Fitter Happier

In Fitter Happier, the band Radiohead opted for a very different sonic path than their previous works. Instead of vocal melodies or prominent guitars, this piece is built from sound fragments and a synthesized voice. The lyrics, which describe a world saturated with consumerism, social alienation, and technological anxieties, were written by Thom Yorke in a very brief period, just ten minutes, while the rest of the group was busy with other tasks. The song's duration is just under two minutes, making it a notable interruption within the album OK Computer.

The recording of OK Computer took place in 1996 and early 1997, much of it in the band's rehearsal space in Oxfordshire and at the historic mansion St Catherine's Court in Bath, England. With the collaboration of producer Nigel Godrich, who also handled the mixing, and recording engineers Jon Bailey, Gerard Navarro, and Chris Scard, the album sought to distance itself from the guitar-centric and introspective lyrical approach of their previous record, The Bends. Fitter Happier, as part of OK Computer, helped lay the groundwork for the more experimental sound that would characterize Radiohead's later works. The voice heard in the song comes from "Fred", a voice generated by the SimpleText application on a Macintosh computer, and was used as an intro theme for the band during their 1997 tour.