Faint (song)
| "Faint" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Linkin Park | ||||
| from the album Meteora | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | June 9, 2003 | |||
| Format | ||||
| Recorded | 2002 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:43 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Linkin Park | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Linkin Park singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Faint" on YouTube | ||||
"Faint" is a song by the American rock band Linkin Park from their second studio album Meteora. The song was released as the album's second single on June 9, 2003 and is the seventh track. It 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 US Modern Rock Tracks, becoming the band's third number-one hit on the chart. The song would later be featured on the group's mashup EP with Jay-Z, Collision Course, where it was mashed up with lyrics of the song Jigga What from Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life. American metalcore band I, the Breather recorded a cover of "Faint".
Overview
This song was released as two singles, "Faint 1" and "Faint 2", they differed in cover color and track listing ("Faint 1" is blue, and "Faint 2" is a brownish-green). "Faint 1" was also released as a Canadian version that includes the tracks, but does not include the music video. "Faint 1" lists the length of "Lying from You" as 3:43 but is actually 3:04. "One Step Closer", on "Faint 2", is 3:43 long. A promotional sampler was given to members of the street team and some members of the LPU, the band's official fan club. A demo for the song can be found on the Underground 9.0 Fan Club release. It features Mike Shinoda rapping with different lyrics, with only some backing input from Chester Bennington. A live version of the track was featured as a b-side for "What I've Done".
The success of this single, and the success of Linkin Park's "Numb/Encore" mashup with Jay-Z, led MTV to produce a mashup of "Faint" with "Toxic" by Britney Spears. This was done by DJ Rob Boskamp and can be found on MTV's MTV Mash Up - Amazing Remixes! CD. An excerpt of the video might have been used in a Lenovo commercial titled "For Those Who Do."
During the Minutes to Midnight World Tour, they extended the length of the song during live performances, playing the riff from the bridge while Delson played a solo. In some live performances during Living Things World Tour, it is played after "Tinfoil" as the opening song on the setlist.
Music video
The video, directed by Mark Romanek and shot in downtown Los Angeles, consists of the band performing in front of an audience and a floodlight. The audience consisted of members from the LPU. Almost the entire video is shot from behind the band, allowing the strong lighting to portray them in silhouettes. Therefore, the faces of the band are not shown throughout most of the video, except at the final chorus where the band is then shown from the front. They perform in front of a derelict building structure with graffiti, such as a monstrous version of the Hybrid Theory Soldier and some Linkin Park symbols.
A director's cut was made that features an extended ending where Mike Shinoda spray paints the words En Proceso (Spanish for In Process) on a garage door.[3][4]
Chart performance
"Faint" was officially released to US radio on July 1, 2003. The song reached the top twenty on the Hot 100 Recurrent Airplay, and the following week it debuted on the Hot 100, the official US chart. "Faint" peaked at number forty-eight in its eighth week and remained on the chart until its twentieth week. The song entered the top twenty on the majority of the Billboard charts on which it appeared. "Faint" proved popular on Modern Rock Tracks radio, attaining the number one position on that chart for six weeks (with 37 weeks on the chart), and peaked at number forty-eight on the Hot 100 Airplay format and number two for two weeks on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks.
"Faint" reached the top thirty on the Canadian Singles Chart where it peaked at 21.
The song was released in Australia, Europe and New Zealand on July 22, 2003. "Somewhere I Belong" reached the UK top ten, while "Faint" reached the top twenty. "Faint" continued the trend of lower-charting singles when it debuted and peaked at number fifteen, and remained in the chart for 8 weeks. "Faint" peaked at number twenty-five on the Australian Singles Chart and stayed at its peak for two weeks.
"Faint" reached 67 on the Japanese singles chart and 48 on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles and it would also peak at forty in seven countries and it reach the top twenty in the United Kingdom and Spain, it was a moderate top ten success on the LAUNCH Music Videos Top 100.
To date, It has been less successful than its predecessor "Somewhere I Belong" and the following single "Numb" where both singles charted higher. However, it has peaked higher than "Numb" in the Belgium Singles Chart (#44) and Italian Singles Chart. Additionally, it was more successful on the Mainstream Rock Track and the Modern Rock Track chart than the other singles from Meteora. It was the 8th Best performing song of the decade on the Modern Rock Track chart, and the 13th best performing song of the decade on the Mainstream rock Track Chart. It is their second most successful single behind "In the End" on the rock charts. Moreover, the song peaked at #15 in the UK, charting for 8 weeks, being their second successful song from Meteora in the UK after Somewhere I Belong.
Track listing
All tracks written by Linkin Park.
| Part 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Faint" | 2:43 |
| 2. | "Lying from You" (Live) | 3:07 |
| 3. | "Somewhere I Belong" (Video) | |
All tracks written by Linkin Park.
| Part 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Faint" | 2:43 |
| 2. | "One Step Closer" (Reanimated Live) | 3:43 |
| 3. | "Faint Live" (Video) | |
All tracks written by Linkin Park.
| Maxi single | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Faint" | 2:43 |
| 2. | "Lying from You" (Live) | 3:06 |
| 3. | "One Step Closer" (Reanimated Live) | 3:41 |
All tracks written by Linkin Park.
| 10" vinyl picture disc | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Faint" | 2:43 |
| 2. | "Lying from You" (Live) | 3:07 |
Personnel
Linkin Park
- Chester Bennington – vocals
- Mike Shinoda – rap vocals, rhythm guitar, sampler, strings arrangement
- Brad Delson – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Dave "Phoenix" Farrell – bass guitar
- Joe Hahn – turntables, samplers
- Rob Bourdon - drums, percussion
Additional musicians
- Joel Derouin, Charlie Bisharat, Alyssa Park, Sara Parkins, Michelle Richards, Mark Robertson – violins
- Evan Wilson, Bob Becker – violas
- Larry Corbett, Dan Smith – celli
- David Campbell – strings arrangement
Charts and certifications
Charts
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 25 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 27 |
| Belgium Singles Chart | 44 |
| Brazil (ABPD)[5] | 22 |
| German Singles Chart | 40 |
| Ireland Singles Chart | 26 |
| Netherlands Singles Chart | 40 |
| Spanish Singles Chart | 18 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 49 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 32 |
| Japanese Singles Chart | 67 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 Singles | 57 |
| UK Singles Chart | 15 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 48 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | 48 |
| US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 1 |
| US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 2 |
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[6] | 71 |
| Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[7] | 86 |
| US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[8] | 15 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[9] | Silver | 200,000 |
| United States (RIAA)[10] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^shipments figures based on certification alone | ||
References
- ↑ "Concert review: Linkin Park, Vector Arena". February 22, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2016 – via New Zealand Herald.
- ↑ Weiss, Dan (April 6, 2012). "Ten Rap-Rock Songs That Are Actually Awesome". LA Weekly. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Faint (Original Official Video) on Youtube". from Linkin Park's Youtube Channel
- ↑ "Faint (Official Duplicate Video) on Youtube". from Linkin Park's Youtube Channel
- ↑ "Brazil" (PDF). ABPD. October 6, 2001. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
- ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201730 into search. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201730 into search. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- ↑ "Linkin Park Chart History (Hot Rock Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- ↑ "British single certifications – Linkin Park – Faint". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 26, 2018. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Faint in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ↑ "American single certifications – Linkin Park – Faint". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH.
