Commercial performance
"Somewhere I Belong" was officially released to U.S. radio on March 18, 2003. The song reached the top thirty on the Hot 100 Airplay, and the following week it debuted at No. 47 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It peaked at No. 32 during its fifteenth week on the chart and remained on the listing until its twentieth week. The song entered the top ten on the majority of the Billboard charts on which it appeared. It proved to be highly popular on rock radio, reaching No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts. It was listed at No. 24 on the Modern Rock Tracks decade-end chart. In Canada, "Somewhere I Belong" was officially released to radio in March 2003. It reached the top five on the Canadian Singles Chart, peaking at No. 3.
"Somewhere I Belong" was released in Australia, Europe and New Zealand in May 2003. The single reached No. 1 in New Zealand and the top ten in the Ireland and Japan, and it was a moderate top-twenty success in Australia, Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. It additionally reached the top forty in France and Belgium.
Music video
The video was directed by the band's turntablist, Joseph Hahn. It presents the band playing the song in front of a fire, with occasional shots of Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda in front of a waterfall with what appears to be monks around them. The doors in what is supposedly Bennington's room have the Chinese characters for fire and water, which possibly represent the waterfall and burning fire behind Shinoda while rapping.
During the video, on a dresser sits several props, most notably, Master Grade Gunpla models of the MSN-04 Sazabi from Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack, XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero (EW Version) from Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, and RX-78GP01-Fb Gundam "Zephyranthes" Full Burnern from Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. At the last time they sing the chorus, the bed sets on fire, and forms the Hybrid Theory Soldier. Near the ending of the video, tall, long-legged, tusked creatures that were on a painting (reminiscent of Salvador Dalí's The Elephants and The Temptation of St. Anthony) behind Chester's bed march past, even at one point the creature paintings seemed to move before stopping again. It was awarded as Best Rock Video at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, and was the first music video broadcast on Fuse TV. MTV's James Montgomery named the video as Linkin Park's fifth best, saying that while the video is "massive", he said "it's the minimal touches that make it one of their all-time best", and called the end result a "stirring, powerful piece".
As of October 2020, the song has 192 million views on YouTube.
Somewhere I Belong
LINKIN PARK Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had nothing to say
And I'd get lost in the nothingness inside of me
(I was confused)
And I let it all out to find that
I'm not the only person with these things in mind (inside of me)
But all the vacancy the words revealed
Is the only real thing that I got left to feel (nothing to lose)
And the fault is my own
And the fault is my own
I want to heal, I want to feel
What I thought was never real
I want to let go of the pain I felt so long (erase all the pain 'til it's gone)
I want to heal, I want to feel
Like I'm close to something real
I want to find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong
And I've got nothing to say
I can't believe I didn't fall right down on my face (I was confused)
Looking everywhere only to find
That it's not the way I had imagined it all in my mind (so what am I?)
What do I have but negativity?
'Cause I can't justify the way everyone is looking at me (nothing to lose)
Nothing to gain, hollow and alone
And the fault is my own
And the fault is my own
I want to heal, I want to feel
What I thought was never real
I want to let go of the pain I've held so long (erase all the pain 'til it's gone)
I want to heal, I want to feel
Like I'm close to something real
I want to find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong
I will never know myself until I do this on my own
And I will never feel
Anything else until my wounds are healed
I will never be
Anything 'til I break away from me
I will break away, I'll find myself today
I want to heal, I want to feel
What I thought was never real
I want to let go of the pain I felt so long (erase all the pain 'til it's gone)
I want to heal, I want to feel
Like I'm close to something real
I want to find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong
I want to heal I want to feel like I'm
Somewhere I belong
I want to heal I want to feel like I'm somewhere I belong
Somewhere I belong
In “Somewhere I Belong,” Linkin Park describes their personal strife with feeling alone and detached from the world around them. The song begins with the singer admitting they are at a loss for words, expressing feeling lost within themselves. It isn't until they reach out to others that they realize that their internal struggles are not entirely unique. However, the singer's communication does not necessarily alleviate their feelings of emptiness, rather it reveals an uncomfortable reality. Although there is comfort in knowing they are not alone, their newfound awareness only leads to a greater awareness of the void within them. The sorrowful chorus and frustration in the lyrics express a hopeful desire to feel connected to something authentic and real.
The song has some interesting facts linked to its composition, impact and legacy in music. Here are a few facts:
* “Somewhere I Belong” was co-written by Linkin Park bandmates Brad Delson, Rob Bourdon, Mike Shinoda, Phoenix and Chester Bennington. It was released on March 17, 2003, as the first single from their second studio album, “Meteora.”
* The song took two years to come to fruition. During that time, the band focused solely on music, with each member experimenting with new sounds and ideas on their individual instruments.
* “Somewhere I Belong” helped to solidify Linkin Park's sound and introduced more prominent guitar riffs into their style.
* The music video for “Somewhere I Belong” powerfully complements the song's message. It features Chester Bennington walking through various desolate and surreal landscapes as though he is searching for his place in the world.
* Despite a few mixed reviews, “Somewhere I Belong” was a commercial success. It reached the top ten of various charts worldwide, including reaching #32 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
* “Somewhere I Belong” was nominated for “Best Rock Video” at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards.
* Mike Shinoda has spoken about the inspiration behind the lyrics, saying that the song reflects a common theme for the band and their listeners, feeling out of place or disconnected from the world around them.
* The song is often cited by Linkin Park fans as a personal favorite and a powerful reflection of the band's emotional depth.
* “Somewhere I Belong” remains one of Linkin Park's most celebrated and recognized songs to this day, with its haunting melody and emotionally-charged lyrics.
* The chords for “Somewhere I Belong” are A5, C#5, D5, E5, F#5, and G#5.
Chords:
Verse:
A5 - C#5 - E5 - D5 - A5
A5 - C#5 - E5 - D5 - F#5
Chorus:
D5 - F#5 - A5 - E5
D5 - F#5 - C#5 - E5
D5 - F#5 - A5 - E5
D5 - F#5 - C#5 - E5
Bridge:
F#5 - E5 - A5 - D5
F#5 - E5 - D5 - A5
F#5 - E5 - A5 - D5
F#5 - E5 - D5 - A5
Outro:
A5 - C#5 - E5 - D5 - A5
A5 - C#5 - E5 - D5 - F#5
Line by Line Meaning
When this began
At the start of this journey
I had nothing to say
I was lost and couldn't express myself
And I'd get lost in the nothingness inside of me
I felt confused and aimless, my thoughts felt empty
And I let it all out to find that
I shared my thoughts and realized
I'm not the only person with these things in mind (inside of me)
Others have similar thoughts and experiences
But all the vacancy the words revealed
Despite sharing, emptiness still persisted
Is the only real thing that I got left to feel (nothing to lose)
The emptiness is the only thing that feels real and familiar
Just stuck, hollow and alone
I feel trapped, empty, and isolated
And the fault is my own
I take responsibility for my own feelings
I want to heal, I want to feel
I desire to recover and experience true emotions
What I thought was never real
The illusions and lies I believed were never true
I want to let go of the pain I felt so long (erase all the pain 'til it's gone)
I seek to release long-held suffering and forget it completely
Like I'm close to something real
As if I'm nearing a sense of authenticity and fulfillment
I want to find something I've wanted all along
I yearn to discover something that I've always desired
I can't believe I didn't fall right down on my face (I was confused)
I'm surprised I didn't completely lose my way
Looking everywhere only to find
Despite searching, I only realize
That it's not the way I had imagined it all in my mind (so what am I?)
That reality doesn't match my fantasies and leaves me questioning myself
What do I have but negativity?
I feel burdened by pessimistic thoughts and emotions
'Cause I can't justify the way everyone is looking at me (nothing to lose)
I cannot find a rationale for how others view and judge me
Nothing to gain, hollow and alone
I perceive no benefits, and instead feel emptiness and solitude
I will never know myself until I do this on my own
I need to embark on this journey alone to truly understand myself
And I will never feel
I won't experience genuine emotions
Anything else until my wounds are healed
Unless I'm fully healed from past hurt, I won't feel anything else
I will never be
I won't become anything else
Anything 'til I break away from me
Unless I move beyond my own self-imposed limitations, I won't become anything else
I will break away, I'll find myself today
I'll break free from my current state and discover myself today
I want to heal I want to feel like I'm
I desire to recover and feel like
Somewhere I belong
I wish to find a place where I truly belong
I want to heal I want to feel like I'm somewhere I belong
I want to heal and belong somewhere
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Brad Delson, Chester Charles Bennington, Dave Farrell, Joseph Hahn, Mike Shinoda, Robert G. Bourdon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@moonchild6402
When this began
I had nothing to say
And I get lost in the nothingness inside of me
(I was confused)
And I let it all out to find
That I'm not the only person with these things in mind
But all that they can see the words revealed
Is the only real thing that I've got left to feel
(Nothing to lose)
Just stuck, hollow and alone
And the fault is my own, and the fault is my own
I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real
I wanna let go of the pain I've felt so long
(Erase all the pain 'til it's gone)
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm close to something real
I wanna find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong
And I've got nothing to say
I can't believe I didn't fall right down on my face
(I was confused)
Looking everywhere only to find
That it's not the way I had imagined it all in my mind
What do I have but negativity
'Cause I can't justify the way, everyone is looking at me
(Nothing to lose)
Nothing to gain, hollow and alone
And the fault is my own, and the fault is my own
I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real
I wanna let go of the pain I've felt so long
(Erase all the pain 'til it's gone)
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm close to something real
I wanna find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong
I will never know myself until I do this on my own
And I will never feel anything else, until my wounds are healed
I will never be anything 'til I break away from me
I will break away, I'll find myself today
I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real
I wanna let go of the pain I've felt so long
(Erase all the pain 'til it's gone)
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm close to something real
I wanna find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong
(I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm)
Somewhere I belong
(I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm)
Somewhere I belong
@RicemanTV
Who else is having a Linkin Park Marathon right now?
@ynsimha7663
Me too... man... 😢😢😢😢
@oogyboogy9345
here, here, didn't even realize I know as many songs as I do
@suckmyvenom
Riceman Are you seriously trying to get brownie points for someone's death?
@z000mbful
you fcking scumbag, eat some rice instead
@da_bachelor
Riceman Li Li Lee what you doing here man RIP Chester
@miguel10kchallengewith0video
If you are still listening to this legendary song after all these years, we got to be friends 😊
@mikscz
Im here, right now!
@AmongMario.
I’m here, what’s up my bro
@daytonmiddlebrook2131
Hey dude