Electioneering (song)

"Electioneering"
Song

"Electioneering" is a song by Radiohead, from the band's 1997 album OK Computer.

Thom Yorke describes "Electioneering" as being about preaching to others through a microphone. He uses the metaphor of a politician selling his party platform to critique the live promotional shows Radiohead was doing to sell its music. In its original 1996 live form, the song ended on a catchy note with Thom repeating the line "Doin' it all." Many fans were surprised and a little disappointed at the final version which made OK Computer.

Yorke has commented on the song, saying "We live under a world banking system and media that make it almost irrelevant who is in power. Political systems worldwide are at the mercy of business and bullshit economies. I can't recycle any of the polythene packaging that fills my house. Why?"

Yorke was thinking of the Poll Tax Riots as he wrote "Electioneering", the scenes where people were breaking down the gates of Downing Street. As well as being political, the song is also about Radiohead, travelling around the globe and having to sell their records to people.

Jonny Greenwood has also commented on the song, saying "Electioneering has a resemblance with 'Paranoid Android'. It's about networking, spheres of influence, demonstrating yourself as a personality. All for the commercial gain. The song sounds very good live."

The song is in Drop D tuning, and features use of the D minor chord in the main riff.

While the previous songs on OK Computer were very electronically oriented, this song is closer musically to earlier "guitar" records, using a main "riff" and heavy overdubs.

For the 2007 tribute album from Stereogum, OKX, "Electioneering" was covered by the Cold War Kids. They played a more bare, organic version of the song, with drums, tambourine, Nathan Willett's voice, and distant-sounding piano, contrasting heavily with Radiohead's own guitar-driven track.