Sorry For Now

"Sorry For Now" is the seventh track on One More Light. It was co-produced with Blackbear and Andrew Goldstein. The song is predominantly sung by Mike Shinoda with Chester Bennington doing rap vocals. The song had its premiere on May 18, 2017 on Beats 1. It was scheduled to be released sometime around August or September as a single in Europe, following the US release of "Talking To Myself", but it was cancelled after Chester's death.

Background

On June 3, 2016, Los Angeles singer/songwriter Blackbear tweeted he was in the studio with Linkin Park.

On August 5, Blackbear was back in the studio with Linkin Park and a new video (this time with sound) was posted showing Brad playing acoustic guitar. American singer-songwriter and record producer Andrew Goldstein was also in the studio with them. Mike wrote on his Instagram, "Making beautiful music with these gentlemen today." Blackbear later posted a video recorded at Linkin Park's studio on his Snapchat account in which a clip of a new song could be heard.

On September 21, someone from LPHQ posted a video on Instagram where a joint Linkin Park and Blackbear cap could be seen, indicating the two artists have been collaborating in more than just music. Printouts with Tohji Yamamoto's (Japanese designer) trademark were also visible.

On October 13, Andrew Goldstein and Blackbear were back to the studio with Linkin Park and a video of Brad recording guitars was posted on Mike's Snapchat story. According to Brad, the song has a really unique presentation of the guitar in a way they've never done before.

Mike Shinoda spoke about how the collaboration came together in interview to LPAssociation, "On Sorry For Now, I had a finished vocal and a rough track that the whole band liked, but we all thought the track could use some spice. We invited Blackbear and Andrew Goldstein in with me, Chester, and Brad, and we created this vocal sample drop together that took the song to a whole new level. It was really fun having people with different perspectives and talents in the room each time.​"

Before One More Light was released, Mike Shinoda gave Waves a song-by-song glimpse into the album's production and mixing. For "Sorry For Now", he said, "Studio magic! Brad [Delson, Linkin Park lead guitarist] and I had some assistance from our co-producers Blackbear and Andrew Goldstein on that track. The whole thing was like a mad science experiment, with everyone throwing things into the mix. Andrew and I had our laptops back-to-back, both in different software with audio lines going into the board, and a third computer playing the song back."

Describing how the vocal samples in the song were made, Mike said, "The high pitched voice on Sorry For Now, I think it was just a scat version of the chorus. So it may be saying 'Sorry For Now' and stuff and I just chopped it up. Or it may be saying gibberish, like some version of that. I think it may be a little bit of 'na na na.'"

As for the idea behind the lyrics, he said, "It's a funny song. Like, Sorry For Now is the other one on the album that I sing, and what's kind of new for us and for people who love the song is that you don't usually get a song that's a little bit lighter. It's a little lighter, like it's not supposed to be so serious. The idea of the song is like, ok, you know, the kids are upset because you're going away and you say you're sorry but in your head you're kinda like 'eh, I'm kinda not sorry.' Like 'I'm sorry because you're little and you don't get it.' I'm doing something that's a huge blessing to be able to do that no people get to do this for a living. Like, we're just so lucky. Number two, it pays the bills and you get to live in a house and you get to have clothes, food, because I go to work. And number three, I like doing it. And you're little and you don't understand all these things, so I'm gonna tell you I'm sorry but the truth is like, you'll understand this later. When you're older you'll go 'wow, I'm sure glad that my dad is in Linkin Park. Because I get to go to, like, the concerts and, like, I can get, you know, free tickets to other shows. And I've got opportunities I wouldn't have otherwise. And, you know, they make great music and I'm proud of my dad and whatever.' Like, that part of it the little ones don't understand and they will later."

Blackbear went on to work with Mike Shinoda again on 2018's "About You" from Post Traumatic and 2020's "I'm Still Fucking Here."

Tracklist

Promo CD

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1	Sorry For Now (Main)	Mike Shinoda	3:20
2	Sorry For Now (Instrumental)	Mike Shinoda	3:20
3	Sorry For Now (Acapella)	Mike Shinoda	3:20

Versions

Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Sorry For Now	One More Light	3:23	2016	May 19, 2017
Sorry For Now	One More Light Instrumentals	3:23	2016		Official instrumental version. Contains pitch-shifted vocals.

Live

"Sorry For Now" was never performed live by Linkin Park. The song was in consideration for Mike Shinoda's solo tour in 2018 and was part of a setlist poll he created, but it lost to "Roads Untraveled".

Mike started performing "Sorry For Now" in his solo shows beginning with his Identity LA set, where the song was performed with an extended intro. At the Gramercy Theater show, Mike rapped the demo verse of the bridge in place of the studio version. Shortly after Matt and Dan joined Mike on tour, Dan started performing a drum solo over the extended bridge of "Sorry For Now". Starting on the Toronto and New York City stops of Monster Energy's Outbreak Tour, Mike would sporadically rap the first verse of "High Voltage" or the demo verse of "Lift Off" over the bridge. Starting in New Oreleans, he would rap the chorus of "High Voltage" in addition to the first verse when he did the verse. At the last show of the Outbreak Tour in Silver Spring, Mike rapped the demo verse of "Sorry For Now" as part of the live version of "Lift Off". Beginning on the 2019 European Tour and through the remainder of the Post Traumatic cycle, Mike would rap different verses over the bridge of "Sorry For Now" far more frequently, adding songs like "Hands Held High", "Step Up", "Petrified" "Dedicated", "Nobody's Listening", "Second To None", and "Keys To The Kingdom" into the rotation.

The lyrics for the demo verse were posted by Mike on August 16, 2018 on Instagram with the caption, "hey @lplive here the lyrics for that Sorry For Now demo verse I've been throwing in the set sometime" before posting a video where he said, "That's a verse that has never been completely done. And the middle part is kind of the part that changes like, many of the times that I do it. It's something like, "Jacket possibly referencing some army division in / camouflage like images all my idols were in and / I was not with the kids that my mom strongly forbidden / So I was skipping, stealing car audio with 'em" or something like that."

Variations

Last Updated: May 1, 2020

Type	Description	First Played	Last Played
Intro	Post-chorus vocal samples over synth	May 12, 2018	June 20, 2018
Bridge	Demo Bridge	June 20, 2018	September 7, 2018
Bridge	Drum Solo	August 9, 2018	September 6, 2019
Bridge	w/ "High Voltage" v1	October 11, 2018	October 11, 2018
Bridge	w/ "Lift Off" demo verse	October 13, 2018	March 17, 2019
Bridge	w/ "High Voltage" v1 + Chorus	October 25, 2018	March 25, 2019
Bridge	w/ "Hands Held High" v1	March 5, 2019	March 8, 2019
Bridge	w/ "Step Up" v1 + Chorus	March 10, 2019	March 10, 2019
Bridge	w/ "Petrified" v1	March 12, 2019	March 12, 2019
Bridge	w/ "Dedicated" v1	March 15, 2019	March 15, 2019
Bridge	w/ "Step Up" Chorus	March 14, 2019	March 17, 2019
Bridge	w/ "Nobody's Listening" v1	August 31, 2019	August 31, 2019
Bridge	w/ "Second To None" v1	September 6, 2019	September 6, 2019
Bridge	w/ "Keys To The Kingdom" v2	September 6, 2019	September 6, 2019

Personnel

Linkin Park

• Chester Bennington - Vocals
• Rob Bourdon - Drums
• Brad Delson - Guitar
• Joseph Hahn - Programming
• Phoenix - Bass
• Mike Shinoda - Keyboards, Programming, Vocals

Production

• Written by Mike Shinoda
• Produced by Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson
• Co-produced by Blackbear for Beartrap LLC and Andrew "Goldstein" Goldstein for Mod Squad Music Inc.
• Additional production by Michael Keenan
• Vocal production by Andrew Bolooki
• Music performed by Linkin Park
• Vocals by Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda
• Chester's vocals recorded at The Pool Recording Studio, London, UK
• Mike's vocals recorded at The Warehouse Studio, Vancouver, CA
• Music recorded at Larrabee Studios, North Hollywood, CA and Sphere Studios, North Hollywood, CA
• Engineered by Ethan Mates, Mike Shinoda and Josh Newell
• Assistant engineer: Alejandro Baima
• Studio B assistant engineer: Warren Willis
• Studio drum tech: Jerry Johnson
• Mixed by Serban Ghenea at Mixstar Studios, Virginia Beach, VA
• Engineered for mix by John Hanes

Lyrics

Watching the wings cut through the clouds
Watching the raindrops blinking red and white
Thinking of you back on the ground
There with a fire burning in your eyes
I only halfway apologized

And I'll be sorry for now
That I couldn't be around
Sometimes things refuse
To go the way we planned
Oh I'll be sorry for now
That I couldn't be around
There will be a day
That you will understand
You will understand

After a while you may forget
But just in case the memories cross your mind
You couldn't know this when I left
Under the fire of your angry eyes
I never wanted to say goodbye

So I'll be sorry for now
That I couldn't be around
Sometimes things refuse
To go the way we planned
Oh I'll be sorry for now
That I couldn't be around
There will be a day
That you will understand
You will understand

Yeah
Stop telling 'em to pump the bass up
Tried to call home but nobody could wait up
Switch your time zones can't pick the pace up
I just passed out by the time you wake up
Best things come to those who wait
And it's bound to get rough on any road you take
But don't you ever have a doubt and make no mistake
I can't wait to come back when I'm going away

So I'll be sorry for now
That I couldn't be around
There are things we have to do that we can't stand
Oh I'll be sorry for now
That I couldn't be around
There will be a day that you will understand
Oh I'll be sorry for now
That I couldn't be around
There are things we have to do that we can't stand
(Things we have to do that we can't stand)
Oh I'll be sorry for now
That I couldn't be around
There will be a day that you will understand
You will understand
You will understand
You will understand

You have gotta be kidding / It's a hobby we're living
We were sloppily spitting to some wobbly rhythm
Popping off in the kitchen at parties, properly hidden
I was probably nervous but still got up to get em
Jacket possibly referencing some army division in
Camouflage like images all my idols were in and
I was not with the kids that my mom had strongly forbidden
So I was skipping out stealing car audio with em
Good kid, lived in a bubble and barely knew it
Lucky if I could recognize trouble to get into it
Trying to find like-minded rhymers to make a crew with
But nobody liked the same type of music
I'm used it
Facing some opportunities I didn't know what to do with
Sitting there on the sofa with smokers gamers and losers
Knowing I'm not stupid but too unsteady to prove it
Maybe I'm running to it but maybe already blew it

Gallery

• 

  YouTube background image

• 

  Blackbear, Andrew Goldstein, Brad Delson, and Mike Shinoda

• 

  Blackbear, Andrew Goldstein, Brad Delson, and Mike Shinoda

• 

  Demo lyrics

External Links

Stream

• Sorry For Now (Official Audio): LPTV