Shadow of the Day
Encyclopedia
"Shadow of the Day" is a song by American rock
band Linkin Park
. The song was released as the third single from their third album, Minutes to Midnight
, on October 16, 2007. The first public performance for the song was at the Projekt Revolution
tour in Auburn
, Washington on July 25, 2007.
explained that they used over 60 different beats for this song until they found the suitable one. They also used different types of instruments like banjos at first, just experimenting on different styles until they came up with something that could fit the track.
Like some of their other songs such as "Breaking the Habit
" and "Faint
", this song uses samples of live string ensemble recordings, played by Mike Shinoda
on keyboard live. The samples come in before the second verse starts. Distorted guitar elements are only played after the second chorus. The lead is an 8-bar phrase which is later raised an octave. The song is written in the key of B Major, the first major key the band has ever used. The end of the album version of the song, which is an instrumental piece, crossfades into the start of "What I've Done
". It is the second-longest track on the album and features only backing vocals from Mike Shinoda which can be more noticed during the refrains at the end of the song. Mike Shinoda sings only the lines "And the shadow of the day will embrace the world in grey and the sun will set for you" with a different voice tone but with the same note of Chester's part.
During the Projekt Revolution tour, Chester Bennington was playing the guitar while also singing the lyrics at the end of the song. These occasions are very rare for the band, since Brad Delson is the lead guitarist, and Mike Shinoda usually plays the second guitar part. However, this is not the first song on which Bennington plays guitar, since "It's Goin' Down
" was also performed with Bennington playing the guitar during the Linkin Park song's "Iridescent" and "No Roads Left" and Fort Minor
live performances.
The song and U2
's "With or Without You
" share the extremely common I - V - vi - IV chord progression (B, F♯, G♯m, E in the key of B major), although "With or Without You" is in the key of D Major and uses this progression for the entire length of the song, whereas "Shadow of the Day" uses it only on the chorus - on the verses, the chord progression is the less common vi - V - IV - IV (G♯m, F♯/A♯, E, E).
was directed by Joe Hahn
. It takes place during a large scale civil unrest in what appears to be the United States. The video was shot in Los Angeles
at 20th Century Fox. The action was set up by stunt coordinator Steven Ho
.
The music video was released to the internet on October 15, 2007. The video shows Chester Bennington
waking up. His alarm clock
reads 11:55, the then Doomsday Clock
time, referencing the album title Minutes to Midnight
and the song which is the 5th song on the album. The video is over four minutes long, meaning that the time at the end would be 11:59 PM, or one minute to midnight. Chester then watches the news, washes up, gets dressed, and goes outside. The video takes place in a war-torn world, where mass chaos is ensuing on the streets of the city. There is a lot of violence going on with many police and gunshots. Plumes of smoke can be seen in the sky. Soldiers and riot police can be seen forcefully detaining civilians. Near the end of the video, a car is set on fire and bursts into flames as several people taking place in the riot throw molotov cocktail
s at police resulting in the Police Riot Control and SWAT teams opening fire and advancing while the mob of people retreat. A man suddenly throw a bottle of alcohol on a car and the car takes fire, explaining the title of the song "Shadow Of The Day" Chester then stands in front of the burning car, while looking hopelessly at the carnage that surrounds him. He then turns towards the flames, and the video fades to black. The electronic/synth outro of the song is excluded on the video to make it a more appropriate finish. If listened to carefully towards the middle of the video, the mob is shouting 'we want freedom'.
This is the only video so far with only Chester appearing, as Brad, Rob, Mike, Joe and Phoenix are absent in it. Because of this the video features no performance footage other than Chester's singing. The video isn't completely dubbed by the song, meaning sound effects taking place in the video can be heard.
There are also three different edits of the video, presumably due to censorship
:
The song was also featured in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The video won Best Rock Video at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards
and was also nominated for Best Direction in a Video.
CD 2
7" Picture disc format
chart. It debuted on the U.S. Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart at #18, which is equivalent to #118. Two weeks later it debuted on the Hot 100 at #89, and finally peaked at #15, becoming the band's second top twenty hit on the chart from Minutes to Midnight. It has also so far reached #2 on the Modern Rock Chart (held off the top spot by Foo Fighters
hit "Long Road to Ruin
"), and #6 on the Mainstream Rock Chart. The week "Shadow of the Day" jumped to the top twenty of the Modern Rock Chart, it made Linkin Park one of only five acts to simultaneously have three songs in the top twenty of the chart, since "Bleed It Out" was at #2, and "What I've Done" was at #13. U2, R.E.M., Foo Fighters
, Kings of Leon
, and Muse
are the other five bands to accomplish this feat.
On the Pop Songs chart, the song has become one of Linkin Park's only top ten hits along with "Numb" and "In The End", where it has peaked at #9. "Shadow of the Day" has also become a success on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart, where it has reached the top ten at #6, becoming the first Linkin Park song to do so on that chart.
"Shadow of the Day" has also been highly successful in many other parts of the world. It has reached the top twenty in over 15 countries, including in Australia (at #15), Canada (at #12), France (at #20), Germany (at #12), New Zealand (at #13), Portugal (at #18), Sweden (at #20), and Switzerland (at #11) among others. However the song has fared poorly in the UK, where it has so far peaked at #46, the band's lowest charting single to date there. It is also the first Linkin Park
single played on adult contemporary radio stations, as WLTW
in New York City
had played it.
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 Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
. The song was released as the third single from their third album, Minutes to Midnight
Minutes to Midnight (album)
Minutes to Midnight is the third studio album by American rock band Linkin Park. Released on May 14, 2007, through Warner Bros. Records, the album debuted at number one in the United States and in 15 other countries, including the United Kingdom and Canada. The album was produced by Mike Shinoda...
, on October 16, 2007. The first public performance for the song was at the Projekt Revolution
Projekt Revolution
Projekt Revolution is a music festival hosted by Linkin Park, bringing artists of various genres of music together. Linkin Park started Projekt Revolution in the year 2002 with just one stage...
tour in Auburn
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...
, Washington on July 25, 2007.
Song structure and background information
The band experimented with several different versions of the keyboard loop, before deciding on the one used in the final version. Lead singer Chester BenningtonChester Bennington
Chester Charles Bennington is an American musician, singer-songwriter and actor. He is best known as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Linkin Park....
explained that they used over 60 different beats for this song until they found the suitable one. They also used different types of instruments like banjos at first, just experimenting on different styles until they came up with something that could fit the track.
Like some of their other songs such as "Breaking the Habit
Breaking the Habit
"Breaking the Habit" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released as the sixth and final single from their second album, Meteora. It became the fifth consecutive single from Meteora to reach #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, a feat unmatched by any other artist in the...
" and "Faint
Faint (song)
"Faint" is a song by Linkin Park from their second studio album Meteora. The song was released as the album's second single in mid-2003 and entered the top thirty on the majority of the charts it appeared on, including the Hot 100, in which it peaked at #48. The song reached #1 on the U.S. Modern...
", this song uses samples of live string ensemble recordings, played by Mike Shinoda
Mike Shinoda
Michael "Mike" Kenji Shinoda is an American musician, record producer, and artist. He is best known as the rapper, principal songwriter, keyboardist, vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Linkin Park, along with his co-frontman and lead singer Chester Bennington, and as a solo rapper in...
on keyboard live. The samples come in before the second verse starts. Distorted guitar elements are only played after the second chorus. The lead is an 8-bar phrase which is later raised an octave. The song is written in the key of B Major, the first major key the band has ever used. The end of the album version of the song, which is an instrumental piece, crossfades into the start of "What I've Done
What I've Done
"What I've Done" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released as the first single from their third album, Minutes to Midnight. The song is composed in the key of G minor and is set in 4/4 time. The song was released as a radio single on April 1, 2007, as a digital download on April...
". It is the second-longest track on the album and features only backing vocals from Mike Shinoda which can be more noticed during the refrains at the end of the song. Mike Shinoda sings only the lines "And the shadow of the day will embrace the world in grey and the sun will set for you" with a different voice tone but with the same note of Chester's part.
During the Projekt Revolution tour, Chester Bennington was playing the guitar while also singing the lyrics at the end of the song. These occasions are very rare for the band, since Brad Delson is the lead guitarist, and Mike Shinoda usually plays the second guitar part. However, this is not the first song on which Bennington plays guitar, since "It's Goin' Down
It's Goin' Down (X-Ecutioners song)
"It's Goin' Down" is a single credited to turntablists The X-Ecutioners featuring two members of Linkin Park: Mike Shinoda and Joe Hahn, credited as Mr. Hahn. It appears on the X-Ecutioners 2002 album Built From Scratch....
" was also performed with Bennington playing the guitar during the Linkin Park song's "Iridescent" and "No Roads Left" and Fort Minor
Fort Minor
Fort Minor is a hip hop side-project of Mike Shinoda, who is better known as being a member of the American rock band Linkin Park. Shinoda's debut solo album as Fort Minor, The Rising Tied was released November 22, 2005.-History:...
live performances.
The song and U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
's "With or Without You
With or Without You
"With or Without You" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, and was released as the album's first single on 21 March 1987...
" share the extremely common I - V - vi - IV chord progression (B, F♯, G♯m, E in the key of B major), although "With or Without You" is in the key of D Major and uses this progression for the entire length of the song, whereas "Shadow of the Day" uses it only on the chorus - on the verses, the chord progression is the less common vi - V - IV - IV (G♯m, F♯/A♯, E, E).
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...
was directed by Joe Hahn
Joe Hahn
Joseph "Joe" Hahn , better known by his stage name, Mr. Hahn, is an American turntablist and director best known as the DJ and sampler for the band Linkin Park.-Personal Biography:...
. It takes place during a large scale civil unrest in what appears to be the United States. The video was shot in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
at 20th Century Fox. The action was set up by stunt coordinator Steven Ho
Steven Ho
Steven Ho is a Chinese American martial artist, entrepreneur, stunt coordinator, stuntman, and member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences....
.
The music video was released to the internet on October 15, 2007. The video shows Chester Bennington
Chester Bennington
Chester Charles Bennington is an American musician, singer-songwriter and actor. He is best known as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Linkin Park....
waking up. His alarm clock
Alarm clock
An alarm clock is a clock that is designed to make a loud sound at a specific time. The primary use of these clocks is to awaken people from their night's sleep or short naps; they are sometimes used for other reminders as well. To stop the sound, a button or handle on the clock is pressed; but...
reads 11:55, the then Doomsday Clock
Doomsday Clock
The Doomsday Clock is a symbolic clock face, maintained since 1947 by the board of directors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists at the University of Chicago. The closer the clock is to midnight, the closer the world is estimated to be to global disaster. , the Doomsday Clock now stands at six...
time, referencing the album title Minutes to Midnight
Minutes to Midnight (album)
Minutes to Midnight is the third studio album by American rock band Linkin Park. Released on May 14, 2007, through Warner Bros. Records, the album debuted at number one in the United States and in 15 other countries, including the United Kingdom and Canada. The album was produced by Mike Shinoda...
and the song which is the 5th song on the album. The video is over four minutes long, meaning that the time at the end would be 11:59 PM, or one minute to midnight. Chester then watches the news, washes up, gets dressed, and goes outside. The video takes place in a war-torn world, where mass chaos is ensuing on the streets of the city. There is a lot of violence going on with many police and gunshots. Plumes of smoke can be seen in the sky. Soldiers and riot police can be seen forcefully detaining civilians. Near the end of the video, a car is set on fire and bursts into flames as several people taking place in the riot throw molotov cocktail
Molotov cocktail
The Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, fire bottle, fire bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...
s at police resulting in the Police Riot Control and SWAT teams opening fire and advancing while the mob of people retreat. A man suddenly throw a bottle of alcohol on a car and the car takes fire, explaining the title of the song "Shadow Of The Day" Chester then stands in front of the burning car, while looking hopelessly at the carnage that surrounds him. He then turns towards the flames, and the video fades to black. The electronic/synth outro of the song is excluded on the video to make it a more appropriate finish. If listened to carefully towards the middle of the video, the mob is shouting 'we want freedom'.
This is the only video so far with only Chester appearing, as Brad, Rob, Mike, Joe and Phoenix are absent in it. Because of this the video features no performance footage other than Chester's singing. The video isn't completely dubbed by the song, meaning sound effects taking place in the video can be heard.
There are also three different edits of the video, presumably due to censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
:
- A director's cut which is available at Joe Hahn's section of the Linkin Park website. In this version there are several scenes not in other versions. Chester is seen carrying a bag which he drops on the ground around 3:18 into the song. A few seconds later it goes back to Chester's house and zooms in on a table containing lots of wires and other electronics. There are also several blueprints and video monitors for security cameras displaying a certain building. After about 30 seconds there is a giant explosion destroying the building that the video monitors were displaying. This alludes that Chester had built a bomb and it was in the bag that he was carrying. He then had planned to bomb that building during the riot.
- An alternate ending to the video, which shows Chester begin to walk away from the flames. The police open fire, and the video ends with a shot of Chester's bag falling to the ground. What actually happens to Chester is not revealed, but it can be assumed that either he was shot and killed or he threw his bag away and joined the riot. The alternate ending is only shown on MTV Europe music channels.
- MTV Overdrive contains a version which scenes with gunfire and bottle smashing are cut and replaced with different riot scenes.
The song was also featured in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The video won Best Rock Video at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards
2008 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 7, 2008 live from Paramount Pictures Studios , honoring the best music videos from the previous year. Nominations for a majority of the categories were announced on the MTV program FNMTV after being selected through viewer online voting at...
and was also nominated for Best Direction in a Video.
Track listings
CD 1CD 2
7" Picture disc format
Chart performance
The song charted before its release on the U.S. Modern Rock TracksModern 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. It debuted on the U.S. Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart at #18, which is equivalent to #118. Two weeks later it debuted on the Hot 100 at #89, and finally peaked at #15, becoming the band's second top twenty hit on the chart from Minutes to Midnight. It has also so far reached #2 on the Modern Rock Chart (held off the top spot by 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...
hit "Long Road to Ruin
Long Road to Ruin
"Long Road to Ruin" is the second single from the Foo Fighters' sixth studio album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace . The music video was released on November 1, 2007, with the single released on December 3, 2007...
"), and #6 on the Mainstream Rock Chart. The week "Shadow of the Day" jumped to the top twenty of the Modern Rock Chart, it made Linkin Park one of only five acts to simultaneously have three songs in the top twenty of the chart, since "Bleed It Out" was at #2, and "What I've Done" was at #13. U2, R.E.M., 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...
, Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion, Oklahoma but formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill , Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion,...
, and Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
are the other five bands to accomplish this feat.
On the Pop Songs chart, the song has become one of Linkin Park's only top ten hits along with "Numb" and "In The End", where it has peaked at #9. "Shadow of the Day" has also become a success on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart, where it has reached the top ten at #6, becoming the first Linkin Park song to do so on that chart.
"Shadow of the Day" has also been highly successful in many other parts of the world. It has reached the top twenty in over 15 countries, including in Australia (at #15), Canada (at #12), France (at #20), Germany (at #12), New Zealand (at #13), Portugal (at #18), Sweden (at #20), and Switzerland (at #11) among others. However the song has fared poorly in the UK, where it has so far peaked at #46, the band's lowest charting single to date there. It is also the first Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
single played on adult contemporary radio stations, as WLTW
WLTW
WLTW is a radio station with an Adult Contemporary format in New York City.The station is often number one or close to it in Arbitron ratings for New York City. From 2002 to 2004, the station generated more revenue than any other radio station in the New York market...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
had played it.
| Chart (2008) | 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... Singles Chart |
15 |
| Austria Singles Top 75 Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
6 |
| 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 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... |
15 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay Hot 100 Airplay The Hot 100 Airplay chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures radio airplay, and is one of the three component charts, along with the Hot Singles Sales and the Hot Digital Songs charts, that determine the chart positions of singles on the Billboard... |
16 |
| 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... |
15 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 9 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks Adult Top 40 is a variation on the United States Billboard charts... |
6 |
| U.S. Billboard 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... |
2 |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock Tracks Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue... |
6 |
| U.S. Billboard Year-End Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2008 This is a list of Billboard magazine's Top Hot 100 songs of 2008.... |
55 |
| 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... |
12 |
| Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
5 |
| Czech Republic Czech Republic The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest.... |
14 |
| European Hot 100 Singles | 21 |
| French Singles Chart France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
20 |
| German Singles Chart | 12 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... Singles Chart |
13 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
20 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
11 |
| 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 ... |
46 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2008) | Rank |
|---|---|
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
55 |
External links
- Shadow of the Day lyrics submitted by Bennington