| "Wake" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Song by Linkin Park | |
| from the album Minutes To Midnight | |
| Working title: | WAKE Album Intro Idea |
| Recorded: | 2006 - 2007 |
| Format: | Digital, Cassete, CD, Vinyl, DVD |
| Length: | 01:40 |
| Time signature: | 4/4 |
| Tempo: | 85.3 |
| Key: | G Minor |
| Live debut: | July 25, 2007 |
| Last performed: | January 10, 2014 |
| Writer: | Linkin Park |
| Producer: | Mike Shinoda, Rick Rubin |
| Label: | Warner Bros. |
| Minutes To Midnight tracklist | |
"Wake" is the first song on Linkin Park's third studio album, Minutes To Midnight. It serves as an intro to the album as a whole.
Background
The booklet for the limited edition version of Minutes To Midnight contained information about each track on the album. About "Wake", it said "This short song was created near the end of the album writing process. Since a great deal of the gear they were experimenting with was from the 70’s and 80’s, the band thought the drop of a turntable needle onto vinyl was the best way to start the album. The dualmeaning of the word “wake” seemed an appropriate introduction to the record."
The April 2007 issue of a French magazine published a track by track of Minutes To Midnight on which Chester said, "This track required almost no involvement from Rick Rubin. The whole band composed this opening instrumental. We have never done this kind of work together."[1]
When asked why Linkin Park didn't make "Wake" a full song, Mike said, "I wrote it specifically as an album opener, that's why. Because of we were trying to think of an album opener, like what's the right tone to start the record. Rick and I had a bunch of different discussions. I made a bunch of different demos to start the record with. I don't remember which demos or beats I would have used; some of them may have been released as LPU tracks, I have no idea. I know that Wake was written specifically to be an intro though. He gave me these references like, King Crimson was one, and there might have been a Neil Young song, and as we were trying to figure it out, he was like "have you heard this song?" to see if one inspires you to get the right thing."[2]
Versions
Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.
Studio
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake | Minutes To Midnight | 1:40 | 2006-2007 | May 14, 2007 |
Live
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake (Live) | Live From SoHo (iTunes Exclusive EP) | 1:39 | February 21, 2008 | March 4, 2008 | |
| Wake | Road To Revolution: Live At Milton Keynes | June 29, 2008 | November 21, 2008 |
| |
| Wake (Live From Taipei, 2007) | Minutes To Midnight - Live Around The World | 1:48 | November 18, 2007 | June 12, 2012 |
Live
"Wake" was performed regularly during the Minutes To Midnight cycle after it was debuted at the first show of Projekt Revolution 2007. During that tour, it opened the show in set A, and was performed after "Shadow Of The Day" in sets B and D, and after "Points Of Authority" in set C. The song stayed in those positions throughout 2007. On the 2008 European Winter tour, "Wake" opened the set in set S, and followed "Shadow Of The Day" and "Hands Held High" in sets R and T, respectively, and it maintained those positions when the band embarked on their 2008 North American Winter tour. After this tour, though, the studio version of "Wake" was dropped.
While not being performed during the A Thousand Suns or Living Things cycles, "Wake" was performed once in 2014 at a one-off show in Las Vegas, opening the show along with "Given Up". The song has not been performed since.
Wake 2.0
A new live version of the song dubbed "Wake 2.0" was performed starting with the secret LPU show, and was publicly debuted at the first show of the 2008 Summer European tour. On this tour, the song was played after "Reading My Eyes" in set X, "No More Sorrow" in set Y, and "Somewhere I Belong" in set Z. At the one-off show in Milton Keynes, the song was performed after "Points Of Authority". During Projekt Revolution 2008, "Wake 2.0" was played after "Points Of Authority" in set X, "No More Sorrow" in set Y, and "Somewhere I Belong" in set Z. The song stuck around for the rest of 2008 before being retired.
Variations
Last Updated: October 10, 2015
| Type | Description | First Played | Last Played |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative | Wake 2.0 | May 29, 2008 | August 24, 2008 |
Personnel
- Chester Bennington
- Mike Shinoda
- Brad Delson
- Dave "Phoenix" Farrell
- Joseph Hahn
- Rob Bourdon
Production
- Produced by Rick Rubin and Mike Shinoda
- Engineers: Dana Neilsen, Andrew Schelps, and Ethan Mates
- Engineer Assisting: Phillip Broussard, Jr.
- Mixing: Neal Avron
- Mixing Assisting: Nicolas Fournier and George Gumbs
- Mastering: Dave Collins
Gallery
-
DVD artwork
External Links
References
- ↑ LPRussia.com ~ Первый о Linkin Park ~ wap.LPRussia.com, April 22, 2007
- ↑ LPLive: Mike Q&A Summary 6/4/2020, June 4, 2020