Make It Up As I Go

"Make It Up As I Go" is the eleventh song off of Mike Shinoda's debut studio album, Post Traumatic. The song features guest vocals from K.Flay.

Background

"Make It Up As I Go" started during the One More Light writing sessions, but the track was ultimately scrapped since Mike and Brad felt the song simply wasn't turning out well. When he was going through old tracks during the writing of Post Traumatic, however, Mike felt that the theme of the song fit what he was going for on the record, so he rewrote it and included it on the album.

The song was originally a ballad but Mike tweaked the tempo. The chorus remained the same as it originally was.

Mike told Ultimate Guitar, "The stuff from Post Traumatic, I did 90 percent of it myself and I did most of that at my house. I did a few things at a couple other studios and I plucked a few things that were unfinished demos or sketches from other sessions I had worked on. "Make It Up As We Go" was a song we started at the very end of the One More Light sessions with me, K. Flay and Brad [Delson]. All it was was a chorus and the rest of this demo track was terrible. I listened to it while I was making Post Traumatic and realized the theme of that song was central to the album. It was really where my head was at at that point in the record."

While on tour for Post Traumatic, Mike explained about K.Flay, "So the way that worked out was, I actually met her a few years ago. We started that song around the time the time we were wrapping up One More Light, the Linkin Park album. It just wasn't coming together, it was me and her and Brad Delson. We had the chords and the lyrics to the chorus, and like the melody of the vocal, but the rest of the song was kind of not there. Brad was kind of like, "What do you want to do? We've got all of these songs that are basically already on the record" and I was like, "You know, it's not ready. It's going to take some work and I don't know how or exactly where this song needs to go. As I was making my record I stumbled on that demo and it really resonated with me. In fact Make It Up As I Go is one of the most pervasive themes not only in terms of the record but beyond the record. Think about it, from the time that Chester passed away, I made that record in roughly nine months. And the time past that, it's been almost half a year. That's a lot of time for more evolution and change and more of the journey to go on. And that's just this idea that make it up as I go is what we've all been feeling and doing - the shows are a little more improvisational, some of the things I'm doing are like... they just pop up and I'll act on them, like "Oh I have an idea for a music video today, let's shoot it.""

K.Flay told Rolling Stone, "We were talking about how it's comforting to think that anybody knows what they’re doing but we're all inventing life moment by moment. That's a headspace I'm in frequently, and I think it was definitely connecting with Mike's headspace, too." She said Mike struck her as warm and creative when they first met and that he seemed to have the same energy when she reconnected with him for Post Traumatic. "I don’t know if I'd call it an urgency, but Mike had a real sense of purpose. I just got the sense he wanted to make things, and I totally get that. I think in the face of all types of uncertainty, it can be affirming and beautiful to make stuff."

In a livestream on April 29, 2020, Mike listed "Make It Up As I Go" as one of his favorite tracks on the album, explaining that its theme of not really having an end destination in mind and just cruising along still really resonates with him.

Music Video

Music Video

Mike released the "Make It Up As I Go" music video on September 20th, 2018.

The video was directed by Antoni Sendra PODENCO and animated by Antonio Sendra and Luis Llácer.

Along with the video release, Mike invited fans to visit makeitupasigo.mikeshinoda.com to create their own "Make It Up As I Go" image.

In 2020, when asked how he came up with ideas for music videos, Mike said, "It depends on the video. My own Post Traumatic videos, I did some on my phone. When we transitioned from the ones on my phone to the ones that were not on my phone, like "Make It Up As I Go," I told our video rep at the label that I wanted an animated or motion graphics video. I wanted it be very colorful and kind of represent the album cover and the art. He sent me a link of things, and one of them that I liked was a guy that did a lyric video for somebody else, I think it may have been Green Day actually. And I was like, oh they're good, they're good!"

Live Video

On November 1st, 2018, Mike announced on Twitter, "LA /// I need your help at my show on Friday at the Palladium /// When I play Make It Up As I Go, pull your phones out and film it (horizontal) then upload your video after the show to FanFootage.com."

On December 14th, 2018, LPLive released the live video of "Make It Up As I Go" after a week of teaser videos. The video was produced by Fan Footage, who has worked with Linkin Park in the past, most recently on the "Talking To Myself" live video. LPLive said, "We are very excited to present the brand new @FanFootage music video for @mikeshinoda's latest single "Make It Up As I Go", live from the Hollywood Palladium."

Mike decided to let LPLive release the video after the site covered all of his live shows in support of Post Traumatic. He said, "Thank you @LPLive for all your support /// Enjoy this video from @FanFootage"

Versions

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

Studio

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Make It Up As I Go	Post Traumatic	3:30	2017-2018	June 15, 2018	Features vocals by K.Flay
Make It Up As I Go	Post Traumatic (Clean)	3:30	2017-2018	June 15, 2018	Censored. Worldwide release on October 31, 2018.
Make It Up As I Go	Post Traumatic - Instrumentals	3:29	2017-2018		Official instrumental version.

Live

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Make It Up As I Go (Live In Moscow, 2018)	Soundcheck Session: Live In Moscow	4:54	September 1, 2018	November 15, 2018	Video only.

Live

"Make It Up As I Go" was debuted live at Mike's performance at Amoeba Records. K.Flay joined Mike for the song. She also joined Mike for the song at the KROQ AAC performance. For most of the west coast leg of the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour, Linkin Park bandmate Phoenix would join Mike and the band for the song. "Make It Up As I Go" was one of the few songs to be performed at every full solo show Mike played since its debut.

Live Guests

Last Updated: January 12, 2020

• K.Flay
• Lenny
• Phoenix (Linkin Park)

Personnel

• Written by Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Kristine Flaherty
• Produced by Mike Shinoda
• Vocals by Mike Shinoda, Kristine Flaherty
• Mixed by Manny Marroquin
• Mastered by Michelle Mancini

Lyrics

Album Version

I keep on running backwards
I keep on losing faith
I thought I had the answers
I thought I knew the way
My brother said be patient
My mother held my hand
Don't know what I'm chasing
Don't know who I am

Woke up this morning holdin' my head
Thinkin' last night is one of regret
Washin' off the bad decisions, the blurry vision
The clues that I'm still a mess
Spittin' out the taste I have in my mouth
Knowin' what this all is really about
Knowin' there's an explanation, an expiration
I gotta figure shit out

And they're askin' me if I can see
The darkness down below
And I know it's true, I say I do
And half the time I don't
Maybe I can't make what it may take
To leave this thing behind
But I shut my eyes and cross each line
And every time

I keep on running backwards
I keep on losing faith
I thought I had the answers
I thought I knew the way
My brother said be patient
My mother held my hand
I don't know what I'm chasing
I don't know who I am

Waking in the dead of night, I can't sleep
Sleeping in the light of day for like weeks
Reality was out of focus, I could be hopeless
Instead I gritted my teeth
I didn't have the patience left to explain
Didn't wanna wake when nobody came
I know the path I had's uneven, but while I'm breathing
I have to make my own lane

And they're askin' me if I can see
The darkness down below
And I know it's true, I say I do
And half the time I don't
Maybe I can't make what it may take
To leave this thing behind
But I shut my eyes and cross each line
And every time

I keep on running backwards
I keep on losing faith
I thought I had the answers
I thought I knew the way
My brother said be patient
My mother held my hand
I don't know what I'm chasing
I don't know who I am

So, I make it up as I go
I make it up as I go
So, I make it up as I go
I make it up as I go, as I go

I keep on running backwards
I keep on losing faith
I thought I had the answers
I thought I knew the way

My brother said be patient
My mother held my hand
I don't know what I'm chasing
Don't know who I am

So, I make it up as I go
I make it up as I go
So, I make it up as I go
I make it up as I go, as I go

Gallery

• 

  YouTube background image

• 

  Poster

External Links

• Make It Up As I Go (Official Audio): YouTube