What would the pop culture landscape look like without Radiohead as a pillar of alt-rock? Had the Thom Yorke-led project not taken off when it did, music then and in the future would be drastically changed. For example, Coldplay, Muse, Bloc Party, and Snow Patrol, to name a few, would sound very different without Radiohead.This reality came so close to occurring, however, after “Creep” threatened to make the band a one-hit wonder. Radiohead’s debut single was included on their 1993 album Pablo Honey. But it became such a blight on their discography that they refused to play it live for more than a decade. Despite all this, it’s still a beloved Radiohead staple for casual fans and perhaps a begrudging favorite for certain diehards. But “Creep” almost managed to strand Radiohead in one-hit wonder purgatory. Here’s why, and here’s how the band clawed their way out.Radiohead Hated ‘Creep’ So Much They Almost Didn’t Make Another AlbumWhen “Creep” flooded the airwaves in 1993, Radiohead earned their first international Top 10 hit. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, and by the end of the year it was No. 4 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. In its native country, “Creep” climbed to No. 4 on the U.K. Singles chart, only after it was banned on BBC Radio the year before.Radiohead became inescapably linked with the mainstream single, which effectively pissed them off. Their U.S. label pushed them to embark on a long tour, capitalizing on the song’s widespread popularity. But if there’s one thing to learn from major labels, it’s that taking their advice often comes at the cost of creative integrity. The extensive tour led Radiohead to develop an intense hatred for “Creep” and their other early material. Playing the same songs night after night for a year made them feel like “jukeboxes”, as Jonny Greenwood told Mojo a year later.The members of Radiohead were fighting each other, dissatisfied with the mainstream success “Creep” had brought them, and burnt out from touring. This resulted in fruitless recording sessions for their next album, The Bends. They doubted themselves, consumed by disgust for the success but dreading not being able to replicate it.“We were like paranoid little mice in cages,” Greenwood told The Guardian in 1996. “We were scared of our instruments, scared of every note not being right.”Obviously, a world without Radiohead never came to pass, and their legacy survived beyond “Creep”. Still, for anyone getting into Radiohead for the first time, we recommend starting with anything other than “Creep”. You might thank us later.Photo by Bob Berg/Getty ImagesThe post Why Radiohead Nearly Became a One-Hit Wonder After ‘Creep’ appeared first on VICE.