Psychosocial (song)
Encyclopedia
"Psychosocial" is a song by American heavy metal
band Slipknot
. It is released as the second single
and fourth track from their fourth studio album, All Hope Is Gone. The song entered airplay on June 26, 2008 and was originally planned for release as a digital single on July 1 but was delayed and released on July 8. Slipknot performed "Psychosocial" live for the first time on July 9, 2008, at the White River Amphitheatre
in Auburn, Washington
. In 2008 the track was featured on the soundtrack to Punisher: War Zone
. The song was also nominated for 'Best Metal Performance' for the 51st Grammy Awards
, but lost to Metallica
's "My Apocalypse
".
"Psychosocial", along with two other Slipknot songs, "Duality
" and "Sulfur
," was released as downloadable content
for Rock Band and Rock Band 2
on December 8, 2009. It is also featured as a playable track in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
and appears in Madden NFL 11
.
. It's got a real good tempo. It's really fun and it's different. I think most of the stuff that we have is different."
Rolling Stone
praised the song, saying that it "slows down the tempo to bludgeon with a steady, pounding groove instead of all-out thrash in a manner reminiscent of the band's more slow-burning but still malicious second album, Iowa
." They went on to explain, "That track is capped off with a time-signature shattering guitar/drum breakdown that will leave the best air-instrumentalists stumped." This is actually an erroneous statement, because while the instruments do display syncopation
, the time signature
is still 4/4 throughout. The song also has a similar layout to Welcome to the Jungle
by Guns N' Roses
.
for "Psychosocial" was shot at Sound Farm studios in Jamaica, Iowa
on June 30, 2008. The shoot was delayed due to an unrelated head injury sustained by turntablist
Sid Wilson
before the shoot, who was subsequently hospitalized. On July 18, 2008 the video premiered on MTV
's FNMTV
show, hosted by Pete Wentz. The video, which was directed by Paul Brown, was shot using high-end cameras
which shoot 1,000 frames per second and are contrasted with traditional 35 mm hand crank camera equipment. Percussionist Shawn Crahan explains; "we have the most extreme on both ends, with nothing in the middle. That's what the video is, and nobody does that. There's an art form behind it."
During an interview with Kerrang!
, guitarist Jim Root
revealed that the video features the burning of the purgatory masks adorned by the band members in the splash teaser photos shown on Slipknot's website, reportedly because the masks represent the band's ego.
There are two versions of the video. One uses the album version of the song, whilst the other uses a much shorter version of the song; excluding the "Limits of the Dead!" lines.
The video was nominated to Best Rock Video at the VMA's 2008. On YouTube
the video of the song had gained over 22 million views, before it was removed in December due to a dispute between Roadrunner Records' distributor, Warner Music Group
, and YouTube.
" by Justin Bieber
, resulting the song entitled "Psychosocial Baby" received a lot of attention on the video sharing site YouTube
. Corey Taylor
, has commented in an interview that he finds the mashup "amusing", but also comments that a lot of Slipknot fans are showing hatred towards the mashup. As of September 2011, the song has about 8 million views, while original single has been watched over 34 million views.
.
Promo CD
7" Vinyl
Digital Download
Limited Edition CD
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...
band Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
. It is released as the 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...
and fourth track from their fourth studio album, All Hope Is Gone. The song entered airplay on June 26, 2008 and was originally planned for release as a digital single on July 1 but was delayed and released on July 8. Slipknot performed "Psychosocial" live for the first time on July 9, 2008, at the White River Amphitheatre
White River Amphitheatre
White River Amphitheatre is a Live Nation managed concert venue, located in Auburn, Washington, on the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation, 15 miles northeast of Tacoma and 35 miles southeast of Seattle. The capacity is 20,000, with 9,000 covered seats...
in Auburn, Washington
Auburn, Washington
-Parks:Auburn has an extensive system of parks, open space and urban trails comprising 29 developed parks, 5 undeveloped sites under planning, 2 skate parks, 2 water roatary parks, and over of trails , and almost of open space for passive and active recreation.-Environmental Park:The Auburn...
. In 2008 the track was featured on the soundtrack to Punisher: War Zone
Punisher: War Zone
Punisher: War Zone is a 2008 comic book action film directed by Lexi Alexander; based on the fictional Marvel Comics vigilante/anti-hero the Punisher. It is the third film to depict the Marvel character Frank Castle...
. The song was also nominated for 'Best Metal Performance' for the 51st Grammy Awards
51st Grammy Awards
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA on February 8, 2009. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the biggest winners of the night, jointly winning five awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year...
, but lost to Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
's "My Apocalypse
My Apocalypse
"My Apocalypse" is the forty-first single by American heavy metal band Metallica, and the second from their ninth studio album, Death Magnetic. On August 26, 2008, it was made available for streaming on the band's official website, as well as a download from the Death Magnetic website Mission:...
".
"Psychosocial", along with two other Slipknot songs, "Duality
Duality (song)
"Duality" is a song by the American heavy metal band Slipknot, the song was released as the first single from their third album Vol. 3: , released in 2004...
" and "Sulfur
Sulfur (song)
"Sulfur" is a song by American heavy metal band Slipknot, and is the fourth single from the band's fourth album All Hope Is Gone. The single was released on June 15, 2009, a music video for the single was released on April 18, 2009...
," was released as downloadable content
Downloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
for Rock Band and Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...
on December 8, 2009. It is also featured as a playable track in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is a music video game and the sixth main entry in the Guitar Hero series for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles. The game was released September 24, 2010 in Europe, September 28, 2010 in North America and September 29, 2010 in Australia...
and appears in Madden NFL 11
Madden NFL 11
Madden NFL 11 is an American football video game based on the National Football League published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 22nd annual installment in the bestselling Madden NFL video game franchise. It was released on August 10, 2010 in North America, and on August 13 in...
.
Musical themes
Percussionist Shawn Crahan told The Pulse of Radio what he could regarding "Psychosocial", saying, "One thing I can feel is like that song has got a lot of, I would say social anxietySocial anxiety
Social anxiety is anxiety about social situations, interactions with others, and being evaluated or scrutinized by other people...
. It's got a real good tempo. It's really fun and it's different. I think most of the stuff that we have is different."
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...
praised the song, saying that it "slows down the tempo to bludgeon with a steady, pounding groove instead of all-out thrash in a manner reminiscent of the band's more slow-burning but still malicious second album, Iowa
Iowa (album)
Iowa is the second album by American heavy metal band Slipknot. Released by Roadrunner Records on August 28, 2001, it was produced by Ross Robinson and Slipknot. The title derives from the band's home state, Iowa, which members have stated is one of their biggest sources of inspiration...
." They went on to explain, "That track is capped off with a time-signature shattering guitar/drum breakdown that will leave the best air-instrumentalists stumped." This is actually an erroneous statement, because while the instruments do display syncopation
Syncopation
In music, syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced strong and weak but also powerful beats in a meter . These include a stress on a normally unstressed beat or a rest where one would normally be...
, the time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
is still 4/4 throughout. The song also has a similar layout to Welcome to the Jungle
Welcome to the Jungle
"Welcome to the Jungle" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses, featured on its 1987 debut studio album, Appetite for Destruction. It was released as the band's second single on October 3, 1987, and reached number #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number #24 on the UK Singles Chart...
by Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
.
Music video
The 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 "Psychosocial" was shot at Sound Farm studios in Jamaica, Iowa
Jamaica, Iowa
Jamaica is a city in Guthrie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 237 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Jamaica is located at ....
on June 30, 2008. The shoot was delayed due to an unrelated head injury sustained by turntablist
Turntablism
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...
Sid Wilson
Sid Wilson
Sidney George Wilson also known as Ratboy or DJ Sid, #0 , is an American disc jockey known as the turntablist of the Grammy Award winning band Slipknot. He is the youngest member of the band.-Biography:...
before the shoot, who was subsequently hospitalized. On July 18, 2008 the video premiered 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 FNMTV
FNMTV
FNMTV is a music video program on MTV focused on premiering new music videos and airing viewers' instantaneous feedback from its website...
show, hosted by Pete Wentz. The video, which was directed by Paul Brown, was shot using high-end cameras
Digital cinematography cameras
Digital movie cameras for digital cinematography are typically purpose-designed professional video cameras designed for the capture of high optical resolution, high dynamic range imagery. Different digital movie cameras output a variety of different acquisition formats...
which shoot 1,000 frames per second and are contrasted with traditional 35 mm hand crank camera equipment. Percussionist Shawn Crahan explains; "we have the most extreme on both ends, with nothing in the middle. That's what the video is, and nobody does that. There's an art form behind it."
During an interview with Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
, guitarist Jim Root
Jim Root
James Donald "Jim" Root , also known by his number #4, is an American musician known for being the rhythm/lead guitarist of the heavy metal band, Slipknot, and the lead guitarist for rock band, Stone Sour...
revealed that the video features the burning of the purgatory masks adorned by the band members in the splash teaser photos shown on Slipknot's website, reportedly because the masks represent the band's ego.
There are two versions of the video. One uses the album version of the song, whilst the other uses a much shorter version of the song; excluding the "Limits of the Dead!" lines.
The video was nominated to Best Rock Video at the VMA's 2008. On YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
the video of the song had gained over 22 million views, before it was removed in December due to a dispute between Roadrunner Records' distributor, Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
, and YouTube.
In Popular Culture
The song regained some attention when Steven Nguyen also known by his stage name "Isosine" created a mashup of Psychosocial with the song "BabyBaby (Justin Bieber song)
"Baby" is a song by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber. It was released as the lead single from the latter half of Bieber's debut album, My World 2.0. The track was written by Bieber with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash, both of whom worked with Bieber on "One Time",...
" by Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
, resulting the song entitled "Psychosocial Baby" received a lot of attention on the video sharing site YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Corey Taylor
Corey Taylor
Corey Todd Taylor sometimes known by the number 8, is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of Slipknot and Stone Sour. Taylor was raised by his single mother. He developed a fond feeling toward classic rock after his grandmother introduced him to it...
, has commented in an interview that he finds the mashup "amusing", but also comments that a lot of Slipknot fans are showing hatred towards the mashup. As of September 2011, the song has about 8 million views, while original single has been watched over 34 million views.
Chart positions
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. 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... Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks |
7 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 20 |
| U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100... |
2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Digital Songs Hot Digital Songs The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of... |
66 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
75 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 65 |
| France Singles Top 100 | 100 |
| German Singles Chart | 31 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
28 |
| 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 ... |
67 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Top 40 Music Chart | 35 |
Track listing
All lyrics and music composed by SlipknotSlipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
.
Promo CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
- "Psychosocial" (Edit) - 3:57
- "Psychosocial" (Album Version) – 4:42
7" Vinyl
- Psychosocial - 4:43
- All Hope Is GoneAll Hope Is Gone (song)"All Hope Is Gone" is a song by Slipknot. The first single and title track from Slipknot's fourth studio album, All Hope Is Gone. It was released for one day only during June 20, 2008 as an MP3 in its entirety on the band's website for free download, and was followed by its release as a digital...
- 4:44
Digital Download
- Psychosocial (Radio Edit) - 3:58
Limited Edition CD
- Psychosocial - 4:43
- All Hope Is GoneAll Hope Is Gone (song)"All Hope Is Gone" is a song by Slipknot. The first single and title track from Slipknot's fourth studio album, All Hope Is Gone. It was released for one day only during June 20, 2008 as an MP3 in its entirety on the band's website for free download, and was followed by its release as a digital...
- 4:44
Personnel
- (#0) Sid WilsonSid WilsonSidney George Wilson also known as Ratboy or DJ Sid, #0 , is an American disc jockey known as the turntablist of the Grammy Award winning band Slipknot. He is the youngest member of the band.-Biography:...
– turntables - (#1) Joey JordisonJoey JordisonJoey Jordison , is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work as the drummer for the nu metal band Slipknot. He grew up in Waukee, Iowa with his parents and two sisters, and was given his first drum kit at the age of 8...
– drumsDrum kitA 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 .... - (#2) Paul Gray – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- (#3) Chris FehnChris FehnChristopher Michael "Chris" Fehn , or known by his number #3, is an American musician known as one of the two custom percussionists of the Grammy Award winning nu metal band Slipknot and is the current bassist for the band Will Haven.-Personal life and career:Fehn was born and raised in Des Moines,...
– custom percussion, backing vocals - (#4) Jim RootJim RootJames Donald "Jim" Root , also known by his number #4, is an American musician known for being the rhythm/lead guitarist of the heavy metal band, Slipknot, and the lead guitarist for rock band, Stone Sour...
– rhythm and lead guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - (#5) Craig Jones – SamplerSampler (musical instrument)A sampler is an electronic musical instrument similar in some respects to a synthesizer but, instead of generating sounds, it uses recordings of sounds that are loaded or recorded into it by the user and then played back by means of a keyboard, sequencer or other triggering device to perform or...
, MIDIMusical Instrument Digital InterfaceMIDI is an industry-standard protocol, first defined in 1982 by Gordon Hall, that enables electronic musical instruments , computers and other electronic equipment to communicate and synchronize with each other... - (#6) Shawn Crahan – Custom percussion, Backing vocals
- (#7) Mick Thomson – lead and rhythm guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- (#8) Corey TaylorCorey TaylorCorey Todd Taylor sometimes known by the number 8, is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of Slipknot and Stone Sour. Taylor was raised by his single mother. He developed a fond feeling toward classic rock after his grandmother introduced him to it...
– Lead vocals
- Dave FortmanDave FortmanDave Fortman is the guitarist for the band Ugly Kid Joe. He currently is an American music producer. He has worked with bands such as Superjoint Ritual, Watership Down, Eyehategod, Mudvayne, Otep, Slipknot on their new fourth studio album titled All Hope Is Gone, and Simple Plan, as well as on both...
– producer - Colin RichardsonColin RichardsonColin Richardson is a British record producer, mixer and recording engineer. He has worked on over 100 albums, and is most frequently associated with heavy metal and its subgenres such as:*Anathema*As I Lay Dying*Behemoth*Bullet for My Valentine...
– mixer