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"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
  1. Wake
  2. Given Up
  3. Leave Out All The Rest
  4. Bleed It Out
  5. Shadow Of The Day
  6. What I've Done
  7. Hands Held High
  8. No More Sorrow
  9. Valentine's Day
  10. In Between
  11. In Pieces
  12. The Little Things Give You Away

"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 2.0.
  • DVD only.
  • Filmed at the National Bowl, Milton Keynes June 29, 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

External Links

References