AILSA CHANG, HOST:
OK, this week's Billboard charts are led by the usual hits from Morgan Wallen and the soundtrack to "KPop Demon Hunters." But a song from the 1990s has just made its chart debut 28 years later. NPR's Stephen Thompson has this story.
STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE: Radiohead is one of the most decorated bands of the last 30 years. Its members reside in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and albums like "OK Computer," "Kid A" and "The Bends" have become classics.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FAKE PLASTIC TREE")
RADIOHEAD: (Singing) Fake plastic Earth.
THOMPSON: But Radiohead has rarely cracked the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Its biggest hit was its very first single, "Creep," all the way back in 1994.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CREEP")
RADIOHEAD: (Singing) But I'm creep. I'm a weirdo.
THOMPSON: "Creep" topped out at No. 34, though it's become a standard of '90s alternative rock. Before this week, only two other Radiohead songs have made the Billboard Hot 100 - "High & Dry" in 1996 and "Nude" in 2008. But this week, a fourth Radiohead song has just hit the chart at No. 91. It's "Let Down" from the band's 1997 album, "OK Computer."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LET DOWN")
RADIOHEAD: (Singing) Let down again.
THOMPSON: There's plenty of precedent for old songs resurfacing in the Hot 100 decades after their release. It can happen for many different reasons. Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" experienced a huge resurgence after it was on the TV show "Stranger Things." And NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye" charted for a week last year when it soundtracked the opening fight scene in "Deadpool Versus Wolverine" (ph).
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BYE BYE BYE")
NSYNC: (Singing) You may hate but it ain't no lie, baby, bye, bye, bye (bye, bye).
THOMPSON: In the case of Radiohead and "Let Down," there's more to it than that. The song appeared in the first season of "The Bear" and has recently become popular on TikTok. That combined presence helped drive an increase in streaming. So now, "OK Computer," one of the most acclaimed albums of the 1990s, finally has a chart hit to match its reputation. Stephen Thompson, NPR Music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LET DOWN")
RADIOHEAD: (Singing) Shell smashed, juices flowing. Wings twitch, legs are going. Don't get sentimental. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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