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Bodies (Drowning Pool song)

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"Bodies"
Single by Drowning Pool
from the album Sinner
ReleasedMay 14, 2001
Recorded1999–2000
GenreNu metal[a]
Length3:24
LabelWind-up
Songwriter(s)
Drowning Pool singles chronology
"Bodies"
(2001) 		"Tear Away"
(2002)

"Bodies"[8] is the debut single by the American rock band Drowning Pool, released in May 2001 from their debut album Sinner. "Bodies" is Drowning Pool's signature song[8] and has been featured in various films, TV programs, and advertisements since its release. It was also the theme song for the 2001 WWF SummerSlam pay-per-view event, as well as that of the ECW brand in 2005 to early 2008, including the ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view events in 2005 and 2006.[9] During 2001, the song became popular but was briefly taken off radio stations due to the September 11 attacks due to the nature of the lyrics, though the song is lyrically about moshing. It was also meant to be vague in order for the viewer to have their own interpretation.[10]

An early version of "Bodies" appeared on their EP Pieces of Nothing, omitting the lyrics in the bridge and featuring a significantly greater amount of screaming.

Music and lyrics

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Considered a nu metal song,[1][11][12][4][13][14][15] "Bodies" features a heavy use of the lyric "let the bodies hit the floor". Its lyrics build by gradually counting up from one to four, shouting the number each time, until reaching its intense chorus. Clean vocals in the song's verses make a contrast from the many harsh vocals elsewhere. The guitar structure of "Bodies" features a heavy use of the wah pedal.

Drowning Pool's original vocalist Dave Williams talked about "Bodies" on Uranium, saying

CJ came up with the riff, and I thought that was cool and I said, 'Let the bodies hit the floor,' and they looked at me and said, 'That’s pretty cool.' We just built it around that hook and the rest fell in place. It’s about my perspective when I look out and see the pit. It’s about forgetting everything that has happened to you that week, leave your bullshit at the door and get it all out. But you have to have respect for the others in the pit. If you push them down, you have to pick them back up. I’m not going to get behind the violence thing, it is violent, but there is a certain amount of respect and a code.[16]

Commercial performance and critical reception

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Commercial performance

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The song peaked at number 6 on the Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in August 2001,[17] and No. 12 on the Alternative Songs charts in September 2001.[18] The song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on June 24, 2008, then certified platinum on January 31, 2019 with a million digital copies sold.[19] The song re-entered the chart in April 2016 and reached No. 6 on the Hard Rock Digital Song and No. 30 on the Rock Digital Songs charts.[20][21] It has sold 1,751,000 digital copies in the US as of April 2016.[22] On September 22, 2001, "Bodies" peaked at number 19 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. It also reached number 34 on the UK Singles Chart.[23]

Critical reception

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Rolling Stone called "Bodies" "Drowning Pool's finest moment on" Sinner.[24]

Music video

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Much like the song's radio success, the "Bodies" music video found significant airplay on various music channels in 2001. Directed by Glen Bennett, it has the band performing in what appears to be a psychiatric hospital, with Williams screaming the lyrics into the ear of a man strapped to a chair. Clips from the video were later used in the title animation for the music program Uranium.

Usage in media

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The song is used in the film trailers of Stop-Loss. It is also used in the opening scene of The One. The song was sampled by Shaquille O'Neal in "Thotties Hit the Floor" (2023).[25] Psychostick recorded a parody of the song called "Numbers (I Can Only Count to Four)" on their album Space Vampires vs Zombie Dinosaurs in 3D. The song was used in TV spots for Jason X.

Controversy and military's use of the song

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Due to the misinterpretation of its lyrics, the song created controversy. In 2011, the song was linked to the shooting of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, after it was discovered that the perpetrator, Jared Lee Loughner, had saved an unofficial video featuring the song while an American flag burns as a "favorite" on his YouTube account.[26] In response, the band issued a statement concerning the link: "We were devastated this weekend to learn of the tragic events that occurred in Arizona and that our music has been misinterpreted. 'Bodies' was written about the brotherhood of the moshpit and was never about violence." The band also added: "For someone to put out a video misinterpreting a song about a moshpit as fuel for a violent act shows just how sick they really are. We support those who do what they can to keep America safe. Our hearts go out to the victims and their families of this terrible tragedy".[26]

The song was used by interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay detention camps in 2003. "Bodies" was repeatedly played over a 10-day period during the interrogation of Mohamedou Ould Salahi while he was "exposed to variable lighting patterns" at the same time.[27][28] In 2006, Drowning Pool bassist Stevie Benton took pride in the military usage of the song. He said: "People assume we should be offended that somebody in the military thinks our song is annoying enough that, played over and over, it can psychologically break someone down. I take it as an honor to think that perhaps our song could be used to quell another 9/11 attack or something like that."[29]

In 2003, 19-year-old Joshua Cooke shot and killed his parents with his 12-gauge shotgun while listening to the song on headphones.[30]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Drowning Pool

No.TitleLength
1."Bodies"3:24
2."Bodies" (Live at Ozzfest)3:28
3."Sermon" (Total Rock Session, London)4:38
4."Bodies" (Video) 

Limited EP

No.TitleLength
1."Bodies" 
2."Tear Away" 
3."I Am" (Demo) 
4."Follow" (Demo) 

Vinyl

No.TitleLength
1."Bodies" 
2."Bodies" (Recorded Live at US Ozzfest, 2001) 

Bodies Remix Guitar Down promo CD

No.TitleLength
1."Bodies Remix" (Guitar Down)3:21

Promo CD

No.TitleLength
1."Bodies"3:24

Promo CD #2

No.TitleLength
1."Bodies" 
2."Tear Away" 

Charts

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Chart (2001–02) Peak
position
Scotland (OCC)[31] 33
UK Singles (OCC)[32] 34
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[33] 3
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[34] 19
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[35] 12
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[36] 6

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[19] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

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  1. ^ Multiple sources:[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

References

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  1. ^ a b Carol Vernallis; Amy Herzog; John Richardson (2013). The Oxford Handbook of Sound and Image in Digital Media. Oxford University Press. p. 315. ISBN 9780199757640.
  2. ^ "The Ultimate Nu Metal Mixtape". Kerrang!. (November 10, 2014)
  3. ^ Shumka, Dave. "10 nu metal songs that still hold up on CBC music". CBC Music. (February 14, 2013)
  4. ^ a b "Drowning Pool, Have They Finally Hit the Floor?". Thrash Magazine. May 27, 2012. Archived from the original on April 13, 2013.
  5. ^ Chesler, Josh (May 18, 2015). "10 Nu-metal Songs That Actually Don't Suck". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  6. ^ Zaleski, Anne (May 17, 2017). "The 30 Best Nu-Metal Songs". Spin. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  7. ^ Hill, Stephen (July 4, 2017). "The Top 40 nu-metal songs of all time". Metal Hammer. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  8. ^ a b Joseph P. Fisher; Brian Flota (2011). The Politics of Post-9/11 Music: Sound, Trauma, and the Music Industry in the Time of Terror. Ashgate Publishing. p. 189. ISBN 978-1-4094-2785-8.
  9. ^ "Bodies". WWE. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  10. ^ "Drowning Pool Reflect On Their Signature Song Being "Forever Linked To 9/11" Thanks To Radio Ban". Stereogum. September 9, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  11. ^ "The Ultimate Nu Metal Mixtape". Kerrang!. (November 10, 2014)
  12. ^ Shumka, Dave. "10 nu metal songs that still hold up on CBC music". CBC Music. (February 14, 2013)
  13. ^ Chesler, Josh (May 18, 2015). "10 Nu-metal Songs That Actually Don't Suck". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  14. ^ Zaleski, Anne (May 17, 2017). "The 30 Best Nu-Metal Songs". Spin. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  15. ^ Hill, Stephen (July 4, 2017). "The Top 40 nu-metal songs of all time". Metal Hammer. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  16. ^ "Drowning Pool – Interview with Dave Williams". Hip Online. July 3, 2001.
  17. ^ "Mainstream Rock Tracks". Billboard. August 25, 2001. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  18. ^ "Alternative Songs". Billboard. September 22, 2001. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  19. ^ a b "American single certifications – Drowning Pool – Bodies". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  20. ^ "Hard Rock Digital Songs". Billboard. April 16, 2016. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  21. ^ "Rock Digital Songs". Billboard. April 16, 2016. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  22. ^ "Nielsen SoundScan Charts". Nielsen. April 4, 2016.
  23. ^ "Chart Search". Billboard.[permanent dead link]
  24. ^ Abowitz, Richard (June 25, 2001). "Drowning Pool: Sinner : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 26, 2007. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  25. ^ "Shaq's New Hip-Hop Song 'Thotties Hit the Floor' Samples Drowning Pool". Loudwire. May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  26. ^ a b "Drowning Pool respond to Arizona shooting link with their song 'Bodies'". NME. IPC Media. January 11, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
  27. ^ "Musicians Protest Use of Music at Gitmo". CBS News. October 22, 2009.
  28. ^ "Welcome to". Michaelmoore.com. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  29. ^ "Music As Torture: Guantanamo Bay Feature". SPIN. November 30, 2006. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  30. ^ Perl, Peter (November 30, 2003). "'I Don't Think They Deserved It'". ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  31. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  32. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  33. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  34. ^ "Drowning Pool Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  35. ^ "Drowning Pool Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  36. ^ "Drowning Pool Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  37. ^ "British single certifications – Drowning Pool – Bodies". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
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