Radiohead's 'Creep' Named Best Alt Rock Song, Surprising Many Fans

Redlist named the best alternative rock song of all time, and it might surprise you.

While Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" may be universally regarded as the top song of the '90s, this list had a different song in the top spot: "Creep" by Radiohead.

The song, Radiohead's first single, is emblematic of rock's shift from the upbeat shredding of the '80s to the slower, sadder rock of the '90s. "Creep" is slow and soft, a little whiny, and almost ballad-like. Its lyrics are self-deprecating, with the first-person singer calling himself a "creep" and a "weirdo" in similar fashion to another '90s alt hit, "Loser" by Beck.

"Creep" was a surprise hit for the band. Even the band's singer Thom Yorke, who wrote the song while he was in college, never really thought the track would amount to anything. “I wasn’t very happy with the lyrics; I thought they were pretty crap," he told Rolling Stone.

The Origin of 'Creep's Iconic Riff

Lyrics aside, "Creep" is known for its signature two-beat riff as the bridge leads into the chorus.

"I wish I was special / You're so f***ing special [DUH-DUH] [DUH-DUH]"

Much like the bass intro to The Temptations' classic "My Girl," it came about entirely by accident. Yorke explained how Radiohead's guitarist Jon Greenwood created the song's signature. “That nervous twitch he does, that’s just his way of checking that the guitar is working, that it’s loud enough," Yorke explained to Rolling Stone, "and he ended up doing it while we were recording. And while we were listening to it, it was like ‘Hey, what the f*** was that? Keep that! Do that!'”

In similar vein to Kurt Cobain, Yorke and Radiohead tapped into Generation X's disillusionment. At the time of its release, Cash Boxcalled the song "a song for all those of the post-pimple set who just can't find their way in this big ol' world." The magazine also called Yorke "our too-self-aware hero who won't let a little disillusionment keep him down."