Numb (Linkin Park song)
Encyclopedia
"Numb" is a song by rock
band Linkin Park
. It was released as the third single from their second studio album
, Meteora
and is listed as the final track on the record. One of Linkin Park's most well known and critically acclaimed songs, "Numb" topped the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart for 12 weeks. The song spent six weeks at the top of the chart in 2003 and six weeks in 2004, making it the only song in history to be the most successful song of the year on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart for two years. The song also spent three weeks atop the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
The song was later combined with Jay-Z
's song "Encore
" to create "Numb/Encore
", a massive hit for both artists which was featured on the album Collision Course
and earned them the Grammy Award
for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
. "Numb" was ranked #95 on Rhapsody
's list of the Top 100 Tracks of the Decade.
In January 2011, "Numb" was released in a Linkin Park DLC
pack for Rock Band 3
.
, the indoor scenes of the music video
are set in a cathedral in Prague
, Czech Republic
as are the outdoor scenes. The school interiors, the classroom, the corridor and the outside playground are set in Johannes Kepler's High School in Prague. The bridge scenes were all shot on Prague
's famed Charles Bridge
.
The video follows the domestic and social problems faced during a day in the life of an unpopular outcast young female student (portrayed by Briana Barbara-Jane Evigan
). The girl apparently spends much of her time drawing pictures (a reference to the song "Drawing," which was a demo for the song "Breaking The Habit
," another song on the album), revealing that she probably has dreams of becoming an artist. She is largely shunned and ridiculed at school, considering that when she is told off by the teacher for drawing in class everybody laughs at her and teases her, when she trips on the stairs nobody stops to help her up, and that when she tries to join a group of girls at a lunch table they immediately get up and leave (referencing "Somewhere I Belong
," another song on the album). Also, there is a scene where her mother is ridiculing her for not being the daughter she wanted (a reference to the song "Nobody's Listening," another song on the album). There are also self-inflicted cut marks on her arms, which actually say "NUMB" - the title of the song. Near the end of the video, she is shown sitting in her room, as she ties up her hair with a paintbrush, and throws paint at a canvas in anger. At the end, she runs into the church that the band was playing in, almost as if she heard them, only to find the church left behind empty.
MuchMusic
's 100 Best Videos ranked it at #40.
The track became one of Linkin Park's most critically acclaimed songs, as well as one of their most commercially successful, peaking at #11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on February 24, 2004, and spending 3 weeks on top of the Mainstream Rock Tracks and 12 weeks on top of the Modern Rock Tracks. "Numb" was the 33rd best performing single on the Hot 100 during 2004. It was also successful in Oceania, peaking at #10 in Australia and #13 in New Zealand. "Numb" is also their longest running single in France, spending 23 weeks on the chart, peaking at #19. However, it was briefly ranked for one week in Italy and Belgium Single Chart; but it topped the Greek Single Chart.
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...
. It was released as the third single from their second 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...
, Meteora
Meteora (album)
Meteora is the second studio album by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released on March 25, 2003 through Warner Bros. Records, following Reanimation, a collaboration album which featured remixes of songs included on debut studio album Hybrid Theory...
and is listed as the final track on the record. One of Linkin Park's most well known and critically acclaimed songs, "Numb" topped the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart for 12 weeks. The song spent six weeks at the top of the chart in 2003 and six weeks in 2004, making it the only song in history to be the most successful song of the year on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart for two years. The song also spent three weeks atop the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and peaked at #11 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...
.
The song was later combined with Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
's song "Encore
Encore (Jay-Z song)
"Encore" is a song from Jay-Z's The Black Album. "Encore" received much popularity when it was mixed with Linkin Park's hit single "Numb" on the mash-up album Collision Course as "Numb/Encore" and eventually went on to win a Grammy Award.-Background:...
" to create "Numb/Encore
Numb/Encore
"Numb/Encore" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z and rock band Linkin Park from their album Collision Course, . It was released as a single on November 16, 2004, by Warner Bros. and Roc-A-Fella Records...
", a massive hit for both artists which was featured on the album Collision Course
Collision Course (album)
Critics were divided over Collision Course, with some praising the album, while others negatively received it.David Jeffries of allmusic praised the album, calling it "awesomely fun". K.B...
and earned them the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
The Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs on which rappers and singers collaborate...
. "Numb" was ranked #95 on Rhapsody
Rhapsody (online music service)
Rhapsody is an online music store subscription service, launched in December 2001, and available in the United States only. On April 6, 2010, Rhapsody officially declared its independence from RealNetworks. Downloaded files come with restrictions on their use, enforced by Helix, Rhapsody's version...
's list of the Top 100 Tracks of the Decade.
In January 2011, "Numb" was released in a Linkin Park DLC
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,...
pack for 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...
.
Music video
Directed by Joe HahnJoe 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:...
, the indoor scenes of the 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...
are set in a cathedral in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, 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....
as are the outdoor scenes. The school interiors, the classroom, the corridor and the outside playground are set in Johannes Kepler's High School in Prague. The bridge scenes were all shot on Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
's famed Charles Bridge
Charles Bridge
The Charles Bridge is a famous historic bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of the 15th century...
.
The video follows the domestic and social problems faced during a day in the life of an unpopular outcast young female student (portrayed by Briana Barbara-Jane Evigan
Briana Evigan
Briana Barbara-Jane Evigan is an American actress and dancer. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Andie West in Step Up 2: The Streets and Cassidy Tappan in Sorority Row. She started dancing at the age of 9 and is still dancing as part of her career today.-Early life:Evigan was born in Los...
). The girl apparently spends much of her time drawing pictures (a reference to the song "Drawing," which was a demo for the song "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...
," another song on the album), revealing that she probably has dreams of becoming an artist. She is largely shunned and ridiculed at school, considering that when she is told off by the teacher for drawing in class everybody laughs at her and teases her, when she trips on the stairs nobody stops to help her up, and that when she tries to join a group of girls at a lunch table they immediately get up and leave (referencing "Somewhere I Belong
Somewhere I Belong
"Somewhere I Belong" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released as the first single from their second studio album Meteora and entered the top ten on the majority of the charts on which it appeared...
," another song on the album). Also, there is a scene where her mother is ridiculing her for not being the daughter she wanted (a reference to the song "Nobody's Listening," another song on the album). There are also self-inflicted cut marks on her arms, which actually say "NUMB" - the title of the song. Near the end of the video, she is shown sitting in her room, as she ties up her hair with a paintbrush, and throws paint at a canvas in anger. At the end, she runs into the church that the band was playing in, almost as if she heard them, only to find the church left behind empty.
MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
's 100 Best Videos ranked it at #40.
The track became one of Linkin Park's most critically acclaimed songs, as well as one of their most commercially successful, peaking at #11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on February 24, 2004, and spending 3 weeks on top of the Mainstream Rock Tracks and 12 weeks on top of the Modern Rock Tracks. "Numb" was the 33rd best performing single on the Hot 100 during 2004. It was also successful in Oceania, peaking at #10 in Australia and #13 in New Zealand. "Numb" is also their longest running single in France, spending 23 weeks on the chart, peaking at #19. However, it was briefly ranked for one week in Italy and Belgium Single Chart; but it topped the Greek Single Chart.
Track listing
In entertainment
- The song is used as English UFC fighter Paul Kelly's entrance song.
Chart positions
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 10 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
48 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
2 |
| France Singles Chart | 19 |
| 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... |
19 |
| Greek Singles Chart | 1 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 47 |
| Ireland Singles Chart | 16 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 13 |
| Portugal Top 20 | 5 |
| Sweden Singles Chart | 23 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 15 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 11 |
| 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... |
11 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 5 |
| 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... |
31 |
| 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... |
1 |
| 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... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Year-End | 33 |
| 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 ... |
14 |
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. 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... |
71 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
24 |
| 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... |
13 |
| 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... |
30 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 99 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 19 |
| Canadian 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.... |
95 |
| 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... |
30 |