Airbag / How Am I Driving?

Airbag/How Am I Driving? is the fifth EP by the English rock band Radiohead, released in April 1998 in North America. It collects most of the B-sides from singles released from Radiohead's third album, OK Computer (1997), plus the OK Computer song "Airbag".

Airbag/How Am I Driving?
EP by
Radiohead
Released21 April 1998
Recorded1996–1997
GenreAlternative rock
Length25:34
LabelCapitol 58701
ProducerNigel Godrich, Radiohead
Radiohead chronology
No Surprises/Running from Demons
(1997)		 Airbag/How Am I Driving?
(1998)		 Kid A
(2000)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Pitchfork9.2/10[2]

Contents

Airbag/How Am I Driving? collects most of the OK Computer B-sides, omitting "Lull" (from the "Karma Police" single) and "How I Made My Millions" from the "No Surprises" single.[3] "Meeting in the Aisle" was Radiohead's first instrumental, featuring programming by Zero 7's Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker.

Physical copies of the EP contain a questionnaire in their liner notes, along with two short stories titled "Chip Shop" and "New Job" (presumably written by Stanley Donwood, who created the artwork for OK Computer). The questionnaire is composed of seemingly random statements.

The sample that opens "A Reminder" is a recording from Prague Metro's automated announcement system: "Finish getting on and getting off; the doors are closing. The next station will be Jiřího z Poděbrad." An early version of "Palo Alto" was entitled "OK Computer".

Release and reception

Airbag/How Am I Driving? debuted at number 56 on the Billboard 200,[4] selling 20,000 copies in its first week.[5] Although only 25 minutes long, the EP was nominated for a 1999 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Performance,[6] up against full-length albums by other artists.[7]

In 2009, the album was re-released by EMI on iTunes.[8]

"Meeting in the Aisle" made its live debut in 2012 on the King of Limbs tour.[9]

Track listing

All songs written by Radiohead.

No.TitleLength
1."Airbag"4:46
2."Pearly*"3:33
3."Meeting in the Aisle"3:09
4."A Reminder"3:51
5."Polyethylene (Parts 1 & 2)"4:22
6."Melatonin"2:09
7."Palo Alto"3:43

Personnel

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[10] Silver 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Allmusic review
  2. "Radiohead: Airbag/How Am I Driving?: Pitchfork Review". 2 October 2000. Archived from the original on 2 October 2000.
  3. "Airbag/How Am I Driving? - Radiohead". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  4. Randall, Mac (2004). Exit Music: The Radiohead Story. Omnibus Press. pp. 181. ISBN 1-84449-183-8.
  5. Basham, David (6 December 2001), Got Charts? Busta's New Beginning; Radiohead Might Have Been Wrong, MTV, retrieved 11 July 2008
  6. "THE US GONG SHOW". NME. 6 January 1999. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  7. Sherman, Heidi (5 January 1999), "The Miseducation of the Recording Industry", Rolling Stone, archived from the original on 14 January 2009, retrieved 11 July 2008
  8. "Airbag/How Am I Driving? EP added to iTunes". ateaseweb.com. 12 March 2009. Archived from the original on 14 March 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2009.
  9. "See Radiohead Play Two New Songs Live in World Tour Debut". Spin. 28 February 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  10. "British album certifications – Radiohead – Airbag / How Am I Driving?". British Phonographic Industry.
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