Written the day Radiohead was forced to pull out of the Reading Festival in 1993 due to problems Thom was having with his vocal cords, this song comes off very bitter. But as it progresses, "My Iron Lung" seems to drive out Thom's angers about how the band's music was largely ignored - aside from "Creep."

Thom has admitted in interviews that he is very proud of this song's lyrics; he felt he had perfectly captured the essence of what he was writing about. A few live versions have been released, and all are as intense as the original, though the tempo of some versions is quicker than the one on The Bends.

Like Paranoid Android, this was Radiohead's 'comeback' single after the release of Pablo Honey a year or so earlier. It was released at a time when the band were still suffering the hell that they endured while touring America, chained to Creep. This song is a direct backlash against Creep, singing about how the song was their "iron lung", keeping them alive, and how "this is our new song, just like the last one, a total waste of time".

Released on many different formats with a total of eight b-sides, the My Iron Lung EP was a showcase leading up to The Bends. The band were never happy with many of the b-sides, and although some of them were performed live, Thom says that it was a stressful time and the quality of the b-sides reflects that.

Alongside Just and The Bends, this is probably the most heavy guitar track on the album. The beginning is smooth with a great melody and interesting vocals, but then after the 4th verse, the track explodes into a rage of screeching vocals and heavy guitar.

I saw on a TV interview once, Thom mention that Radiohead were invited to the Smash Hits awards (a 'pop' magazine for kids). They were to play a song live, but at the last minute decided (to the panic of the Smash Hits people) to pull out. Then changed their minds again, and decided to play My Iron Lung. He said it was great to see all the parents' jaws hit the floor as they hit the loud guitar part. Thom mentioned he was very proud of that.

The track is actually a live recording from the Astoria London show. The band liked it so much that they decided to use it for the actual recording. Though they did dub Thom's vocals on later.