High & Dry

The song High & Dry, part of the album The Bends, was released in February 1995 as a double A-side single with Planet Telex, but only in the United Kingdom. Curiously, outside of that territory, the first single from The Bends was Fake Plastic Trees. This piece is among Radiohead's most recognized compositions, although it stands out for being one of the least "alternative" and having a more peaceful sound. Along with other singles from the album, High & Dry helped consolidate The Bends as a very successful album of the decade and the band's most critically acclaimed to date. After the album's presentation tour, Radiohead has opted not to play High & Dry live frequently, a decision similar to the one they made with Creep.

Two music videos were created to accompany the song. The version for the American market, directed by Paul Cunningham, shows the band in a restaurant, with other customers immersed in their own dramatic stories revealed through flashbacks. A couple and a cook are involved in a mysterious crime, while a businessman hides something in his briefcase. The conflicts are resolved with betrayals: the cook gives the couple a time bomb, and the businessman is attacked to death, although this latter event is only hinted at. The British version, in black and white and directed by David Mould, features the band playing in a desolate location surrounded by trucks and filming equipment.

In the end, rain falls on them, but they continue playing. This latter was the first version produced, but the band was not satisfied, which led to the creation of the other video. The American version is the one that appears on the 1998 video compilation, and both versions, the British and the American, were included in the DVD Radiohead: The Best Of released in 2008.