All in the Family (song)
Encyclopedia
"All in the Family" is a song written and recorded by American nu metal
band Korn
and Limp Bizkit
vocalist Fred Durst
for Korn's third studio album, Follow the Leader
. The demo version was released as a "radio teaser" shortly before the release of the album's first actual single, "Got the Life
".
and Fred Durst
, mixing elements of hip-hop beats, distorted 7-string guitars, and Fieldy
's signature bass sound. The song begins with Jonathan and Fred insulting each other on hygiene
, sexual orientation
and family roots amongst other things.
of Cypress Hill
. But his record label wouldn't let him do it. I'm glad, because this came out way better."
wrote about the song:
Similarly, Steve Appleford of the Los Angeles Times
called the song "a duet of cheap insults with Bizkit's Fred Durst that only diminishes one of Korn's strongest albums", and the Winston-Salem Journal
wrote, "one wonders how [Davis] could stumble so badly with 'All in the Family' – a scatological song crammed with crude jive and anti-gay jibes that severely undercuts an otherwise potent disc." The Austin American-Statesman
' s critic wrote that the song's "pulsating rhythms... are undermined by countless references to guys' private parts, the f- word, 'faggots' and incest."
Mike Boehm, commenting in the Los Angeles Times
attempted to consider the band's motivations in writing the lyrics:
He goes on to write, "The ugliness of 'All in the Family' doesn't stem from overt homophobia; let's take Davis at his word that he harbors no ill feelings toward gays. Instead, it embodies the ingrained, unthinking homophobic bias that runs strong in our culture."
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
band Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
and Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1995, the group's lineup consists of Fred Durst , Wes Borland , Sam Rivers , John Otto and DJ Lethal . The band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999...
vocalist Fred Durst
Fred Durst
William Frederick "Fred" Durst is an American musician, director, producer and actor, well known as the frontman of the band Limp Bizkit.-Early life:...
for Korn's third studio album, Follow the Leader
Follow the Leader (Korn album)
Follow the Leader is the third studio album by American nu metal band Korn. The album was released on August 18, 1998, through Immortal/Epic. This was their first album not produced by Ross Robinson...
. The demo version was released as a "radio teaser" shortly before the release of the album's first actual single, "Got the Life
Got The Life
"Got the Life" is a song written and recorded by American nu metal band Korn for their third studio album, Follow the Leader. It was released as the album's second single on November 23, 1998. It was recorded in April 1998 at NRG Recording Studios...
".
Music and structure
The song is a rhyme duel between Jonathan DavisJonathan Davis
Jonathan Houseman Davis is the lead vocalist and frontman for the nu metal band Korn. Davis was ranked 16th on Hit Parader 's list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists".-Early life:...
and Fred Durst
Fred Durst
William Frederick "Fred" Durst is an American musician, director, producer and actor, well known as the frontman of the band Limp Bizkit.-Early life:...
, mixing elements of hip-hop beats, distorted 7-string guitars, and Fieldy
Reginald Arvizu
Reginald Quincy "Fieldy" Arvizu is the bassist for the nu metal band Korn, and guitarist for the hard rock band StillWell.-Musical career:...
's signature bass sound. The song begins with Jonathan and Fred insulting each other on hygiene
Hygiene
Hygiene refers to the set of practices perceived by a community to be associated with the preservation of health and healthy living. While in modern medical sciences there is a set of standards of hygiene recommended for different situations, what is considered hygienic or not can vary between...
, sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
and family roots amongst other things.
Concept
After the song's release, Davis said in an interview, "It's just me and him ragging on each other. Some kids think that Korn and Limp Bizkit hate each other. But hey, why we would be in the same room talking to each other if we hated each other? We have total respect... Originally, the song was for B-RealB-Real
Louis Freese, better known by his stage name B-Real, is an American rapper of Cuban and Mexican heritage, and a film and TV actor...
of Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. Cypress Hill was the first Latino hip-hop group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, selling over 18 million albums worldwide...
. But his record label wouldn't let him do it. I'm glad, because this came out way better."
Media response
In an otherwise positive review of the album, Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
wrote about the song:
Similarly, Steve Appleford of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
called the song "a duet of cheap insults with Bizkit's Fred Durst that only diminishes one of Korn's strongest albums", and the Winston-Salem Journal
Winston-Salem Journal
The Winston-Salem Journal is a daily newspaper primarily serving the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina and its county, Forsyth County, North Carolina. It also features coverage of Northwestern North Carolina and circulates as far west as Tennessee and north to Virginia.The paper is owned by...
wrote, "one wonders how [Davis] could stumble so badly with 'All in the Family' – a scatological song crammed with crude jive and anti-gay jibes that severely undercuts an otherwise potent disc." The Austin American-Statesman
Austin American-Statesman
The Austin American-Statesman is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is an award-winning publication owned by Cox Enterprises. The Newspaper places focus on issues affecting Austin and the Central Texas region....
Mike Boehm, commenting in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
attempted to consider the band's motivations in writing the lyrics:
He goes on to write, "The ugliness of 'All in the Family' doesn't stem from overt homophobia; let's take Davis at his word that he harbors no ill feelings toward gays. Instead, it embodies the ingrained, unthinking homophobic bias that runs strong in our culture."
Track listing
- CD5"CD singleA CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
ESK 41269
- "All in the Family" (rough mix) – 4:51
- "All in the Family" (Clark World mix) – 4:45
- "All in the Family" (Sowing the Beats mix) – 4:51
- "All in the Family" (Beats in Peace mix) – 4:15
- "All in the Family" (Scary Bird mix) – 8:40