“Creep” is one of those songs that has taken on a life of its own over the years. First released in 1992 and included on Radiohead‘s debut album Pablo Honey, the song became an underground hit in America when a San Francisco college radio station’s music director found it in a Berkeley record shop and added it to their playlist. “Creep” became the most requested song at Radiohead concerts — but the band soon got fed up with playing it when fans would leave once the song was over.
Frontman Thom Yorke hated selling out, so he probably doesn’t love that his band’s breakthrough single is one of the most covered songs on reality singing competitions, both here in the States and in the UK. But if it’s any consolation to him, the enduring popularity of “Creep” speaks to how universally relatable it is.
While “Creep” began its life as an alternative hit, it’s traveled straight to the mainstream via these shows, cementing its place among a repertoire of tried-and-trued tracks that aspiring performers never get tired of singing — songs like “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston, “Imagine” by John Lennon and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin. The song has proven to be a cross-genre hit that is perfect for showing off a performer’s vocal range and emotional capacity, and it likely now bears more meaning than Yorke ever imagined.
Below, find the best TV covers of the Radiohead classic, from a 2013 X Factor USA performance to the 2022 season of American Idol.
-
Jeff Gutt, 'The X Factor USA,' Season 3
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo After being eliminated on the second season of The X Factor USA, Jeff Gutt came back with a cover of “Creep” for his season 3 audition. Gutt’s version didn’t have the vocal gymnastics that abound on singing competitions; instead he was able to harness the rawness of his tenor voice and the emotional vulnerability of his falsetto to the fullest. When plumes of fire were unleashed behind him as the chorus hit, Gutt probably indulged in his Thom Yorke moment, winning acclaim from judges Simon Cowell, Demi Lovato, Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio. Gutt completed season 3 in second place.
-
Jena Irene, 'American Idol,' Season 13
During “Competitor’s Choice” on Season 13, Jena Irene delivered a piano-driven power ballad version of “Creep” at the demand of Caleb Johnson, her fellow Idol contestant. Irene, who ended up being the season’s runner-up, had a deep personal bond with the song, so everything came together naturally — her arrangement started with her on the piano, Alicia Keys style, and the band joined at the chorus in a burst of heightened emotions. “‘Creep’ is such a blunt song that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster,” Irene said. “And I knew that the performance had to match — and it worked.”
-
Kimberly Nichole, 'The Voice,' Season 8
Kimberly Nichole’s soulful rendition of “Creep” on the eighth season of The Voice is a ’60s doo-wop-influenced ballad in the vein of early 2010s Bruno Mars and Ariana Grande, with a little less of college rock’s maudlin self-consciousness and a little more rhythm and blues’ sensibility, recalling the grandeur of singers like Etta James. The original song’s highly distorted electric guitar is substituted with a string section and a choir, backing Nichole’s elaborate theatrical vocals, which were approved by her coach Christina Aguilera. Nichole made it into the top eight of that season before being eliminated. After The Voice, the singer made her Broadway debut on the show Rocktopia.
-
La’Porsha Renae, 'American Idol,' Season 15
“When I’m singing, I feel like I’m not even in this world. I feel like I’m floating in the milky way somewhere,” La’Porsha Renae said. At the audition for the 15th season of American Idol, the single mom from McComb, Miss., made it to Hollywood Week with her a cappella version of “Creep,” bringing down the house with a voice as big as her trademark hair. Dedicating it to her daughter, Renae owned the song with melodic and lyrical improvisations that reflected her survival of an abusive relationship. The performance showcased not just the incredible control of her voice, but her control over her own life too. At the end, she won a golden ticket to Hollywood and came out as that season’s runner-up, a dream she wanted to realize for her daughter and herself.
-
Vincint Cannady, 'The Four,' Season 1
On the first season of The Four, Vincint Cannady, mononymously known as VINCINT, turned the ’90s slacker anthem into a cathartic self-empowering number with impeccably executed vibratos and melodic turns. Much to the surprise of panelists Diddy, DJ Khaled and Meghan Trainor, VINCINT knocks over the mic stand onstage midway through his performance as a gesture of control, proclaiming that he wants “a perfect body” and “a perfect soul.” Khaled, who seemed unimpressed at first, stood up in awe during the second chorus, joining Trainor and Diddy in applause.
-
Ada Vox, 'American Idol,' Season 16
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo On the 16th season of American Idol, Ada Vox — the stage name of Adam Sanders — channeled his inner Whitney and delivered a heartfelt rendition of the Radiohead classic in full drag. Singing in a powerful falsetto, Vox earned a standing ovation from judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie with a 10-second-long crescendo. After Idol, the San Antonio drag queen would go on to be the runner-up contestant of Queen of the Universe, a singing competition show for drag queens.
-
Payge Turner, 'The Voice,' Season 19
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Payge Turner’s version of “Creep” is a heart-wrenching slow-burn ballad that will put you into tears if you’re not careful. In two minutes, Turner enters an ecstatic realm and comes back to reality in chills, her eyes shut and her hands trembling. “I was just utterly stunned by your delivery of this song,” coach John Legend said of the performance. “This was like a revelation.” Knocking out teammate Ryan Berg’s performance of “Makin’ Me Look Good Again,” the Seattle-based indie soul singer survived the round and remained on Gwen Stefani’s team.
-
Christian Guardino, 'American Idol,' Season 20
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo Christian Guardino made it to the top 14 of American Idol season 20 with a doo-wop take on the 1992 post-grunge classic. The former America’s Got Talent contestant took the stage in a jazz fedora and gave the song a fresh sound as a guitar arpeggiated the song’s iconic chord changes and an organ rang in the background for a fuller sound that matched Guardino’s vocals, which lended the song a R&B twist. “Honestly, I really, really relate to that song,” Guardino said after his performance. “It means a lot to me. I feel every word of that song. And when I hear that ‘I don’t belong here, I don’t belong here,’ it makes me think, ‘oh hell yeah, I belong here.’”