The darkly humorous lyrics were written primarily by singer Thom Yorke following an unpleasant experience in a Los Angeles bar.
"Paranoid Android" charted at number three on the UK Singles Chart.
The animated music video, directed by Magnus Carlsson, was placed on heavy rotation on MTV, although the network censored portions containing nudity in the US.
At the 1998 Brit Awards, the song was nominated for Best British Single.
The song was included in the 2008 Radiohead: The Best Of collection.