Radiohead have issued a statement after ICE used a cover of their song “Let Down” in a social media video. Mincing no words, the band said:
“We demand that the amateurs in control of the ICE social media account take it down. It ain’t funny, this song means a lot to us and other people, and you don’t get to appropriate it without a fight.
Also, go fuck yourselves… Radiohead.”
The ICE propaganda video (which you can find for yourself, if you’re interested) features images of victims of violence that the agency attributes to “criminal illegal alien violence.” Photos appear one-by-one before the clip displays the phrase, “This Is Our Why.” All the while, a choral mashup of the OK Computer track plays, specifically the lyrics, “You know where you are with/ You know where you are with/ Floor collapses, floating/ Bouncing back/ And one day I am gonna grow wings/ A chemical reaction/ Hysterical and useless.”
Related Video
Unironically, the clip fades out on the word “useless,” only emphasizing how much Radiohead’s song and this unauthorized use don’t align.
Earlier this month, Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood responded to another third-party use of his music when a segment of his Phantom Thread score appeared in Melania, the Melania Trump documentary. He and director Paul Thomas Anderson claimed the usage was “a breach of his composer agreement” and “have asked for it to be removed from the documentary.”
