Airbag / How Am I Driving?

Airbag / How Am I Driving? is the fifth EP by the English rock band Radiohead, released in April 1998 in North America. It collects most of the B-sides from singles released from Radiohead's third album, OK Computer (1997), plus the OK Computer song "Airbag". It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Performance.

Airbag / How Am I Driving?
EP by Radiohead
Released	21 April 1998
Recorded	1996–1997
Studio	Canned Applause (Didcot) St Catherine's Court (Bath)
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	25:34
Label	Capitol 58701
Producer	Nigel Godrich, Radiohead
Radiohead chronology
No Surprises / Running from Demons (1997) Airbag / How Am I Driving? (1998) Kid A (2000)

Songs

Airbag / How Am I Driving? collects most of the OK Computer B-sides, excluding "Lull" (from the "Karma Police" single) and "How I Made My Millions" (from the "No Surprises" single).^[1] Only one had been previously released in North America.^[2]

"Meeting in the Asile" is a "spaced out" instrumental with "orchestral" drones, drum machine and bass guitar.^[2] Radiohead did not perform it until 2012 on the King of Limbs tour.^[3] The two-part "Polyethylene" begins with softly strummed guitar before a climactic ending.^[2] "Palo Alto" features "hummable pop" verses and a "thunderous" chorus.^[2] Its initial title was "OK Computer" before it became the album title.^[4]

Release

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Pitchfork	9.2/10[2]

Airbag / How Am I Driving? debuted at number 56 on the Billboard 200,^[6] selling 20,000 copies in its first week.^[7] In 2009, it was rereleased by EMI on iTunes.^[8]

Reception

Airbag / How Am I Driving? was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Performance.^[9] In Pitchfork, Ryan Schreiber wrote: "If OK Computer was at the top of your 'best of' list last year, and you had wished for just a few more tracks in that same anti- technology, self-loathing vein that Radiohead so perfectly executes, Airbag goes off on impact."^[2] Schreiber expressed surprise that the "impossibly brilliant" final track, "Palo Alto", was not included on OK Computer and felt it would have made a strong single.^[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Philip Selway, Ed O'Brien and Colin Greenwood.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Airbag"	4:46
2.	"Pearly*"	3:33
3.	"Meeting in the Aisle"	3:09
4.	"A Reminder"	3:51
5.	"Polyethylene (Parts 1 & 2)"	4:22
6.	"Melatonin"	2:09
7.	"Palo Alto"	3:43
Total length:		25:34

Personnel

Radiohead Thom Yorke Jonny Greenwood Ed O'Brien Colin Greenwood Philip Selway

Production Nigel Godrich Packaging Thom Yorke Stanley Donwood

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[10]	Silver	60,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.