Until It Breaks

"Until It Breaks"
Song by Linkin Park
from the album Living Things
Working title:	Apaches
Recorded:	2011 - 2012
Length:	03:43
Stems:	Open Labs SoundSlate Pro
Time signature:	4/4
Tempo:	78 -> 85
Key:	A Minor / A Major
References:	Notorious B.I.G. - Big Poppa Notorious B.I.G. - Who Shot Ya? (feat. Puff Daddy) Notorious B.I.G. - Just Playing (Dreams)
Live debut:	June 29, 2015
Last performed:	September 8, 2015
Writer:	Linkin Park
Producer:	Mike Shinoda, Rick Rubin
Label:	Warner Bros.
Living Things tracklist
Lost In The Echo In My Remains Burn It Down Lies Greed Misery I'll Be Gone Castle Of Glass Victimized Roads Untraveled Skin To Bone Until It Breaks Tinfoil Powerless

"Until It Breaks" (stylized as "UNTIL IT BREAKS") is the tenth song off of Linkin Park's fifth studio album, Living Things. The song is made up of multiple demos stitched together to create one track.

Background

"Until It Breaks" is described by Mike Shinoda as "a little more adventurous" and "a little more wild than a lot of the other stuff on the record." Talking about the creation of the song, he stated "Some songs we'll come up with demos, and they won't ever turn into anything ... we'll hear them, and we'll know they're not ever going to be a great song on their own. But there may be a section of it, a little glimmer of cool something in it, and the song 'Until It Breaks' is built from just those. There were like four demos that we had made that weren't going anywhere individually, but when you put them all together, they make something really interesting. It's supposed to feel really jarring and weird, and for me it was a really fun song to make." Shinoda further elaborated on this mindset in the booklet for the LP Underground XIII CD, where he said "In its final version, "UNTIL IT BREAKS" was an experiment inspired by side two of the Beatles' Abbey Road. On side two, the Fab Four created a medley based on various musical songs/demos/ideas; each one flowed into the next, creating a roller coaster experience. In the midst of making "LIVING THINGS," we found ourselves with these different demos that seemed to want to blend into something, and "UNTIL IT BREAKS" became that track. The three demos are found in their raw versions here."

Brad Delson, for the first time, sang lead on "Until It Breaks". Regarding that, Dave "Phoenix" Farrell stated "The last vocalist on that is actually Brad, our guitar player, and it's funny because I think if you know that, it gives a little bit of a glimpse in the process of how we write. We didn't get in that point of making a song and saying like "I know what we should do here, we should have Brad going in to sing this part", instead it was actually something that Brad had been working on at home, he brought it in as melody idea, like 4 months before, and we kinda lift with it and, working on the song, it gone through all these changes and shifts but at the end of it was Brad's vocal that we felt that "that's the best", it suited the best and so that's what kind of stayed on the record. You know that... just to say that our process isn't us sitting down me on the bass, Brad on guitar, and we're gonna like write a record. There's a lot more free moving than that and there's a lot more kind of like flying variables going around to the extent that even Brad singing can actually make the record." Delson himself commented on his singing on the record, as well as some of the inspirations behind the jarring transitions in the song, in an interview with Musicradar, where he said "That's kind of a coincidence that I'm on there vocally, in the sense that it wasn't intentional. That's one of the songs on the record that isn't so traditional in terms of the structure. It kind of has different suites, you might say. I think the inspiration was… is it Abbey Road where it has different movements? OK, cool, so that was our inspiration. We actually had a bunch of ideas that, for whatever reason, didn't want to be full songs. But we loved the music that was there. So we built that around some of the songs that we had worked on earlier in the process that we wanted to put on the record, and we wanted to find a way to craft that all together. The first part where Chester is singing, the first refrain, that was an early demo that I just did in a day – it just was what it was, but it was a cool part for that section. Similarly, the end section was something I'd done up and everyone liked it, and I'd sung on it but it didn't feel like it belonged in the same breath as some of the real songs on the album, like Lost In The Echo or Burn It Down or In My Remains. Mike had the idea to just glue it onto the end of that piece. I had sung the vocals originally, and I think I re-sang them, but the spirit was definitely 'keep the vibe of the demo. I don't consider myself a singer by any stretch, but I am comfortable, as all the guys are, singing harmonies and backing group vocals, and we'll do vocals on demos. It's just unusual to have something that's front and center."

Mike Shinoda, during his listening party with the fanbase for Living Things, mentioned that Chester had recorded his vocals for "Lies Greed Misery" while sick. Chester also was shown on LPTV episodes for the album recording vocals while sick for both "Victimized" and "Until It Breaks."

During the promotion of Fort Minor's first single in a decade, "Welcome", Shinoda mentioned how "Until It Breaks", along with songs like "Hands Held High", "Waiting For The End", and "When They Come For Me", were all very Fort Minor influenced songs that got turned into Linkin Park songs.

During the 2018 Post Traumatic Tour when he was in Florida, Mike talked about "Until It Breaks" at both the Tampa and Orlando shows. In Orlando, he said, "Florida in general is a special place for me for a couple of reasons. I used to come out here with my dad, I said this last night in Tampa as well. In one of the songs I say, "my mama taught me words / my daddy built rockets," my dad was an engineer before he retired, he's still around. He was an engineer and he would take me to rocket launches and space shuttle launches here at Cape Canaveral. I was really really luck to be able to do that. And I think that part of his interest in engineering and the way he's kind of mathematical like that and organized like that has probably influenced me a lot in the way that I do what I do. So I spent summers here when I was a kid, and I loved it."

Remix

"Until It Breaks" received a few remixes. Two remixes of the track appeared on Linkin Park's second remix album, Recharged, one done by Datsik, which had previously been released through the Living Things Remix Subscription and on the "A Light That Never Comes" single, and one by Money Mark, who actually had two versions of his remix released. One was put on Recharged, which had different drums than the original, which was released through the Living Things Remix Subscription.

Versions

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

Studio

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Until It Breaks	Living Things	3:43	2011-2012	June 20, 2012	Contains references to Notorious B.I.G.'s "Big Poppa", "Who Shot Ya? (feat. Puff Daddy)" and "Just Playing (Dreams)".
Apaches (Until It Breaks Demo, No. 1)	LP Underground XIII	2:42		November 18, 2013
Foot Patrol (Until It Breaks Demo, No. 2)	LP Underground XIII	2:29		November 18, 2013
Three Band Terror (Until It Breaks Demo, No. 3)	LP Underground XIII	2:00		November 18, 2013
Until It Breaks (Instrumental)	Living Things (Acapellas and Instrumentals)	3:55	2012	September 11, 2012	Official instrumental version.
Until It Breaks (Acapella)	Living Things (Acapellas and Instrumentals)	3:43	2012	September 11, 2012	Official acapella version.

Remix

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Until It Breaks (Datsik Remix)	Living Things Remixed A Light That Never Comes Recharged	6:04	2012	September 11, 2012	Remix by Datsik.
Until It Breaks - Datsik Remix	Living Things Remixes	6:04	2012		Remix by Datsik. Different transition at 01:07 and 03:42. 4 seconds of silence at the end.
Until It Breaks (Money Mark Remix)	Living Things Remixed	4:35	2012	November 1, 2012	Remix by Money Mark.
Until It Breaks (Money Mark Headphone Remix)	Recharged Living Things Remixes	4:29	2012	October 24, 2013	Remix by Money Mark. Different drums. Listed as "Until It Breaks - Money Mark Remix" on Living Things Remixes.

Live

Linkin Park

"Until It Breaks" has never been performed in full by Linkin Park, but Mike almost always raps the third verse of the song over the extended intro for "Waiting For The End", starting at the KROQ dressing room rehearsal. This intro was used throughout the Living Things and The Hunting Party touring cycles. After being absent during the One More Light touring cycle due to Mike rapping "Remember The Name" over the intro of "Waiting For The End", the Apaches intro with "Until It Breaks" returned at the memorial show for Chester Bennington.

Fort Minor

When Mike brought back Fort Minor after nearly nine years, "Until It Breaks" was debuted in the Fort Minor setlists. Mike performed all of "Until It Breaks" except for Brad's verse at the end. Instead, he transitioned the song into "Where'd You Go" and used the instrumental beat in place of the actual instrumental of "Where'd You Go" until the second verse of the song.

Variations

Last Updated: January 3, 2016

Type	Description	First Played	Last Played
Intro	Ext. Intro	September 2, 2015	September 8, 2015
Outro	Transition Ending	June 29, 2015	September 8, 2015
Alternative	Shortened (Mike's Verses/Chester Verse Only)	June 29, 2015	September 8, 2015

Mike Shinoda

The first appearance of "Until It Breaks" during Mike's solo tour was in Shanghai where Mike rapped the third verse of the song over the intro to "Kenji", likely because he had to cut "Hands Held High" (which is what he would usually rap in that spot) due to China's censorship rules. The song would later be added to the set in Köln in a similar form as when he played the song with Fort Minor sans the transition into "Where'd You Go". Mike would sporadically add it into the set for the remainder of the tour.

Variations

Last Updated: April 28, 2020

Type	Description	First Played	Last Played
Alternative	Shortened (Mike's Verses/Chester Verse Only)	August 29, 2018	March 26, 2019

Lyrics

Album Version

It goes a 1, 2, 3
I was born with the hunger of a lion / the strength of a sun
I don't need to sweat it when a competition come
Original style like an 808 drum
So I don't run the track, no / I make the track run
My mama taught me words / my daddy built rockets
I put 'em both together now tell me what I got
It's a pretty smart weapon / I can shoot it, I can drop it
But learn to respect it 'cause you clearly can't stop it
Like that
 
It ain't over 'cause the
Shark's on the left side / the snake's on the right
And anything you do they wanna get a little bite
It really doesn't matter if you're wrong or if you're right
'Cause once they get their teeth in / nothing really fights
And as for me, I do it like I got nothing to lose
And you can run your mouth like you can try to fill my shoes, but
Steady little soldier, I ain't standing next to you
I'd be laying on the ground before you're even in my view
Like that
 
Give me the strength of the rising sun
Give me the truth of the words unsung
And when the last bells ring
The poor men sing
Bring me to kingdom come
 
It's something for ya people on the block to
Black out and rock to
Give you what you need like papa, who shot ya
Separate the weak from the obsolete
The meek / I creep hard on impostors
And switch styles on a dime / quick-witted -
Ya'll, quit trippin' I don't have time for your crying
I grind tough / sucker, make your mind up
Are you in the firing squad or are you in the lineup?
Bang bang little monkey man
Playing with the big guns only get you slain, I ain't playing
I'm just saying / you ain't got a sliver of a chance
I get iller, I deliver while you quiver in your pants
So shake shake down / money, here's the breakdown
You can play the bank I'mma play the bank takedown
And no mistakes now / coming to get ya
I'm just a Banksy / you're a Brainwash
Get the picture
Like that
 
We swim against the rising waves
And crash against the shore
The body bends until it breaks
The early morning sings no more
 
So rest your head it's time to sleep
And dream of what's in store
The body bends until it breaks
And sings again no more
 
'Cause time has torn the flesh away
The early morning sings no more

Apaches

It goes a 1, 2, 3
I was born with the hunger of a lion / the strength of a sun
I don't need to sweat it when a competition come
Original style like an 808 drum
So I don't run the track, no / I make the track run
My mama taught me words / my daddy built rockets
I put 'em both together now tell me what I got
It's a pretty smart weapon / I can shoot it, I can drop it
But learn to respect it 'cause you clearly can't stop it
Like that
 
It ain't over 'cause the
Shark's on the left side / the snake's on the right
And anything you do they wanna get a little bite
It really doesn't matter if you're wrong or if you're right
'Cause once they get their teeth in / nothing really fights
And as for me, I do it like I got nothing to lose
And you can run your mouth like you can try to fill my shoes, but
Steady little soldier, I ain't standing next to you
I'd be laying on the ground before you're even in my view
Like that
 
Yeah, oh [x4]
 
Yeah, oh [x4]

Foot Patrol

You don't give a damn about the blood and sweat that I spilled
To make it so I'm standing right here
But you can bet your soul and your faith in God that I will
Not a fold in the face of this fear
'Cause I won't be intimidated by you / push down and lied to
I'm not a fool or a punk
And you can try to bruise me and break me
But please don't mistake me
And see if I don't get right back up
 
Now / now see if I don't get right back up
Now / now see if I don't get right back up
Now / now see if I don't get right back up
Now / now see if I don't get right back up
 
It's something for ya people on the block to
Black out and rock to
Give you what you need like papa, who shot ya
Separate the weak from the obsolete
The meek / I creep hard on impostors
And switch styles on a dime / quick-witted -
Ya'll, quit trippin' I don't have time for your crying
I grind tough / sucker, make your mind up
Are you in the firing squad or are you in the lineup?
Bang bang little monkey man
Playing with the big guns only get you slain, I ain't playing
I'm just saying / you ain't got a sliver of a chance
I get iller, I deliver while you quiver in your pants
So shake shake down / money, here's the breakdown
You can play the bank I'mma play the bank takedown
And no mistakes now / coming to get ya
I'm just a Banksy / you're a Brainwash
Get the picture
It's like that

Three Band Terror

We swim against the rising waves
And crash against the shore
The body bends until it breaks
The early morning sings no more
 
We swim against the rising waves
And crash against the shore
The body bends until it breaks
And sings again no more
 
The winds have torn the flesh away
The early morning sings no more
 
We swim against the rising waves
And crash against the shore
The body bends until it breaks
And sings again no more
 
The winds have torn the flesh away
The early morning sings no more
 
'Cause time has torn the flesh away
The early morning sings no more

Datsik Remix

Original style like an 808 drum
Original style like an 808 drum
I don’t run the track no, I make the track run
I don’t run the track no, I make the track run

Original style like an 808 drum
Original style like an 808 drum
I don’t run the track no, I make the track run
I don’t run the track no, I make the track run

Like that
Like that
Like that
Drop it like
Like that
Like that

Make the track run
Like that
Make the track run
Like that
It goes a one, two, three...

Playing with the big guns only get you slain
Playing with the big guns only get you slain
P-P-Playing with the big guns only get you slain
Playing with the big guns big guns big guns

Playing with the big guns only get you slain
Playing with the big guns only get you slain
P-P-Playing with the big guns only get you slain
Playing with the big guns only get you slain
Like that

Like that
Like that
Like that
I don’t run the track no, I make the track run
Like that

Give me the strength of the rising sun
Give me the truth of the words unsung
And when the last bells ring
The poor men sing
Bring me to kingdom come

Drop it like that
Like that
Like that
Drop it like that
Like that

Make the track run
Like that
Make the track run
Like that

It goes a one, two, three...

Playing with the big guns only get you slain
Playing with the big guns only get you slain
P-P-Playing with the big guns only get you slain
Playing with the big guns big guns big guns

Playing with the big guns only get you slain
Playing with the big guns only get you slain
P-P-Playing with the big guns only get you slain
Playing with the big guns only get you slain
Like that

Like that
Like that
Like that

Stop it stop it stop it
Like that