High Voltage

Background

"High Voltage" was a song written by Mike Shinoda, Joe Hahn, and Brad Delson. Its original version was released in 1999 on the Hybrid Theory EP and is derivative of "Intergalactic" by the Beastie Boys, which came out in 1998 on the album Hello Nasty. On the EP, Kyle Christener is credited for bass.

When questioned who the "Akira" in the lyrics was, Mike said, "akira is a name i used to go by for a short period. it's from the movie, and it's the long version of my brother's middle name, akio"^[1]

During the Hybrid Theory sessions, the song was remixed by Mike Shinoda for inclusion on the album, but it didn't make it to the final tracklist. Instead, the remix was released on the UK editon of the "One Step Closer" single and Japanese edition of the album.

Talking to Theprp.com on December 9, 2000, Mike Shinoda said: "The "One Step Closer" Import single will feature a remix (by me) of an older hip hop track of ours called "High Voltage", along with a slower song called "My December". What's nice for me about these things is that I did the majority of the writing on those songs, and I produced and mixed both."^[2] The voiceover on the remix is done by Lee Cadena, the creator of Urban Network's Rapology series. He is also the voice on the "Lee Interlude" used on Linkin Park shows in 2001.^[3] Mike said, "He was the voice on the phone on High Voltage. Lee, Joe actually worked for Lee for a while. There was a hip hop industry magazine called Urban Network and Lee was like the boss over there and Joe worked for Lee. Shout out to Lee. I haven't seen that guy in like forever."^[4]

Versions

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

Studio

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
High Voltage	Hybrid Theory EP	3:30	1999	1999
High Voltage	Hybrid Theory EP (Re-Issue)	3:30	1999	November 19, 2001	Remastered. Sounds louder than the original release.
High Voltage	One Step Closer (UK Single) Hybrid Theory In The End (JP EP)	3:45	2000	January 15, 2001	Censored. Remix by Mike Shinoda. There is no indication of the track being a remix anywhere on any release. Known as "High Voltage (2000 Reprise)" among fans.
Siamo	Hybrid Party Of A Thousand Things	3:35			Instrumental demo. Released on LPLive for free download on August 5, 2019.
Siamo2	Hybrid Party Of A Thousand Things	3:55			Instrumental demo. Claps during the outro. Released on LPLive for free download on August 5, 2019.

Remix

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
H! Vltg3	Reanimation	3:30	2001	July 30, 2002	Censored. Remix by Evidence. Features vocals by Pharoahe Monch and cuts by DJ Babu.
H! Vltg3	Pts.Of.Athrty Pts.Of.Athrty / H! Vltg3 H! Vltg3	3:32	2001	July 19, 2002	Censored. Lacks the transition to "Riff Raff" at the end. Listed as "Album Vocal" on the vinyl single.
H! Vltg3	"Reanimation" Internal Demo	3:14	2001		Censored. The CD dates from late January or February 2002. Remix by Evidence. The intro includes the speech from Mike Shinoda's remix. Bridge vocals from the original version were used in place of Pharaohe Monch's verse. Completely different outro, lacking DJ Babu's scratching. Some of the sound effects throughout the song are missing. Released on LPLive for free download on March 21, 2013.
H! Vltg3 (Instrumental)	H! Vltg3 Reanimation - Instrumentals	3:23	2001	2002	Official instrumental version.
H! Vltg3 (Acapella)	H! Vltg3	3:23	2001	2002	Censored. Official acapella version.

Live

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
High Voltage (Live)	LP Underground 2.0	4:02	September 16, 2001	November 18, 2002	Mike Shinoda remix.
High Voltage	Hybrid Theory (Mastered For iTunes)	3:38	August 09, 2001	January 15, 2013	Mike Shinoda remix. Originally released as "High Voltage". Later renamed to "High Voltage (Live)".

Live

"High Voltage" became a signature part of Linkin Park's setlists when it debuted on the Street Soldiers Tour in 2001, where it appeared mid-set. The song was performed as the Mike Shinoda Remix version found on the "One Step Closer" single, which features a reworked instrumental. After that initial tour, the song was dropped on the following one (Deftones' Back To School Tour), barring the final show of the tour. At the second night in Manchester, England, Mike gave the crowd a choice between two songs: "Pushing Me Away" or a "really old song not on the album" - "High Voltage". The crowd response prompted for "High Voltage" being performed, so "Pushing Me Away" was scrapped for this last show. The song remained in the setlist until the Ozzfest, before returning for the first half of the Fall European Tour, where it was dropped in favor of adding "Step Up" into the setlist. The Dilated Peoples joined the band for the last performance of the song in London, England. "High Voltage" has not made a full appearance in Linkin Park's setlists since.

Snippets of "High Voltage" have found their way into the sets since the Hybrid Theory touring cycle, still. Both verses were occasionally rapped over the extended intro of "Points Of Authority" during the Minutes To Midnight touring cycle. There was one instance during The Hunting Party touring cycle where Mike rapped the first verse of the song over his solo medley - this happened in Bremen, Germany.

When Fort Minor made a comeback in 2015, "High Voltage" eventually found its way into the live sets. After his first show of Fort Minor's string of European shows, Mike ran an online poll for fans to vote in which song should be added to the setlist. The choices were "High Voltage", "Step Up", "Second To None", "Red To Black", "Right Now", and "High Voltage" won in a landslide victory. It debuted for the at the Fort Minor show in Berlin, Germany, where it was mashed up with parts of "Suicide Music" from The Raid: Redemption score and "C.R.E.A.M." by Wu-Tang Clan. The outro featured parts of "Rebel Without A Pause" by Public Enemy, and was dubbed the "Funk Rebel Break" Outro on the printed setlist. This marked the first full performance of "High Voltage" in any form in 14 years, and the song stayed in the following Fort Minor setlists.

Variations

Linkin Park

Last Updated: August 12, 2016

Type	Description	First Played	Last Played
Alternative	Mike Shinoda Remix	January 26, 2001	September 16, 2001

Fort Minor

Last Updated: August 12, 2016

Type	Description	First Played	Last Played
Outro	Funk Rebel Break	September 2, 2015	September 8, 2015
Alternative	Mashup w/ "Suicide Music" and "C.R.E.A.M." by Wu-Tang Clan	September 2, 2015	September 8, 2015

Personnel

Lyrics

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Just do something to tell you who I am, ya know?

Uh (x38)
It's high voltage you can't shake the shock
Because nobody wants it to stop, check it out
It's high voltage you can't shake the shock
Because nobody wants it to stop, check it out (Ah)
It's high voltage you can't shake the shock
Because nobody wants it to stop, check it out
It's high voltage you can't shake the shock
Because nobody wants it to stop, check it out

I've been taking into crates ever since I was livin' in space
Before the ratrace, before monkeys had human traits
Mastered numerology and bigbang theology
Performed lobotomies with telekinetic psychology
Invented the mic so I could start blessin it
And chincheckin kids to make my point like an impressionist
Many men have tried to shake us
But I twist mic cords to double helixes and show them what I'm made of
I buckle knees like leg braces
Cast the spell of instrumental-ness and all of the emcees that hate us
So try on, leave you without a shoulder to cry on
From now to infinity let icons be bygones
I fire bomb ghostly notes haunt this
I've tried threats but moved on to a promise
I stomp shit with or without an accomplice
(Mixed media)
The stamp of approval is on this

It's high voltage you can't shake the shock
Because nobody wants it to stop, check it out
It's high voltage you can't shake the shock
Because nobody wants it to stop, check it out

Akira, put a kink in the backbones of clones with microphones
Never satisfy my rhyme jones
Sprayin' bright day over what you might say
Blood type krylon
Technicolor type A
On highways right with road rage I'm patient to win
The cage and the tin to bounce all around
In surround sound devouring the scene
Subliminal gangrene paintings
Overall the same things sing songs karaoke copy madness
Break bones verbally with sticks and stone tactics
Fourth dimension, combat convention
Write rhymes at ease while the tracks stand at attention (Attention)
Meant to put you away with the pencil
Pistol, official, 16 line rhyme missile
While you risk your all, I pick out all your flaws
Spittin', raw blah blah blah blah
You can say you saw

It's high voltage you can't shake the shock
Because nobody wants it to stop, check it out
It's high voltage you can't shake the shock
Because nobody wants it to stop, check it out
It's high voltage you can't shake the shock (Ah)
Because nobody wants it to stop, check it out
It's high voltage you can't shake the shock
Because nobody wants it to stop, check it out

Uh (x72)
It's high voltage you can't shake the shock
Because nobody wants it to stop, check it out
It's high voltage you can't shake the shock
Because nobody wants it to stop, check it out (Ah)
It's high voltage you can't shake the shock
Because nobody wants it to stop, check it out
It's high voltage you can't shake the shock
Because nobody wants it to stop, check it out

(Mixed Media)
(Akira)
(Mr. Hahn)
(And)
(Hybrid Theory)

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"You know what I mean?
You could put a label on a life
Put a label on a lifestyle"

(Sometimes)

"You know
Put a label on how you wake up every morning
And go to bed at night"

Hybrid

I've been digging into crates ever since I was living in space
Before the ratrace, before monkeys had human traits
I mastered numerology and Big Bang theology
Performed lobotomies with telekinetic psychology
Invented the mic so I could start blessing it
Chin-checking kids to make my point like an impressionist
Many men have tried to shake us
But I twist mic cords to double-helixes
And show them what I'm made of
I buckle knees like leg-braces
Cast a spell of instrumentalness on all of you emcees who hate us
So you can try on, leave you without a shoulder to cry on
From now to infinity let icons be by-gones
I fire-bomb, ghostly notes haunt this
I tried threats but moved onto a promise
I stomp shit with or without an accomplice
And run the gauntlet with whoever that wants this

High voltage
This is the unforgettable sound
High voltage
Bringing you up and taking you down
High voltage
Coming at you from every side
High voltage
Making the rhythm and rhyme collide

Akira
I put a kink in the backbones of clones with microphones
Never satisfy my rhyme jones
Spraying bright day over what you might say
My blood type's Krylon, Technicolor Type-A
On highways right with roadrage
Cages of wind and cages of tin that bounce all around
Surround sound devouring the scene
Subliminal gangrene, overall the same things
Singsong karaoke copy bullshit
Break bones verbally with sticks-and-stone tactics
Fourth dimension, combat convention
Write rhymes at ease while the track stands at attention
Meant to put you away with the pencil, pistol
Official sixteen-line-a-rhyme missile
While you risk your all I pick out all your flaws
Spin rah-blah-blah-blah, you can say you saw

High voltage
This is the unforgettable sound
High voltage
Bringing you up and taking you down
High voltage
Coming at you from every side
High voltage
Making the rhythm and rhyme collide
High voltage
This is the unforgettable sound
High voltage
Bringing you up and taking you down
High voltage
Coming at you from every side
High voltage
Making the rhythm and rhyme collide

"And, like, the rock and rap
You know what I mean
People acting like, you know
'Wow, that's a new invention'
That shit ain't new
It's constantly evolving
We're constantly changing"

(Sometimes)

"There's a lot of change
Everybody's always up with the labels
There ain't no label for this shit
They're always going to try
To put a label on it
To try to create something
So they can water it down"

Sometimes I feel like a prophet
Misunderstood, under the gun like a new disease
Sometimes I feel like a prophet
Misunderstood, under the gun like a new disease

High voltage
This is the unforgettable sound
High voltage
Bringing you up and taking you down
High voltage
Coming at you from every side
High voltage
Making the rhythm and rhyme collide

High voltage
This is the unforgettable sound
High voltage
Bringing you up and taking you down
High voltage
Coming at you from every side
High voltage
Making the rhythm and rhyme collide

High voltage
This is the unforgettable sound
High voltage
Bringing you up and taking you down
High voltage
Coming at you from every side
High voltage
Making the rhythm and rhyme collide

High voltage
This is the unforgettable sound
High voltage
Bringing you up and taking you down
High voltage
Coming at you from every side
High voltage
Making the rhythm and rhyme collide

"You know what I mean?
You can put a label on a lifestyle (label on a lifestyle)"