Thoughtless
Encyclopedia
"Thoughtless" is a song written by American
nu metal
band Korn
for their fifth studio album
, Untouchables
. "Thoughtless" was released as the album's second single
sometime in July 2002. It is about Jonathan Davis
' being assaulted and harassed in school and dreaming of seeking revenge on those who bully him. A music video
was produced for this single, directed by the Hughes Brothers
, known for their work with Korn's previous video, "Here to Stay
". The plot of this video revolves around a young individual from high school who is picked on, beaten up, laughed at, and ridiculed with Korn performing inside the brain of the tormented boy. He seeks revenge throughout the video. The final scene shows him arriving at the school prom with an escort. He then vomits at those who had picked on him from across the auditorium, leaving them in disgust and humiliation.
on June 10, 2002, which celebrated the release of the band's fifth album, Untouchables. This performance appears on the DVD
release entitled Live. "Thoughtless" has been played during the Untouchables promotional tour
, in 2002, but it was scrapped from the band's setlist one year later. It eventually returned in 2006 on the See You on the Other Side World Tour
as a part of a medley. The full song was played at the 2006 Family Values Tour
and the Escape from the Studio Tour
. It has most recently been performed within a medley at the Music as a Weapon V tour.
) is walking through the hallways of his school. Four girls are teasing and looking at him in disgust. A group of jocks on the other side of the hallway give him dirty looks and then beat him up. In the next scene, the boy is in his science class drawing strange pictures of his pain in his notebook. Song titles from Untouchables can also been seen. He goes to the pool to swim and the jocks see him there and beat him up. After that, he is in the locker room wrapped in a towel and is seen sweaty and increasingly agitated. We then see him in his room looking at his yearbook. He throws the year book at his window and looks in the phonebook for a service that says "Fantasy Escorts." He calls the service then shows up at his prom with a strange woman (played by Aimee Sweet
). He vomits on everyone who had bullied him and gets his revenge. Korn performs inside his brain throughout the video. Aaron Paul's character's name appears in his yearbook as "Floyd", which was the working title for "Thoughtless" on the unmastered, leaked version of Untouchables.
There is also a "performance version" that only shows Korn performing the song in the room featured in the original video.
, both on tour and for the 2004 live album Anywhere but Home
, with a different intro that features piano arrangements. Lead singer Amy Lee
said to the crowd at the beginning of the performance, "We're going to do something completely different now. This is by a band that we all like very much. I'm not even going to announce it; you ought to know what this is."
's 100 most shocking music moments in the discussion of Jim Morrison
's death, though it only played during the intro.
DVD Single:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
band Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
for their fifth studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, Untouchables
Untouchables (album)
* "Here to Stay" is a hidden track on the limited edition, beginning at 5:06 after "No One's There". On some non-limited edition pressings, it is a full track.* "Beat It Upright" was not included on the edited version of the album.-Bonus DVD:...
. "Thoughtless" was released as the album's 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...
sometime in July 2002. It is about Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Houseman Davis is the lead vocalist and frontman for the nu metal band Korn. Davis was ranked 16th on Hit Parader 's list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists".-Early life:...
' being assaulted and harassed in school and dreaming of seeking revenge on those who bully him. A 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...
was produced for this single, directed by the Hughes Brothers
Hughes Brothers
Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes , known together professionally as the Hughes brothers, are American film directors, producers and screenwriters...
, known for their work with Korn's previous video, "Here to Stay
Here to Stay (Korn song)
"Here to Stay" is a Grammy Award-winning song by Korn that appears on the band's fifth studio album, Untouchables as the album's opening track. It was released as the album's first single in February 2002. The song won the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance, as well as winning an award...
". The plot of this video revolves around a young individual from high school who is picked on, beaten up, laughed at, and ridiculed with Korn performing inside the brain of the tormented boy. He seeks revenge throughout the video. The final scene shows him arriving at the school prom with an escort. He then vomits at those who had picked on him from across the auditorium, leaving them in disgust and humiliation.
Live performance
This song was introduced to fans during a live show at the Hammerstein Ballroom, in NYCNew 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...
on June 10, 2002, which celebrated the release of the band's fifth album, Untouchables. This performance appears on the DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release entitled Live. "Thoughtless" has been played during the Untouchables promotional tour
Untouchables Tour
-The Tour with No Name :05.29.02 - El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA 06.08.02 - KROQ's Dysfunctional Family Picnic, Wantagh, NY 06.10.02 - Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY 06.20.02 - First Union Arena, Wilkes Barre, PA...
, in 2002, but it was scrapped from the band's setlist one year later. It eventually returned in 2006 on the See You on the Other Side World Tour
See You On the Other Side World Tour
-2005 Promotional Leg:11.19.05 - Saturday Night Live, New York, NY 11.21.05 - MTV TRL Germany, Berlin, Germany 11.22.05 - Huxleys New World, Berlin, Germany 11.24.05 - Top of the Pops, Cologne, Germany 11.25.05 - The Forum, London, UK...
as a part of a medley. The full song was played at the 2006 Family Values Tour
Family Values Tour
The Family Values Tour was created by the band Korn in 1998 to be an annual rock & rap tour.The tour began in 1998 and would take the year off in 2000, due to heavy competition from other tours, such as the Anger Management Tour and the Summer Sanitarium Tour. After a four year hiatus, the Family...
and the Escape from the Studio Tour
Escape From the Studio Tour
The Escape from the Studio Tour was a 2009 concert tour by metal band Korn, although the name of the tour was borrowed from Metallica, who also had a tour by the same name in 1995. It included 65 confirmed dates and spanned across country to Europe. It was the second Tour to feature Ray Luzier....
. It has most recently been performed within a medley at the Music as a Weapon V tour.
Music video
In the beginning, a high-school aged boy (played by Aaron PaulAaron Paul
Aaron Michael Paul is an American actor. After appearing in several roles in American television, including a recurring role on the HBO series Big Love, Paul came to prominence in the late 2000s for his critically acclaimed portrayal of Jesse Pinkman in the AMC series Breaking Bad, for which he...
) is walking through the hallways of his school. Four girls are teasing and looking at him in disgust. A group of jocks on the other side of the hallway give him dirty looks and then beat him up. In the next scene, the boy is in his science class drawing strange pictures of his pain in his notebook. Song titles from Untouchables can also been seen. He goes to the pool to swim and the jocks see him there and beat him up. After that, he is in the locker room wrapped in a towel and is seen sweaty and increasingly agitated. We then see him in his room looking at his yearbook. He throws the year book at his window and looks in the phonebook for a service that says "Fantasy Escorts." He calls the service then shows up at his prom with a strange woman (played by Aimee Sweet
Aimee Sweet
Aimee Sweet is an American glamour model and pornographic actress.At the age of six, she began performing in stage plays and singing, and developed an interest in sports such as field hockey, softball, swimming and cross country, which she continued to do through high school...
). He vomits on everyone who had bullied him and gets his revenge. Korn performs inside his brain throughout the video. Aaron Paul's character's name appears in his yearbook as "Floyd", which was the working title for "Thoughtless" on the unmastered, leaked version of Untouchables.
There is also a "performance version" that only shows Korn performing the song in the room featured in the original video.
Cover
The song has been covered by rock band EvanescenceEvanescence
Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording private albums, the band released their first full-length album, Fallen, on Wind-up Records in 2003. Fallen sold more than 17 million copies worldwide...
, both on tour and for the 2004 live album Anywhere but Home
Anywhere but Home
Anywhere but Home is the first live album and DVD by the rock band Evanescence, released in 2004. It includes all four of their Fallen music videos, an hour of behind the scenes features, and a recording of a concert at Le Zénith in Paris...
, with a different intro that features piano arrangements. Lead singer Amy Lee
Amy Lee
Amy Lynn Hartzler , best known as Amy Lee, is an American singer-songwriter and classically trained pianist. She is co-founder and lead vocalist of the rock band Evanescence. She cites influences ranging from classical musicians such as Mozart to modern artists Björk, Tori Amos, Danny Elfman and...
said to the crowd at the beginning of the performance, "We're going to do something completely different now. This is by a band that we all like very much. I'm not even going to announce it; you ought to know what this is."
Appearances in media
The song was featured in VH1VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's 100 most shocking music moments in the discussion of Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
's death, though it only played during the intro.
Track listing
Enhanced Maxi CD Single:- "Thoughtless – 4:32
- "Thoughtless (D Cooley Remix featuring DJ Z-TripDJ Z-TripZach Sciacca, better known as Z-Trip, is an American DJ and producer. He is best known as a pioneer of the mashup movement.A Phoenix, Arizona native, who now resides in Los Angeles, California, he was known early in his career for performing with the Bombshelter DJs . He became widely known when...
) – 3:52 - "Thoughtless (Dante Ross remix) – 4:21
- "Here to Stay (Tone Toven and Sleep remix) – 3:28
- "Here to Stay (Remixed by Mindless Self IndulgenceMindless Self IndulgenceMindless Self Indulgence is an American musical group formed in New York in 1997. Their music has a mixed style including rap, punk rock, alternative rock, electronica, techno and industrial...
) – 3:45 - "Thoughtless (video) – 4:32
DVD Single:
- "Thoughtless" (video) - 4:32