Template:Infobox single "Numb" is the thirteenth and final track on Linkin Park's sophomore album Meteora. It was released as the album's third single on September 8, 2003, and quickly became one of Linkin Park's top singles. It is instantly recognizable by its keyboard intro.
Background
In March 2003, Mike Shinoda did a track-by-track of Meteora for ShoutWeb. About "Numb", he said, "The last song is called "Numb" which starts with a nice keyboard hook. I thinks it was a nice way to end the album because it kind of sums up the record. It's very recognizable as our sound. It sounds like a Linkin Park song but it does have some mood that Meteora has if that makes any sense. Maybe I can say that better. When you hear it, you can easily recognize it as a Linkin Park song but it obviously belongs on Meteora. It obviously belongs in this new group of songs just because of the way the tone of the song is and the lyrics are. It's kind of about those times when you've got no feeling left or you just don't care. It's almost like exhaustion or something which funny enough is how we felt after touring last year."
On the Meteora booklet, the band wrote, "Just one week before the band entered NRG Studios to begin recording, this song was conceived. Built around the intro hook, the song came together quickly and almost effortlessly."
Tracklist
CD Single 1
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Numb | Linkin Park | 3:06 |
| 2 | From The Inside (Live) | Linkin Park | 2:55 |
| 3 | Numb (Video) | Linkin Park | 3:07 |
CD Single 2
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Numb | Linkin Park | 3:06 |
| 2 | Easier To Run (Live) | Linkin Park | 3:22 |
| 3 | Faint (Video) | Linkin Park | 2:48 |
Music Video
Music Video
The music video for "Numb" was directed by Joe Hahn and stars Briana Evigan as an unpopular outcast young female student. The word "Numb" can be seen cut in her arm. Camera and electrical department was handled by Mike Tenerelli.
Parts of the video were filmed on Charles Bridge and in the Gymnázium Jana Keplera in Prague 6, the largest district in Prague, Czech Republic.
The film "Eurotrip" was being shot at the same time as "Numb" and Michelle Trachtenberg, one of the stars, was asked to be on the video but missed out on the opportunity due to an actor not remembering his line. She said: "Linkin Park was at our hotel at the time of shooting. They asked me to be in the video. I went to the boys and they said ‘Yeah sounds good, but it’s this one day and we’ve got this amazing French actor. He’s brilliant. He’s only available this one day.’ He was the worst actor I’ve ever worked with my entire life. He couldn’t remember, ‘What would you like to eat?’"
The rest of the video had to be delayed in over a month due to a viral infection that sent Chester to intensive care at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre. He suddenly found himself losing feeling in his fingers, followed by his arms, feet and legs, and was found by his wife passed out in his home, collapsed on the floor. At hospital, he was administered morphine, and the pain medication Dilaudid. The band was forced to reschedule everything.
About the incident, Chester said, "It was werid. I was in peak phyiscal condition a few months back, I was ready to go, and then, on that one morning, I wake up with a slight ache in my back. Two hours after that, I feel like I'm going to die! Over the next nine days, I lose 17 pounds. I'm still having problems with my energy."
The scenes of Linkin Park performing were shot at the First Congregational Church, located in Koreatown, Los Angeles, substituting the gothic church in Prague.
Mike Shinoda spoke to MTV about the video in September 2003: "I think that Joe [Hahn] built up all this creative energy and he’s really done a great job on the video for ’Numb’. It’s more of a concept video. It’s more of a story. It’s not identical to the story of the song, but it is similar in that the emotions that go on in the video are similar to those in the song."
Live Video
A second music video for "Numb" was created to promote Live In Texas.
The video features scenes taken from various moments on the DVD instead of using only the "Numb" footage.
Versions
Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.
Studio
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numb | Meteora
Numb |
3:07 | 2002 | March 25, 2003 | |
| Numb | Meteora - Instrumentals
Radio Publishing Instrumentals CD |
3:04 | 2002 |
|
Remix
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numb/Encore | Collision Course
Numb/Encore |
3:25 | 2004 | November 30, 2004 |
|
| Numb/Encore | Collision Course (Clean)
Numb/Encore |
3:25 | 2004 | November 30, 2004 |
|
| Numb/Encore (Bonus Beat) | Numb/Encore | 1:42 | 2004 | December 13, 2004 | |
| Numb (8 Bit Rebellion Version) | 8-Bit Rebellion! Ringtones | 0:31 | 2010 | April 17, 2010 |
|
| Numb (8 Bit Rebellion Version) | 8-Bit Rebellion! Ringtones | 0:32 | 2010 | April 17, 2010 |
|
| Numb/Encore (Instrumental) | Numb/Encore | 3:27 | 2004 | December 13, 2004 | |
| Numb/Encore (A Cappella) | Numb/Encore | 3:19 | 2004 | December 13, 2004 |
|
| Numb/Encore (A Cappella) (Clean Version) | Numb/Encore | 3:19 | 2004 | December 13, 2004 |
|
Live
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numb | Live In Texas (Street Team Promo DVD) | 3:06 | August 02, 2003 | November 18, 2003 |
|
| Numb/Encore | Collision Course | July 18, 2004 | November 30, 2004 |
| |
| Numb/Encore | Live 8 Sampler
Live 8 - One Day One Concert One World |
3:37 | July 02, 2005 | November 4, 2005 |
|
| Numb | LP Underground 7.0 | 3:09 | August 05, 2007 | December 5, 2007 |
|
| Numb | Road To Revolution: Live At Milton Keynes | 3:46 | June 29, 2008 | November 21, 2008 |
|
| Numb/Encore (With Jay-Z) | Road To Revolution: Live At Milton Keynes | 3:01 | June 29, 2008 | November 21, 2008 |
|
| Numb/Encore (With Jay-Z) | Road To Revolution: Live At Milton Keynes (Clean) | 3:01 | June 29, 2008 | November 21, 2008 |
|
| Numb (Live From Tel Aviv, 11-15-10) | 2011 North American Tour EP | 4:29 | November 15, 2010 | December 20, 2010 |
|
| Numb | Live In Madrid | 3:10 | November 07, 2010 | April 1, 2011 |
|
| Numb | Live In Red Square | 5:05 | June 23, 2011 | July 21, 2011 |
|
| Numb (Live New York, 2008) | Meteora - Live Around The World | 3:41 | February 21, 2008 | June 5, 2012 | |
| Numb | Live At Admiralspalast Berlin, Germany | June 05, 2012 | March 29, 2013 |
| |
| Numb (Live In LA 9.8.12) | The Hunting Party (Xbox Music) | 3:17 | September 08, 2012 | June 21, 2014 | |
| Numb | One More Light Live | 3:50 | June 20, 2017 | December 15, 2017 | |
| Numb (Live In Moscow, 2018) | Soundcheck Session: Live In Moscow | 4:27 | September 1, 2018 | November 15, 2018 |
|
| Numb (Live at Live 8, Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, 2nd July 2005) | Live 8 (Live, July 2005) | 4:06 | July 02, 2005 | May 28, 2019 |
|
Live
"Numb" has been a signature song in Linkin Park setlists since it's debut on the Meteora touring cycle. The song was first performed on Metallica's Summer Sanitarium Tour in 2003, after the record label encouraged the band to perform the song after wanting to push it as the next single for Meteora. Throughout the year, the song tended to be performed near the end of the main set, usually three songs from the encore break. Beginning on the band's Meteora Australian and Asian Tour, at the first night in Tokyo, Japan, "Numb" was given a new guitar interlude intro that would be performed briefly before being dropped after a few shows. The song maintained the late-set position throughout the rest of the touring cycle. On the Meteora International Tour, "Numb" was performed with a new guitar intro, that was eventually transitioned from the outro of "Breaking The Habit" on Projekt Revolution. The studio version of the song was not performed throughout all of 2005, but rather "Numb/Encore" being performed at the two Linkin Park shows throughout the year with Jay-Z. "Numb/Encore" even closed the second of the two 2005 shows. Mike performed a shortened version of "Numb/Encore" with Fort Minor in the later part of 2005, as well. In 2006, the band mashed up "Numb/Encore" with The Beatles' "Yesterday", performing a mashup with Jay-Z and Paul McCartney at the 2006 Grammy Awards, that mashup being dubbed "Numb/Encore/Yesterday", or "Yesternumb". The studio version of the song was finally brought back in August, on the brief Summer Sonic stint in Japan, where the song was performed as the third song in the setlist at all shows.
"Numb" returned to a late-set position on the Minutes To Midnight touring cycle, with an added keyboard transition outro that segued into the piano version of "Pushing Me Away". When the band introduced rotating setlists on Projekt Revolution 2007, "Numb" was located mid-set in all three setlists, transitioning into the piano version of "Pushing Me Away" throughout the rest of the year. When three new sets were introduced in 2008, "Numb" retained the mid-set position with the keyboard transition, which went into either a short keyboard cover of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" or "The Little Things Give You Away". This position was maintained in the new summer setlists, as well. Nothing changed in 2009, either, except for the keyboard transition going into "Breaking The Habit" instead of any of the previous options.
On the A Thousand Suns touring cycle, "Numb" escaped it's typical position and was moved up a bit in the setlist. Replacing the keyboard transition outro was a transition outro featuring the Robert J. Oppenheimer speech from "The Radiance" being remixed by Joe over piano chords and Mike singing the first verse lyrics from "The Catalyst" through a vocoder, transitioning into "Breaking The Habit". In Set B-9, "Burning In The Skies" got its live debut and replaced "Breaking The Habit" in the setlist, so the Oppenheimer Outro transitioned into that song instead. "Numb" stayed in its general position mid-set, but transitioned into different songs depending on the setlist. In Set A and C, the outro transitioned into "Breaking The Habit", and in Set B, into "Iridescent". This stayed true in the summer as well, however the transitions for Set C and Set B were swapped.
"Numb" finally escaped the mid-set curse on the Living Things touring cycle. On the promotional European festival tour, "Numb" was featured in the early-mid set position before "Lies Greed Misery", and in the headlining set was featured as the second-to-last song in the encore, before "Bleed It Out". On the Honda Civic Tour, "Numb" gained an extended outro featuring parts of "Numb/Encore". Set A originally featured "Numb" in the second-to-last spot of the encore, before the song was eventually moved into the main set before "What I've Done", Set B featured the song later in the main set after "Lost In The Echo", and in Set C, the song was featured second-to-last in the main set before "Bleed It Out".
"Numb" saw less movement on The Hunting Party touring cycle. The song retained the "Numb/Encore" outro, and also featured an extended intro featuring the song. It transitioned from the extended outro of Mike's Solo Medley. When the rotating sets were introduced on the Carnivores Tour, "Numb" stayed in the same position in Set A as it was on the promotional festival tour, but in Set B, it was performed after Joe's Solo Medley without the "Numb/Encore" intro. The song retained this general position throughout the rest of the touring cycle, the only notable change being that it came after "Welcome" after its debut in Mexico. At the Relief Live! event at the end of the touring cycle, Mark Hoppus form Blink-182 and Adrian Young from No Doubt joined the band for a performance of the song.
The song returned with its "Numb/Encore" intro and outro for the One More Light tour, being featured in the encores of full sets after "Sharp Edges" and at the end of festival sets that didn't have an encore, usually after "Faint." The studio version of the song was performed as an instrumental at the Hollywood Bowl show, the band performing it in the shadows while a spotlight shined on an empty micstand where Chester would've been.
During Mike's solo tour in support of Post Traumatic, Mike started performing a piano version of "Numb" at certain shows, beginning in Köln, letting the crowd sing the vocals while he played the piano.
Variations
Linkin Park
Last Updated: August 23, 2018
| Type | Description | First Played | Last Played |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intro | Guitar Interlude Intro | October 24, 2003 | October 29, 2003 |
| Intro | Guitar Intro | June 3, 2004 | September 11, 2004 |
| Intro | Keyboard Intro | October 7, 2012 | October 7, 2012 |
| Intro | 'Numb/Encore' Intro + Verse 1 Guitar | May 24, 2014 | July 6, 2017 |
| Outro | Keyboard Transition Outro | April 28, 2007 | September 14, 2010 |
| Outro | Keyboard Transition Outro w/ The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" Tease | June 11, 2008 | July 12, 2008 |
| Outro | Oppenheimer Speech w/ 'The Catalyst' Lyrics | October 7, 2010 | September 25, 2011 |
| Outro | Oppenheimer Speech w/ 'The Catalyst' Lyrics + Ext. Piano Outro | November 5, 2010 | January 20, 2011 |
| Outro | 'Numb/Encore' Outro (Mike Only) | August 11, 2012 | August 17, 2012 |
| Outro | 'Numb/Encore' Outro | August 19, 2012 | July 6, 2017 |
| Alternative | Shortened (No Second Verse of Second Chorus) | June 23, 2012 | June 23, 2012 |
| Alternative | Instrumental | October 27, 2017 | October 27, 2017 |
Mike Shinoda
Last Updated: July 10, 2019
| Type | Description | First Played | Last Played |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative | Piano Version | August 29, 2018 | March 26, 2019 |
Live Guests
Last Updated: December 23, 2015
- Adrian Young (No Doubt)
- Benjamin Chandler (replacing Brad Delson)
- Warren Willis (replacing Joe Hahn)
Promotion
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | MTV Video Music Brazil | Best International Video | Won |
| 2004 | MuchMusic Video Awards | People's Choice: Favourite International Group | Won |
| 2004 | Radio Music Awards | Song of the Year: Rock Alternative Radio | Won |
Personnel
Linkin Park
- Chester Bennington: vocals
- Rob Bourdon: drums
- Brad Delson: guitar
- Joseph Hahn: records, sampling
- Phoenix: bass
- Mike Shinoda: emcee, vocals, sampling
Production
- Don Gilmore: producer
- Andy Wallace: mixer
Lyrics
I'm tired of being what you want me to be
Feeling so faithless
Lost under the surface
I don't know what you're expecting of me
Put under the pressure
Of walking in your shoes
(Caught in the undertow / Just caught in the undertow)
Every step that I take is another mistake to you
(Caught in the undertow / Just caught in the undertow)
I've become so numb
I can't feel you there
Become so tired
So much more aware
I'm becoming this
All I want to do
Is be more like me
And be less like you
Can't you see that you're smothering me
Holding too tightly
Afraid to lose control
‘Cause everything that you thought I would be
Has fallen apart right in front of you
(Caught in the undertow / Just caught in the undertow)
Every step that I take is another mistake to you
(Caught in the undertow / Just caught in the undertow)
And every second I waste is more than I can take
I've become so numb
I can't feel you there
Become so tired
So much more aware
I'm becoming this
All I want to do
Is be more like me
And be less like you
But I know
I may end up failing too
But I know
You were just like me
With someone disappointed in you
I've become so numb
I can't feel you there
Become so tired
So much more aware
I'm becoming this
All I want to do
Is be more like me
And be less like you
I've become so numb
I can't feel you there
(I'm tired of being what you want me to be)
I've become so numb
I can't feel you there
(I'm tired of being what you want me to be)
Gallery
-
Disc 1
-
Disc 2
-
Big: 18 Hits In One Super Value Album
In Other Media
- "Numb" is featured in the 2008 film The Tragic And Painful Waxing Of Mr. Simon.
- "Numb" was released in 2011 as part of a DLC for the 2010 videogame Rock Band 3.
- "Numb" was released in 2015 as part of a DLC for the 2013 videogame Rocksmith 2014.
Cover Versions
American Linkin Park fan Ken Stokes (also known as TheKen, Modist, and ModistOne), who gained acclaim for his piano renditions of Linkin Park songs,[1] recorded a cover of "Numb" with vocalist Joanna which is commonly mistaken for an Evanescence song.
"Numb" was performed by British artist Jamelia on the Live Lounge section of The Jo Whiley Show on BBC Radio 1 in 2004. Later that year, she performed the cover during her UK Tour.[2] The BBC recording of the cover was included in the compilation Radio 1's Live Lounge, released on October 16, 2006.
Argentinian rock band N.H.E.M recorded a live in studio version of "Numb" which was uploaded to their YouTube channel in 2011.[3]
Dutch DJ Hardwell played a mash-up of Jordy Dazz' "At Night", "Numb" and Chuckie's "Who Is Ready To Jump (Glowinthedark Higher Club Mix)" as part of his set at various shows in 2013.
Rhode Island based electronicore band It Lives, It Breathes (formed by members of the late metalcore band A Faylene Sky) released a double A-side digital single on August 25, 2013 at 4pm[4] containing covers of "Numb" by Linkin Park and "My Plague" by Slipknot.[5] It is currently available on their BandCamp page.[6]
French DJ David Guetta played a remix of "Numb" as part of his set at various shows in Brazil in January 2015.
American electronic band Breathe Carolina performed "Numb" at various shows during their Anywhere But Home Tour in 2015.
Manchester based metalcore band Empires Fade recorded a cover of "Numb" with an accompanying music video which was released on their YouTube channel on December 16, 2015.[7]
Tarja Turunen, who rose to fame as Nightwish's original lead singer, performed "Numb" during a special concert at the Wacken Metal Church that opened the 2016 edition of the Wacken Open Air festival. Tarja performed together with piano, cello and violin in front of only 300 handpicked fans.[8]
Australian rock band Hands Like Houses performed "Numb" as part of APTV's Zippo Encore Sessions that took place at the 2016 edition of the Carolina Rebellion festival.[9]
Floridian post-hardcore band Fame On Fire recorded a cover of "Numb" in 2016 after fans voted for them to cover it.[10] A music video was released on October 7[11] and a digital single was released on October 12.[12]
On July 1st, 2017, "Numb" was performed by 200 musicians as part of the fifth Rocknmob that took place in Moscow, Russia.[13]
Other Uses
- This song was sampled by Nicki Minaj in the song "Encore '07" on the mixtape "Playtime Is Over" released in 2007.
- "Numb" was accidentally played for 0.7 seconds instead of the Maltese national anthem during Malta's friendly match against Slovakia on September 4, 2014.[14]
External Links
- Numb (Music Video): LPTV | MTV | VK
- Numb (KROQ's Kevin and Bean Breakfast Show 2010) - iConcerts Dailymotion
- Numb (Rio+Social 2012) - The Live Room
- Numb (Guitar Center Sessions 2014) - Guitar Center
References
- ↑ theken | Grooveshark - Free Music Streaming
- ↑ Jamelia - Numb Live (UK Tour 2004) - YouTube, December 17, 2006
- ↑ N.H.E.M - Numb (Linkin Park - Acoustic cover) - YouTube, July 07, 2011
- ↑ It Lives, It Breathes TRIBUTE to LINKIN PARK and SLIPKNOT TODAY 4PM!
- ↑ It Lives, It Breathes Cover Linkin Park & Slipknot, August 26, 2013
- ↑ Linkin Park/Slipknot Tribute | It Lives, It Breathes, August 25, 2013
- ↑ VIDEO: Empires Fade – Numb (Linkin Park cover) | DEAD PRESS! | Alternative music news, reviews, interviews and more!, December 16, 2015
- ↑ Tarja Turunen | Special concert at the Metal Church, Wacken, July 15, 2016
- ↑ Zippo Encore Sessions: HANDS LIKE HOUSES - "Numb" [LINKIN PARK COVER - YouTube], August 16, 2016
- ↑ Fame On Fire - Timeline | Facebook, September 26, 2016
- ↑ Fame On Fire - Timeline | Facebook, October 07, 2016
- ↑ Fame On Fire - Timeline | Facebook, October 12, 2016
- ↑ Rocknmob - While official video is still in progress, you..., July 11, 2017
- ↑ Malta's national anthem replaced with Linkin Park's Numb at Slovakia match | The Independent, September 05, 2014
- https://web.archive.org/web/20150511000955/http://veryaware.com/2014/02/the-25-most-fascinating-things-learned-at-eurotrips-10th-anniversary-screening
- http://www.mtv.com/news/1477972/linkin-parks-sanitarium-stay-documented-on-live-cddvd/
- http://www.linkinparkru.com/index.php?m=info&t=articles_en_interview_68
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3177178/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt
- http://www.expats.cz/prague/article/music/50-music-videos-shot-in-prague/
- http://web.archive.org/web/20080513181635/http://www.forfeitthegame.com/notes.html
- http://web.archive.org/web/20080513181453/http://www.forfeitthegame.com/mike-on-met.html
- http://web.archive.org/web/20030412184824/http://www.shoutweb.com/features/linkinpark0303.phtml