"
Just" is a
MTV Video Music AwardsThe MTV Video Music Awards, also called the VMAs, were established at the end of the summer of 1984 by MTV to celebrate the top music videos of the year...
-nominated
singleIn music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.-History:...
by the
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rock band
RadioheadRadiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their first single, "Creep", in 1992...
, released in 1995. It is the seventh track on their 1995 album
The BendsThe Bends is the second album by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released on 13 March 1995. The Bends was produced by John Leckie at EMI's studios in London, and it was engineered by Nigel Godrich, who would later go on to produce future albums with the band...
. Radiohead frontman
Thom YorkeThomas Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead singer and principal songwriter of the alternative rock group Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
wrote the song about a narcissistic friend of his, which on closer inspection is showcased by the imagery in the lyrics - a parallel to earlier
My Iron Lung EP track "Lewis [Mistreated]". He also says that it was something of a competition between him and
Jonny GreenwoodJonathan Richard Guy Greenwood is a BAFTA and Grammy-nominated musician and composer-in-residence for the BBC, best known as a member of English alternative rock group Radiohead. Greenwood is a multi-instrumentalist, but serves mainly as a guitarist and keyboard player. He is the younger brother...
to see who could fit the most chords into a song.
"
Just" is a
MTV Video Music AwardsThe MTV Video Music Awards, also called the VMAs, were established at the end of the summer of 1984 by MTV to celebrate the top music videos of the year...
-nominated
singleIn music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.-History:...
by the
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rock band
RadioheadRadiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their first single, "Creep", in 1992...
, released in 1995. It is the seventh track on their 1995 album
The BendsThe Bends is the second album by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released on 13 March 1995. The Bends was produced by John Leckie at EMI's studios in London, and it was engineered by Nigel Godrich, who would later go on to produce future albums with the band...
. Radiohead frontman
Thom YorkeThomas Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead singer and principal songwriter of the alternative rock group Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
wrote the song about a narcissistic friend of his, which on closer inspection is showcased by the imagery in the lyrics - a parallel to earlier
My Iron Lung EP track "Lewis [Mistreated]". He also says that it was something of a competition between him and
Jonny GreenwoodJonathan Richard Guy Greenwood is a BAFTA and Grammy-nominated musician and composer-in-residence for the BBC, best known as a member of English alternative rock group Radiohead. Greenwood is a multi-instrumentalist, but serves mainly as a guitarist and keyboard player. He is the younger brother...
to see who could fit the most chords into a song. "Just" is especially notable for Greenwood's guitar solo. In the UK, this single was available as two CDs: the first one featured different tracks, and the colour of the album art on the second single was inverted. In 2007,
NMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music magazine in the United Kingdom which has been published weekly since March 1952. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, which first appeared in the 14 November 1952 edition. The magazine's commercial heyday was during the 1970s when it...
placed "Just" at number 34 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever.
Music video
The single's video was directed by
Jamie ThravesJames Thraves is a British film writer and director, known for his music videos for Radiohead, Blur, Coldplay, KT Tunstall, Damien Rice, and Roisin Murphy. He has also directed music videos for Neneh Cherry, Blur and The Verve...
, who was hand-picked by the band after they saw several of his experimental short films. It was shot near
Liverpool Street StationLiverpool Street station, also known as London Liverpool Street, is a major railway station and connected London Underground station in the north eastern corner of the City of London in England...
in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, and intersperses footage of Radiohead playing the song inside an apartment with scenes of a middle-aged man who lies down in the middle of the pavement just outside of the apartment building. People start to gather, thinking that something must be wrong with the man, and the band are shown looking out the window at the events below. A heated (subtitled) conversation between the man and the crowd develops, as the people start demanding to know what the man is doing and why he is lying there. In subtitles, the man finally gives in and says, "Yes I'll tell you, I'll tell you why I'm lying here... but God forgive me... and God help us all... because you don't know what you ask of me." The camera zooms in on his mouth as the man finally gives the answer, but the subtitles have suddenly stopped, so the reason is not revealed to the viewer. As the camera zooms back out, it shows the pavement covered with the crowd of people, all lying down just like the man. Radiohead members have yet to reveal what specific words the man was intended to have said,
if anyA MacGuffin is "a plot element that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction."Sometimes, the specific nature of the MacGuffin is not important to the plot such that anything that serves as a motivation serves its purpose...
, and Thraves has said "to tell you would deaden the impact, and would probably make you want to lie down in the road too". The video is available on Radiohead's
7 Television Commercials7 Television Commercials is a collection of music videos from English alternative rock band Radiohead, covering the period from their The Bends and OK Computer .-Release:...
DVD and the EMI released
Radiohead: The Best ofRadiohead: The Best Of is a compilation album of English alternative rock band Radiohead. The album features singles, album tracks and one B-side the band released from 1993 to 2003 while with EMI. The first disc, also available separately, comprises the majority of the band's charting hits, while...
DVD.
CD 1
- "Just" - [3:54]
- "Planet Telex (Karma Sunra mix)" - [5:23]
- "Killer Cars (Mogadon version)" - [3:50]
CD 2
- "Just" - [3:54]
- "Bones (Live at the forum)" - [3:14]
- "Planet Telex (Live at the forum)" - [4:07]
- "Anyone Can Play Guitar
"Anyone Can Play Guitar" was a single taken from Radiohead's first album Pablo Honey, released just in advance of the album. It was the band's second single, and their first to receive a wide hearing...
(Live)" - [3:40]
Mark Ronson version
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
DJ and
producerIn the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes...
Mark RonsonMark Daniel Ronson is an English music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records.While his debut album Here Comes the Fuzz failed to make an impact on the charts, his second album, Version Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is an English music producer, artist and co-founder of...
released the Radiohead song in February 2008, the fourth single from his second album
VersionVersion is the second album by New York-based English DJ, Mark Ronson. It is an album of cover versions. It was released on 14 April 2007 in the iTunes Store...
. The song had been released earlier under the compilation
Exit Music: Songs with Radio HeadsExit Music: Songs with Radio Heads is a tribute album to British band Radiohead released in 2006 on Rapster Records and Barely Breaking Even Records...
(a Radiohead album tribute) but was never given much promotion by the label. The song quickly gained airplay, being featured in
BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the BBC which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock or interviews. It is aimed...
's "A-List". The version on
Exit Music featured
Alex GreenwaldAlexander Greenwald is an American musician and actor, best known as the lead singer of the Californian rock band, Phantom Planet, which is on indefinite hiatus according to a blog posting on the band's official website .-Career:Greenwald is a former model for clothing retailer The Gap and has...
on vocals and
Sam FarrarSam Farrar is the bass guitar player for American rock 'n roll band Phantom Planet. The band is now on an indefinite hiatus. His father John Farrar was in Shadows and also carved a successful songwriting career, penning many of Olivia Newton-John's big hits. His mother, Pat Carroll, was a...
on bass, both of the band
Phantom PlanetPhantom Planet is an alternative rock band from Southern California. The band is best known for its track "California", which became the theme song for the Fox TV series, The O.C..-History:...
, however, the single release credits the entire band.
The song played as the follow up to "Valerie", which was still inside the UK top 20 upon the "Just" release. "Just" reached #31 after its release and fell to #36 a week later. A music video was made for the song. Directed by Jim Canty, it acted as a
sequelA sequel is a work in literature, film, or other media that chronologically portrays events following those of a previous work.In many cases, the sequel continues elements of the original story, often with the same characters and settings. A sequel can lead to a series, in which key elements appear...
to and paid homage to the earlier Radiohead video.
CD 1 88697271202 / download
- "Just (radio edit)"
- "Valerie (SugaRush Beat Company
SugaRush Beat Company is a musical group consisting of singers Rahsaan Patterson and Ida Corr, and producer Jarrad 'Jaz' Rogers.The band formed in 2005, when Patterson was touring in Australia to promote his third album After Hours...
remix)"
CD 2 88697272032 / download
- "Just (radio edit)"
- "Just (DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin , better known as DJ Premier, is an American record producer and DJ, and the instrumental half of the duo Gang Starr, together with vocalist Guru. Originally from Houston, he has lived in Brooklyn, New York, for much of his professional career...
's Justremixitmix) (feat. Blaq PoetWilbur Bass, better known as Blaq Poet is an American rapper from Queensbridge, New York, USA.-Music career:Blaq Poet was first heard in the track "Beat You Down" from the Bridge Wars during 1987, a diss song towards KRS-One and Boogie Down Productions...
)"
- "Just (The Go! Team
The Go! Team are an English, Brighton-based sextet. With founder Ian Parton, they have pushed the boundaries of indie rock and garage rock in a unique style, incorporating two drummers and an imitative mixture of 1970s car chase themes, double dutch chants, old hip hop and loud guitars similar to...
remix)"
- "Just (The Loving Hand remix)"
- "Just (DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin , better known as DJ Premier, is an American record producer and DJ, and the instrumental half of the duo Gang Starr, together with vocalist Guru. Originally from Houston, he has lived in Brooklyn, New York, for much of his professional career...
's Justremixitmix) (feat. Blaq PoetWilbur Bass, better known as Blaq Poet is an American rapper from Queensbridge, New York, USA.-Music career:Blaq Poet was first heard in the track "Beat You Down" from the Bridge Wars during 1987, a diss song towards KRS-One and Boogie Down Productions...
) (instrumental)"
- "Just (The Loving Hand remix) (instrumental)"
10" vinyl 88697271211
- "Just (radio edit)"
- "Just (DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin , better known as DJ Premier, is an American record producer and DJ, and the instrumental half of the duo Gang Starr, together with vocalist Guru. Originally from Houston, he has lived in Brooklyn, New York, for much of his professional career...
's Justremixitmix) (feat. Blaq PoetWilbur Bass, better known as Blaq Poet is an American rapper from Queensbridge, New York, USA.-Music career:Blaq Poet was first heard in the track "Beat You Down" from the Bridge Wars during 1987, a diss song towards KRS-One and Boogie Down Productions...
)"
- "Just (The Loving Hand remix)"
- "Just (The Go! Team
The Go! Team are an English, Brighton-based sextet. With founder Ian Parton, they have pushed the boundaries of indie rock and garage rock in a unique style, incorporating two drummers and an imitative mixture of 1970s car chase themes, double dutch chants, old hip hop and loud guitars similar to...
remix)"