| "In Stereo" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Song by Fort Minor | |
| from the album The Rising Tied | |
| Recorded: | 2005 |
| Released: | November 22, 2005 |
| Format: | Digital, CD, Vinyl |
| Length: | 3:29 |
| Live debut: | October 29, 2005 |
| Last performed: | September 8, 2015 |
| Writer: | Mike Shinoda |
| Producer: | Mike Shinoda |
| Label: | Machine Shop Recordings, Warner Bros. Records |
| The Rising Tied tracklist | |
| |
Background
In late 2006, Clear Channel Music posted the entire The Rising Tied album complete with commentaries from Mike Shinoda before each song.[1] On "In Stereo", he said, "I love the way the ‘Where’d You Go’ transitions to ‘In Stereo’. You hear the dialog from one of those meetings with me and Brad Delson and Jay-Z, where we were kinda reviewing the songs for the album and Jay’s comment about the... about ‘In Stereo’ was just the first and foremost, he loved the beat. I wrote... I wrote the song basically to talk about when... when I write a new song, no matter what it is –if it’s you know, if it’s something for Linkin Park, if it was a Fort Minor thing – uhm, the very first place that I play it outside of the studio is in my car. If it works in the studio – that’s one thing, because the studio has really expensive speakers, really expensive equipment. But in your car – it’s an entirely different sound, so you throw it in there and if it works in there too, then it probably sounds alright."
On the Making of The Rising Tied DVD, Jay-Z, when he was helping Mike and Brad pick songs for the album, said that "In Stereo" was the best vocal performance on the album and one of the hardest beats. Mike said that's why he made "In Stereo" and "Petrified", because he wanted something a little heavier. Mike said "In Stereo" was his "low rider joint" and the first verse is one of his favorite verses on the record.
The outro of the song where Mike says, "let's test out the speakers, you ready? let's go, like this" leads way to him manipulating the beat of the song in a similar fashion to what he did on Linkin Park's "Session."
Mike played Brad and Jay-Z a demo version of "In Stereo", which has the intro lyrics that Mike always performed live, but removed from the final version of the song - "It's like that y'all, yeah / it's like that y'all, yeah / it's like that y'all, yeah / it's like this..." These lyrics are still performed at the start of "In Stereo" at Mike's solo performances.
In June 2020 when asked if the beat inspired the lyrics on the song, Mike said, "Yes, that one was definitely a beat first. Because the song is about the beat in a sense. In Stereo is a Fort Minor track. It's about having a new track that you love and listening to it in your car and getting the love of making the beats... stuff like that."[2]
Versions
Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In Stereo | The Rising Tied | 3:29 | 2005 | November 22, 2005 | |
| In Stereo | The Rising Tied (Non-PA Version) | 3:29 | 2005 | November 22, 2005 |
|
| In Stereo | Instrumental Album: The Rising Tied | 3:21 | 2005 |
|
Live
"In Stereo" got its live debut at the Myspace 2nd Anniversary Party, being played after "Enth E Nd". The track remained in that position until 2015, when Mike brought Fort Minor back from its indefinite hiatus. The song was then played third in the set, after "Petrified".
Mike would sometimes rap the first verse of "In Stereo" during the extended intro or outro of "Points Of Authority" during Linkin Park's Minutes To Midnight Tour.
As Mike rehearsed for the Post Traumatic Tour, "In Stereo" was included on a poll in which Mike asked what songs fans would want added to the set. "In Stereo" was the last of the four to be played on tour, not getting its debut until near the end of the European Tour in Wien with a newly remixed ending. The song would get added into the regular rotation for the remainder of the cycle.
Variations
Last Updated: May 3, 2020
| Type | Description | First Played | Last Played |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outro | Remixed Ending | September 7, 2018 | September 8, 2019 |
Personnel
Lyrics
"That beat is hard!"
This is how it goes,
Welcome one and all to the show,
We’re wired up, fired up, fuckin' ready to go,
In the back of the parking lot outside of the bar,
Twenty deep, twenty feet from the boulevard,
Black hoodies, black caps, black label in glasses,
Previewin' the new shit before all the masses,
'Cause the first thing I need when I got a new beat,
Is to see how it sounds echoin' off the street,
I just take it for a spin, pop the CD in,
Slide it up to ten and get that rear view shakin',
And play it again so there’s no mistakin',
San Andreas the block get this bitch earthquakin' like..OH!
Oh-oh!
Ready for it? Here we go,
We got the whole block rockin' in stereo,
We're takin' control, lettin' everybody know,
And if you feel it lemme hear everybody go,
Oh-Oh!
You’re not ready, I got plenty cuts,
For twenty months dropped steadily,
Plenty tracks to empty on your wack pedigree,
I’m backed heavily, while you’re back peddling,
Forget the chit chat on me homie, kick back,
I’m on that shit that can get your homie bitchslapped,
So zip your lip back, listen and watch,
We got the whole block rockin' off the way the beat knocks,
You dont have to warn the people on the corner, they know,
That if you’re standing on that corner then you’re getting that show,
World premiering you're hearing that machine shop flow,
San Andreas the block get this bitch earthquakin' like..OH!
Oh...oh!
Ready for it? Here we go,
We got the whole block rockin' in stereo,
We're takin' control, lettin' everybody know,
And if you feel it lemme hear everybody go,
Oh...oh!
Ready for it? Here we go,
We got the whole block rockin' in stereo,
We're takin' control, lettin' everybody know,
And if you feel it lemme hear everybody go,
Turn the key, turn the volume up to loud,
Roll right, roll every window down,
Let the whole block know what this is about,
Turn it up, ya'll, burn that system out,
Turn the key, turn the volume up to loud,
Roll right, roll every window down,
Let the whole block know what this is about,
Turn it up, ya'll, burn out that system like OH!
Oh...oh!
Ready for it? Here we go,
We got the whole block rockin' in stereo,
We're takin' control, lettin everybody know,
And if you feel it lemme hear everybody go,
Oh...oh!
Ready for it? Here we go,
We got the whole block rockin' in stereo,
We're takin' control, lettin everybody know,
And if you feel it lemme hear everybody go,
Oh...oh!
Let’s go ahead and test out the speakers, you ready?
Let’s go, like this!
"That beat is hard!"
This is how it goes,
Welcome one and all to the show,
We’re wired up, fired up, and we're ready to go,
In the back of the parking lot outside of the bar,
Twenty deep, twenty feet from the boulevard,
Black hoodies, black caps, black label in glasses,
Previewin' this music before all the masses,
'Cause the first thing I need when I got a new beat,
Is to see how it sounds echoin' off the street,
I just take it for a spin, pop the CD in,
Slide it up to ten and get that rear view shakin',
And play it again so there’s no mistakin',
San Andreas the block get this place earthquakin' like..OH!
Oh-oh!
Ready for it? Here we go,
We got the whole block rockin' in stereo,
We're takin' control, lettin' everybody know,
And if you feel it lemme hear everybody go,
Oh-Oh!
You’re not ready, I got plenty cuts,
For twenty months dropped steadily,
Plenty tracks to empty on your wack pedigree,
I’m backed heavily, while you’re back peddling,
Forget the chit chat on me homie, kick back,
I’m on a trip that can get your homie's chin slapped,
So zip your lip back, listen and watch,
We got the whole block rockin' off the way the beat knocks,
You dont have to warn the people on the corner, they know,
That if you’re standing on that corner then you’re getting that show,
World premiering you're hearing that machine shop flow,
San Andreas the block get this place earthquakin' like..OH!
Oh...oh!
Ready for it? Here we go,
We got the whole block rockin' in stereo,
We're takin' control, lettin' everybody know,
And if you feel it lemme hear everybody go,
Oh...oh!
Ready for it? Here we go,
We got the whole block rockin' in stereo,
We're takin' control, lettin' everybody know,
And if you feel it lemme hear everybody go,
Turn the key, turn the volume up to loud,
Roll right, roll every window down,
Let the whole block know what this is about,
Turn it up, ya'll, burn that system out,
Turn the key, turn the volume up to loud,
Roll right, roll every window down,
Let the whole block know what this is about,
Turn it up, ya'll, burn out that system like OH!
Oh...oh!
Ready for it? Here we go,
We got the whole block rockin' in stereo,
We're takin' control, lettin everybody know,
And if you feel it lemme hear everybody go,
Oh...oh!
Ready for it? Here we go,
We got the whole block rockin' in stereo,
We're takin' control, lettin everybody know,
And if you feel it lemme hear everybody go,
Oh...oh!
Let’s go ahead and test out the speakers, you ready?
Let’s go, like this!
External Links
References
- ↑ Mike Walks Us Through 'The Rising Tied' | LP Association Forums, October 27, 2006
- ↑ LPLive: Mike Q&A Summary 6/12/2020, June 12, 2020