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Template:Infobox single "Papercut" is the first track on the album Hybrid Theory. It was released in the UK as the album's third single on September 25, 2001.
Background
According to Mike Shinoda, "Papercut" was a song that came together relatively quickly[1] and never lost its working title.[2][3]
Brad, Chester[4] and Mike[5] all have mentioned "Papercut" as being their favorite song at some point. Brad explained why: ""Paper Cut" is my favorite right now because I think it best integrates all our influences into one song and does it in a way that's tasteful and cohesive. In other words, one criticism that people have leveled at existing bands is that their songs don't always sound organic, that some of the songs might sound forced. And our goal has always been to integrate these influences in the most seamless way, and I think Paper Cut does that really well."[6][7]
Speaking talked about the different elements on the song, Mike Shinoda said, "When mixing a Linkin Park song, there are always layers, and they major issue is figuring out what will the hierarchy of sounds will be. On our earlier material, live drums, guitar and bass took the stage. Still, if you listen to the beginning of Hybrid Theory, “Papercut” had jungle and hip-hop elements in the song. [Linkin Park's] intention was always to show people what we liked to listen to. As time passes, the balance gets shifted in different directions when our interests change. The sound of Linkin Park at any given time is usually a reflection where we’re at at the moment. Of course, we try and stay respectful of whatever genre it is that we’re playing with. The final sound of our tracks is not a “surface-y” thing, its definitely more analytical."[8] He afirmmed the reason they put together different types of music isn't to sell records, it's because they actually enjoy it. "At least for us, if we’re ever dabbling with something that unfamiliar to us, there’s a real honesty there with our guys. Back in the day with Hybrid Theory, we were plugging in a little jungle and drum & bass thing into our songs—like “Papercut” you can really hear it. I don’t think I can even name 10 jungle songs or artists off the top of my head, but at the time we were so into it. We were getting all these sets of all this stuff, these 90-minute mixes of shit that we couldn’t name, and it was awesome."[9]
Tracklist
CD Single
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Papercut | Bennington Chester Charles, Bourdon Robert G, Delson Brad, Hahn Joseph, Shinoda Mike | 3:05 |
2 | Points Of Authority (Live on BBC Radio One) | Bennington, Bourdon, Delson, Hahn, Shinoda | 3:25 |
3 | Papercut (Live) | Bennington, Bourdon, Delson, Hahn, Shinoda | 3:12 |
4 | Papercut (Video) | Bennington, Bourdon, Delson, Hahn, Shinoda | 3:13 |
Cassette Single
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Papercut | Bennington, Bourdon, Delson, Hahn, Shinoda | 3:05 |
2 | Points Of Authority (Live on BBC Radio One) | Bennington, Bourdon, Delson, Hahn, Shinoda | 3:25 |
Music Video
The music video, co-directed by Nathan "Karma" Cox and Joseph Hahn, was originally made for the UK, but premiered in the US during a Family Values Tour special.
The production company they worked with was Anonymous Content.
Versions
Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.
Studio
Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Papercut | Hybrid Theory | 3:04 | 2000 | October 24, 2000 | |
Papercut | Papercut | 3:05 | 2000 | September 25, 2001 |
|
Papercut | Hybrid Theory 6-Track Demo | 3:09 | 2000 |
| |
Paper Cut | Studio Finals 5/7/00 | 3:11 | 2000 |
| |
Papercut | Hybrid Theory - Instrumentals | 3:07 | 2000 |
|
Remix
Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ppr:kut | Reanimation | 3:26 | 2001 | July 30, 2002 |
|
Ppr:kut | "Reanimation" Internal Demo | 2:56 | 2001 |
| |
Big Pimpin'/Papercut | Collision Course | 2:36 | 2004 | November 30, 2004 |
|
Big Pimpin'/Papercut | Collision Course (Clean) | 2:36 | 2004 | November 30, 2004 | |
Linkin Park Vs. David Banner | Rock Phenomenon | 2:35 | 2006 | March 27, 2006 |
|
Papercut (Intro) (8 Bit Rebellion Version) | 8-Bit Rebellion! Ringtones | 0:29 | 2010 | April 17, 2010 |
|
Papercut (Chorus) (8 Bit Rebellion Version) | 8-Bit Rebellion! Ringtones | 0:31 | 2010 | April 17, 2010 |
|
Live
Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Papercut (Live From The BBC) | Crawling
Hybrid Theory (iTunes) |
3:21 | January 12, 2001 | April 30, 2001 |
|
Papercut (Live) | Papercut
Hybrid Theory (Special Edition) In The End (JP EP) |
3:12 | March 24, 2001 | September 25, 2001 |
|
Papercut | Live In Texas | 3:06 | August 02, 2003 | November 18, 2003 |
|
Big Pimpin'/Papercut | Collision Course | July 18, 2004 | November 30, 2004 |
| |
Big Pimpin'/Papercut | LP Underground 5.0 | 2:32 | July 02, 2005 | November 21, 2005 |
|
Papercut (07/30/09 LP Live Shanghai) | Minutes To Midnight (Asian Tour Edition) | 3:47 | November 18, 2007 | November 21, 2007 |
|
Papercut | Road To Revolution: Live At Milton Keynes
Hybrid Theory (Mastered For iTunes) |
3:50 | June 29, 2008 | November 21, 2008 |
|
Papercut | Live In Madrid | 3:18 | November 07, 2010 | April 1, 2011 |
|
Papercut (Live) | iTunes Festival: London 2011 - EP | 3:15 | July 04, 2011 | July 8, 2011 | |
Papercut | Live In Red Square | 3:11 | June 23, 2011 | July 21, 2011 |
|
Papercut (Live From Paris, 2010) | Hybrid Theory - Live Around The World | 3:08 | October 25, 2010 | May 31, 2012 | |
Papercut | Live At Admiralspalast Berlin, Germany | June 05, 2012 | March 29, 2013 |
| |
Papercut (Live At Download Festival 2014) | Hybrid Theory - Live At Download Festival 2014 | 3:13 | June 14, 2014 | August 12, 2014 |
|
Live
"Papercut" has been a staple in Linkin Park setlists since 2000. Throughout the first half of 2000, it served as the opening song, after a shortened version of "Cure For The Itch". After "A Place For My Head" took over as the show opener for the latter half of the year it moved down to a mid-set position. In 2001, the band added an interlude before the song, entitled the "LEE Interlude", which was performed until the Ozzfest. The song remained in its mid-set position throughout the year the rest of the year. It retained its position in 2002, as well.
The song returned on the Meteora touring cycle in 2003, where it continued to be performed mid-set. Beginning at Smokeout and carrying out through the rest of 2003, "Papercut" finally escaped the middle of the set and was moved to the beginning of the show, opening them for the first time on its own (in 2000, it succeeded "Cure for The Itch") with a brand new intro, featuring Joe, primarily. As 2004 rolled around, the song returned to its regular position at the middle of the set. Beginning on the Meteora International Tour, in the summer of 2004, the song received a new extended intro, which consisted of strings and the beat of the song. In 2005, the song was performed as its Collision Course counterpart, "Big Pimpin'/Papercut", both performances with Jay-Z. The song was moved further down into the set in 2006, and gained a new, longer version of its extended intro from 2004.
The song returned for the Minutes To Midnight touring cycle, where its setlist position stayed the same and it retained its long intro from 2006. The song was featured in all three setlists on Projekt Revolution 2007 and the following tours. In 2008, for the first time, "Papercut" was consistently dropped. It was not featured in Set T, Set S, or the original draft of Set R (it was added in to Set R in Frankfurt, Germany). On the preceding Minutes To Midnight North American Tour, Chester fell sick in the middle of the tour, causing the band to drop "Points Of Authority". In its place, they added in "Papercut" and added the extended outro of "Points Of Authority" onto "Papercut". On the summer European tour, the song was only performed on Set X and Set Z, whereas it was dropped in Set Y. The song remained consistent in the Projekt Revolution 2008 versions of those three setlists, as well. In 2009, the song was dropped altogether from the setlists on the International Tour. However, at the show in Macao, China, the first verse of "Papercut" was performed over the extended intro of "Bleed It Out".
"Papercut" returned on the A Thousand Suns touring cycle, starting on their South American Tour. It was performed after "Wretches And Kings", making it the second "full" song to be performed in the set. The song made its way to the following A Thousand Suns European Tour, but halfway through the tour (starting in Köln, Germany), it began being rotated with "Lying From You", as a response to the band reading a thread on the LPLive forums ("The Messenger" was rotated with "Leave Out All The Rest", too). In 2011, in Atlanta, Georgia, "Papercut" opened after "The Requiem" and "The Radiance", making it the first time since 2003 that the song had opened a show. Throughout the tour, the song traded places with "New Divide" and "Faint" as the show openers. With the debut of Set B-11, "Papercut" found its way to the encore for the first time ever. The song retained its opening and encore positions throughout the rest of the A Thousands Suns World Tour.
In 2012, beginning the Living Things World Tour, "Papercut" was performed third in the headlining set, and second to last after "One Step Closer" and before "Bleed It Out" in the festival set. On the Honda Civic Tour, the song became part of a medley, featuring a shortened version of "Lying From You" transitioning directly into a shortened version of "Papercut". Both halves of the medley went from intro through first chorus to the bridge through the outro. The medley featured in both the original versions of Set A and Set C, and Set B. In Set A, it was originally performed after the "Victimized (w/ QWERTY)" mashup, before the medley was split up into the full versions of both songs, where "Papercut" was featured in the third slot of the setlist. In Set C, it was performed in the same spot originally, but the medley was again split, with "Papercut" being performed second in the encore. Set B is the only setlist in which the medley stayed consistent, when the band performed it in the encore, before the final song, "One Step Closer". As Set A and Set B moved onto 2013, "Papercut" remained in its position in Set A. Halfway through the Living Things New Zealand and Australian Tour, starting at the Soundwave performance in Flemington, Victoria, "Papercut" was added to Festival Set B after "A Place For My Head" in order to take advantage of their full set time. The new, full version of Set B did not debut until the Living Things Asian Tour, in Pasay, Philippines, where a full version of "Lying From You" replaced the medley in the encore.
On The Hunting Party World Tour, "Papercut" was a constantly performed song throughout the tour. Throughout all of 2014 shortened version of the song, which lacked the second verse and second chorus, transitioning directly from a shortened, instrumental version of "Blackout". At the Stars Of The Season Gaia, the band jammed to the first verse of "Papercut", with guest Luis Ortiz from Million Dollar Listing New York rapping over it. The "Blackout" and "Papercut" duo stuck around at the beginning of 2015, where it was performed at the three shows on the ill-fated The Hunting Party North American Tour. When the band returned to touring in May for their short North American Summer Tour, "Papercut" received a brand new intro (titled the "2015 Intro") and opened each show, the first time the song had opened a show since 2011, and the first time the song had opened a show without any preceding interludes since 2003. At the band's show at BlizzCon at the end of the touring cycle, the 2015 Intro was changed around for a new remixed version of the "World Of Warcraft" in honor of the company's most popular game. This was the only time that intro was used.
Variations
Last Updated: December 13, 2015
Type | Description | First Played | Last Played |
---|---|---|---|
Intro | Lee Interlude | January 10, 2001 | June 25, 2001 |
Intro | Beatbox Intro | June 1, 2001 | June 1, 2001 |
Intro | Long Show Opener Intro (Joe scratching over the beat of the song) | November 15, 2003 | November 25, 2003 |
Intro | Short Intro (Short string intro with the beat of the song) | June 3, 2004 | September 11, 2004 |
Intro | Long Intro (Longer version of the Short Intro) | August 10, 2006 | August 23, 2008 |
Intro | 2015 Intro (Explosion sample followed by the verse riff of the song building up into the intro) | May 9, 2015 | September 6, 2015 |
Intro | World Of Warcraft Theme Remix | November 7, 2015 | November 7, 2015 |
Outro | Points Outro w/ "There They Go" Verse 1 (Regular outro of "Points Of Authority" added to the end of the song, due to the song being dropped) | February 29, 2008 | March 7, 2008 |
Outro | Points Outro w/ "There They Go" Verse 1 (Regular outro of "Points Of Authority" added to the end of the song, due to the song being dropped) | March 8, 2008 | March 8, 2008 |
Outro | w/ Extra Note After Ending (Segue into "New Divide" due to "Given Up" being dropped) | November 7, 2010 | November 7, 2010 |
Alternative | Shortened (No 2nd Verse or 2nd Chorus) | May 24, 2014 | January 18, 2015 |
Live Guests
Last Updated: December 26, 2015
- Benjamin Chandler (replacing Brad Delson)
- Warren Willis (replacing Joe Hahn)
Promotion
Personnel
Linkin Park
- Chester Bennington: vocals
- Rob Bourdon: drums, backing vocals
- Brad Delson: guitars, bass, backing vocals
- Joseph Hahn: records, sampling, backing vocals
- Mike Shinoda: emcee, vocals, beats, sampling
Additional Musicians
- Ian Hornbeck: bass
Production
- Don Gilmore: producer
- Jeff Blue: executive producer
- Andy Wallace: mixer
Lyrics
Why does it feel like night today?
Something in here's not right today
Why am I so uptight today?
Paranoia's all I got left
I don't know what stressed me first
Or how the pressure was fed / but
I know just what it feels like
To have a voice in the back of my head
It's like a face that I hold inside
A face that awakes when I close my eyes
A face that watches every time I lie
A face that laughs every time I fall
(And watches everything)
So I know that when it's time to sink or swim
That the face inside is hearing me / right underneath my skin
It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin
I know I've got a face in me
Points out all my mistakes to me
You've got a face on the inside too
Your paranoia's probably worse
I don't know what set me off first
But I know what I can't stand
Everybody acts like the fact of the matter is
I can't add up to what you can but
Everybody has a face that they hold inside
A face that awakes when I close my eyes
A face that watches every time they lie
A face that laughs every time they fall
(And watches everything)
So you know that when it's time to sink or swim
That the face inside is watching you too / right inside your skin
It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin
It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin
The face inside is right beneath your skin
The face inside is right beneath your skin
The face inside is right beneath your skin
The sun goes down
I feel the light betray me
The sun goes down
I feel the light betray me
It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back (The sun)
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin (I feel the light betray me)
It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back (The sun)
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within (I feel the light betray me)
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin (The sun)
Template:Collapse bottom Template:Collapse top
Why does it feel like night today?
Something in here's not right today
Why am I so uptight today?
Paranoia's all I got left
I don't know what stressed me first
Or how the pressure was fed/but
I know just what it feels like
To have a voice in the back of my head
It's like a face that I hold inside
A face that awakes when I close my eyes
A face that watches every time I lie
A face that laughs every time I fall
(And watches everything)
So I know that when it's time to sink or swim
That the face inside is hearing me/Right underneath my skin
It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin
I know I've got a face in me
Points out all my mistakes to me
You've got a face on the inside too
Your paranoia's probably worse
I don't know what set me off first
But I know what I can't stand
Everybody acts like the fact of the matter is
I can't add up to what you can
But everybody has a face that they hold inside
A face that awakes when they close their eyes
A face that watches every time they lie
A face that laughs every time they fall
(And watches everything)
So you know that when it's time to sink or swim
That the face inside is watching you too/Right inside your skin
It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath the skin
It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin
The face inside is right beneath your skin
The face inside is right beneath your skin
The face inside is right beneath your skin
The sun goes down
I feel the light betray me
The sun goes down
I feel the light betray me
It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back (The sun goes down)
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like the face inside is right beneath the skin (I feel the light betray me)
It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back (The sun goes down)
It's like a whirlwind inside of my head
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within (I feel the light betray me)
It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within (I feel the light betray me)
Gallery
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Single
-
Single CD
-
Cassette tape
-
Poster
-
Poster
In Other Media
- "Papercut" is featured in the 2001 film The One.
- A promotional poster for "Papercut" can be seen during a 2016 porn film starring Alyssa Lynn for WatchingMyMomGoBlack.
Cover Versions
Pakistani rock band Call covered "Papercut" during a performance for PlayTV's Play It Live show in 2007.[10]
To promote their And The World Stops EP, French metalcore band Early Seasons recorded a cover of "Papercut" which was made available on YouTube[11] and SoundCloud[12] in 2012. Their singer, Marty Degenne, have also done a vocal cover of "Blackout" which is available on the band's YouTube channel.[13]
External Links
References
- ↑ Linkin Park Central [home]
- ↑ Linkin Park : The Proven Theory >> Studio Reports
- ↑ Mike LPU Chat Transcript: 12/09/2009 - Mike Shinoda Clan
- ↑ Chester Transcript 3 (LPU Chat), January 2002
- ↑ Linkin Park Web Interview - Mike Shinoda Clan, September 2000
- ↑ HOB.com: Linkin Park Text Interview recorded 11/30/2000, November 30, 2000
- ↑ Text-Based Online Chat with Yahoo and Linkin Park [english version], September 17, 2009
- ↑ Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda on EDM, "A Light That Never Comes," and Their New Remix Album | Complex, September 26, 2013
- ↑ Interview: Mike Shinoda Talks "Living Things," The State of Rock, and Linkin Park's Fan Base | Complex, September 27, 2012
- ↑ CALL Papercut Cover PlayTV Live - YouTube, February 11, 2007
- ↑ "Papercut" Linkin Park cover by Early Seasons (OFFICIAL) - YouTube, April 01, 2012
- ↑ "Papercut" Linkin Park cover by Early seasons de EARLY SEASONS | Ouça grátis na SoundCloud, April 01, 2012
- ↑ Linkin Park - Black out - (Vocal cover by Marty Degenne) - YouTube, September 07, 2012