Yes. It felt more appropriate to put it there since they did additional work outside of the OML sessions that probably gave it new dynamics compared to the OML demo.
Always had a soft spot for this one, wish there were more like it on the album. Such an uplifting, positive track for me. Definitely my favorite on the album, and basically the only one I sometimes come back to. Love the live performance aswell! Also, only took 10 years... who knew!
Like most songs on OML i dosnt really cared for the song at first. Now it at least grow enough that i dont skip it when its on
Forgot one thing about SE. The live version is actually great and, for me, hits home much more than the studio one. It's kinda a hidden gem.
Busy busy lately, so I’ll catch up on the songs I missed soon, but I gotta talk about Sharp Edges. This has always been one of my favorites, if not my favorite song from OML. Love the intimate start to the track (acoustic Linkin Park songs always have a soft spot in my heart (Final Masquerade acoustic my beloved )). I really appreciate the hopeful end to the album, even if the “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger” lyric is a bit corny. But also there are ton of huge pop hits that play on overused sayings, so I’m really not that bothered by the lyrics on the bridge. And if I had one more critique of the song, the kick drums do kinda date the song a bit, I could really live without them on this song. Despite my complaints, still love this song, never skip it when it comes on. 87/100 And I fucking love the live version of this song. Legitimately makes me emotional sometimes. Bonus thought: Oh my god I just had a good laugh re-reading through the Sharp Edges drama in the Heal/Hurt game. Completely forgot about all that. I have no regrets!
I've been completely freaking out over the HT EP in the last few days (which some may have noticed ) So much so that I'm wondering if it'd be an idea to include it in the session thread in the far away future. After all, it's technically the very first studio project from the band in its old line-up. I don't think a lot of composition details are known about the songs, but the good side is that it'd possibly make it slightly less time consuming to write the posts. But then again, I don't know how much interest people would have in discussing it. @Christøffer a while ago, you mentioned that the High Voltage EP version was the better one. I though it was a hot take but... after re-listening to both, I agree. The EP version is more intricate overall. The short instrumental bridge and the tone of the scratches towards the end are pretty cool too, gives dark autumn/winter vibes.
I actually was thinking of including this as part of the HT20 posts. Hybrid Theory, the two B-sides, HTEP, and then Pictureboard, She Couldn't, and Could Have Been. I thought that would be a good way to incorporate it. Still undecided at the moment. I try to keep technical composition stuff from getting too overblown already, so I could hopefully write at least a decent post for each. We know at least a little about each, even if it isn't as detailed as the studio album songs.
From the gate, I should say I’ve probably listened to From Zero front to back more than OML already. That’s not anything against OML. I just immediately went into a period of setting their music aside in 2017 that subsided gradually and I haven’t given it a more fair shake since. While, the sound wasn’t what I wanted I did appreciate it and I thought it was a great exercise artistically. Sharp Edges is one of two or three tracks I’ve held onto since, though. It made a pretty good impression on me and my partner likes it every time it comes on, too. Our taste overlaps quite a lot musically! I love it, but Linkin Park tends to be a band that stays on my side of the Venn-Diagram. So, I like finding the tracks that bridge our tastes in music just a little more. There’s nothing more that this track had to be in my mind. I liked hearing it from LP a lot. Tender Chester wasn’t untapped but there was a significant wealth more I know was there and that’s why I value this song.
Cheater saying mama always felt weird to me but I like the song, it's really cathartic and uplifting for LP.
Papercut "Papercut" is the opening song on Linkin Park’s debut album Hybrid Theory. Released as the album's third single, it has remained one of the band's most enduring tracks, consistently performed live and defining their early sound. The first elements of "Papercut" originated some time before the band’s recording sessions for Hybrid Theory, with the first known recording of it appearing on a six-track internal Warner demo CD from the sessions, alongside five other songs that also made the album. Mike has indicated that "Papercut" came together relatively quickly and did not take long to reach its final form. According to Jeff Blue—the band’s early talent development at Zomba Music Publishing turned A&R representative at Warner Bros. Records—Mike and Brad demoed early elements of "Papercut" in his Zomba office in early March 2000 to showcase new songs they were writing. This meeting took place just before the band, still known as Hybrid Theory then, entered NRG Studios with producer Don Gilmore. As the song progressed, it became a strong contender for placement on Hybrid Theory. Jeff Blue also recalled that he encouraged the band to prioritize "Papercut," and in doing so pushed them to scrap their long-favored Xero-era demo "Pictureboard." The title "Papercut," one of two on Hybrid Theory not to reference its lyrics, was a working title that the band liked and ultimately decided to keep. Several band members have mentioned "Papercut" as their favorite song from Hybrid Theory, as well as overall from the band's output. Mike, Brad, and Chester all pointed to it as one of their favorites on several occasions, and have also mentioned that it is indicative of the core sound and ethos of Linkin Park. Mike particularly has voiced how he believes "Papercut" was the perfect calling card for the band as their debut album's opening track. When ranking his favorite Linkin Park songs in a 2021 Twitch stream, "Papercut" was his runner-up, losing out only to "Waiting for the End." As bassist Kyle Christner had been fired in 1999, and Phoenix was still with the Snax before finally rejoining the band in late 2000, the bass on "Papercut" was recorded by Ian Hornbeck, as one of his three contributions to the album. Hornbeck was in consideration to be Linkin Park’s new bassist, but because of drug issues he struggled with at the time, the band decided not to continue with him after his bass tracking. "Papercut" seamlessly combines heavy rock power chords, jungle breakbeats, and bouncy hip-hop flow in just over three minutes. Opening with just a drum loop, the distinctive elements of Hybrid Theory unfold sequentially. A sample loop, processed with distortion for added grit, establishes a melodic foundation, accompanied by quick crossfader cuts from Joe’s turntables, finally followed by the full band entrance. The full band entry of "Papercut" showcases Hybrid Theory’s signature double-tracked guitar tone, delivering thick, distorted power chords and octaves layered over the sampled elements. The bass reinforces this with root notes, while the drums anchor the track with a driving kick drum pattern, decorated with snare grace notes and dynamic hi-hat articulations. The live drums accentuate a fast jungle drum loop layered over the mix, supporting the brisk tempo. This loop, a defining feature of the track, reflected the band’s interest in the genre at the time and is present for nearly the entire song. The verses feature Mike’s rapping, underpinned by a palm-muted guitar line and an atmospheric synth pad. Joe’s turntable cuts and the jungle loop add additional rhythm, alongside stuttering and echo effects on Mike’s vocals. Chester takes over for the chorus, with a rapped performance layered in two distinct takes with contrasting delivery styles. This energetic chorus is capped off with a quick foray into melodic territory as Chester delivers the words "Beneath my skin" in his characteristic distorted singing style. The following verse and chorus follow the same structure, leading into a breakdown bridge. This bridge builds to a dynamic shift, transitioning from rhythmic rapped lyrics to a soaring vocal melody accompanied by a new guitar chord progression and a melodic variation on the opening sample loop. Joe’s turntable work transitions from rhythmic accents to full scratches, enhanced with effects to add depth and ambience. As Chester repeats the new vocal melody, the chorus vocals return alongside a repeating melodic sample hit. With its fast-paced tempo and intricate layering, "Papercut" offers a driving foundation that supports the racing tension explored lyrically. The lyrics of the track address the idea of stress, paranoia, and general anxiety. Its signature imagery refers to this anxiety and paranoia as a "face inside." Mike's verses expand upon this idea and the personified mental stress watching everything he does, while Chester sings at the end of each chorus that "the face inside is right beneath my skin." These final lines of the choruses are the only melodic vocal moments in the first half of the song, until the outro, which showcases Chester's clean, strong singing voice as he repeats "The sun goes down / I feel the light betray me." This vocal melody turns the song on its head, lifting high above the instrumental parts and shifting the focus from rhythmic elements toward melody. Following on the success of the previous two Hybrid Theory singles, Linkin Park promoted "Papercut" to radio as a single, released on June 18, 2001. This was followed by a physical single release in the United Kingdom, with a CD shipped in late September. The band had originally hoped for "Papercut" as their lead single for the album, feeling it most accurately represented Hybrid Theory. However, "Plaster" ("One Step Closer") materialized as the choice for lead single as work on the album continued. "Papercut" still did fairly well commercially, achieving RIAA Gold certification as a single for 500,000 units sold. A music video co-directed by Joe Hahn and Nathan Cox was also filmed and released in promotion of "Papercut." The video features the band in a lounge performing, notably without Rob on drums and with Brad and Phoenix on acoustic instruments. The video cuts in various dark elements in the side rooms, with insects crawling over tattered burlap sacks, dark humanoid figures, and chrysalises that eventually burst open to release dragonflies—a nod to the wings of Hybrid Theory’s iconic stenciled soldier. As the video progresses, faces press through the walls, alluding to the "face inside" from the lyrics. The video for "Papercut," however, has been mentioned on several occasions by both Mike and Joe as being among their least favorite music videos the band has done, remarking that Warner had diluted their original vision for the video. The filming, done during a break in a summer festival run, also came during a time of conflict within the band, with Mike later reflecting that he wanted to challenge Chester’s outfit choice but chose not to because of the already high tensions internally. "Papercut" was remixed for 2002's Reanimation by Mike Shinoda's longtime friend Vin Skully (credited Jubacca) and his fellow Styles of Beyond production partner DJ Cheapshot. The remix, entitled "Ppr:kut," features many of the original song’s elements stuttered or cut up over new samples of percussion, bass, and a verse vocal layer, with guest verses from Rasco and Planet Asia of the rap duo Cali Agents. "Papercut" would again be remixed on the Jay-Z mashup album Collision Course, as one of the seven songs from Hybrid Theory and Meteora to be featured. "Papercut" was included in a mashup with the Jay-Z song "Big Pimpin'," a single from his 1999 album Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter. The mashup builds around the beat from "Big Pimpin'," paired with the chorus and first verse of "Papercut" and the first verse and chorus of "Big Pimpin'." Due to this collaboration, the members of Linkin Park, their respective publishing entities, and Warner Music were included in a 2007 lawsuit over the use of a flute sample in Jay-Z’s original "Big Pimpin'.” As the mashup track was a derivative work of the alleged infringing song, Linkin Park and their affiliates were included in the lawsuit for potential damages. The sample was from a composition called "Khosara khosara" by Egyptian composer Baligh Hamdi, which was eventually found to have been relinquished to public domain prior to its inclusion on "Big Pimpin'." The case was dismissed in 2018, leaving Linkin Park unscathed. "Papercut" was cemented as a cornerstone of the band's legacy when they named their 2024 greatest hits album Papercuts, underscoring the song’s significance in their catalog. Along with the other singles featured, "Papercut" received a short breakdown video with members of the band explaining the background behind the track. In their live repertoire, "Papercut" is among Linkin Park’s most consistently-played songs, debuting in 2000 and appearing on almost every tour since. "Papercut" has been a fan and band favorite live, and the song's high energy made it a frequent opener or encore piece. When played live, Mike doubles the chorus and then sings the chorus lyrics solo in the outro. Chester often jumped off the back stage risers during the intro, channeling the song’s high energy. At some of the earliest shows under the Linkin Park name, "Papercut" was used as the first full song on the setlist, being performed after an intro version of "Cure for the Itch." On a few occasions throughout the Hybrid Theory and Meteora cycles, it would make its way to the proper opener slot. Over the course of its performances the song has featured various intros, such as the playback of Lee Cadena's voice sampled on the 2000 remix of "High Voltage," a strings intro, elements of the bridge section, or various scratching intros by Joe. Among the various live performances of "Papercut," one of the most infamous is its October 15, 2007 performance in Melbourne, Australia, where Chester broke his wrist during the song, only five songs into the show. Attempting the jump off the high risers set up on the stage, his foot was caught and he fell several feet to the lower main stage area during the intro. Chester continued and finished "Papercut" and several songs following before the show was stopped for him to have it looked at. Despite his wrist obviously being broken, he chose to finish the show that day. After years of being a consistent fixture, "Papercut" saw its first significant absence from setlists in 2008, when it rotated in and out. In 2009, the song was dropped entirely for the first time. However, it returned during the A Thousand Suns cycle, alternating with "Lying from You" as a rotating slot, and 2011 marked the last time "Papercut" would be cut or rotated out of headlining performances. With the Living Things cycle’s several medley performances, "Papercut" was shortened for the first time, as it began alternating between this version, paired in a medley with a similarly truncated "Lying from You," and full performance. The shortened format continued into 2014, where it was paired with an instrumental "Blackout" intro. In 2015, "Papercut" returned as a consistent full-length performance, and was used to open nearly every show that year. The song received a special intro when used as an opener for Linkin Park’s BlizzCon performance, using elements from the score of the Blizzard game World of Warcraft. "Papercut" would then go on to be an encore opener for the band's shows in 2017. "Papercut" was also among the songs performed at the Hollywood Bowl for Linkin Park’s memorial show for Chester in October 2017. For "Papercut," Machine Gun Kelly joined as a guest on vocals, singing Chester’s typical verse and chorus parts. Mike, however, notably took the outro vocals on himself, singing Chester’s higher parts. Jon Green also took part in this performance, off to the side of the stage, where he provided additional backing vocals on the outro. Mike featured "Papercut" heavily on his solo Post Traumatic tours in 2018 and 2019, shortened as a mashup with his solo songs “About You” and "Over Again." This mashup included the first verse and chorus of "Papercut," before leading into its bridge and outro. Mike notably used a heavy vocoder effect on his vocals for the latter half of "Papercut," and altered the melody slightly. Phoenix joined Mike on bass for this medley on a few occasions during dates around the West Coast region of the United States. On September 5, 2024, "Papercut" was among the 14 songs performed by Linkin Park at their exclusive LPU From Zero announcement and comeback show at Warner Bros. Studios' Stage 30. "Papercut" served as the penultimate song for the setlist, following a playback intro referred to as "Resolution Intro A," featuring vocal elements of "Castle of Glass." "Papercut" was also notable for being performed in its original key, unlike most other songs from Hybrid Theory and Meteora. The song went on to become the encore opener for the remaining shows of the 2024 From Zero world tour, opening the encore set following one of three variations of the Resolution intro, featuring vocals from either "Castle of Glass," "Iridescent," or "Burn It Down."
Awesome write-up @Christøffer ! I like how you emphasized the transition from the rhythmic-focused first part into the melodic-centered outro. Never thought about it this way, but the song is really built that way. Interesting that a band famous for its big melodic choruses started its first album with a rhythmic chorus instead, only to switch to their main element during the final section. The bit about Mike wanting to challenge Chester's outfit for the video was totally new to me ------------------------------ About the song : As soon as the intro of Papercut hits, you know you’re about to experience something special. This song is one of the definitive Linkin Park tracks. It stands at a meeting point of urgency, anxiety, tension, energy, and relief. Everything about it sounds just right, from the rhythmic department to the guitar riff, the samples, and the scratching. To this day, the climax of this song remains one of Linkin Park's bests in their entire discography and has become an essential part of any Linkin Park show. To me, Papercut is a song that symbolizes the mix of influences and ideas in Linkin Park's music and, to a certain extent, the spirit of exchange and community-building around this band. There is something special about the outro of this song being sung together by Mike, Chester, Emily, and the tens of thousands attending their shows. This song is the first of their official discography, and it is also their first masterpiece.
After so many years where we've been exposed to so much music and broadened ourselves in that way, I feel like there's so much more to notice and appreciate in "Papercut" and the way in which it all clicks together. In the intro alone, the way it blends the breakbeats with the live drums, guitars and turntablism, there's so much going on and so much to be impressed by when you go into it a little more educated on the different sounds and influences that the band was drawing from, or just with a better understanding of how the elements are playing together. Even today, I think acts that draw from rock, hip-hop and beyond still couldn't strike a balance as natural as this. And that's obviously before you get to the vocals. "Papercut" is one of the best uses of Shinoda's rapping in the whole discography. The crushing and glitching on the effects layers, and the way Chester's melodic parts are incorporated - little aggressive phrases to close out the choruses, but switching it up massively for the bridge and onward - are all things that feel so tasteful and specific, especially in how they dovetail with the lyricism. The way the song evolves in the bridge could almost be described as daring when you consider what happens throughout the first two thirds, and it continues to build and remain exciting from there. On top of all this, the band does it live, essentially without having to compromise on any of those qualities - the core way in which all the instrumental elements come together, the way in which everything hits, it's all just still there, in the way which is so specific to LP that cover acts couldn't quite achieve it (admittedly, I'm very biased). Shinoda's sounding much more aggressive, there's some screaming added throughout the verses to make them even more dynamic, there's that extra fill Bourdon would do towards the end that I always loved, and those are all great choices for a live version. My favourite thing about the Reanimation version is probably the way the bridge is arranged. Conceptually, it's similar to what happens in the original, but the vocals and guitars are chopped up so much, which creates a more frantic and chaotic energy, albeit in a more hip-hop context. These aren't the kinds of remix directions I like best anymore, but I still appreciate the way they're so easy to enjoy if you liked the originals.
The first Linkin Park song I ever heard because my first LP experience was just putting the Hybrid Theory CD into the CD player and liatening in one go. I never heard anything like Papercut before, though I was 5, I didn't hear much at all before. Still one of their best songs. The bridge is different than the rest of HybridTheory and Meteora bridges, as in most LP songs back then the bridge is the heaviest part, with screaming and heavier more aggressive riffs, but with Papercut, the bridge is like a reprieve, it's way more melodic and pretty than the rest of the song, with Chester's vocals being more like how he'd sing in Minutes to Midnight and onwards, a break from the anger and aggression before it comes back for the final chorus.
Papercut is about a very particular kind of depression to me. It becomes a whole different kind of beast the moment the one experiencing it starts to realize, or buy into the idea, that they’ve wasted a lot of their own time while those around them don’t seem to be experiencing this issue. To me, Papercut is about feeling those eyes on you. You know anyone who cares enough can tell something is off. It feels like you’re being analyzed at best, and judged at worst, and what makes it worse is you’re doing the same thing to yourself, even in situations where you’re the only one beating yourself up. Carl Jung’s concept of the shadow, anyone? If Linkin Park’s mission from the gate was to wage war on our darkness, then later on in life I find that this song really was the perfect way to set sail and I’m glad it was the first song I ever heard by them, followed by the rest of HT in order. The full album experience was mind blowing back then and the fact that it went that way for me is such a happy coincidence. Now, every time this song comes on I’m instantly reminded of the entire experience. Instrumentally, they made a conceptual impression from the gate. The opening drums were a captivating balance of volatile but muted. The opening synths sounded like a siren going off. Then, when the wall of sound guitar comes in for the first time the chord progression even feels like a whirlwind to me. It all really personifies a rage within feeling out of control, paralyzingly introspective, and behind. The bridge and the rest of the way through then offers a softer, more vulnerable frustration of feeling like another day has come and gone and I’m still stuck. That evolution makes it an everlasting classic that dulls the edge of early nu-metal and LP. It was ahead of its own progressive curve that it was born of and that’s some of the highest praise I feel I can give any song off of Hybrid Theory. Lastly, just to heap some Reanimation praise, conceptualizing the feeling was even better with all the glitchy vocals. I loved the way that the synth was a bit easier to hear come in to herald the chorus, too. And the new verses are fantastic elaborations on said feeling of being stuck as your own worst enemy. I’m reminded of a song by Bleachers, “I Wanna Get Better”, where the lyrics are “I didn’t know I was broken ‘till I wanted to change.”
Other than the chorus being not chorus-y enough, I love this song. Great riffs, both the main and the verse. The rapping in the verses is some of Mike's best, and the bridge mostly makes up for the lack of Chester-ness on the chorus. 8.5/10 for me
This is their best song imo. Mike's rapping, the back and forth between him and Chester, the atmosphere, the energy. Everything clicks so well and it sounds so effortless, it's unbelievable. There's so much going on in this song, it would be too much to list every little detail.
Great fucking post Chris! When i started listening to LP, i kinda ignored this song (i was 14, sorry ). But with time the song was burned stronger and stronger in my mind and its a god damn hit. Just the first few seconds show you that you are in for a ride. The perfect play between Mike and Chester in the verse vs. chorus type. The bridge is also just amazing. The way Chester sings "The Sun goes down" gives me always chills, combining with the return of the chorus its such a unique way a track ends in their discography. And performed live the song always rock hard. Emily definitely knows what she is doing too. One of the few tracks i hope they wont drop for the tour next year (which wouldnt happen propably anyway, but who knows). Also love how the video and the lyrics together are giving a kinda halloween vibe
Papercut is a song that transcends all of the problems I have with the nu-metal era of Linkin Park. It does everything right. The lyrics aren't cringey. Mike's rap verses are some of his best ever. The bass guitar actually adds something tangible to the song. The percussion in the verses is tremendous as well. Papercut is very clearly at least a 9.5/10, and a 10/10 with nostalgia. The best song on this album. Lightning in a bottle P.S. I will add my voice to the everlasting debate about which song has Chester's first "rap". It's obviously this one. Not Blackout. The chorus is very obviously rapping and not singing. There are also other songs on this album where Chester is clearly rapping (By Myself, Forgotten)
OMG, the bass lick midway through the final double chorus is something I didn't notice for nearly 10 years