis has always been on the atmosphere more than the actual lyrics, which apparently are about a survivor of an airline accident who gains superpowers (or thinks he does?). It's an interesting concept actually, linking with obvious parallels like Spiderman, Futurism and their own song 'Airbag', which ultimately joined this on the OK Computer album. And it raises all sorts of questions about whether he's lucky to survive the accident, or unlucky to have had it. And I realise Radiohead aren't everyone's cup of tea, but for my mind this is possibly the greatest purpose-built charity single of all time at least in musical terms; it doesn't seem to have been quite as effective a short-term fundraiser as getting a load of current stars to bellow a cover version.
Fortunately, War Child seems to have done alright out of it in the long run and it's good to know that they're still going now, though in an echo of the song itself, it's a shame there's still anything for them to do. While there is, though, I've pointed the link at the bottom of the post to their download store, because they surely can make better use of the commission than I would. In line with my usual practice, I'll provide the link for direct donations.
PS - I have to admit that it's a pure coincidence that I'm publishing a post about a song called 'Lucky' on the 13th.
Also appearing on: Now 26, 33, 37, 38, 39, 49
Available on: OK Computer (deluxe edition)
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