Bleed It Out is the second single the studio album, Minutes to Midnight, released on August 20, 2007.
On July 31, 2007, the music video was shown on MTV Germany and MTV Asia and has premiered in Canada through the Muchmusic Countdown and their MuchAxs video streaming website.
Background information[]
"Bleed It Out" is the first of two tracks on the album to contain rap vocals from Mike Shinoda (the other being "Hands Held High"), and the second track on the album to contain profanity ("Given Up" is the first).
"Bleed it Out" is much like the song Faint from the album Meteora. Both songs are fairly short, have rapped verses, a sung chorus, and a bridge, and are about frustration.
The song's lyrics were some of the hardest to get right on the album. In the album booklet it is stated that Mike Shinoda re-wrote the lyrics to this song about a hundred times until the band was satisfied with them. This is where the first line, "Yeah, Here we go for the hundredth time," comes from. The song is the shortest track on Minutes to Midnight, so to lengthen it during live performances, including Projekt Revolution, Linkin Park has extended the song making it about three times longer, while focusing on Rob Bourdon, the band's drummer with a large solo.
The song's guitar riff was actually stumbled upon by guitarist Brad Delson when he misplayed some notes. As a result, one of the working titles of the song is "Accident".
Music video[]
The song's music video was directed by Joe Hahn and premiered on July 31, 2007 on MTV Germany. The music video was premiered in the United States on August 6, 2007 all day long on MTV2's "Unleashed". It also had a premiere on TRL the same day as MTV2's "Unleashed". It debuted at number 27 on the Muchmusic Countdown on August 3. Although the actual CD features footsteps leading into an opening door followed by the band performing the song in front of a small audience, the video is much different, as it is just one continuous shot with the band performing on a small stage in front of a reversed bar fight scene. Some of the video was made from green screen while the band is performing on stage in the music video. The video starts as the fight is ending, and the at the end of the video, someone vomited on someone's shoe and started the massive fight.
Linkin Park - Bleed It Out
Chart performance[]
The song ranked in music charts even before its official release. As of October 4, 2007, it has reached #52 on the Billboard U.S. Hot 100 and #54 on the Billboard Pop 100. It has also peaked at #2 on the Modern Rock Tracks for eight consecutive weeks, pushed back by the Foo Fighters's "The Pretender" and #3 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. In the UK it debuted and peaked at #29. It has also so far reached the top thirty in Australia, Canada, and Poland. Though it has overall been less successful so far then the first single from "Minutes to Midnight", "What I've Done", it has however surpassed "What I've Done's" peak in New Zealand, where it has reached #7.
Trivia[]
- Before the guitar riff starts, listener can barely hear the sound of a man saying "...all driving from nuts, Mr. Hahn...", while he was walking up the stairs. He then opens the bar doors.
- This is the first song to include profanity.
- This was the last song Chester performed live with Linkin Park before his death.
Lyrics[]
Yeah, here we go for the hundredth time
Hand grenade pins in every line
Throw 'em up and let something shine
Going out of my fucking mind
Filthy mouth, no excuse
Find a new place to hang this noose
String me up from atop these roofs
Knot it tight so I won't get loose
Truth is, you can stop and stare
Run myself out and no one cares
Dug the trench out, laid down there
With a shovel up out of reach somewhere
Yeah, someone pour it in
Make it a dirt dance floor again
Say your prayers and stomp it out
When they bring that chorus in
I bleed it out, digging deeper just to throw it away
I bleed it out, digging deeper just to throw it away
I bleed it out, digging deeper just to throw it away
Just to throw it away, just to throw it away
I bleed it out, go, stop the show
Drop your words and let sloppy flow
Shotgun, opera, lock and load
Cock it back and then watch it go
Mama, help me, I've been cursed
Death is rollin' in every verse
Candy paint on his brand new hearse
Can't contain him, he knows he works
Fuck, this hurts, I won't lie
Doesn't matter how hard I try
Half the words don't mean a thing
And I know that I won't be satisfied
So why try ignoring him
Make it a dirt dance floor again
Say your prayers and stomp it out
When they bring that chorus in
I bleed it out, digging deeper just to throw it away
I bleed it out, digging deeper just to throw it away
I bleed it out, digging deeper just to throw it away
Just to throw it away, just to throw it away
I bleed it out, I've opened up these scars
I'll MAKE YOU FACE THIS!!!
I've pulled myself so far
I'll MAKE YOU FACE THIS NOW!!!!
I bleed it out, digging deeper just to throw it away
I bleed it out, digging deeper just to throw it away
I bleed it out, digging deeper just to throw it away
Just to throw it away, just to throw it away
I bleed it out, digging deeper just to throw it away
I bleed it out, digging deeper just to throw it away
I bleed it out, digging deeper just to throw it away
Just to throw it away, just to throw it away
I bleed it out
I bleed it out
I bleed it out