| "Nobody's Listening" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Song by Linkin Park | |
| from the album Meteora | |
| Working title: | Nocturnal |
| Recorded: | 2002 |
| Length: | 02:58 |
| Time signature: | 4/4 |
| Tempo: | 100 |
| Key: | D Minor |
| Samples: | Linkin Park - High Voltage |
| References: | Jay-Z - Brooklyn's Finest |
| Live debut: | April 9, 2003 |
| Last performed: | March 15, 2004 |
| Writer: | Linkin Park |
| Producer: | Don Gilmore, Linkin Park |
| Label: | Warner Bros. |
| Meteora tracklist | |
"Nobody's Listening" is the eleventh song on Linkin Park's sophomore album Meteora. It is known mainly for its center around hip-hop vibes and its Japanese flute loop.
Background
"Nobody's Listening" was originally titled "Nocturnal"[1] and was first mentioned in the March 2003 issue of Spin magazine in a piece about the recording of Meteora. It reads:
"Korn and Papa Roach's albums may have under-performed in 2002, but Linkin Park look set to survive last year's new-rock revolt with their angsty flow intact. They're the rap-metal band it's okay to still love, probably because they never made the combination seem like an arranged marriage. "We're a melting pot, not a salad bowl," singer Mike Shinoda says. "We just kind of did our own thing. And that's exactly what we're doing with this new record." The as-yet-untitled follow-up to the multiplatinum Hybrid Theory is due in early spring. Shinoda says new tracks like the tentatively titled "Breaking The Habit," "Shifter," and "Nocturnal" are pretty eclectic. "We listen to a lot of different types of music, so when we were in the studio, we'd think, 'That part should have a DJ Premier-type beat, but I really want to put this 80s-sounding keyboard hook in there.'" If they clear that Yaz sample, can we coin the phrase "nü-wave metal"? Can we? Please?"[2]
In March 2003, Mike Shinoda did a track-by-track of Meteora for ShoutWeb. About "Nobody's Listening", he said, ""Nobody's Listening" is a more hip-hop style track. Beats and samples are the backbone of the song and of course, as always, we make our own stuff. When I use the word "sample", I don't mean that we're lifting it off somebody else's thing. We always create our own thing and loop that because to me it just feels more genuine. I can have more pride in a part that I wrote than a part that I lifted off of somebody else's thing. We made this interesting thing off of a Japanese flute with different Japanese flute sounds. It was actually keyboard and some other breathy sounds that we used, some piano and some drum stuff but it was most keyboard. It's like a real deal hip-hop track. The challenge in making that fit with the album was in the sonics and the vocals. At a certain point, we realized the song is like an island. It's detached from the mainland, the rest of the album. We realized that our bridge would be a little bit of guitar played a little differently. Brad does this muted guitar part in the chorus. Chester and I kind of play off each other's vocals. When we finished the vocals, we figured that it probably worked."
On the Meteora booklet, the band wrote, "One of the band's many goals in writing Meteora was to take their sampled sounds to the next level. However, in creating more interesting samples, a new challenge arose: To make the wide variety of sample-based elements feel like they belonged together. At first, this song's Japanese flute loop created a mood that was far different from any other song on which the band was working, and made the track feel too distant from the rest of the album. Mike and Chester decided that the singing vocals would have to somehow connect the song to the rest of the recordings. The following day, Chester's performance gave this seemingly incongruent song balance, transforming it into an essential track on the album."
In a May 18th, 2020 stream, a fan asked Mike to use a Japanese instrument in a song. Mike replied, "We did. I used a couple of things, I used a shakuhachi on Nobody's Listening. I think I used a koto on something else but it might have been a sample that didn't sound like koto."[3]
In an interview with AllHipHop on November 10, 2004, Mike admitted to have quoted Jay-Z on the song: "I have been a fan of Jay’s work from day one. one of my favorite songs is "Brooklyn's Finest"–I even quoted it on our song "Nobody’s Listening" from Meteora." At the beginning of the song, Mike raps, "Yo, peep the style and the kids checking for it. The number one question is "how could you ignore it?"" which is derived from Jay-Z & The Notorious B.I.G. on "Brooklyn's Finest" which says, "A-yo, peep the style and the way the cops sweat us (Uh-huh). The number one question is can the Feds get us? (Uh-huh)"
"Nobody's Listening" also samples a song by Linkin Park, Mike's remix of "High Voltage" when the intro and outro scratch the vocal line "Coming at you from every side" by Mike Shinoda. The line is not present in the original version of "High Voltage" from the Hybrid Theory EP, but appears in the redone/reworked chorus in Mike's remix done later.
Green Lantern Remix
"Nobody's Listening" was remixed by DJ Green Lantern for We Major by Fort Minor and is the fifteenth song on the mixtape which was released in October 2005 to promote The Rising Tied.
Mike's verses were re-recorded for the remix. At the end of the second verse, Mike replaces the last two lines with, "What up to the Militia and the LPU."
The remix is over a beat that is structured around and heavily samples "No One Knows" by Queens Of The Stone Age. At times throughout the song, "Threat" by Jay-Z, "Shook Ones (Part II)" by Mobb Deep, and "We Major" by Kanye West featuring Nas and Really Doe are also sampled.
On December 5, 2005, DJ Green Lantern released the We Major EP "street" release on vinyl which contains full versions of "Spraypaint & Inkpens", "Nobody's Listening (Green Remix)", "S.C.O.M.", and "There They Go (Green Remix)" in explicit and clean versions. No overdubs or transitions are present on the EP.
Versions
Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.
Studio
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nobody's Listening | Meteora | 2:58 | 2002 | March 25, 2003 |
|
| Nobody's Listening | Meteora - Instrumentals | 3:00 | 2002 |
|
Remix
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nobody's Listening (Green Lantern Remix) | We Major | 2:32 | 2005 | October 30, 2005 |
|
| Nobody's Listening - Dirty | We Major EP | 2:29 | 2005 | 2005 |
|
| Nobody's Listening - Clean | We Major EP | 2:24 | 2005 | 2005 |
|
Live
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Step Up/Nobody's Listening/It's Goin' Down (Live) | LP Underground 4.0 | 4:57 | July 18, 2004 | November 22, 2004 |
|
| Step Up/Nobody's Listening/It's Goin' Down (Live) | Meteora (20th Anniversary Edition) | 4:57 | July 18, 2004 | April 7, 2023 |
|
| Nobody's Listening | Meteora (20th Anniversary Edition) | 3:54 | October 29, 2003 | April 7, 2023 |
|
| Step Up/Nobody's Listening/It's Goin' Down | Meteora (20th Anniversary Edition) | 5:23 | June 15, 2004 | April 7, 2023 |
|
| Step Up/Nobody's Listening/It's Goin' Down | Meteora (20th Anniversary Edition) | 5:44 | August 30, 2004 | April 7, 2023 |
|
Live
"Nobody's Listening" was performed sporadically throughout the Meteora touring cycle. Its live debut came during the 2003 Projekt Revolution Tour, an extended outro being added to it immediately. Throughout the tour, Xzibit would come out and perform his song, "My Name" over the extended version, with Mike providing the backing on the rap verse. The song didn't survive for long, being dropped after the short run on Projekt Revolution. The song was dropped on the following tours, until it reappeared at the end of the Meteora Australian and Asian Tour at the band's third and final night in Tokyo, Japan. After the song returned, it remained in the setlist for quite some time.
At the Smoke Out Festival show after South Korea, Xzibit joined the band again where he rapped 'My Name' over the song. However, for the first time, the instrumental of the "My Name" portion of the track featured a mashup of "Top Billin'" by Audio Two, "The Seed (2.0)" by The Roots, "Grindin'" by Clipse, and "If I Can’t" by 50 Cent. This was confirmed in January 2024 with the recording of the Smoke Out show that surfaced. It was previously thought for 20 years due to the poor quality of the Manchester recording that the band sampled that instrumental portion of the song, but they perform that mashup. Starting at the band's first show in Glasgow on the Meteora UK November Tour, Mike began rapping the first verse of "Standing In The Middle" over it. This only stayed in the setlist for the five shows in the UK.
The song was dropped for the final leg of the 2003 tour of holiday festival shows, but brought back at the beginning of 2004 with an extended outro. On the 2004 tour between January and March, Brad and Phoenix swapped instruments frequently on the song. It did not occur at every show, and happened randomly, but sometimes it was for different parts of the song as well.
The full version of "Nobody's Listening" was dropped on the Meteora International Tour, but it remained in the setlist as part of the Hip-Hop Medley. Only the song's first verse and first chorus were featured in the medley.
"Nobody's Listening" has not been performed in its entirety since 2004, but verses of the song were featured during the extended intro of "Points Of Authority" on Projekt Revolution 2007.
During the 2019 Post Traumatic European Tour, Mike rapped the first verse of "Nobody's Listening" during the "Lift Off" jam session in Ludwigsburg.
Variations
Last Updated: January 7, 2024
| Type | Description | First Played | Last Played |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Verse | w/ "Standing In The Middle"
(performed over "Top Billin'" / "The Seed (2.0)" / "Grindin''" / "If I Can't" instrumental mashup) |
November 11, 2003 | November 25, 2003 |
| Outro | w/ Xzibit rapping "My Name" | March 9, 2003 | November 15, 2003
(performed over "Top Billin'" / "The Seed (2.0)" / "Grindin''" / "If I Can't" instrumental mashup) |
| Outro | Mike interacting with the crowd over the chorus instrumental | January 16, 2004 | March 15, 2004 |
| Alternative | Hip-Hop Medley (Step Up/Nobody's Listening/It's Goin' Down) | June 3, 2004 | September 11, 2004 |
Live Guests
Last Updated: November 13, 2015
- Xzibit
Personnel
Linkin Park
- Chester Bennington: vocals
- Rob Bourdon: drums
- Brad Delson: guitar
- Joseph Hahn: records, sampling
- Phoenix: bass
- Mike Shinoda: emcee, vocals, sampling
Additional Musicians
- David Zasloff: shakuachi flute
Production
- Don Gilmore: producer
- Andy Wallace: mixer
Lyrics
Come / Come / Come / Come
Comin' at you
Come / At you
Come / Comin' at you
Yo
Peep the style and the kids checking for it
The number one question is how could you ignore it
We drop right back in the cut
Over basement tracks
With raps that got you backing this up like
[Rewind that]
We're just rolling with the rhythm
Rise from the ashes of stylistic division
With these non-stop lyrics of life living
Not to be forgotten
But still unforgiven
But in the meantime there are those who wanna
Talk this and that / So I suppose
It gets to a that point feelings gotta get hurt
And get dirty with the people spreading the dirt
It goes
Tried to give you warning
But everyone ignores me
(Told you everything loud and clear)
But nobody's listening
Called to you so clearly
But you don't want to hear me
(Told you everything loud and clear)
But nobody's listening
I got a
Heart full of pain / Head full of stress
Handful of anger / Held in my chest
And everything left's a waste of time
I hate my rhymes
But hate everyone else's more
I'm riding on the back of this pressure
Guessing that it's better
I can't keep myself together
Because all of this stress
Gave me something to write on
The pain gave me something I could set my sights on
You never forget the blood, sweat and tears
The uphill struggle over years
The fear and trash talking
And the people it was to
And the people that started it
Just like you
Tried to give you warning
But everyone ignores me
(Told you everything loud and clear)
But nobody's listening
Called to you so clearly
But you don't want to hear me
(Told you everything loud and clear)
But nobody's listening
I got a
Heart full of pain / Head full of stress
Handful of anger / Held in my chest
Uphill struggle / Blood, sweat and tears
Nothing to gain / Everything to fear
Heart full of pain / Head full of stress
Handful of anger / Held in my chest
Uphill struggle / Blood, sweat and tears
Nothing to gain / Everything to fear
Heart full of pain
(Heart full of pain)
(Heart full of pain)
Tried to give you warning
But everyone ignores me
(Told you everything loud and clear)
But nobody's listening
Called to you so clearly
But you don't want to hear me
(Told you everything loud and clear)
But nobody's listening
I got a
Heart full of pain / Head full of stress
Nobody's listening
Handful of anger / Held in my chest
Nobody's listening
Uphill struggle / Blood sweat and tears
Nobody's listening
Nothing to gain / Everything to fear
Nobody's listening
Come
Come / Come / Come / Come
Comin' at you
Come / Comin' / Comin' / Comin' / Comin' at you
Come / Comin' / Come / Come / Comin' at you
Come / Come / Comin'
(Coming at you from every side)
Let's go! Yeah! Green Lantern
Mike Shinoda
Aiyo, Green, tell 'em what the name of the mixtape is. Ha-ha!
("Fort Minor: We Major") Let's go!
Yeah, peep the style and the kids checkin' for it
The number one question is "How could you ignore it?"
We drop right back in the cut
The Evil Genius track and Mike's raps got you backin' this up
Like rewind that, just rollin with the rhythm
Rise from the ashes of stylistic division
With these non-stop, lyrics of life livin
Not to be forgotten but still unforgivin
But in the meantime there are those
who wanna talk this and that, so I suppose
Gets to a point, feelings gotta get hurt
And get dirty with the people spreadin the dirt
It's like...
Tried to give you warning but everyone ignores me
I told you niggas nine or ten times to stop fuckin' with me
But nobody's listening
Called to you so clearly but you don't want to hear me
I told you niggas nine or ten times to stop fuckin' with me
But nobody's listening
I got a heart full of pain, head full of stress
Handful of anger held in my chest
And everything left's a waste of time
I hate my rhymes, but hate everyone else's more
I'm ridin' on the back of this pressure
Guessin' that it's better I can't keep myself together
'Cause all of this stress gave me somethin to write on
Pain gave me somethin I could set my sights on
You never forget the blood, sweat and tears
The uphill struggle over years, the fear and
Trash talkin' and the people it was to
What up to the Militia and the LPU, ha ha
Tried to give you warning but everyone ignores me
I told you niggas nine or ten times to stop fuckin' with me
But nobody's listening
Called to you so clearly but you don't want to hear me
I told you niggas nine or ten times to stop fuckin' with me
But nobody's listening
We got a heart full of pain, head full of stress (nobody's listening)
Handful of anger held in our chest (nobody's listening)
Uphill struggle, blood, sweat and tears (nobody's listening)
Y'all watch your back, Machine Shop is here!
Fort Minor: We Major
C'mon homie we major; we MAJOR?!
C'mon homie we major; we major
C'mon homie we major; we major, c'mon
Let's go!
Come / Come / Come / Come
Comin' at you
Come / At you
Come / Comin' at you
Yo
Peep the style and the kids checking for it
The number one question is how could you ignore it
We drop right back in the cut
Over basement tracks
With raps that got you backing this up like
[Rewind that]
We're just rolling with the rhythm
Rise from the ashes of stylistic division
With these non-stop lyrics of life living
Not to be forgotten
But still unforgiven
But in the meantime there are those who wanna
Talk this and that / So I suppose
It gets to a that point feelings gotta get hurt
And get dirty with the people spreading the dirt
It goes
Tried to give you warning
But everyone ignores me
(Told you everything loud and clear)
But nobody's listening
Called to you so clearly
But you don't want to hear me
(Told you everything loud and clear)
But nobody's listening
I got a
Heart full of pain / Head full of stress
Handful of anger / Held in my chest
And everything left's a waste of time
I hate my rhymes
But hate everyone else's more
I'm riding on the back of this pressure
Guessing that it's better
I can't keep myself together
Because all of this stress
Gave me something to write on
The pain gave me something I could set my sights on
You never forget the blood, sweat and tears
The uphill struggle over years
The fear and trash talking
And the people it was to
And the people that started it
Just like you
Why do you hate me? I came from nothing
Blood, sweat, and tears, you did not create me
How can you doubt me? You don't know shit about me
There'd be no West Coast without me
Cut with the bullshit, I struggle for survival
And now you tryna act like my rival?
Watch what you say, partner, it's a small earth
Don't play games with your life, nigga, it's not worth...
All the pain (All the pain), all the agony (All the agony)
All the horror (All the horror), all the tragedy (All the tragedy)
Put your hands up people, it's time to fight now!
I beat holes in your chest, remain hostile
Threaten my life? (C'mon!) One day, you'll understand
They say that pride is the sign of a foolish man
So who the FUCK! you think you talking to?
Live and direct in the flesh, I'm right in front of you!
Tried to give you warning
But everyone ignores me
(Told you everything loud and clear)
But nobody's listening
Called to you so clearly
But you don't want to hear me
(Told you everything loud and clear)
But nobody's listening
I got a
Heart full of pain / Head full of stress
Handful of anger / Held in my chest
Uphill struggle / Blood, sweat and tears
Nothing to gain / Everything to fear
Heart full of pain / Head full of stress
Handful of anger / Held in my chest
Uphill struggle / Blood, sweat and tears
Nothing to gain / Everything to fear
Heart full of pain
(Heart full of pain)
(Heart full of pain)
Tried to give you warning
But everyone ignores me
(Told you everything loud and clear)
But nobody's listening
Called to you so clearly
But you don't want to hear me
(Told you everything loud and clear)
But nobody's listening
I got a
Heart full of pain / Head full of stress
Nobody's listening
Handful of anger / Held in my chest
Nobody's listening
Uphill struggle / Blood sweat and tears
Nobody's listening
Nothing to gain / Everything to fear
Nobody's listening
Come
Come / Come / Come / Come
Comin' at you
Come / Comin' / Comin' / Comin' / Comin' at you
Come / Comin' / Come / Come / Comin' at you
Come / Come / Comin'
(Coming at you from every side)
Come / Come / Come / Come
Comin' at you
Come / At you
Come / Comin' at you
Yo
Peep the style and the kids checking for it
The number one question is how could you ignore it
We drop right back in the cut
Over basement tracks
With raps that got you backing this up like
[Rewind that]
We're just rolling with the rhythm
Rise from the ashes of stylistic division
With these non-stop lyrics of life living
Not to be forgotten
But still unforgiven
But in the meantime there are those who wanna
Talk this and that / So I suppose
It gets to a that point feelings gotta get hurt
And get dirty with the people spreading the dirt
It goes
Tried to give you warning
But everyone ignores me
(Told you everything loud and clear)
But nobody's listening
Called to you so clearly
But you don't want to hear me
(Told you everything loud and clear)
But nobody's listening
I got a
Heart full of pain / Head full of stress
Handful of anger / Held in my chest
And everything left's a waste of time
I hate my rhymes
But hate everyone else's more
I'm riding on the back of this pressure
Guessing that it's better
I can't keep myself together
Because all of this stress
Gave me something to write on
The pain gave me something I could set my sights on
You never forget the blood, sweat and tears
The uphill struggle over years
The fear and trash talking
And the people it was to
And the people that started it
Just like you
Yo, y'all better wake up; you think we don't see y'all drifting?
Sleeping on the job and forgetting your position? (position)
Sit straight and listen; what you are missing
I cook up a batch, hot straight out the kitchen
No indecision, I spit right
Heavy as a fist fight
No gloves and no masks
No pain and no slack
No way to look back
Nobody to say I can't make my own path
Cause the way that y'all act, I wanna break something
Comin' at me like the pain I feel means nothing
Comin' from a place where you can't relate
Where every word from your face comes across as fake
And I can hardly take the way that y'all treat us
Sending this out to anyone who won't believe us
Spelling it out so y'all know the deal
And if you can't feel it, maybe you can't feel
Tried to give you warning
But everyone ignores me
(Told you everything loud and clear)
But nobody's listening
Called to you so clearly
But you don't want to hear me
(Told you everything loud and clear)
But nobody's listening
I got a
Heart full of pain / Head full of stress
Handful of anger / Held in my chest
Uphill struggle / Blood, sweat and tears
Nothing to gain / Everything to fear
Heart full of pain / Head full of stress
Handful of anger / Held in my chest
Uphill struggle / Blood, sweat and tears
Nothing to gain / Everything to fear
Heart full of pain
(Heart full of pain)
(Heart full of pain)
Tried to give you warning
But everyone ignores me
(Told you everything loud and clear)
But nobody's listening
Called to you so clearly
But you don't want to hear me
(Told you everything loud and clear)
But nobody's listening
I got a
Heart full of pain / Head full of stress
Nobody's listening
Handful of anger / Held in my chest
Nobody's listening
Uphill struggle / Blood sweat and tears
Nobody's listening
Nothing to gain / Everything to fear
Nobody's listening
Come
Come / Come / Come / Come
Comin' at you
Come / Comin' / Comin' / Comin' / Comin' at you
Come / Comin' / Come / Come / Comin' at you
Come / Come / Comin'
(Coming at you from every side)
External Links
References
- 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
- http://allhiphop.com/2004/11/10/linkin-park-walk-this-way/
- ↑ Mike Shinoda on Twitter: "@linkinpedia @SPIN i think it was “nobody’s listening”" / Twitter, April 09, 2023
- ↑ SPIN - Google Books, March 2003
- ↑ https://lplive.net/forums/topic/14178-mike-qa-summary-5182020/ LPLive: Mike Q&A Summary 5/18/20