Nude

This mournful ballad was originally written by Thom Yorke in the mid '90s and it was a regular part of the OK Computer tour. The song was originally introduced by the band as an untitled piece, and has been referred to on different occasions as "Big Ideas" (after its first line "Don't get any big ideas..."), "(Don't Get Any) Big Ideas" and "Failure to Receive Repayment Will Put Your House at Risk" (by Yorke jokingly in the tour film Meeting People Is Easy), before it finally came to be known as "Nude." It became a fabled song among Radiohead fans but had never been onto disc by the band until In Rainbows in 2007. Guitarist Jonny Greenwood talked to New Musical Express December 8, 2007 about the recording of this song: "Thom will come and play a song like 'Nude' to you and obviously its good. You want to record it. But it's been hanging around for 10 years and you find yourself thinking, 'Why haven't we recorded a good enough version of this song?' The relief now is that it's done and we didn't mess it up-it's worth it all."

Thom Yorke told Mojo magazine February 2008 how singing this song reflects a change in his attitude towards his vocal abilities: "Ten years ago, when we first had the song, I didn't enjoy singing it because it was too feminine, too high. It made me feel uncomfortable. Now I enjoy it exactly for that reason - because it is a bit uncomfortable, a bit out of my range, and it's really difficult to do. And it brings something out in me."

In Rainbows was famously released online and offered for whatever price the buyer chose to pay (in many cases, nothing). For the physical release of the album, Stanley Donwood did the artwork.