Numb (Linkin Park song) explained

Numb
Cover:Linkin Park - Numb CD cover.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Linkin Park
Album:Meteora
Released:[1] [2]
Recorded:2002
Length:3:06
Label:Warner Bros.
Prev Title:Faint
Prev Year:2003
Next Title:From the Inside
Next Year:2004

"Numb" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released as the third single from their second studio album, Meteora (2003), and is the closing track on the album. One of Linkin Park's most well-known and critically acclaimed songs, "Numb" topped the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for 12 weeks in 2003 and 2004.[3] The song also spent three weeks atop the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song was remixed as "Numb/Encore", a collaboration between the band and American rapper Jay-Z. It was a massive hit for both artists that was featured on the album Collision Course and earned them the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. "Numb" was ranked number 95 on Rhapsody's list of the "Top 100 Tracks of the Decade".[4]

On March 15, 2022, "Numb" became the second song by the band after "In the End" to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify.[5] [6]

Music video

Directed by band member Joe Hahn, the "Numb" music video was filmed in June 2003 in Prague and features scenes in St. Vitus Cathedral, Johannes Kepler Grammar School (Gymnázium Jana Keplera), and the famed Charles Bridge.[7] The band's performance section was filmed afterwards in Los Angeles, due to vocalist Chester Bennington suffering from severe abdominal and back pains at the time.[8] [7] The final video was released alongside the single in early September 2003.[9]

The video's plot follows a day in the life of an outcast teenage girl, portrayed by Briana Evigan, interspersed with scenes of Linkin Park performing the song in a cathedral. The girl, an aspiring artist, is shunned and ridiculed by her parents, teachers, and peers. She is shown with self-inflicted cut marks on her arms that spell out "NUMB". At the song's climax, she throws paint at a canvas in anger, then runs into the cathedral only to find that the band have disappeared.

In November 2018, "Numb" became Linkin Park's first music video to reach over one billion views on their YouTube channel.[10] In March 2023, the video was remastered in 4K resolution. In June 2023, "Numb" became the first song by the band to surpass two billion views on YouTube in June 2023, and currently holds the title of the most viewed rock video on YouTube.[11] As of April 2024, the music video for "Numb" has over 2.2 billion views and 13 million likes on the platform.[12]

Commercial performance

The track became one of Linkin Park's most critically acclaimed songs, as well as one of their most commercially successful. It peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on February 24, 2004, spending 3 weeks on top of the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and 12 weeks on top of the Modern Rock Tracks chart. "Numb" was the 33rd best-performing single on the Billboard Hot 100 during 2004 and was listed at number 15 in the alternative songs decade-end chart. As of June 2014, the song had sold 2,036,000 copies in the US.[13]

The song was also successful in Oceania, peaking at number 10 in Australia and number 13 in New Zealand. "Numb" is Linlongest-running single in France, spending 23 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 19; it was also successful in Greece, topping the singles chart. However, it only ranked for one week in Italy and on the Belgian Singles Chart.[14]

The song re-entered the charts in July 2017 after the death of Chester Bennington, together with "In the End" and the band's new song "Heavy".

In late 2023, for the 35th anniversary of Modern Rock Tracks (since renamed Alternative Airplay), Billboard ranked "Numb" as the 59th-biggest hit in the chart's history.[15] [16]

In other media and covers

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2003–2024)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Argentina (Monitor Latino)[22] 19
scope=rowCanada CHR (Nielsen BDS)[23] 9
Canada Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[24] 7
Croatia (HRT)[25] 6
Czech Republic (Radio Top 100)[26] 85
Finland Streaming Songs (Suomen virallinen lista)[27] 36
France (SNEP)[28] 9
Greece (IFPI Greece)1
Hungary (Single Top 40)[29] 1
Ireland (IRMA)16
Latvia (Latvijas Top 40)[30] 6
Malaysia (RIM)[31] 15
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[32] 13
Portugal (AFP)[33] 20

Year-end charts

2003 year-end chart performance for "Numb"
Chart (2003)Position
Australia (ARIA)[34] 87
Germany (Official German Charts)[35] 92
2004 year-end chart performance for "Numb"
Chart (2004)Position
US Billboard Hot 100[36] 33
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[37] 19
2017 year-end chart performance for "Numb"
Chart (2017)Position
Hungary (Single Top 40)[38] 95
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[39] 28

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United StatesCDWarner Bros.[40]
[41]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Linkin Park Biography, Songs, Tour, Awards, Members, Lead Singer and Net Worth. UNILAD. April 10, 2018. February 20, 2022. February 20, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220220223350/https://www.unilad.co.uk/news/linkin-park-biography-songs-tour-awards-members-lead-singer-net-worth. dead.
  2. Web site: Numb [CD 1] by Linkin Park (2003-09-08)]. Amazon. February 20, 2022.
  3. [Joel Whitburn|Whitburn, Joel]
  4. http://blog.rhapsody.com/2009/12/toptracksofthedecade.html Top 100 Tracks of the Decade
  5. Web site: Linkin Park's 'Numb' Has Reached One Billion Spotify Streams. Loudwire. Schaffner. Lauryn. March 22, 2022. March 24, 2022.
  6. Web site: LINKIN PARK'S 'NUMB' HAS SURPASSED ONE BILLION STREAMS ON SPOTIFY. Rock Sound. Rogers. Jack. March 22, 2022. March 24, 2022.
  7. Web site: Archive-Jon-Wiederhorn . In The End, Linkin Park's Joseph Hahn Wants To Be A Filmmaker . https://web.archive.org/web/20171006211738/http://www.mtv.com/news/1476408/in-the-end-linkin-parks-joseph-hahn-wants-to-be-a-filmmaker/ . dead . October 6, 2017 . 2020-10-07 . MTV News . en.
  8. Web site: Archive-Jon-Wiederhorn. Linkin Park's Chester Bennington Hospitalized. https://web.archive.org/web/20150212144050/http://www.mtv.com/news/1472240/linkin-parks-chester-bennington-hospitalized/. dead. February 12, 2015. 2020-10-07. MTV News. en.
  9. Web site: IMDB Linkin Park: Numb (2003). IMDb.
  10. Linkin Park's Numb Becomes Band's First Video to Hit 1 Billion Views on YouTube. Billboard. Lukarcanin. Emina. November 13, 2023. October 31, 2020.
  11. Linkin Park's 'Numb' Video Surpasses 2 Billion YouTube Views. Billboard. Aniftos. Rania. June 1, 2023. November 12, 2023.
  12. Web site: Numb [Official Music Video] - Linkin Park]. YouTube. Linkin Park. March 5, 2007. December 16, 2022.
  13. Ask Billboard: With Nico & Vinz, Norway Continues U.S. Chart Invasion . Trust, Gary. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. June 24, 2014.
  14. Web site: Numb (Original Official Video) on YouTube. YouTube. from Linkin Park's Youtube Channel
  15. Alternative Airplay Chart's 35th Anniversary: Foo Fighters Remain No. 1 Act, 'Monsters' New Top Song. Rutherford. Kevin. Billboard. September 7, 2023. November 14, 2023.
  16. https://web.archive.org/web/20231006001750/https://www.billboard.com/charts/greatest-alternative-songs/. Greatest of All Time Alternative Songs. October 6, 2023. November 14, 2023. live. Billboard.
  17. Web site: Beech . Issy . Welcome to Earth: Where a Mash Up of Linkin Park's "Numb" and Seinfeld's Theme Song Is One of About Three Good Things . Noisey . 30 January 2017 . Vice . 16 October 2019.
  18. Web site: Hammer . Metal . Someone has mashed up Linkin Park's Numb and the Seinfeld theme . February 2017 . Louder . 16 October 2019.
  19. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Web site: Dead by April - Numb . YouTube.
  20. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Web site: Machine Gun Kelly - Numb (Cover) . YouTube.
  21. Web site: wookubus . 2024-03-07 . Linkin Park, Disturbed, Etc. Tracks Added To 'Fortnite Festival' . 2024-03-18 . Theprp.com . en-US.
  22. Web site: Argentina Top 20. Monitor Latino. December 27, 2022. en. December 27, 2022.
  23. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20050407223203/http://www.crosscanadacountdown.com/pdfs/2004.pdf. April 7, 2005. Canadian Top 20 in 2004. Cross Canada Countdown. January 31, 2024.
  24. Linkin Park Chart History (Canadian Digital Song Sales). Billboard. January 31, 2024.
  25. Web site: HR Top 20 Lista. Croatian Radiotelevision. March 7, 2021. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20031003002950/http://www.hrt.hr:80/hr/top20/maineng.html. October 3, 2003.
  26. Web site: Numb - Linkin Park.
  27. Web site: Linkin Park: Numb – Latauslista. Musiikkituottajat. fi. September 4, 2023.
  28. Web site: Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés – SNEP (Week 30, 2017). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. fr. August 2, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170730195516/http://www.snepmusique.com/tops-semaine/top-singles-telecharges/?ye=2017&we=30. 2017-07-30. dead.
  29. Web site: Single Top 40 slágerlista. Slágerlisták. October 15, 2023. September 4, 2023.
  30. Web site: Latvian Airplay Top 500 of 2004. Lanet.lv. lv. December 1, 2022.
  31. Web site: Top 20 Most Streamed International & Domestic Singles in Malaysia. Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. August 11, 2017.
  32. Web site: Tipparade-lijst van week 39, 2003. dutch. Dutch Top 40. March 26, 2023.
  33. Web site: PORTUGAL SINGLES TOP 50. Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. July 30, 2017. May 28, 2022.
  34. Web site: ARIA End of Year Singles Chart 2003. Australian Recording Industry Association. January 10, 2020.
  35. Web site: Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts. de. GfK Entertainment. offiziellecharts.de. January 10, 2020.
  36. Web site: Billboard Top 100 – 2004. billboardtop100of.com. February 26, 2021.
  37. 2004 The Year in Music. Billboard. 116. 52. December 25, 2004. April 16, 2021. YE-75.
  38. Web site: Single Top 100 – eladási darabszám alapján – 2017. February 17, 2018. Mahasz.
  39. Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2017. Billboard. August 29, 2019.
  40. Web site: Numb [CD 1] by Linkin Park (2003-09-08)]. Amazon. February 20, 2022.
  41. Going for Adds. Radio & Recordspage=18. September 26, 2003. June 11, 2022.

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