The song was later combined with Jay-Z's song "Encore" to create "Numb/Encore", a massive hit for both artists which was featured on the album Collision Course. A techno remix of "Numb" has received over 3 million views on YouTube. "Numb" was ranked #92 on Rhapsody's list of the Top 100 Tracks of the Decade.
Music Video
Directed by Joe Hahn, the indoor scenes of the music video are set in a church in Los Angeles, while the outdoor scenes are set in Prague, in the Czech Republic. The school interiors, the classroom, the corridor, and the outside playground are set in the Johannes Kepler's High School in Prague.
The video follows the domestic and social problems faced during a day in the life of an unpopular young female student (portrayed by Briana Evigan). The girl apparently spends much of her time drawing pictures, revealing that she probably has dreams of becoming an artist. She is largely ignored and ridiculed at school, considering that when she is told off by the teacher for drawing in class everybody laughs at her, when she trips on the stairs nobody stops to help her up, and when she tries to join a group of girls at a lunch table they immediately get up and leave. Also, there is a scene where her mother is ridiculing her for not being the daughter she wanted. There are also self-inflicted cut marks on her arms, which actually say "NUMB" - the title of the song. She is shown near the end of the video rubbing the marks after a stressful day and then deciding to work off her stress by throwing paint instead. At the end of the video, the girl runs into the church that the band was playing in, almost as if she heard them.
Throughout almost the whole video Chester Bennington has his eyes closed, they can just be seen open when he blinks as he sings the word: "Tightly" from the second verse starting: "Can't you see that you're smothering me?"
MuchMusic's 100 Best Videos ranked it at #40.
The track became one of Linkin Park's most critically-acclaimed songs, as well as one of their most commercially successful, peaking at #11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on February 24, 2004, and spending 3 weeks on top of the Mainstream Rock Tracks and 12 weeks on top of the Modern Rock Tracks. "Numb" was the 33rd-best-performing single on the Hot 100 in 2004. It was also successful in Oceania, peaking at #10 in Australia and #13 in New Zealand.
Numb
Linkin Park Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface
Don't know what you're expecting of me
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes
(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)
Every step that I take is another mistake to you
(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)
Become so tired, so much more aware
I'm becoming this, all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you
Can't you see that you're smothering me?
Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control
'Cause everything that you thought I would be
Has fallen apart right in front of you
(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)
Every step that I take is another mistake to you
(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)
And every second I waste is more than I can take
I've become so numb, I can't feel you there
Become so tired, so much more aware
I'm becoming this, all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you
And I know I may end up failing too
But I know you were just like me with someone disappointed in you
I've become so numb, I can't feel you there
Become so tired, so much more aware
I'm becoming this, all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you
I've become so numb, I can't feel you there
I'm tired of being what you want me to be
I've become so numb, I can't feel you there
I'm tired of being what you want me to be
In "Numb," Linkin Park tackles the difficult topic of identity and the pressure to conform to other people's expectations. The lyrics express the singer's exhaustion at being told what to do and who to be. Feeling weighed down by the constant pressure, the singer becomes numb, unable to feel any connection to the people or the world around him. The catchy and memorable chorus stands out from the rest of the song because it repeats the phrase, "I've become so numb," highlighting how the singer is aware of the numbness but is unable to escape it.
The song's verses describe how the singer makes mistakes because they are trying to live up to someone else's expectations, despite feeling like they are walking a path that's not their own. The line, "Every step that I take is another mistake to you," reflects the idea that the singer's mistakes are viewed as an even bigger failure because they have disappointed the person holding them to these expectations. The chorus then reveals how the singer has become numb, unable to feel or connect with the world around them. The bridge of the song suggests that the singer knows that others have been in the same situation, but it's up to him to be true to himself.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm tired of being what you want me to be
I am exhausted from feeling like I must conform to your expectations.
Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface
I feel hopeless and disconnected from myself, buried under your expectations.
Don't know what you're expecting of me
I am unsure of what you want from me, yet I still feel the pressure to please you.
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes
I am feeling overwhelmed trying to meet your standards, like I must emulate your situation exactly.
(Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow)
I feel stuck and unable to move forward, trapped in your expectations.
Every step that I take is another mistake to you
No matter what I do, it feels like I am failing in your eyes.
I've become so numb, I can't feel you there
I have become emotionally distant and detached, and can no longer connect with you.
Become so tired, so much more aware
I am exhausted from trying to please you and am now more aware of how your expectations have affected me negatively.
Is be more like me and be less like you
I want to embrace my own identity and be less like the person you want me to be.
Can't you see that you're smothering me?
You are suppressing my individuality and not allowing me to be my own person.
Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control
You are clinging on too tightly, unable to let go and relinquish control.
'Cause everything that you thought I would be
You have specific expectations on who I should be and are disappointed when I don't live up to them.
Has fallen apart right in front of you
Your vision of who I should be has crumbled, and you are not happy with the result.
And every second I waste is more than I can take
Every moment I expend trying to meet your expectations is draining and unbearable.
And I know I may end up failing too
I understand that I am not immune to failure, and that I may disappoint you.
But I know you were just like me with someone disappointed in you
I realize that you too have experienced the pain of failing to meet someone's expectations.
I've become so numb, I can't feel you there
I have distanced myself so much from you that I cannot feel your presence anymore.
I'm tired of being what you want me to be
I no longer want to conform to your expectations and be the person you want me to be.
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
Elmhier Seyer AtenCio
ang ganda tlga nito :)
Lika
1 billion. we made chester proud.
sprocket685
wow!!! just searched the vid to check out the views and thats just mindblowing. This proves the connection this band with their music and the deep hard hitting lyrics with chester as the instrument has to a massive fanbase!! :)
Sparx
And yet we're 5 billion behind Despacito
Tipsy
I agree
Baibhab Adhikari
Rip Chester...
фркц крмт јбт
Yet he saved many people from suicide, thanks to him :) R.I.P Man ill never forget you!
SJ's Doodle Adventures!
2 billion views, well deserved. Rest in peace Chester. You are gone but will never be forgotten. Your voice will live on forever.
Данил Данил
it deserves much more
Evan Editz
This will always be one of my most favourite songs to date. This song always helps me calm down, thank you for everything chester, may you rest in peace.