It is many months since I have tuned into a new TV show and been faced with a soundtrack featuring many of my favorite songs.
That is what the soundtrack of the new German fantasy drama Der Greif (The Gryphon) offered me this weekend.
A brilliant soundtrack featuring bands like The Black Crowes, Pearl Jam, The Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead performing now-classic indie rock tracks that have gone down in history as iconic.
Songs like Radiohead’s ‘Creep‘, which was the song playing on The Gryphon, Season 1, Episode 1, “Gegen schlechte Zeiten” as Mark is in his bedroom recording music onto a cassette. (Remember how we used to have to do that to have portable music to listen to?)
And shockingly, considering how genius this song turned out to be, Radiohead’s ‘Creep‘ was the British indie rock band’s debut single.
The track came out in September, 1992 as a single Radiohead had not originally intended to release, but the producers of their first album Pablo Honey liked it.
The song’s first release was not a big success, but it was picked up by alternative and college radio stations around America, and slowly gained a loyal audience.
When ‘Creep‘ was re-released in 1993, it then joined other “slacker songs” of the era to become an enormous worldwide hit.
The rock track charted on five charts in the U.S., with a #2 placement on the Alternative Airplay chart and a #34 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Other countries where ‘Creep‘ found success were the UK, Norway, Belgium, Australia and Austria, with the song eventually charting high in 15 countries.
Since its initial release, ‘Creep’ has become one of the band’s signature songs, and a track fans are desperate to hear the band play in concert.
Listen to Radiohead’s ‘Creep‘ from The Gryphon on the Spotify player, and in the song’s music video.
You can hear more remarkably good songs from The Gryphon‘s soundtrack on Leo Sigh.