No One Knows
Encyclopedia
"No One Knows" is a song by American rock
band Queens of the Stone Age
written by band members Josh Homme and Mark Lanegan
. It was the first single and second track from their third album, Songs for the Deaf
, and was released on November 26, 2002. "No One Knows" was a chart success, becoming the band's only single to top the US Modern Rock charts. The song was also critically acclaimed, receiving a nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 2003 Grammy Award
s.
The main guitar riff
of the song originally appeared on the track "Cold Sore Superstars" from Can You See Under My Thumb? There You Are, the eighth volume of Homme side-project The Desert Sessions
. Recording for Songs for the Deaf began in March 2002 at three studios across California
. Though the liner notes
credit Homme and Eric Valentine
with producing the majority of the album – including "No One Knows" – Homme credits Valentine with merely recording the beginning of the album for contractual reasons.
review of Songs for the Deaf, Dave Simpson said "No One Knows has killer riffs to spare". Playlouder
were similarly enthused, calling the song "soulful, like the last gasp of the hero in an old western". Eric Carr of Pitchfork Media
called it an "easy groove" and "four-to-the-floor slime of the highest quality".
"No One Knows" was awarded the number one position on Australian national radio station Triple J
's annual Hottest 100 2002
, with four other Queens of the Stone Age tracks also charting. The March 2005 edition of Q magazine placed it at number 70 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks saying of the song "Possibly the only full-on, legs akimbo guitar great to be based around a rhythm that goes oompah-oompah, here Josh Homme joined the ranks of the immortal". In September 2006, it was placed at number 13 on NME
s list of the 50 Greatest Tracks Of The Decade. Rolling Stone
placed "No One Knows" at number 97 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time saying of the track "QOTSA guitarist and overall mastermind Josh Homme found the sweet spot between hooky hard rock and the pulverizing metal he'd grown up playing". The song was listed at number eleven on the 2002 Pazz & Jop
list, a survey of several hundred music critics conducted by Robert Christgau
. "No One Knows" was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 2003 Grammys
and was the band's first, but they lost out on the award to Foo Fighters
for "All My Life
". In 2011, NME
placed it at number 18 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
charts respectively remain the highest of the band's career. "No One Knows" is also the band's highest charting single on the Dutch Singles Chart (where it reached number 39) and on the Irish Singles Chart
, (where it peaked at number 26). It reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart
.
The music video
for "No One Knows" was directed by Dean Karr
and Michel Gondry
; Gondry filmed the first half on June 26 and 27, 2002, with Karr taking over on July 15. Josh Homme has said Gondry was chosen because he "did all those videos for Björk
and we're huge fans of Björk, so we're excited".
The video is split into two sections and switches between them throughout. The first sees band members Homme, Nick Oliveri and Mark Lanegan driving a truck at night, whereupon they hit a deer. When they get out to inspect, the deer proceeds to attack them before going on a rampage in their International Harvester Scout
. The second section of the video is of Homme, Oliveri, Troy Van Leeuwen
and Dave Grohl
performing the song against a black background.
"No One Knows" received heavy rotation on music video channels culminating in a nomination for the MTV2 Award at 2003 MTV Video Music Awards
, where it lost out to AFI
for "Girl's Not Grey
".
on their 2007 album, Fuzzbox, and Franco Saint de Bakker, with the song appearing on their 2004 release Live At The Ancienne Belgique. It was also covered by Razorlight
as part of Jo Whiley's Live Lounge Tour on September 26, 2008. The Divine Comedy
often covered "No One Knows" at live shows and one such performance appears on their 2004 DVD, Live At The Palladium. Mark Ronson
also covered the song as a B-side to his single "Stop Me", it also later charted in the UK by itself.
The song was the first Queens of the Stone Age track to be remix
ed by British musical outfit Unkle
. The "No One Knows" remix appeared as a B-Side
on the follow-up single, "Go with the Flow
" as well as the EP
Stone Age Complication.
UK Release CD2:
European 7":
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
written by band members Josh Homme and Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan
Mark Lanegan is an American rock musician and songwriter. Lanegan began his music career in the 1980s, forming the grunge group Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band Lanegan would start a low-key solo career...
. It was the first single and second track from their third album, Songs for the Deaf
Songs for the Deaf
-Production and release:In September 2002, Josh Homme explained the band's goals with the release of the album:In the same month, Nick Oliveri explained the band's aims in an interview with retail company HMV:...
, and was released on November 26, 2002. "No One Knows" was a chart success, becoming the band's only single to top the US Modern Rock charts. The song was also critically acclaimed, receiving a nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 2003 Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s.
Background and writing
According to Homme, "No One Knows" existed before the recording sessions for Songs for the Deaf:
We have patience with music, a year or five years down the road it may kind of rewrite itself and become what it's supposed to be. There's two songs on this record that are over five years old, you know? 'God is the Radio' and 'No One Knows'.
The main guitar riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
of the song originally appeared on the track "Cold Sore Superstars" from Can You See Under My Thumb? There You Are, the eighth volume of Homme side-project The Desert Sessions
The Desert Sessions
The Desert Sessions are a musical collective series, founded by Josh Homme in 1997. Artists such as Brant Bjork, PJ Harvey, Jeordie White The Desert Sessions are a musical collective series, founded by Josh Homme in 1997. Artists such as Brant Bjork, PJ Harvey, Jeordie White The Desert Sessions are...
. Recording for Songs for the Deaf began in March 2002 at three studios across California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Though the liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
credit Homme and Eric Valentine
Eric Valentine
Eric Valentine is an American record producer, who began his career as drummer and producer in the heavy metal band T-Ride and has subsequently produced albums for artists such as Good Charlotte, Lostprophets, Taking Back Sunday, Nickel Creek, Queens of the Stone Age, Third Eye Blind, Smash Mouth,...
with producing the majority of the album – including "No One Knows" – Homme credits Valentine with merely recording the beginning of the album for contractual reasons.
Reception
The critical response to "No One Knows" was generally positive. In The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
review of Songs for the Deaf, Dave Simpson said "No One Knows has killer riffs to spare". Playlouder
PlayLouder
Playlouder is a digital music and media company. It is a music site which provides news, reviews, and other related content. It also claims to be the world's first Music Service Provider or MSP — a broadband, Internet Service Provider that bundles access to music content with broadband...
were similarly enthused, calling the song "soulful, like the last gasp of the hero in an old western". Eric Carr of Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
called it an "easy groove" and "four-to-the-floor slime of the highest quality".
"No One Knows" was awarded the number one position on Australian national radio station Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's annual Hottest 100 2002
Triple J Hottest 100, 2002
The 2002 Triple J Hottest 100, announced on 26 January 2003, was the tenth such countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. As in previous years, a CD featuring 39 songs was released. For the first time, a DVD, containing film...
, with four other Queens of the Stone Age tracks also charting. The March 2005 edition of Q magazine placed it at number 70 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks saying of the song "Possibly the only full-on, legs akimbo guitar great to be based around a rhythm that goes oompah-oompah, here Josh Homme joined the ranks of the immortal". In September 2006, it was placed at number 13 on NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
s list of the 50 Greatest Tracks Of The Decade. Rolling Stone
Rolling 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...
placed "No One Knows" at number 97 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time saying of the track "QOTSA guitarist and overall mastermind Josh Homme found the sweet spot between hooky hard rock and the pulverizing metal he'd grown up playing". The song was listed at number eleven on the 2002 Pazz & Jop
Pazz & Jop
The Pazz & Jop critics' poll is a poll of music critics run by The Village Voice newspaper. It is compiled every year from the top ten lists of hundreds of music critics...
list, a survey of several hundred music critics conducted by Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
. "No One Knows" was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 2003 Grammys
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
and was the band's first, but they lost out on the award to Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
for "All My Life
All My Life (Foo Fighters song)
"All My Life" is a song by the American alternative rock band Foo Fighters, released as the first single from their fourth album, One by One...
". In 2011, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
placed it at number 18 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
Chart performance
"No One Knows" was released as a single on November 26, 2002 and became the most successful single from Songs for the Deaf. The song's peak placings of number one, number five and number 51 on the US Modern Rock, US Mainstream Rock (where it lasted for twenty weeks) and the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
charts respectively remain the highest of the band's career. "No One Knows" is also the band's highest charting single on the Dutch Singles Chart (where it reached number 39) and on the Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
, (where it peaked at number 26). It reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart
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 ...
.
Music video
Music 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 "No One Knows" was directed by Dean Karr
Dean Karr
Dean Karr is an American photographer and music video, commercial, and film director.-Official biography:Director/Photographer Dean Karr's signature style, often copied but never...
and Michel Gondry
Michel Gondry
Michel Gondry is an Academy Award winning filmmaker, whose works include being a commercial director, music video director, and a screenwriter. He is noted for his inventive visual style and manipulation of mise en scène. - Life and career :...
; Gondry filmed the first half on June 26 and 27, 2002, with Karr taking over on July 15. Josh Homme has said Gondry was chosen because he "did all those videos for Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
and we're huge fans of Björk, so we're excited".
The video is split into two sections and switches between them throughout. The first sees band members Homme, Nick Oliveri and Mark Lanegan driving a truck at night, whereupon they hit a deer. When they get out to inspect, the deer proceeds to attack them before going on a rampage in their International Harvester Scout
International Harvester Scout
Scout 80s were built between 1960 and 1965. These models were identifiable by removable sliding side windows in 1960–1961 and even some very early 1962 models, a fold-down windshield, vacuum windshield wipers mounted to the top of the windshield and an IH logo in the center of the grille...
. The second section of the video is of Homme, Oliveri, Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Dean Van Leeuwen is an American musician and producer. Van Leeuwen began playing music at young age and started playing guitar at age 13. Soon Van Leeuwen was playing in various local bands such as Jester, 60 Cycle and later Failure...
and Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
performing the song against a black background.
"No One Knows" received heavy rotation on music video channels culminating in a nomination for the MTV2 Award at 2003 MTV Video Music Awards
2003 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2003 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2003, honoring the best music videos from June 1, 2002, to June 9, 2003. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City...
, where it lost out to AFI
AFI (band)
AFI is an American alternative rock band from Ukiah, California that formed in 1991. They have consisted of the same lineup since 1998: lead vocalist Davey Havok, drummer and backup vocalist Adam Carson, with bassist Hunter Burgan and guitarist Jade Puget, who both play keyboard and contribute...
for "Girl's Not Grey
Girl's Not Grey
"Girl's Not Grey" is a song by American rock band AFI. It was released as the debut single from their sixth studio album Sing the Sorrow in 2003. It is the band's third most successful single, peaking at #7 on the Alternative Songs Chart and #14 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Chart...
".
Subsequent recordings
"No One Knows" has been covered by numerous groups, including The Section QuartetThe Section Quartet
The Section Quartet is a string quartet that is based in Los Angeles, California. Emerging in 1998, Section features Eric Gorfain and Daphne Chen on violin, Lauren Chipman on viola, and Richard Dodd on cello. It specializes in turning popular rock songs into classical quartet pieces...
on their 2007 album, Fuzzbox, and Franco Saint de Bakker, with the song appearing on their 2004 release Live At The Ancienne Belgique. It was also covered by Razorlight
Razorlight
Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...
as part of Jo Whiley's Live Lounge Tour on September 26, 2008. The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy (band)
The Divine Comedy are a chamber pop band from Ireland, fronted by Neil Hannon. Formed in 1989, Hannon has been the only constant member of the group, playing, in some instances, all of the non-orchestral instrumentation bar drums. To date, ten studio albums have been released under the Divine...
often covered "No One Knows" at live shows and one such performance appears on their 2004 DVD, Live At The Palladium. Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....
also covered the song as a B-side to his single "Stop Me", it also later charted in the UK by itself.
The song was the first Queens of the Stone Age track to be remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed by British musical outfit Unkle
UNKLE
Unkle are a British musical outfit founded in 1994 by school friends James Lavelle and Tim Goldsworthy. Originally categorized as trip-hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a variety of guest artists and producers.-First incarnation :Lavelle and Goldsworthy were joined...
. The "No One Knows" remix appeared as a B-Side
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...
on the follow-up single, "Go with the Flow
Go with the Flow
"Go with the Flow" is a song by Queens of the Stone Age from the album Songs for the Deaf, released as a single in 2003. At the 46th Grammy Awards, the song was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance.-Music video:...
" as well as the EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Stone Age Complication.
In popular culture
- The song has been featured in numerous video games including NHL 2003NHL 2003NHL 2003 is the eleventh edition of the popular EA Sports NHL series, a hockey video game, released on the successor to NHL 2002. Jarome Iginla appears as the cover athlete and spokesperson of the game. Iginla appears in the Behind The Scenes video to show the player how the game was...
, Guitar Hero Smash Hits, and Guitar Hero, though the latter appearance is a cover. It also appears in Rock Band 3Rock Band 3Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...
. - The UNKLE remix of "No One Knows" also appears on the soundtracks for video games SSX 3SSX 3SSX 3 is a snowboarding extreme racing game published by Electronic Arts and developed by EA Sports BIG, which was released in late 2003. It is the third installment in the SSX series, and is THX approved. Like the previous installments, the game was critically acclaimed...
, Test Drive UnlimitedTest Drive UnlimitedTest Drive Unlimited is an arcade-style racing game, the 9th game of the Test Drive series, it features over 125 licensed sports cars and motorcycles and a terrain modeled after the Hawaiian island of Oahu that features some 1000 miles of roads and highways. Test Drive Unlimited is the ninth main...
, and Race Driver: GridRace Driver: GRIDRace Driver: Grid is the most recent addition to the TOCA Touring Car series, which is published and developed by Codemasters...
and its advertising campaign.
Track listing
Germany CD, UK Release CD1:- "No One Knows" (Josh Homme, Nick OliveriNick OliveriNick Steven Oliveri is an American musician from Palm Desert, California. He plays bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and is a vocalist...
, Mark LaneganMark LaneganMark Lanegan is an American rock musician and songwriter. Lanegan began his music career in the 1980s, forming the grunge group Screaming Trees with Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner and Mark Pickerel. During his time in the band Lanegan would start a low-key solo career...
) - "A Song for the Dead" [live from The Mean Fiddler] (Homme, Lanegan)
- "Avon" [live from The Mean Fiddler] (Homme)
- "No One Knows" [multimedia track] (Homme, Lanegan)
UK Release CD2:
- "No One Knows" (Homme, Lanegan)
- "Gonna Leave You" [Spanish Version] (Homme, Nick OliveriNick OliveriNick Steven Oliveri is an American musician from Palm Desert, California. He plays bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and is a vocalist...
) - "Tension Head" [live from The Mean Fiddler] (Homme, Oliveri)
European 7":
- "No One Knows" (Homme, Lanegan)
- "Tension Head" [live from The Mean Fiddler] (Homme, Oliveri)
Personnel
- Josh Homme - Vocals, guitar
- Dave Grohl - Drums
- Nick Oliveri - Bass
- Mark Lanegan - backing vocals
Chart
| Chart (2002) | Peak |
|---|---|
| Dutch Singles Chart | 39 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
26 |
| UK Singles Chart 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 ... |
15 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
51 |
| US Mainstream Rock | 5 |
| US Modern Rock | 1 |