"Carousel" is the first track on the Hybrid Theory EP. It was one of three songs co-produced and mixed by Mudrock and Mike Shinoda for the release. The song was written by Mike Shinoda, Joe Hahn, Brad Delson, Chester Bennington, and Rob Bourdon. Dave Farrell was added to the song's credits on Hybrid Theory (20th Anniversary Edition). Kyle Christener is credited for bass on the original EP but his name was removed from subsequent issues. He originally claimed that his bass tracks weren't used in the EP,[1] but later retracted that statement. "Though Christner was once under the misimpression that his bass parts were re-recorded on the EP after he left the band, he has, upon closer review, identified his bass playing on the edition of the EP included in the box set," his 2023 lawsuit reads.[2][3] The bass on "Carousel" is actually a synth.
Background
In Jeff Blue's book "One Step Closer: From Xero to #1: Becoming Linkin Park", he explained that "Carousel" was originally a Xero song. It was included on a demo CD from November 17, 1998. Tracks included on the CD were: "Rhinestone", "Esaul", "Pictureboard", "Fiends", "Stick N Move", "Carousel", "Slip", "Pointillism" and "Step Up." He describes Mike Shinoda's notes about the song, "He wrote that the song deals with the patterns of behavior associated with denial and the inability to deal with personal problems. The last two lines in the song he wrote from the standpoint of the interchange between a problem and the solution."[4]
It was re-recorded with producer Mudrock when Chester joined the band, for the Hybrid Theory EP.
After the original release of the EP, the band continued working on "Carousel" for inclusion on their debut studio album, Hybrid Theory, but it didn't make it to the final tracklist. The latest known version of the song dates from February 11, 2000. On later versions of the song, the band plays with how many times Mike and Chester say the "she can only fool herself for so long" line throughout the track. The line "just follow me and I'll show you what you want to see" is also in the bridge by Mike.
Meme
On March 24, 2020, Linkin Park (Mike, Dave, and Joe) reacted to the (previously unreleased) San Diego 2001 show stream on YouTube.[5] When the performance of "And One" happened, all three band members did not know the name of the song and spent the next few minutes guessing at what it could be. Due to Dave asking, "Is this Carousel?", the phrase instantly became a sensational meme for Linkin Park fans. Due to this, on April 20, 2020 when the individual songs were being uploaded to YouTube, Linkin Park promoted the "And One" video on social media by saying, "Is This Carousel? Head over to YouTube to find out."[6]
Versions
Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carousel | Hybrid Theory EP | 3:00 | 1999 | 1999 | |
| Carousel | Hybrid Theory EP (Re-Issue) | 3:00 | 1999 | November 19, 2001 |
|
| Carousel | Demos | 3:01 | 1999 |
| |
| Carousel | Hybrid Theory 8-Track Demo
Linkin Park - Demos From 02-2000 Hybrid Theory (20th Anniversary Edition) |
3:00 | 2000 |
|
Live
"Carousel" has never been performed live.
During a LP Underground chat on November 18, 2009, Rob Bourdon was questioned if the band ever played the songs from the Hybrid Theory EP live. He said he remembers playing "Carousel" and "Part Of Me" and added "it was probably in a small club in LA or Arizona."[7]
This information was confirmed by Mike Shinoda on August 12, 2015, during a Reddit AMA: "We played those songs a ton when the band name was "Hybrid Theory," and once we had a whole album to play, those kinda just went away."[8]
In 2001, right before their European tour in September, Linkin Park gave an interview to OnStage where Brad Delson said the band would be using their soundcheck time during the next tour to rehearse old songs. The songs mentioned were "My December" and "Carousel" and he also said: "I'm using two extra Boss effects pedals, the Auto-Wah and the Phaser, to re-create the guitar sounds on another old song we'll be playing called “Step Up."[9] Unfortunately, "Carousel" was the only one of those songs not to be played.
Before that, Mike Shinoda posted a tour diary the last day of Ozzfest that said, "8/13/01: END OF OZZFEST so the ozzfest is over. we're happy to be home, getting a little rest so that we can be fresh when we start the upcoming european and family values tours. we're hoping to do some cool new stuff on stage, and MAYBE even playing some older songs that we usually don't play. i don't know what it's going to be yet, but we are going to practice the e.p. songs to see if any of them work their way into the set. by the way, if you don't have the e.p., ask around on the messageboard for the mp3s. the songs are: carousel / technique / step up / and one / high voltage (original version) / part of me ...and there is a hidden instrumental track. -Mike"
Personnel
- Rob Bourdon
- Joseph Hahn
- Kyle Christner
- Brad Delson
- Chester Bennington
- Mike Shinoda
Production
- Produced and mixed by Mudrock and Mike Shinoda
- Mastered by Pat Kraus
Lyrics
Ah
She can't hide no matter how hard she tries
Her secret disguised behind the lies
And at night she cries away her pride
With eyes shut tight staring at her inside
All her friends know why she can't sleep at night
All her family asking if she's alright
All she wants to do is get rid of this hell
Well all she's got to do is stop kidding herself
She can only fool herself for so long
She can only fool herself for so long
She can only fool herself for so long
(I'm too weak to face me)
She can only fool herself
I never know
Just why you run
So far away
Far away from me
I never know
Just why you run
So far away
Far away from me
When it comes to how to live his life he can't be told
Says he's got it all under control
Thinks he knows it's not a problem he's stuck with
But in reality it'd be a problem to just quit
An addict and he can't hold the reins
The pain is worse cause his friends have it the same
Tries to slow down the problem he's got
But can't get off the carousel until he makes it stop
He can only fool himself for so long
He can only fool himself for so long
He can only fool himself for so long
(I'm too weak to face me)
He can only fool himself
I never know
Just why you run
So far away
Far away from me
I never know
Just why you run
So far away
Far away from me
(Ah)
(Fly with me under the wings I gave you)
Try to be closer to me and I'll save you
(Fly with me under the wings I gave you)
Try to be closer to me and I'll save you
I never know
Just why you run
So far away
Far away from me
I never know
Just why you run
So far away
Far away from me
I never know
Just why you run
So far away
Far away from me
I never know
Just why you run
So far away
Far away from me
Template:Collapse bottom Template:Collapse top
(Ah)
She can't hide no matter how hard she tries
Her secret disguise behind the lies
And at night she cries away her pride
With eyes shut tight and staring at her insides
All her friends know why she can't sleep at night
All her family asking if she's alright
All she wants to do is get rid of this hell
Well, all she's got to do is stop kidding herself
She can only fool herself for so long
She can only fool herself for so long
(I'm too weak to face me)
I never know just why you run
So far away, far away from me
I never know just why you run
So far away, far away from me
When it comes to how to live his life, he can't be told
Says he's got it all under control
Thinks he knows it's not a problem he's stuck with
But in reality, it'd be a problem to just quit
An addict, and he can't hold the reigns
The pain is worse, 'cause his friends have it the same
Tries to slow down the problem he's got
But can't get off the carousel until he makes it stop
He can only fool himself for so long
He can only fool himself for so long
(I'm too weak to face me)
I never know just why you run
So far away, far away from me
I never know just why you run
So far away, far away from me
Fly with me under the wings I gave you
Try to be closer to me, I'll save you
Fly with me under the wings I gave you (Ah)
Try to be closer to me, I'll save you
Just follow me
I never know just why you run
And I'll show you what you want to see
The part you hide from what's inside
Just follow me
So far away, away from me
And I'll show you what you want to see
I never know just why you run
So far away, far away from me
I never know just why you run
So far away, far away from me
I never know just why you run
So far away, far away from me
I never know just why you run
So far away, far away from me
Template:Collapse bottom Template:Collapse top
(Ah)
She can't hide no matter how hard she tries
Her secret disguise behind her lies
And at night she cries away her pride
With eyes shut tight and staring at her insides
All her friends know why she can't sleep at night (Oh)
All her family asking if she's alright
All she wants to do is get rid of this hell
Well all she's gotta do is stop kidding herself
She can only fool herself for so long
(She can only fool herself for so long)
She can only fool herself for so long
I'm too weak to face me
I never know just why you run
So far away, far away from me
I never know just why you run
So far away, far away from me
When it comes to how to live his life, he can't be told
Says he got it all under control
Thinks he knows, it's not a problem he's stuck with
But in reality, it'd be a problem to just quit
An addict and he can't hold the reins
The pain is worse cause his friends have it the same
Tries to slow down the problem he's got
But can't get off the carousel until he makes it stop
He can only fool himself for so long
(He can only fool himself for so long)
He can only fool himself for so long
I'm too weak to face me
I never know just why you run
So far away, far away from me
I never know just why you run
So far away, far away from me
Fly with me under the wings I gave you
Try to be closer to me and I'll save you
Fly with me under the wings I gave you (Ah)
Try to be closer to me and I'll save you
Just follow me
I never know just why you run
And I'll show you what you wanna see
Just follow me
So far away, away from me
And I'll show you what you wanna see
I never know just why you run
So far away, far away from me
I never know just why you run
So far away, far away from me
I never know just why you run
So far away, far away from me
I never know just why you run
So far away, far away from me
External Links
References
- ↑ Hybrid Origins: A Look Back At The Early Days - Linkin Park Live, June 2021
- ↑ Linkin Park Sued by Bassist Seeking Unpaid Royalties From 1999, November 09, 2023
- ↑ LINKIN PARK Sued By Former Bassist Over 1999 Recordings - BLABBERMOUTH.NET, November 09, 2023
- ↑ Blue, Jeff (2020). One Step Closer: From Xero to #1: Becoming Linkin Park. Permuted Press. ASIN: B08LMZLXTJ
- ↑ YouTube: Linkin Park Reacts To A Linkin Park Show From 2001
- ↑ Twitter: Linkin Park
- ↑ Resoconto della Chattata con Rob su LPU, November 19, 2009
- ↑ IamA Mike Shinoda AMA! : IAmA, August 12, 2015
- ↑ Linkin Park's Magic Mix, January 01, 2002