Bound for Pablo Honey, this song was actually left off the album. Thom describes it as "a king of epitaph to 1992. Hence the lines, 'Pop is dead/long live pop/Died an ugly death by back catalogue.'" Band members seem to concur that this is a very weak track, deserving of the scathing reviews it received.

"Pop Is Dead" is the second single released by Radiohead. It is the only Radiohead single not available on one of their albums.

Released only several months after their debut single "Creep" and their debut album Pablo Honey, the song also hit before "Creep" had begun its slow and surprising ascent up the pop charts worldwide. "Pop Is Dead" reached number 42 on the UK Singles Chart in May 1993.