The Error That Changed Musical History

If You Enjoy Radiohead and Wacky Scientific Experiments, This is For You

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Misdirected Attention

We’ll get to psychological science but first, a detour into angelic territory. Radiohead's rise to cultural phenomenon status is no accident. At the heart of this is Thom Yorke's haunting voice and introspective lyrics, which capture the alienation of a generation. But to truly grasp their impact, listen closely to "Creep." Focus on the 57-second mark—the moment Jonny Greenwood's guitar erupts with a jarring "kerchunk," slicing through the melody like a bolt of electricity.

Some call Greenwood’s contribution “The Noise.” According to fellow guitarist Ed O’Brien, "That's the sound of Jonny trying to fuck the song up." Greenwood couldn’t stand the song initially. He thought it sounded like a feeble copy of arena rock bands from the 1970’s like Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Heart, Journey, and Kansas.

"He really didn't like it the first time we played it, so he tried spoiling it. And it made the song."

When the single “Creep” hit stores, it only sold 6,000 copies. Eight years later, it was re-discovered.

It's strange how dissonance can captivate us. Those chords in "Creep" are an alarm clock, like waking to a construction crew drilling into your driveway at 6 a.m. on a random Tuesday, shattering peacefulness. Yet, this moment in musical history—the infamous "Noise"—has become as iconic as the song itself.

Even stranger, many find the kerchunk soothing. For countless listeners, it's their favorite part (include me in this category). It's a paradox: chaos that comforts, discord that delights. This unexpected allure speaks to a sophisticated relationship between music and emotion.

The Hidden Path to Creative Impact

It reminds me of research by the first woman to gain tenure in Harvard’s Department of Psychology, Dr. Ellen Langer. She found a hidden path to creativity.

Her study on public speaking involved four groups tasked with presenting in front of a judging audience. Here's a breakdown:

1. First Group: Instructed to avoid making any mistakes, which likely increased their stress levels.

2. Second Group: Told that making mistakes was acceptable, allowing for a more relaxed approach.

3. Third Group: Encouraged to integrate their mistakes into the presentation, using them creatively.

4. Control Group: No specific instructions regarding mistakes.

The Striking Results: The third group, which integrated their mistakes into the presentation, reported feeling the most confident and competent. What did the audience think, assigned to objectively rate each speaker (unaware of the instructions given beforehand)? They viewed the speakers in the third group as more confident and competent compared to the other groups. This suggests that embracing and creatively using errors can enhance both self-perception and audience perception during performances.

Radiohead did it and to this day, they are millionaires with over 28 million people listening to them monthly on Spotify.

Provocations

How much more proof do you require to react differently to errors? Compassion is a start. What I suggest is to play with the problem such that you enjoy the suck and let the audience share in that joy.

May you find strength in your mistakes, using them to reorient and propel yourself forward.

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Todd B. Kashdan is an author of several books including The Upside of Your Dark Side (Penguin) and The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively (Avery/Penguin) and Professor of Psychology and Leader of The Well-Being Laboratory at George Mason University.

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