Got The Life
Encyclopedia
"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. It was decided they would release the song as a promotional single after each member found that there was something "special" about the song. The single had "phenomenal success", and its music video was requested more than any other video on MTV
's TRL
, making it the first officially "retired" music video.
"Got the Life" did not receive much attention in the music press, however Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the single two out of five stars, but said that the song boasted "their best rhythm tracks to date." The song was rewarded a gold certification in Australia
by the Australian Recording Industry Association
. It peaked at number one on the Canadian RPM Rock/Alternative Chart
chart, as well as number fifteen on the US Billboard
Mainstream Rock Songs chart and number seventeen on the US Billboard Alternative Songs chart.
Jonathan Davis
claimed that it reminded him of "something you might hear at raves", which were very popular at the time. Even though they thought that many fans would not appreciate the song, they released it as a promotional single
in early August 1998, before the release of Follow the Leader
. "Got the Life" was said by Leah Furman to be "revolved around the mixed blessings of fame."
The single was sent to radio stations on July 24, 1998, and has been released five times. The single's first release was on August 10, 1998, where it was released with two versions in the United States. The single contains different mixes of the song, including "Deejay Punk-Roc Remix" and the instrumental "D.O.S.E.'s Woollyback Remix." The single also apprehends B-sides
and remixes to earlier songs. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
reviewed the single, giving it two out of five stars, and noting that "the 'Deejay Punk-Roc Remix' is pretty good, but the instrumental is of negligible worth. The second part of the single is backed with 'I Can Remember' plus 'Good God (OOMPH! vs. Such A Surge Remix),' neither of which are particular memorable. Still, both parts are of interest to hardcore collectors, and they're probably preferable to the U.S. single, since the packaging is nice and they contain more B-sides than its American counterpart." The single was also released in Australia, and in the United Kingdom twice. The single was considered to have had "phenomenal success".
for "Got the Life" after the reception from fans and employees at NRG Recording Studios was very positive. The music video's concept was by the band's bassist
Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu. Their managers advised them to request Joseph Kahn
to direct the video. Kahn also was the director for "A.D.I.D.A.S.
" music video in 1997. After asking Kahn to direct their video, he responded saying "That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard."
Offended by and against his response, Korn hired McG
, director of the band's music videos from their self-titled debut album
— "Blind", "Shoots and Ladders
", "Clown
", and "Faget". On January 12, 1999, music video was the first video that is considered to be "retired" from MTV
's daily top ten countdown, Total Request Live
. MTV's Total Request Live said the song was the most requested music video "for too long so they had to stop airing it so other artists would have a chance at the coveted number one spot." The video, however, never actually reached number one; it peaked at number two. Deuce
, the video album where "Got the Life"'s music video appears on, was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
.
' and 'Shoots and Ladders
'. Their fusion of metal and rap was stronger than ever, boasting their best rhythm tracks to date. Which is good, since the B-sides of the 'Got the Life' singles were devoted to remixes."
"Got the Life" became Korn's first entry on Billboard
s Mainstream Rock Songs and Alternative Songs charts, peaking at number fifteen and number seventeen, respectively. The song peaked at number twenty-six in Australia
, and shipments of a CD single
have surpassed 35,000 units. "Got the Life"'s music video debuted at number eight on MTV
's Total Request Live
, on September 17, 1998.
and Toby Wright
, and was mixed by Brendan O'Brien. "Got the Life (Deejay Punk-Roc remix)" was mixed by Deejay Punk-Roc and Jonathan Davis, and was recorded at Airdog Funk Research Department and Liverpool
, England
. The D.O.S.E.'s Woollyback remix was mixed by D.O.S.E. in courtesy of Mercury Records
.
The song starts off with a single percussion beat, leading into the refrain
riff, with a triple guitar
overdub
. When the verses emerge, lead singer
Jonathan Davis
begins singing with the lyrical line "Hate, something, sometime, someway, something kicked on the front floor." Korn performed the song with the following members: Jonathan Davis performing vocals, Brian "Head" Welch and James "Munky" Shaffer performing guitars, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, performing on the bass guitar
, and David Silveria
on the drum kit
. They produced a sound described by employees of Allmusic as having a style of alternative metal
, heavy metal
, and rap–metal
genres.
Single remixes
Australian single
UK single #1
UK single #2
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,...
for their third studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, 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...
. It was released as the album's second single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
on November 23, 1998. It was recorded in April 1998 at NRG Recording Studios. It was decided they would release the song as a promotional single after each member found that there was something "special" about the song. The single had "phenomenal success", and its music video was requested more than any other video on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
, making it the first officially "retired" music video.
"Got the Life" did not receive much attention in the music press, however Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the single two out of five stars, but said that the song boasted "their best rhythm tracks to date." The song was rewarded a gold certification in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
. It peaked at number one on the Canadian RPM Rock/Alternative Chart
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
chart, as well as number fifteen on the US Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Mainstream Rock Songs chart and number seventeen on the US Billboard Alternative Songs chart.
Background and release
"Got the Life" was recorded in April 1998 at NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California. After recording the song, the group's members each felt that there was something "special" about the song. Lead vocalistSinging
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Jonathan Davis
Jonathan 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:...
claimed that it reminded him of "something you might hear at raves", which were very popular at the time. Even though they thought that many fans would not appreciate the song, they released it as a promotional single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in early August 1998, before the release of 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...
. "Got the Life" was said by Leah Furman to be "revolved around the mixed blessings of fame."
The single was sent to radio stations on July 24, 1998, and has been released five times. The single's first release was on August 10, 1998, where it was released with two versions in the United States. The single contains different mixes of the song, including "Deejay Punk-Roc Remix" and the instrumental "D.O.S.E.'s Woollyback Remix." The single also apprehends B-sides
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
and remixes to earlier songs. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
reviewed the single, giving it two out of five stars, and noting that "the 'Deejay Punk-Roc Remix' is pretty good, but the instrumental is of negligible worth. The second part of the single is backed with 'I Can Remember' plus 'Good God (OOMPH! vs. Such A Surge Remix),' neither of which are particular memorable. Still, both parts are of interest to hardcore collectors, and they're probably preferable to the U.S. single, since the packaging is nice and they contain more B-sides than its American counterpart." The single was also released in Australia, and in the United Kingdom twice. The single was considered to have had "phenomenal success".
Music video
Korn decided to shoot a music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Got the Life" after the reception from fans and employees at NRG Recording Studios was very positive. The music video's concept was by the band's bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu. Their managers advised them to request Joseph Kahn
Joseph Kahn
Joseph Kahn is an American music video, advertising, and feature film director.-Early life:Kahn was born in Jersey Village, Texas, a suburb of Houston. He is of Korean ancestry. He spent part of his childhood growing up in Livorno, Italy until his family moved to Texas...
to direct the video. Kahn also was the director for "A.D.I.D.A.S.
A.D.I.D.A.S.
"All Day I Dream About Sex" redirects here. For the JC Chasez song, see All Day Long I Dream About Sex.For the clothing manufactuter, see Adidas...
" music video in 1997. After asking Kahn to direct their video, he responded saying "That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard."
Offended by and against his response, Korn hired McG
McG
Joseph McGinty Nichol , better known as McG, is an American director and producer of film and television, as well as a former record producer....
, director of the band's music videos from their self-titled debut album
Korn (album)
Korn is the self-titled debut album by American nu metal band Korn, released on October 4, 1994, through Immortal/Epic Records. Before recording the album, the band played several gigs in an attempt to promote themselves. They were approached by Immortal/Epic Records after a performance at...
— "Blind", "Shoots and Ladders
Shoots and Ladders (song)
"Shoots and Ladders" is a song written and recorded by American nu metal band Korn for their self-titled debut album. It was released as the album's third single in 1995.-Music and structure:...
", "Clown
Clown (song)
"Clown" is the fourth single by nu metal band Korn from their self-titled debut album. The video for this song, directed by McG actually refers to lead singer Jonathan Davis painful experiences from high school, where he was constantly picked on and ridiculed...
", and "Faget". On January 12, 1999, music video was the first video that is considered to be "retired" from MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's daily top ten countdown, Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
. MTV's Total Request Live said the song was the most requested music video "for too long so they had to stop airing it so other artists would have a chance at the coveted number one spot." The video, however, never actually reached number one; it peaked at number two. Deuce
Deuce (Korn DVD)
Deuce is the second DVD by the American nu metal band, Korn. It was released on June 11, 2002 - the same day as band's fifth studio release, Untouchables. The DVD was certified platinum by RIAA...
, the video album where "Got the Life"'s music video appears on, was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
.
Reception
Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said "it rivaled such previous masterworks as 'A.D.I.D.A.S.A.D.I.D.A.S.
"All Day I Dream About Sex" redirects here. For the JC Chasez song, see All Day Long I Dream About Sex.For the clothing manufactuter, see Adidas...
' and 'Shoots and Ladders
Shoots and Ladders (song)
"Shoots and Ladders" is a song written and recorded by American nu metal band Korn for their self-titled debut album. It was released as the album's third single in 1995.-Music and structure:...
'. Their fusion of metal and rap was stronger than ever, boasting their best rhythm tracks to date. Which is good, since the B-sides of the 'Got the Life' singles were devoted to remixes."
"Got the Life" became Korn's first entry on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Mainstream Rock Songs and Alternative Songs charts, peaking at number fifteen and number seventeen, respectively. The song peaked at number twenty-six in Australia
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
, and shipments of a CD single
CD single
A 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...
have surpassed 35,000 units. "Got the Life"'s music video debuted at number eight on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
, on September 17, 1998.
Composition
"Got the Life" is three minutes and forty-five seconds long. It is the shortest song on Follow the Leader, and like the album the single was produced by Steve ThompsonSteve Thompson (musician)
-Biography:Steve Thompson is an American record producer, Having worked with Guns N Roses, Madonna, John Lennon, Wu Tang, Korn, Cutting Crew, Belouis Some,Public Enemy, Whitney Houston, Metallica and Red Hot Chili Peppers...
and Toby Wright
Toby Wright
Toby Wright is a record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with artists such as Alice in Chains, Metallica, Sevendust and Korn. He is currently in Nashville, Tennessee working on Kara Clark's latest Ep.-Producer:...
, and was mixed by Brendan O'Brien. "Got the Life (Deejay Punk-Roc remix)" was mixed by Deejay Punk-Roc and Jonathan Davis, and was recorded at Airdog Funk Research Department and Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The D.O.S.E.'s Woollyback remix was mixed by D.O.S.E. in courtesy of Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
.
The song starts off with a single percussion beat, leading into the refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
riff, with a triple guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
overdub
Overdubbing
Overdubbing is a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance....
. When the verses emerge, lead singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Jonathan Davis
Jonathan 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:...
begins singing with the lyrical line "Hate, something, sometime, someway, something kicked on the front floor." Korn performed the song with the following members: Jonathan Davis performing vocals, Brian "Head" Welch and James "Munky" Shaffer performing guitars, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, performing on the bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, and David Silveria
David Silveria
David Randall Silveria is a former-drummer, best known as the drummer for the band Korn from early 1993 until leaving the band in late 2006.-1993 to 2006: Korn:...
on the drum kit
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. They produced a sound described by employees of Allmusic as having a style of alternative metal
Alternative metal
Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...
, heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, and rap–metal
Rap metal
Rap metal is a subgenre of rap rock which fuses vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop music with heavy metal.-History:Rap metal originated from rap rock, a genre fusing vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with rock...
genres.
Track listing
US single| # | Title | Length | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Got the Life" | 3:45 | |
| 2. | "Got the Life (Deejay Punk-Roc Mix)" | 5:16 | |
| 3. | "Got the Life (D.O.S.E. Woollyback Remix)" | 5:27 | |
| 4. | "I Can Remember" | 3:36 | |
Single remixes
| # | Title | Length | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Got the Life (Remix)" | 3:45 |
Australian single
| # | Title | Length | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Got the Life" | 3:45 |
UK single #1
| # | Title | Length | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Got the Life" | 3:45 | |
| 2. | "Got the Life" (Deejay Punk-Roc Mix) | 5:16 | |
| 3. | "Got the Life" (D.O.S.E. Woollyback Remix) | 5:27 |
UK single #2
| # | Title | Length | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Got the Life" | 3:49 | |
| 2. | "I Can Remember" | 3:39 | |
| 3. | "Good God" (Oomph! Vs Such a Surge Remix) | 4:06 | |
Charts
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... ) |
26 |
| Canada Alternative 30 (RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... ) |
1 |
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... ) |
23 |
| US Mainstream Rock Songs (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
15 |
| US Alternative Songs (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
17 |