Linkin Park - 'What I've Done'
Isn't it funny what a difference a couple of years can make? When Chester Bennington and the rest of the Linkin Parkies last roamed the earth in their full pomp, Green Day were all washed up, My Chemical Romance were an up-and-coming band with a substance-addled lead singer, and Charlie Simpson was still in Busted. Now EVERYTHING is different...
Not that you'd know it from listening to this. On the face of it, this is the same self-obsessed, mirror-staring, FEEL-MY-PAIN shouty nonsense as always, only with a slight Evenescence goth-sheen to it. Compared to the wit and drama of MCR, the camp posturing of Fall Out Boy or the righteous anger of Green Day, it seems a bit lost. A bit five years ago.
And it's not the nicest thing in the world to admit that you're not that interested in hearing someone scream their worst feelings about themselves into some kind of massive black musical void. I mean, you don't criticise car-crash victims for making the pavement look untidy, do you? Clearly Chester has some big nasty emotional issues that he wishes to expel, and hopefully anyone who's in a similar state will hear him howling and feel some kinship.
So, shall we just say that while I appreciate that this is clearly something Linkin Park feel they have to do, some listeners may be left feeling like eavesdroppers at a meeting of Self-Haters Anonymous - The Musical.
Oh look! There's Robbie Williams!
Download: Out now
CD Released: April 16th
(Fraser McAlpine)
Comments
I would wholly disagree - this song is far more restrained than many previous LP songs and actually benefits from this.
They are pasisng social commentary on the world we live in and I would be disappointed if nobody took their serious stance and instead all did it with a smirk on their face.
More power to them!
I'm not going to agree with you here. It's not the best Linkin Park material, but unlike their past material I think it's something you can listen to if your not a huge fan of this genre, or even if you are. It's something for everyone, and certainly not a disappointment at marking their comeback. I await further material!
hmm, before watching the video i would have agreed with you, but as been as it was there i decided to watch it. only then did i understand what the song was on about. when they say 'what I'VE done' chester isnt refering to himself but people. all of us. the human race. i completely agree with what allan said. when you said 'it's not the nicest thing in the world to admit that you're not that interested in hearing someone scream' blah blah blah... thats like saying your not interested in and are ignoring all the problems that humans have created..global warming, war, people dying of famine whilst other people fill their faces. iv used the word moral on one of these blogs before, then the word was out of place, this time it is not.
and oh yeah if you think he screams in this then you havnt listened to some of their other stuff.
im sad to say i completely disagree with this you on this blog, AGAIN.
[The political message about humans and what we've all done is garbled and unclear. And if people can't work it out just from listening to the song (you didn't, for example), kind of ineffectual too, don't you think? Strikes me if Chester Bennington wrote a song about how much he likes puppies it would still contain lines about how their innocent beauty made him feel like a stain upon humanity. The man's got self-hate issues, and he's still airing them. I didn't say I'm not interested in people's problems, I said it made me uncomfortable having to admit I don't like the song when so much emotion has gone into making it. But I still don't like it. Nothing morally wrong about that. - Fraser]
It's not their best song ever, sure.
I'm not sure about the self-obsessed and feel my pain comments though.. this song seems to be about accepting that you've made bad decisions and acknowledging their consequences but realising at the same time that it's not too late to just become a different person.
I think it makes more sense when you just think of it referring to all people instead of just one person. The message is that if we just look at ourselves honestly and take notice of our flaws etc then we can change if we choose to.. and that by changing ourselves we can change the world around us.
Musically its not anywhere near some of their old stuff.. But did you guys actually listen to it properly before you reviewed it? I can only assume that you just listened to it once and heard only the 'erase myself' etc and just jumped to the conclusion that it was just another song along the 'how bad I feel' lines. It's a shame because I usually think the reviews are pretty good. Maybe next time just look up the lyrics if you can't get past the shouty stuff when listening?
Better luck next time.
[I'll have you know every song gets listened to AT LEAST twice before I already make my mind up that I don't like it (joke!). I'm not wrong about the lyrics though. Forgiving yourself, blaming yourself, it's still obsessing about yourself and your worst moments, innit? Hardly a new tack for the band. And that 'all people' thing isn't really there in the lyrics, it's all 'I', 'You' and 'Me'. Oh sure, it's there in the band's INTERVIEWS, yes, but not really in the lyrics. - Fraser]
i didnt say that its morally wrong not to like the song, i mean what are 50 cent fans meant to do? embrace it with open arms..i think not. what i was trying to say is that moral issues are raised in this song, and if it takes the video to show this, so what? honestly i hadnt really tried to properly listen to it before, which may have been why i didnt understand it, i dont know and never will now, but the video highlighted the true meaning for me. and the self-hate stuff, hes just realised what you seem to have not, that the human race ruins virtually everything we touch! its not self-hate its the hate of people as a race, not individuals as individuals can be and are amazing but as a group people together and we're horrible, but we cant help it, its in our nature. i completely agree with chester and the guys on this one..does that mean im full of self-hate aswell? or does it mean im thinking about things, im not stuck in my own little world and that im aware of the bigger picture. you know i love mcr, well what does the song mama say to you? thats about the same thing. to me thats a reflection on the human race, about how terrible we really are, about the horrors that we can and do cause.
[So you're saying you're a human and that humans as a collective are horrible. OK, that's a fair point. Now, if you said that again, only this time using just the words 'I' and 'me', like Chester does...'I am me, and I am horrible'...is that the same point? I don't think so. He doesn't say 'we' or 'us' at any point. 'Mama' by MCR is almost entirely plural...'Mama we're all gonna die'... And therefore its real meaning isn't hidden in some rubbish arrogant mirror-gazing therapy-speak. You originally said I didn't understand the lyrics, I'm just telling you I do, but I don't think they're what the band claim they are. That message is hidden. And if it's hidden, it's not really a message, is it? - Fraser]
maybe your right, im not going to tell you your wrong as your entitled to your opinion, as is everyone else. one thing i will say though is that you may be judging a book by its cover. you should never assume something is saying something unless you know all the facts. in this instant i think you listened to the song (one fact = the lyrics) and made an opinion on it. you then listened to it again. by now you had already made your mind up you didnt like the song. this time you were looking for evidence to fight your argument. but the thing is you overlooked another fact..the video. music vidoes show another reflection of a song, rather than in a musical form, in a visual one. sometimes things are easier to understand when you see them, as seeing is believing after all. of course a message can still be a message even when you dont actually say it. it could be in the form of a metaphor or a symbol etc. the fact that they use the word 'i' etc this merely makes the song more personal. they have realised 'what i'v done'..have you? of course there not just refering to themselves, one person alone cant cause global warming for example but one person can make a differnce.
[See my answer to Rob's posting - Fraser]
also does the fact everyone who has posted a comment so far disagree with you mean that we all have 'some big nasty emotional issues' and are full of self-hate, or that for once you may hae been wrong about something??
[Kerri, I haven't said anything personal about you or anyone who is putting comments up here. And bearing in mind we're arguing about an interpretation of some lyrics, I don't think anyone can actually BE wrong or right. It's just my version of what this song is about against yours, isn't it? Music is totally subjective, y'see. That's why reviews are subjective too. - Fraser]
I agree. Soz fraser, I agree with kez, so saying he has self hate is extremely literal really. I agree with kez it's humans as a race, but really, I believe, that it's power that corrupts the world, and unfortunately, humans have a lust for it and try to seize it, and show off their power, with drastic consequences. Think "the war on terror", think africa being in debt to rich countries, with the rich countries, like the UK, so obsessed with power that they don't want to give in, and forget about a debt, and stop poverty and famine? Something that Live 8, the biggest gig in the world, couldn't help stop to the extent needed? Fraser, you must kno, I respect you don't like the song, I agree, it's not the best song I've ever heard.... but morals are morals and they're there. You shouldn't try arguing for the sake of arguing really. I respect u, but I also respect morals, and however they r put forward, whether thru writing, word, or a song u think is rubbish.
[Rob, I understand entirely what you're saying. I'm not arguing for the sake of it, I'm arguing because I think Linkin Park's message in this song, such as it is, doesn't really amount to much. So far I've been told I didn't really listen to the lyrics, that I didn't really understand the lyrics and that I'm now deliberately refusing to see that these lyrics are actually about the state of the world and therefore morally right. What I'm saying is that couching this message - if it is there - in the language of a typical pain-wracked rock song effectively hides it. So it might as well not be there. - Fraser]
Any english course worth it's salt will tell you that 'we' and 'I' are interchangeable when you're attempting to interpret a poem and I don't understand why that would be any different for lyrics. An awful lot of poems and song lyrics use 'I' to represent the majority simply because it is more direct and often more interesting .
I have to say as well.. you can interpret anything as self-obsessed. So for example all those people who were saddened by third world starving and decided to try and do something about it.. maybe they're actually just selfish and self-obsessed because all they really wanted was to change it because of how it made them feel. Everything affects people and people in turn tend to focus on the effect it has rather than the thing itself because that is what they have to deal with.
So calling a song self-obsessed is pretty useless because apart from anything else most songs would have to fall into that category. And since most of the song goes over to forgiving yourself instead of blaming yourself I'd have to say that it doesn't seem very negative like their others either.
Chester might have issues, sure.. but in this song?
[See my answer to Rob's posting. - Fraser]
fair enough but you did say 'Clearly Chester has some big nasty emotional issues that he wishes to expel, and hopefully anyone who's in a similar state will hear him howling and feel some kinship.' that says to me that because i agree with what the song stands for i am in a 'similar state' to him along with everyone else. maybe its not the the point you were trying to get across but thats what your choice of words reflect to me and im sorry if me interpreting you words to mean that im a self-hater offend me.
[Nah. That's back to front. What I said was that if you're stuck in a cycle of self-hate and you need to know it's not just you, this song might serve you well. That's assuming you ignore the well-hidden political subtext which has been the main point we've been arguing today. By the way, I agree with the politics of what you say the song stands for too, silly. I just don't happen to agree that the song actually does stand for what you say it does. Do you see the difference? - Fraser]
[PS: This is a great row, isn't it? Much more fun than "OMG I TOTALLY LOVE Mika's hair. EEK!" - Fraser (again) ]
yeah i get what you mean, maybe you just didnt communicate that clearly in the blog, and i dont mean that in an offensive way. i keep getting into these agruments cus i hate not standing up for what i believe, and im sorry if your getting sick of me but im going anywhere! and plus theyr good fun as you said, way better than talking about some one hit wonder's (no offnece meant mika) hair. anyway, atleast these arguments show that people think about these issues that are affecitng the world.
[Well, for what it's worth, this is why I think pretending you've written a song like this about politics when it's clearly about your own issues is a bad idea. The people who need to hear the politics won't get it, and the people who would like it to be about emotional issues will feel foolish for reading their own situation into the song. The fact that you (and Kat and Rob and Jonno and Allan) are all arguing so passionately about this is brilliant. We should always aim to raise the standard of debate around musical matters, cos music is so important. But sometimes that means not taking things at face value, and while I accept that Linkin Park think they have written a political song (I read about it in Kerrang! before I'd heard a note), I have not heard the politics in the song they have released. So, I reviewed the song I heard (after listening to it a lot, I was kidding about the two listens thing).
Oh, and don't worry, you're not annoying me. Please do keep commenting! - Fraser]
Okay THE SONG at no point refers to affairs of the world.. the message there is simply one of acknowledging faults and fixing them then allowing yourself to let go of your regrets instead of wallowing in them. The message is that people can change and you don't always have to be haunted by your past.
FIRST VERSE
"In this farewell
There's no blood, there's no alibi
Cause I've drawn regret
From the truth of a thousand lies
So let mercy come and wash away"
...Farewell = letting go. No blood = not coping through harmful measures. No alibi = no excuses, seeing things as they are. Truth of a thousand lies is simply the truth that you were lying or making excuses to hide from, the thing you didn't want to think about, the past that was haunting you and made you feel regret.
So the first verse could be something along the lines of "I regret something in my past but instead of hiding from it or punishing myself I'm going to let go of it.鈥
SECOND VERSE
"Put to rest what you thought
Of me while I clean this slate
With the hands of uncertainty
So let mercy come and wash away"
Put to rest what you thought of me while I clean this slate: Because you're starting again the way you have been judged in the past does not matter because you're aim is to become a different person. "Hands of uncertainty" is because they need this to work? I'm not very sure, it could be that letting go of old ways isn鈥檛 easy and they aren鈥檛 sure how to start again.
So the second verse: 鈥淚鈥檓 going to start over and let go of everything I have done and the ways in which people have judged me even though it might not be easy鈥
CHORUS
"For what I've done, I start again
And whatever pain may come
Today this ends, I'm forgiving
What I've done, I'll face myself
To cross out what I've become, erase myself
And let go of what I've done"
"For what I've done, I start again/I'll face myself" Because of the things in my past I need to look at myself honestly and I'm going to change/make a new start on the person I want to be. "Whatever pain may come" It's not easy becoming a new person or changing, breaking habits but this is something that has to be done. "To cross out what I've become" Because what you are now is no good you have to change, the old cannot continue so it's "crossed out" or erased. "Today this ends, I'm forgiving" Have to change right away now that I've noticed my faults etc so that I can forgive my past. "And let go of what I've done" I'm going to let go of my past mistakes.
SO IN CONCLUSION
I regret something in my past but instead of hiding from it or punishing myself I'm going to let go of it
I鈥檓 going to start over and let go of everything I have done and the ways in which people have judged me even though it might not be easy
I鈥檓 going to look honestly at myself because of my regrets and try and change into the kind of person I want to be because then I can forgive myself for my past.
You might interpret it differently?
[Nope. It's what I said from the start. The song is clearly a cathartic exercise in dealing with some inner trauma. And there's a sense of acceptance and forgiveness in that too, I agree. Your first point was that I missed the political subtext, which you now agree isn't really there. I didn't miss it, I just didn't mention it, because it's not as prevalent an issue in the song as the whole 'dealing with my issues' thing. Are we closer to agreement now? - Fraser]
I personally didn't mention anything about the political subtext in my first comment. I just mentioned that the lyrics can also be interpreted as not specific to one person but can be applied to entire countries.. and although it is never actually stated within the song that this is the correct interpretation, it is a very easy one to make and so doesn't actually have to be stated. The video is there to give those who were asleep in english classes a few clues.
You deleted your comment to Alan Kerr? Wish I could remember what that one said.. can't think why you'd have deleted it ;)
Also.. nasty comment about Robbie was so uncool.. hmm.
[I didn't say anything back to Alan. Or Jono. I thought what they had to say was fair enough. You and Kerri took a more combative stance. And I'm not sure why, given that the review just states that the lyrics clearly come from a dark place in Chester's head, and that to dislike a song like this feels uncaring. Which is true if he means just him or everyone who ever lived ever. As for Robbie, I take it you haven't read this then..? - Fraser]
I was disagreeing with the part about them coming from a dark place.. It seems more positive to me. I think the combative stance is due to much disappointment in linkin park's first single in forever. I expected more and so I had to find SOME redeeming qualities in it! Plus I came to America for easter and it rained so I had plenty time to spare :) Seem fair?
And yes I read that, I just like Robbie lol.
[Ha! Yeah, that's totally fair. You did seem awfully keen. I like Robbie too. When he's on form he's the best pop star we've got by LEAGUES...- Fraser]
I'm probably more inclined to take Fraser's side. Not out of Chester's/LP's intentions, just... well there's no 'Thank God it's them instead of you' line. If it weren't for the video I probably wouldn't have thought of it as a global context.
Then again, if you're singing(shouting) along, singing 'I' you probably get a feeling of individual responsibillity for the images on the video. I don't really think there's anything I can add to this discussion. I would've given it 3 stars, but I wouldn't have been able to state my case so well. Oh well, subjectiveness!
Also... does the piano/keyboard bit remind anybody else of the theme tune to the movie Halloween? Mebbe it's not quite Songspoiler good, but just a thought. That's really what I wanted to say by commenting
Sorry to join the discussion so late.
Well.. just got their album. Interesting. Takes some getting used to anyway but I'm glad I gave it a chance even if it wasn't quite what I was expecting.
Mike only raps on two tracks and it's very Fort Minor when he does.. not necessarily a bad thing. Hands Held High has nice content too (and the Amens don't sound as weird on the second listen as they do the first). He sings lead vocals for the entire of In Between too. It's a lovely track.. very sweet. And very odd to describe a LP track like that. Chester is pretty much in charge of the other songs though. A lot of them sound nothing like Linkin Park.. Shadow of the Day is a great example of that.. but they're not bad, just different.
Anyways I wasn't going to ramble. I was just going to say that when listened to among the other songs in the album it's obvious that What I've Done is political. Several of the other songs are scathing attacks on George Bush, the government in general and wars. This is from Hands Held High which is right after it...
"Meanwhile, the leader just talks away
Stuttering and mumbling for nightly news to replay
And the rest of the world watching at the end of the day
Both scared and angry like, "What did he say?""
Ok, the more I listen to this song the less i start to like it. I still like it, but i prefer the old linkin park. the screaming (one step closer), the long notes (numb) and the cool mixes with jay-z. the new album is cool....but its kinda missing something. I don't know what yet, but my favorite songs off the new album are pieces and no more sorrow. bleed it out is good as well.
Who else feels the same? I mean, they're still Linkin Park but they've changed. And they've gone from my 2nd fave band to 3rd. Sorry LP, but Fall Out Boy replaced you.....do something interesting/new/unusual or attention-grabbing and you may go back...sorry.
rachel, you criticise them for not sounding like the old them ("i prefer the old linkin park") and then you ask them to do something new ("do something interesting/new")! theres something about thats thats not quite possible......u cant have it both ways, its make your mind u time
Between Linkin Park's last release and now there have been countless acts that sound like Linkin Park. To produce something the same would be an insult. Every musican takes risks, and very few manage to make it work when they do something that's not their usual sound.
Still... No.6 with physical CD release - highest position for a Linkin Park song in the UK yet - and No.1 for the album's release.
So much for 'shouty nonsense', or are you still crying over the fact that Steps broke up?
[Nope. Steps went rubbish AGES before they broke up. Still, at least they were good for a while. - Fraser]
to adam (sort of) and anyone else who cares,
the thing is though, do you read kerrang mag 1st? if so soz for giving a watered down version of what i remember from an article about the band recently but it says that they made the album to sell records, not, as this record originally made me think to try to make a difference. and its worked as you just proved with those stats. although i still think this song is great im starting to think that LPs motives arent what they perhaps appear to be...if you havnt read it then if u can somehow get a back dated issue then do so cus it made me think atleast and it mite do the same to you, as if they using the terrible situations of the world to make even more money as its a hot topic at present.
and ur right about saying they sound the same as the did being an insult which they also make clear "shove nu-metal up your ass" as they put so nicely.
It's great and all when a band is really sincere and just wants to make the world a better place and such. But what's wrong with a band wanting to sell records? Wanting to be successful is pretty much normal. It doesn't mean they cant take aspects of society and comment on them just as well as if they were doing it regardless of record sales.
Regardless of what they mean to do, a song is what you make of it. Someone may try to write a really political, inspiring song and fail miserably because no one sees that in the song. Others might make a half hearted attempt just for the sake of producing a song and yet come up with a great song that really speaks to people. The band's motivation is irrelevant unless you have really high moral standards. If a song says something in particular to you as the listener, that's what should matter.
you really need to read the interview yourself. to me music is about spreading your views, standing up for what you believe in and most importantly making a difference, not just a way to make loads of money. thats the main reason why i love mcr so much....their aim is to make a difference, even to a small amount of people, not to make money. its about using the power you have as a musican to try to achieve something thats not self-centred, well, thats what i think anway. thats why gerard didnt like the comic book scene he was getting into before, all the big names take everything but work for nothing, and when he sings about vampires thats what the band are refering to, that kind of scene...its a hard subject as music is what you make it but the music is driven by the people who play it and if their motives are a tad financial arent they becoming these 'vampires' making money out of the situations that we find close to out hearts? im not saying thats right neccessarly for LP, clearly kerrang have written a biased article but i doubt that wouldnt be the case if they didnt really think it. dont get me wrong i really do like LP alot but it just made me think twice
I tried to look for the article online but I haven't found it yet, what's it called?
I think that there's the people and there's the music. And music can be anything, it can simply be music and be fantastic, it can be a statement and be meaningful or it can just be a commentary. It's all music. Think what I'm trying to say is just because someone is writing the songs to make money doesn't necessarily mean they're putting any less into it.
With the people thing, yeah it's great if they are standing up for their beliefs.. but just cause they're not doesn't make them bad.. y'know? There's a huge grey area between the two. And if theyre just doing it for money then you might not like them very much as people, that's down to your own beliefs. But if they're good at what they're doing then the end product, the music, should be able to stand up on it's own away from all knowledge of the band themselves.
I don't like this culture of 'famous people have to be nice people because they're famous". People should all be held to the same standards, regardless of fame. Sure, kids might have famous role models, but the ones that really matter are the ones they see every day. If someone produces a decent end-product, music or books, or art or whatever.. who are we to judge where they were coming from as a person? Do we judge a policeman for doing his job to get paid rather than simply because he wants to do his part to make society a better place? Unless they specifically ask us to take their motivation into account I just try and stick to thinking about whether or not the stuff they make is any good.
I ranted, sorry!
Did you hear that people in America got free Gerard comics? *cries* Typical that I was in THIS country when that happened!!
as a big Linkin Park fan and esteemed member of the LPU. I feel I am equipped to clear up the confusion surrounding the lyrics and video to this popular, muscial tune.
'What I've Done' has a dual meaning behind it.
The first is best portrayed in the video with all the images. What the band are saying is that this is where we have got to as a civilisation. What with war, famine, global warming etc.
Admittedly LP have never been as political as bands such as RATM and SOAD, but they have written/sung-made videos about about social problems for since day one. Pour example: 'Crawling''s video in which they touch on domestic abuse. In 'Numb' they touch on self harm and in 'Breaking the Habit' they focus on a tower block, chock full of Drug Addiction, Domestic Violence, Self Harm, Suicide etc.
They also have done alot of work for global charities. With visits to Thailand in wake of the tsunami and to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. They also set up their own charity 'Music for Relief', a charity which gives aid to victims of natural disasters, which other bands have since signed up to. They played Live 8 aswell.
The second meaning of this song is more focused on the band themselves. With regards to them moving on from 'what they've done' musically in the past. The opening lyric 'In this farewell' saying goodbye to the old LP and then in the second verse: 'Put to rest, what you thought of me. I cleaned this slate with the hands of uncertainty'. Basically saying forget what you know of us as a band, because we're starting a fresh and we are uncertain of how it'll go and how it'll be received'.
Then on to the bridge: '. . . I start again, whatever pain may come' speaks for itself.
Anyway thats my interpretation. as for the interview in K! They just don't like LP and do what every other journalist does, twists their words to make them look bad. . . of course I'm gonna say that.
and as Kat said, whats so bad about wanting to sell loads of records anyway? Fair play to them.
Regardez: Linkin Park are the biggest selling musical artist of the 21st Century. FACT.
[Good points here, Jamie. A strident defence. By the way, anyone know who was the biggest selling female artist of the '90s? Mariah Carey. - Fraser]
hey dont have a go at me! what your saying is right, im just trying to give another view point that did make me think...as not being the biggest LP fan in the world im probably more likely to atleast consider what the article said, and if its true then thats not a good thing as the real motivation to me about this kind of song shouldnt be to make money as it covers such big and import issues that i feel VERY strongly about..IF being the word. although i have tried to say this is a possibility i hope i havnt acutally said that its neccessarily true in my opinion about that band, just that IF it is then i disagree with it. at the end of the day its just different peoples opinions, none of us really know as the band are refusing to talk about the meanings of their new songs (hmm, what do you think about that then? dont ask me what i think, i dont know, but i know what i read). and i DO like LP and ill hopefully go see them if they tour, so please dont think i dont! im just clearly not as big a fan as you two
ps kat - a taster of the umbrella academy, gerards comic, was free on free comic book day which is a mostly american event. the first proper issue which hasnt yet been given a release date should hopefully be on sale here. there were some site that were giving it way on free comic book day but you had to spend atleast 拢10 or something
Sorry, Kerri.. wasn't meaning to have a go at you! I have my opinions and ways of listening to music and you have yours and they work for each of us in their own different ways. So I'm sorry.
Have you seen any of the comic yet? Do let me know if you do see a release date, will you? And I'm sure it will sell here. Maybe not directly or in bulk, but international orders surely?
i commeted on this blog this morning and what i wrote still isnt up, i think those goblins are at it again
[Deffo a goblins thing as I've no record of your comment at all. Could you post again? Sorry! - Fraser]
ame thing happened to me on the "it could all have been so very different" thing. I posted another one to say and that never appeared either. Myeh.
I posted a while back and had someone reply to my message...thanks for that kerri! its hard to explain what i actually mean, i kind of meant that...oh, i give up. words always seem to fail me. but i have made my mind up about the song.....its okay. and its on my list of favorite songs now, because it has a meaning, they are in my top 5 band list and i shall forever stay faithful to them unless they turn into....50 cent wannabes *shudder*
p.s no offence to 50 cent or his fans.....i'm not deliberately offensive!!
grr its still not worked! how i am starting to hate thee little pink and yellow beings which travel around the chart blog computer network terrorising poor little commentors! i tried commenting again last night, is there the sightest chance there is a record of that one?
and rachel, i think they sort of tried the whole 50 cent thing out when joined forces with jay z....and we all know how very well that worked (note: huge dosage of sarcasm) ...but hmm, thinking about it, if it will help them sell more records maybe they will go 50 cent on us!....JOKE! not wanting to cause another argument here
oooooh mioaw i quite like it actaully didnt think it was tht self hating and leave robbie out of it man whats he done to you !!!!
Kerri don't worry I don't think you did start an argument....lool. OMG imagine lp actually turning into 50 cent wannabes....that would be scary yet amusing at the same time, wouldn't it? Wow, imagine chester working out at the gym to get bigger muscles, and mike spending his spare time getting tattoos and getting shot. It may just be my twisted sense of humour, but part of that would be rather funny, dont you think? I'm trying to think of another band or singer lp could turn into that would make me laugh....maybe scooch. Now THAT (for me) would be hilarious beyond words. Bring out the air hostess costumes!
ohh, scooch haha very funny, or the fast food rockers..but thats too similar too scooch...how about aled jones?!
Nevermind the world issues etc. (although I might suggest that however worthy Mr Bennington's message may be, he should probably not deliver it in such a wussy fashion really) why is he dressed as Bono in the video?! Or is that all part of the theme?
Actually on an even more serious note I've been bitching out emo bands for being self-obsessed for years and Linkin Park, although not technically emo I suppose, are some of the worst perpertrators. So it might seem churlish of me, especially since I take International Relations as a degree and probably ought to be Above All That about it, to say that to be honest, this really doesn't cut it. Lyrical analysis has already taken place in this thread but for the sake of googling-
In this farewell
There鈥檚 no blood
There鈥檚 no alibi
鈥楥ause I鈥檝e drawn regret
From the truth
Of a thousand lies
Potentially re: Iraq? Definitely and if the song continued in that vein, it would be ace (obfuscated lyrics aside, since obviously he's trying to shoot a cleverer line than he really can but nevermind) yet although the 'let mercy come and wash away what I've done' bit could even plausibly be about global warming, let's examine this bit-
I鈥檝e faced myself
To cross out what I鈥檝e become
Erase myself
And let go of what I鈥檝e done
Put to rest
What you thought of me
Well I cleaned this slate
With the hands
Of uncertainty
I have to agree entirely with Fraser here. The words here are not hopeful, not rebellious, not trying to change anything. They are self-hating and self-destructive and traditionally, loathing of this kind ought to be offset by a deep rage and a desire to see something else happen- otherwise it's just an excuse to crawl into a hole, feel doomed, let it happen and die. Unless Chester has been reading altogether too much Ken Waltz (who has a theory that nothing matters except the balance between units of state and that ultimately, it's all out of our hands) then this is a)not that educated a statement, to be honest and b)nihilistic and fairly repulsive. Actually it's still b) whether he's been reading Waltz or not but nevermind.
The old mantra, I believe, used to go something along the lines of 'destroying to create,' ie: everything is rubbish but we'll tear it down and start again with something better. The mantra here seems to be 'THE END IS NIGH AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU OR I CAN DO ABOUT IT' which is not the way to deal with disastrous situations. Get depressed and self-loathing by all means, deconstruct yourself and surroundings but don't just conclude it's all rubbish and bring on the nuclear winter etc.
Sorry, this is one of my "pet" rants which I roll out every now and then at little-to-no provocation. It probably made no sense because I haven't had a cup of coffee yet, as well.
Actually that video really is dreadful, isn't it?
Hazel, I would suggest that to take such a very negative meaning from those words your own outlook must be called into question. People have a tendency to see what they want to see, what reflects something in their own life.
But if it's not intended to come across that way, Kat, then what answer are they offering? I dunno maybe I'm just missing something colossal.
It's not just me having a go at Linkin Park, I quite like their first album still and I was obsessed with it when I was 14 but I really don't see what the song does other than grief-wallow, personally or globally.
First, it doesn鈥檛 matter that you were or are a fan generally, we鈥檙e discussing right now and this particular song unless you're drawing a comparison to older songs.
Neither does it matter that you鈥檙e not the only one having a go at them. A large group鈥檚 opinion is never automatically more correct than a smaller group鈥檚 opinion purely by virtue of the first opinion being held by a larger number of people.
What you seem to be missing:
1. 鈥淐leaned the Slate鈥 You say there鈥檚 no hopeful words, but have you ever heard the phrase 鈥榗leaning the slate鈥 be used in a way which didn鈥檛 indicate a fresh start and therefore hope?
2. 鈥淔or what I鈥檝e done I START AGAIN鈥 This quite clearly indicates that this is not a description of an 鈥榚nd is nigh鈥 scenario.
3. 鈥淚鈥檓 forgiving what I鈥檝e done鈥 Forgiveness, again a positive aspect. In the interpretation you suggest surely this would be more along the lines of 鈥淚 cannot forgive what I鈥檝e done鈥
4. 鈥淓rase myself鈥 Taken by itself, the meaning seems self-destructive. But when looked at in the context of the positive, recovery based quotes I鈥檝e mentioned, the meaning of this changes. In order to recover from something, it must be let go of mentally. A self is still being erased, but not the only and final self. The current self is being let go of in order to open up possibilities of change for the new self which is emerging.
"on an even more serious note I've been bitching out emo"....so what exactly have you been talking about, emo doesnt even exist!!! all it is is a FASHION STATEMENT! i think out of the common commentors im the youngest (16 almost 17 so correct me if im wrong), so if anyone should know its me cus i live in that world with these people day to day, right, not that im young either so dont say im sticking up for it cus im part of it (whatever it is) cus youd be wrong....define emo, then take a look around.... 'ohhh, kids wearing skinny jeans, you know theyre all depressed and slit their wrists' well, you know, people like you make me laugh cus that is a total fake stereotype..sorry if that sounds harsh and i dont want to offend you and i know your main argument here wasnt about 'emos' but please dont use that to form part of your argument...or are you also known as sarah sands and work for the daily mail?
no i disagree. this song is one of linkin park's best (in my humble opinion), really reflecting our world's issues and the fact that we should be doing more about them. also a good guilt-revival song.
no i have to disagree with you here. this song is one of linkin park's best (in my humble opinion), awesome melody and lyrical genius. it's not them being self-obsessed, really, but more like making us look deeply into ourselves. we're wrecking our world!!!
Dude...LP is the best!!
[No, no, no, you're SO wrong.
It's "Dude...LP ARE the best!". Now, write it out 100 times... - Fraser]