Crawling (song)

Background

"Crawling" is one of the few songs on Hybrid Theory to not prominently feature Mike Shinoda's rapped lyrics. The intro to "Crawling" has been remixed in live versions over the years. Since 2008's Projekt Revolution, Mike Shinoda has rapped the first verse of "Hands Held High" over the intro to Reanimation version of "Crawling", titled "Krwlng" (featuring Staind frontman Aaron Lewis). In 2009, Shinoda rapped two verses of "Hands Held High" over the intro of "Crawling", whose first verse started with an a cappella or a bassline before the Reanimation intro started, in which Shinoda raps the second verse. Singer Chester Bennington remarked that "Crawling" was the most difficult Linkin Park song to sing live, stating "Crawling has caused me the most trouble live more than any other song." Bennington also commented on the meaning of "Crawling" by stating it was inspired by his own battles with substance abuse. "Crawling is about feeling like I had no control over myself in terms of drugs and alcohol, hence the line "These wounds they will not heal...". The song is recorded in the key of C♯ minor.

A live version of "Crawling" was included as a B-side to "Breaking the Habit".

Music video

The video was directed by the Brothers Strause. It portrays a young woman's inner conflict dealing with an abusive relationship. The woman (portrayed by Katelyn Rosaasen) closes off to the rest of the world, represented with the special effects of crystals forming around her. By the end, the crystals recede.

This video was supposed to have a "darker" ending to it when the first synopsis was written, being a take on Species where a psycho fan kills the band, but Warner Bros. rejected the idea, and the final ending was written in its place.

"Crawling" was the first music video with Dave Farrell in the band. Phoenix returned to Linkin Park just before they began work on this video.

The video was nominated for Best Rock video on MTV's Video Music Awards. It lost to Limp Bizkit's "Rollin".{{cite web | access-date = 2009-03-13 | archive-date = 2012-09-03 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120903195643/http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2648 | url-status = live

Bonus content

The bonus feature on the CD is the same footage that is a hidden easter egg on Frat Party at the Pankake Festival. However, the footage here is uncensored, while the footage on "Frat Party" is censored.

A "Strictly Limited Numbered Edition" DVD single was also released which includes a live version of "Crawling" that was performed at the Dragon Festival, though the audio is dubbed with the studio version of the song. The video has a multiple camera angle feature which allows viewers to see different camera angles of the performance with the use of the DVD remote control. The DVD also has four 30-second live snippets of "One Step Closer", "By Myself", "With You", and "A Place for My Head". The live video of "Crawling" is available on Warner Bros. Records YouTube channel, which was uploaded on February 9, 2010. The video is also available as a DVD extra to "Frat Party at the Pankake Festival".

Notable cover versions

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin performed a solo piano rendition of "Crawling" live in early August 2017. The performance was a tribute to Chester Bennington, who died by suicide on July 20, 2017.

Staind frontman Aaron Lewis performed a tribute version of "Crawling" live on stage on August 10, 2017, at Look Park in Florence, Massachusetts.

Jared Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars included "Crawling" in a mashup tribute to Bennington.

In other media

At the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, John and Sinead Kerr representing Great Britain performed the Reanimation version of "Krwling" in the figure skating ice dance final.

Commercial performance

The song has seen a success in many countries. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted and peaked at number 16 and stayed on the chart for eight weeks. It reached the top ten in Canada and Austria. It reached the top thirty and top forty in many countries, where it was more successful than "One Step Closer". However, it peaked only at number 79 in the United States, becoming their lowest charting single until they released "Given Up", which peaked at number 99, although it managed to peak at number five on the Modern Rock Track Chart and number three on the Mainstream Rock Track Chart. Despite the low peak, the song remained for 20 weeks at the bottom of the chart, which is longer than the 18 weeks spent by "One Step Closer".

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic for original release only. Linkin Park

• Chester Bennington – vocals
• Mike Shinoda – rap vocals, keyboards, programming, samples, artwork and production
• Brad Delson – guitars, bass guitar
• Joe Hahn – turntables, samples, synthesizers, artwork
• Rob Bourdon – drums, percussion

Production

• Don Gilmore – producer, engineering
• Steve Sisco – Engineering
• John Ewing Jr. – Additional engineering, Pro Tools
• Matt Griffin – Engineering assistance
• Andy Wallace – mixing
• Brian Gardner – Audio mastering, digital editing
• Jeff Blue – executive producer

Artwork

• Frank Maddocks – graphic design
• James Minchin III – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

References

1. (March 2, 2001). "'Crawl' or Nothing!".
2. (December 4, 2017). "Linkin Park Reveal Powerful Live Video For Crawling".
3. Green, Chris. (25 June 2015). "Linkin Park have launched a venture capital brand, but can such a company ever be rock n' roll?". [[The Independent]].
4. Edwards, Luke. (March 20, 2022). "Best Linkin Park Songs: 20 Classics That Launched A Nu-metal Revolution". Dig!.
5. Hyclak, Anna. (2009-07-17). "Linkin Park's Bennington Discusses His Drug Addiction | SPIN | Newswire". SPIN.
6. {{YouTube. JxOlViHqYMA. Linkin Park - The making of Crawling
7. "Crawling (Live Video Version) on YouTube".
8. (2 August 2017). "Watch Coldplay's Chris Martin Cover Linkin Park's 'Crawling'".
9. (5 August 2017). "Staind Reunion and Bennington + Cornell Tributes Highlight Aaron Lewis Charity Gig".
10. "Jared Leto Leads Moving Tribute to Chester Bennington, Chris Cornell, David Bowie, and More".
11. Anderson, Kyle. (February 23, 2010). "OLYMPIC ICE DANCING FEATURES CANADIAN VICTORY, LINKIN PARK".
12. "Hybrid Theory - Linkin Park - Credits". [[AllMusic]].
13. (August 11, 2001). "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles".
14. "Tipparade-lijst van week 18, 2002". [[Dutch Top 40]].
15. "Linkin Park Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)".
16. "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés – SNEP (Week 30, 2017)". [[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique]].
17. "Jahreshitparade Singles 2001".
18. "Jaaroverzichten 2001". Ultratop.
19. "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 2001". GfK Entertainment.
20. "Ireland-Top Singles for 2001". C&R.
21. "The Official UK Singles Chart 2001". [[ChartsPlus]].
22. (December 29, 2001). "The Year in Music 2001: Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks".
23. (December 29, 2001). "The Year in Music 2001: Hot Modern Rock Tracks".
24. "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2017".
25. [[Official Charts Company]]. (September 15, 2024). "They just scored their highest Singles Chart peak EVER with #TheEmptinessMachine, but what are @linkinpark's all-time biggest songs in the UK?". [[Instagram]].
26. (October 6, 2001). "New Releases - For Week Starting April 9, 2001/In-Store Next Week".
27. (April 2001). "Going For Adds".