Bodies (Drowning Pool song)

Music and lyrics

Considered a nu metal song, "Bodies" features 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:

Commercial performance and critical reception

Commercial performance

The song peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in August 2001, and No. 12 on the Alternative Songs charts in September 2001. 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. The song re-entered the chart in April 2016 and reached No. 6 on the Hard Rock Digital Songs and No. 30 on the Rock Digital Songs charts. It has sold 1,751,000 digital copies in the US as of April 2016. 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.

Critical reception

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

Music video

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 shows 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

The song was used in the film trailers for Jason X (2001) and Stop-Loss (2008), as well as the season 3 trailer for horror drama series Yellowjackets (2021–present). It is also used in the opening scene of The One (2001). The song is commonly associated with being used in early YouTube videos, particularly in use with videos involving video games.

The song was sampled by Shaquille O'Neal in "Thotties Hit the Floor" (2023). 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 (2011).

The song has also seen prominent use across various professional wrestling promotions, being used as the official theme song for WWF SummerSlam 2001 and WWE's revival of ECW from 2006 to 2007, as well as the 2005 and 2006 editions of One Night Stand and the 2006 December to Dismember event. The song was also played during the Anarchy in the Arena match at All Elite Wrestling (AEW)'s 2025 Double or Nothing event.

The band performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as a mashup with Offset and J.I.D's track "Bodies", which itself samples the song.

Controversy

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. 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".

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. 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."

On February 17, 2003, 19-year-old Joshua Cooke shot and killed his parents with his 12 gauge Remington Model 870 shotgun while listening to the song on his headphones with a CD player.

Track listing

Limited EP

Vinyl

Bodies Remix Guitar Down promo CD

Promo CD

Promo CD #2

Charts

Certifications

Notes

References

References

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2. "Bodies".
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4. Zaleski, Annie. (2017-05-17). "The 30 Best Nu-Metal Songs".
5. (2013). "The Oxford Handbook of Sound and Image in Digital Media". [[Oxford University Press]].
6. "The Ultimate Nu Metal Mixtape".
7. Shumka, Dave. "10 nu metal songs that still hold up on CBC music". CBC Music.
8. (May 27, 2012). "Drowning Pool, Have They Finally Hit the Floor?". Thrash Magazine.
9. Chesler, Josh. (May 18, 2015). "10 Nu-metal Songs That Actually Don't Suck". [[Phoenix New Times]].
10. (May 17, 2017). "The 30 Best Nu-Metal Songs".
11. Hill, Stephen. (July 4, 2017). "The Top 40 nu-metal songs of all time".
12. (April 28, 2020). "The 10 best songs by the 10 worst nu metal bands". Louder Sound.
13. (3 July 2001). "Drowning Pool – Interview with Dave Williams". Hip Online.
14. (August 25, 2001). "Mainstream Rock Tracks".
15. (September 22, 2001). "Alternative Songs".
16. (April 16, 2016). "Hard Rock Digital Songs".
17. (April 16, 2016). "Rock Digital Songs".
18. (April 4, 2016). "Nielsen SoundScan Charts". Nielsen.
19. (June 2021). "Chart Search".
20. Abowitz, Richard. (June 25, 2001). "Drowning Pool: Sinner : Music Reviews".
21. (May 5, 2023). "Shaq's New Hip-Hop Song 'Thotties Hit the Floor' Samples Drowning Pool".
22. https://www.revolvermag.com/news/see-drowning-pool-offset-and-j-i-d-hit-bodies-on-fallon/
23. (January 11, 2011). "Drowning Pool respond to Arizona shooting link with their song 'Bodies{{'-}}". [[IPC Media]].
24. (October 22, 2009). "Musicians Protest Use of Music at Gitmo". CBS News.
25. "Welcome to". Michaelmoore.com.
26. (November 30, 2006). "Music As Torture: Guantanamo Bay Feature".
27. Perl, Peter. (2003-11-30). "'I Don't Think They Deserved It'". [[The Washington Post]].