The World I Know
Encyclopedia
"The World I Know" is a song by the American alternative rock
band Collective Soul
, originally released on their 1995 eponymous album. Written by lead singer and guitarist Ed Roland
and guitarist Ross Childress
, "The World I Know" peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart when released as a single, and spent four weeks at the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
depicts a businessman who begins to go about his day, reading The New York Times
on the way to his office
. As he reads about death, and sees the homelessness and sadness on the street, he becomes disillusioned with his life and prepares to commit suicide
. As he climbs to the roof of a nearby building, he takes off his shoes and looks at the ground crying. He stretches out his arms and readies himself to fall.
However, just as he is about to fall, a pigeon lands on his arm. He feeds it with the bagel
in his pocket, and the crumbs attract ants, which makes the man notice the similarities of them to the people walking below. He laughs throwing all his money at the people and pulls himself out of his state.
During the entire video, periodic cuts to singer Ed Roland looking on at the man while singing the song are shown.
The video also shows sadness and happiness in the form of color hues for the video. While the man is disillusioned with his life and is thinking about suicide, the video is in a blue and purple tint, giving a dark feeling to the video. When the pigeon lands on the man's arm, the video's hue changes to show the normal colors of the city, also revealing the sun shining over the city, showing of the sudden change to happiness and relief.
, winner of the seventh season of American Idol
performed the song. Following his performance, Cook's version peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart and #28 on the Billboard Hot 100.
.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Collective Soul
Collective Soul
Collective Soul is an American rock band originally formed in Stockbridge, Georgia. Collective Soul broke into mainstream popularity with their first hit single, "Shine", which came from their debut album Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid, released in 1993...
, originally released on their 1995 eponymous album. Written by lead singer and guitarist Ed Roland
Ed Roland
Edgar Eugene Roland III was born August 3, 1963 in Stockbridge, Georgia. He is an American musician and vocalist of the alternative rock band Collective Soul. He is the primary songwriter and also contributes guitars, keyboards, producing, and engineering....
and guitarist Ross Childress
Ross Childress
Ross Childress is a guitarist and songwriter, best known as the former lead guitarist and co-songwriter of American rock band Collective Soul from 1993 to 2001...
, "The World I Know" peaked at #19 on the 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...
chart when released as a single, and spent four weeks at the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
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...
depicts a businessman who begins to go about his day, reading The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
on the way to his office
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
. As he reads about death, and sees the homelessness and sadness on the street, he becomes disillusioned with his life and prepares to commit suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. As he climbs to the roof of a nearby building, he takes off his shoes and looks at the ground crying. He stretches out his arms and readies himself to fall.
However, just as he is about to fall, a pigeon lands on his arm. He feeds it with the bagel
Bagel
A bagel is a bread product, traditionally shaped by hand into the form of a ring from yeasted wheat dough, roughly hand-sized, which is first boiled for a short time in water and then baked. The result is a dense, chewy, doughy interior with a browned and sometimes crisp exterior...
in his pocket, and the crumbs attract ants, which makes the man notice the similarities of them to the people walking below. He laughs throwing all his money at the people and pulls himself out of his state.
During the entire video, periodic cuts to singer Ed Roland looking on at the man while singing the song are shown.
The video also shows sadness and happiness in the form of color hues for the video. While the man is disillusioned with his life and is thinking about suicide, the video is in a blue and purple tint, giving a dark feeling to the video. When the pigeon lands on the man's arm, the video's hue changes to show the normal colors of the city, also revealing the sun shining over the city, showing of the sudden change to happiness and relief.
Cover versions
On May 20, 2008, David CookDavid Cook (singer)
David Roland Cook is an American rock singer-songwriter, who rose to fame after winning the seventh season of the reality television show American Idol...
, winner of the seventh season of American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
performed the song. Following his performance, Cook's version peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart and #28 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Other media
The song was featured in a 2011 commercial promoting the GMC SierraChevrolet Silverado
The Chevrolet Silverado , is the latest line of full-size pickup trucks from General Motors.-History:...
.
Peak positions
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 19 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 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... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 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... |
6 |
| 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... |
9 |
| Canadian 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,... Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
1 |
| Canadian RPM Alternative 30 Canadian rock/alternative chart The Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie... |
5 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1996) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Singles Chart | 33 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 41 |