Krwlng

Background

On a January 11, 2002 linkinpark.com chat, Mike Shinoda revealed Aaron Lewis would be on his "Crawling" remix on Reanimation: "do you guys want to know my secret about my remix for "crawling"? big news for those that like his band... aaron lewis from staind sang on my remix for crawling that guy is a very talented individual"

The remix was created by Mike Shinoda and features guest vocals by Aaron Lewis of Staind. According to Mike, the song was a big challenge for him and was the most difficult of all the tracks he worked on for "Reanimation". All the music was created by Mike and he also wrote the string arrangements, which were played by Phoenix on violin and cello.

Mike described the remix to MTV, saying: "I usually like to make really dramatic songs [that are] dynamic from part to part — a lot of jumping from really quiet to really loud. And this song is pretty much a five-minute build to a crescendo and then it ends. It’s really smooth. There’s a lot of dark soundscapes created by the samples and the strings together."

Aaron's vocals were recorded during the Family Values Tour, between October 11, 2001 and November 17, 2001: "It was ridiculously easy because he liked the vibe. His voice is just amazing. Aaron came in and heard it and sat down and recorded his vocals in probably a half-hour. He comes to our bus, records it and leaves. I felt like it should have taken longer. I’m like, ‘Aaron, come back…’" In the album credits, it lists the vocals being recorded in "Bus #2."

Speaking to LP Underground members about the remix in 2002, Chester Bennington said: "we've created something different then what already existed, the vocals didn't change as far as my performance, but it was really cool because i agree with you that aaron has one of the best voices, it's really exciting to hear our voices together, they blend really well and he does some really cool harmonies, and it's one of my favorite tracks on the remix record"

Mike told the LPU about the track he was most excited about, "Of all the tracks I worked on, I think "Crawling" was the most difficult, so "Krwlng", I guess."

Music Video

The music video for "Krwlng" was directed by Jonathan Ruppel for MTV2's "MTV:Playback".

MTV: Playback was originally aired on July 27, 2002 at 2:00pm, with a rerun on July 28, 2002 at 8:00pm.

Versions

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

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Krwlng	Reanimation	5:40	2001	July 30, 2002	Remix by Mike Shinoda. Features vocals by Aaron Lewis.
Krwlng	"Reanimation" Internal Demo	5:49	2001		The CD dates from late January or February 2002. Violin intro and outro is absent. Strings are quiter. No live strings by Phoenix over the top of Mike's programmed strings. Rough synth transition. Louder bass beats in the second verse. Different effects on Chester's vocals. Released on LPLive for free download on March 21, 2013.
Krwlng	Reanimation - Instrumentals	5:40	2001		Official instrumental version.

Live

"Krwlng" has never been performed in its entirety. However, throughout the Meteora and Minutes To Midnight touring cycles, it was prominently used as an extended intro for "Crawling". On Projekt Revolution 2008, Mike began to rap the first verse of "Hands Held High" over the "Krwlng" instrumental before performing "Crawling". In 2009, Mike continued doing this, but eventually shifted over to rapping the second verse of "Hands Held High" over the instrumental, rapping the first verse a cappella style.

Personnel

• Mike Shinoda - interpretation
• Aaron Lewis - vocals
• Phoenix - violin, cello

Production (Album)

• Mike Shinoda - producer
• Mark "Spike" Stent - mixing
• David Treahearn - mixing assistant
• Paul "P-Dub" Walton - ProTools enginer
• Brian "Big Bass" Gardner - mastering, digital editing
• Nancie Stern - sample clearance

Lyrics

Album Version

Crawling in my skin
Without a sense of confidence…
Consuming, confusing…

Crawling in my skin
Without a sense of confidence
And I'm convinced that there's
Just too much pressure to take
There's something inside me
That pulls beneath the surface

Crawling in my skin
(Crawling in my skin)
These wounds they will not heal
(These wounds won't heal)
Fear is how I fall
(Fear is how I will fall)
Confusing, confusing what is real
(Confusing what is real)
 
(Confusing what is real)
There's something inside me that
Pulls beneath the surface
Consuming, confusing
This lack of self-control
I fear is never ending
Controlling, I can't seem
To find myself again
My walls are closing in
Without a sense of confidence
And I'm convinced that there's
Just too much pressure to take
I've felt this way before
So insecure

Crawling in my skin
These wounds they will not heal
Fear is how I fall
Confusing what is real

Discomfort endlessly
Has pulled itself upon me
Distracting, reacting
Against my will I stand beside my own reflection
It's haunting how I can't seem
To find myself again
My walls are closing in
Without a sense of confidence
And I'm convinced that there's
Just too much pressure to take
I've felt this way before
So insecure

Without a sense of confidence…
Without a sense of confidence…
Without a sense of confidence
I'm convinced that there's
Just too much pressure to take
Without a sense of confidence…
Without a sense of confidence…
Without a sense of confidence
I'm convinced that there's
Just too much pressure to take

To find myself again
My walls are closing in
Without a sense of confidence
And I'm convinced that there's
Just too much pressure to take
I've felt this way before
So insecure

Crawling in my skin
These wounds they will not heal
Fear is how I fall
Confusing what is real
Crawling in my skin
These wounds they will not heal
Fear is how I fall
Confusing, confusing what is real

Gallery

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  DVD artwork