Papercut (Linkin Park song)
| "Papercut" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Linkin Park | |
| from the album Hybrid Theory | |
| Released | September 25, 2001 |
| Recorded | 1996 - 2000 |
| Genre | Nu metal, rap metal, rap rock |
| Length | 3:05 |
| Label | Warner Bros. |
| Songwriter(s) | Linkin Park |
| Producer(s) | Don Gilmore |
"Papercut" is the third single off of American rock band Linkin Park's first studio album Hybrid Theory. The song was released on June 18, 2001.
The song was able to make it to #1 on the UK Rock & Metal, #18 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, and #32 on the Alternative Airplay.[1][2][3] The song was certified Gold by both the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[4][5]
The song is about feeling paranoid and feeling watched. In a interview with Vulture, Mike Shinoda said about the song: "I always felt like 'Papercut' was so much of the band in one song," he explained. "It starts off with this really bouncy hip-hop beat. I was influenced by everyone from Jay-Z to Timbaland - Timbo a lot. That bounce, that beat in the beginning, it was probably part him and part the rock bands that were imitating that bounce, like ourselves. But the thing is, it starts out with this hip-hop bounce, then it immediately kicks in with a very at the time cutting-edge [version of] what you would now call a nu-metal riff. Over the top of that, if you listen, there's a jungle beat, which is a subgenre of electronic music that never hit the mainstream. And then there's the rap chorus, plus all the glitching effects on the vocal, and then you hit the end and it's a huge melodic release. I think between the sounds, emotions, and lyrics, it's very much [in the style of] first couple Linkin Park albums."[6]
A music video for the song was released. In the video, the band plays in a room while a monster is in the next room. Walls start to stretch and morph and fireflies are released from the monster. The lyrics of the song are written on the walls of the dark room.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Official Albums Charton (24 June 2001 - 30 June 2001)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
- ↑ "Linkin Park - Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
- ↑ "Linkin Park - Alternative Airplay Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
- ↑ "Linkin Park – Papercut". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
- ↑ "Linkin Park – Papercut". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
- ↑ "Mike Shinoda on the Inarguable Legacy of Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory 20 Years Later". Vulture. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
