Background
The introductory verse to "A Line In The Sand" was actually written back when the band was working on A Thousand Suns.[1] The verse did not work on the album, but it found its way onto The Hunting Party. The song also uses many different guitar tones and amp setups throughout the song to keep it fresh and interesting throughout the whole six and a half minutes.[2] The fill that Rob Bourdon does at the end of the song was completely improvised, and surprised Mike Shinoda since he did not know Bourdon could even play that fast.[3]
Mike Shinoda claimed that "A Line In The Sand" is one of his favorites off of The Hunting Party since he feels that it is encapsulates Linkin Park in just one song.[4] Shinoda also stated that he feels that Brad Delson's solo and Bourdon's drumming at the end of the track are some of the best moments on The Hunting Party.[5]
Remix
On December 24, 2014, several members from the Linkin Park Association community teamed up to release a remix album of The Hunting Party titled Viscera. The album was later released to the LP Underground on June 18, 2015 after the band received the full rights to distribute the album. Two remixes of "A Line In The Sand" were released on the album. The first, done by DirtyBlup, features a line from "The Little Things Give You Away" sung by Lizzi Cloverman, and the second was done by minuteforce, Cypher, Broman, Decay, and wEEKnIGHT pSYCHOPATH. The instrumental version of the remixes were released February 28, 2015.
Versions
Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.
Studio
Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
A Line In The Sand | The Hunting Party | 6:35 | 2013-2014 | June 13, 2014 | |
A Line In The Sand (Instrumental) | The Hunting Party: Acapellas + Instrumentals | 6:37 | 2013-2014 | August 12, 2014 |
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A Line In The Sand (Acapella) | The Hunting Party: Acapellas + Instrumentals | 6:35 | 2013-2014 | August 12, 2014 |
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Remix
Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
A Line In The Sand: DirtyBlup | Viscera | 4:19 | 2014 | December 24, 2014 |
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A Line In The Sand: minuteforce | Viscera | 5:59 | 2014 | December 24, 2014 |
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A Line In The Sand: DirtyBlup (Instrumental) | Viscera (Instrumentals) | 4:19 | 2014 | February 28, 2015 |
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A Line In The Sand: minuteforce (Instrumental) | Viscera (Instrumentals) | 5:59 | 2014 | February 28, 2015 |
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Live
Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
A Line In The Sand (Live From Rock On The Range 2015) | A Line In The Sand (Live From Rock On The Range 2015) | 6:30 | May 17, 2015 | September 12, 2016 |
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Live
At the beginning of the touring cycle, Phoenix commented that he wanted to perform "A Line In The Sand" and "Keys To The Kingdom" live from the album. In November 2014, Mike said that he had "one" song for sure that the band wanted to add to the setlists, but in January 2015 the setlists remained without an addition from The Hunting Party. While Linkin Park teased a new song that month from rehearsals, nothing ever became of it.
"A Line In The Sand" was finally performed live for the first time at the first edition of Rock In Rio USA in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 9, 2015. The band spent quite a bit of time rehearsing the song prior to it's debut. As documented in several LPU-TV's and even it's own LPTV, the band had to practice the song for a majority of the week they spent rehearsing the setlist for their shows in May.
The song is performed at a slower tempo live than it is on The Hunting Party - 190 BPM, as opposed to 200 BPM on the album. Mike usually performs an extended keyboard intro to the song leading into it. It is also the first song to feature Brad performing a tapping solo live. Mike only plays keyboard during the intro of the song; during the outro, he's on his mic stand nearer to the front of the stage. A lot of the performance depends on the band members (mostly Rob, Mike and Brad) looking at each other for cues to ensure no one comes in early or late. During most performances, Chester tries to get the crowd to yell "Hey!" at different intervals throughout the track.
Variations
Last Updated: December 26, 2015
Type | Description | First Played | Last Played |
---|---|---|---|
Tempo | Slower (190 BPM) | May 9, 2015 | November 7, 2015 |
Intro | Keyboard Intro | May 9, 2015 | November 7, 2015
Live GuestsLast Updated: December 26, 2015
PersonnelLinkin Park is
Production
LyricsToday External LinksReferences |