One Armed Scissor
Encyclopedia
"One Armed Scissor" is a song by At the Drive-In
. It was the first single from their album Relationship of Command
, and was the first At the Drive-In song to be played regularly on a number of radio stations. This is one of the most well known At the Drive-In songs, and was their only charting single, reaching #26 on the Billboard
Modern Rock Tracks
chart.
The music video for this song contains all footage from live shows and the road in general. A second version of the video was also released with the Fearless Records
compilation This Station Is Non-Operational
containing more live footage, as well as studio footage.
According to a Channel V interview, a one-armed scissor is a mixture of "red bull and vodka
", and that the song is about their tours told from the omniscient character named the one armed scissor who sees their hardships they deal with while on tour.
This song, along with the B-side "Incetardis", was selected to be put on the compilation This Station Is Non-Operational
, which itself was named after one of "One Armed Scissor"'s lyrics.
"One Armed Scissor" is featured in the music video game
s Guitar Hero World Tour
and Rock Band 3
as a playable track.
One Armed Scissor is also partially-covered by rock
band Paramore
at the end of some of their performances of "Here We Go Again"
The song was listed at #255 on Pitchfork Media
's "top 500 songs of the 2000's". The song was also ranked #1 on Alternative Press's "Haircut 100" list of the top 100 singles of the 2000's. A BBC Music
review hailed "One Armed Scissor" as one of the "most invigorating rock songs released in the last 20 or 30 years, let alone the past 10." In October 2011, NME
placed it at number 113 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
At the Drive-In
At the Drive-In was an American rock band from El Paso, Texas, considered part of the post-hardcore genre and active from 1993 to 2001. They were known for their extremely energetic stage shows which hearkened back to the 1980s hardcore scene...
. It was the first single from their album Relationship of Command
Relationship of Command
Relationship of Command is the third and final studio album by the post-hardcore band At the Drive-In, and was released in September 2000. The band reached mainstream success through the album, if only for a short time before their indefinite break-up....
, and was the first At the Drive-In song to be played regularly on a number of radio stations. This is one of the most well known At the Drive-In songs, and was their only charting single, reaching #26 on the 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...
Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
chart.
The music video for this song contains all footage from live shows and the road in general. A second version of the video was also released with the Fearless Records
Fearless Records
Fearless Records is an alternative rock-oriented record label that has been signing artists since 1994. Fearless is based in Westminster, California and are best known for their early pop-punk moments captured in the Fearless Flush Sampler and Punk Bites releases, as well as additional releases by...
compilation This Station Is Non-Operational
This Station Is Non-Operational
This Station Is Non-Operational is a compilation album by the El Paso, Texas-based post-hardcore band At the Drive-In, released May 24, 2005 by Fearless Records, four years after the band went on indefinite hiatus...
containing more live footage, as well as studio footage.
According to a Channel V interview, a one-armed scissor is a mixture of "red bull and vodka
Vodka Red Bull
An alcoholic drink most commonly known as a VRB. Also known as a Vod-Bomb, Birch, Vod Bull, or a 'DVR' , it is a cocktail made by mixing vodka and the caffeinated energy drink Red Bull. It is generally popular among 18–30 year olds in bars and nightclubs around the world...
", and that the song is about their tours told from the omniscient character named the one armed scissor who sees their hardships they deal with while on tour.
This song, along with the B-side "Incetardis", was selected to be put on the compilation This Station Is Non-Operational
This Station Is Non-Operational
This Station Is Non-Operational is a compilation album by the El Paso, Texas-based post-hardcore band At the Drive-In, released May 24, 2005 by Fearless Records, four years after the band went on indefinite hiatus...
, which itself was named after one of "One Armed Scissor"'s lyrics.
"One Armed Scissor" is featured in the music video game
Music video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
s Guitar Hero World Tour
Guitar Hero World Tour
Guitar Hero World Tour is a music video game developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision. It is the fourth main entry in the Guitar Hero series...
and Rock Band 3
Rock Band 3
Rock 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...
as a playable track.
One Armed Scissor is also partially-covered by rock
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 Paramore
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York...
at the end of some of their performances of "Here We Go Again"
The song was listed at #255 on 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...
's "top 500 songs of the 2000's". The song was also ranked #1 on Alternative Press's "Haircut 100" list of the top 100 singles of the 2000's. A BBC Music
BBC Music
BBC Music is a team working in the department of Audio and Music Interactive at the BBC. Responsible for the BBC Music website - the portal site to music content across the BBC website....
review hailed "One Armed Scissor" as one of the "most invigorating rock songs released in the last 20 or 30 years, let alone the past 10." In October 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 113 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".