Duality (song)
Encyclopedia
"Duality" is a song by the American heavy metal
band Slipknot
, the song was released as the first single from their third album Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)
, released in 2004. The music video was listed as Roadrunner Records
' greatest video of all-time.
ed version is three minutes and thirty-three seconds long. The song opens with lead vocalist
Corey Taylor
softly saying "I push my fingers into my...", leading up to lead guitarist
Mick Thomson playing a riff
while Taylor finishes the sentence with "...eyes", in a much more intense voice. The song is played in Dropped B tuning (which most of Slipknot's songs are tuned to) and features an alternative metal style.
Unlike many previous Slipknot singles, "Duality", like all the songs on Vol. 3, does not have explicit
content within the lyrics. Thomson explained in an 2008 interview that vocalist Taylor was relying on explicit content in the lyrics, and wanted to try something "different". This was echoed by Jim Root in a 2011 interview. Allmusic said that "Duality"'s lyrics "aren't unique" to Slipknot but described it as "otherwise strong". Stylus Magazine
said "Duality" had a "grindcore riff". Q Magazine wrote that the song "blow[s] the competition away". The BBC declared it "a pop-metal classic".
on May 4, 2004.
On May 25 the single was released on 7-inch red vinyl to coincide with the release of the album. There is also a 7-inch picture disc release which includes the same track listing.
"Duality" reached band records of number five and six in the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and Hot Modern Rock Tracks charts (although on the former chart, the record has since been broken by "Dead Memories
" and eventually "Snuff
"). In the UK Single Chart, the song reached number 15. The song also charted on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart at #6 (their second highest charting song on the chart, behind "Psychosocial
"). To promote the single, the band also made an appearance on The Tonight Show
with Jay Leno
.
The song is included in the football video game Madden NFL 10
and is included as DLC for the Rock Band series of video games on December 8, 2009
In 2010, the song was used for the debut trailer for the game nail'd
.
Jack Osbourne
ranked the song #2 on his list of "101 Adrenaline Rock Songs", with "Smells Like Teen Spirit
" by Nirvana
beating it to the #1 spot.
, directed by Tony Petrossian
, was produced at a cost between $300,000 and $500,000 and was recorded on March 27, 2004. It was shot on location at a fan's house in Des Moines, Iowa
which was due for renovation, the aftermath of which resulted in the family asking the band to replace an extensive list of objects and fittings which were damaged or destroyed during the video shoot. Roadrunner Records provided the family with roughly $50,000 as compensation. The video is available on the CD single and the DVD; Voliminal: Inside the Nine
, which was released in 2006. Mid-way through shooting the video, the band and fans were asked to avoid jumping around too much, as it would have resulted in either the floor caving in or the entire house collapsing. Fans were also told to be careful around Craig Jones as the nails in his mask may hit them.
The video starts with a large crowd of fans,running towards the camera which is clearly behind a window. As the song switches in intensity the video cuts to shots inside the house of the band performing in very close quarters with the fans. The video constantly switches between clips of the band performing and fans destroying the house and the surrounding environment. At one point in the video, when lead singer Corey Taylor sings the lyrics, "You cannot kill what you did not create", the words are seen painted on the garage door behind the crowd of fans. Near the end of the song there is a coda section where the music and singing builds up to a highly energetic section. Prior to this Corey seemingly calms the crowd with an outstretched arm, which is followed with Corey pacing through the crowd repeating the lyrics "All I've got, all I've got is insane". Then the scene cuts and an even larger crowd is situated outside watching the performance. Once the chorus begins again the crowd immediately continues to destroy their surroundings and the song suddenly ends. It was revealed later that the band had simply performed the song several times while the crowd vandalised the house, and the resulting footage was edited to produce the video.
.
CD Single
Promo CD
7" Vinyl
Limited Edition CD
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
, the song was released as the first single from their third album Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)
Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)
Vol. 3: is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot. The album was released on May 25, 2004, through Roadrunner Records, and a special edition, containing a bonus disc, was released on April 12, 2005. It is the band’s only album produced by Rick Rubin and also the only one not...
, released in 2004. The music video was listed as Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
' greatest video of all-time.
Musical structure
The album version of "Duality" is four minutes and twelve seconds long, and the radio editRadio edit
In music, a radio edit is a modification to make a song more suitable for airplay, whether it be adjusted for length, profanity, subject matter, instrumentation, or form...
ed version is three minutes and thirty-three seconds long. The song opens with lead vocalist
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Corey Taylor
Corey Taylor
Corey Todd Taylor sometimes known by the number 8, is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of Slipknot and Stone Sour. Taylor was raised by his single mother. He developed a fond feeling toward classic rock after his grandmother introduced him to it...
softly saying "I push my fingers into my...", leading up to lead guitarist
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
Mick Thomson playing a riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
while Taylor finishes the sentence with "...eyes", in a much more intense voice. The song is played in Dropped B tuning (which most of Slipknot's songs are tuned to) and features an alternative metal style.
Unlike many previous Slipknot singles, "Duality", like all the songs on Vol. 3, does not have explicit
Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory is a message affixed by the Recording Industry Association of America to audio and recordings in the United States containing excessive use of profane language and/or sexual references. Albums began to be labeled for "explicit lyrics" in 1985, after pressure from the Parents...
content within the lyrics. Thomson explained in an 2008 interview that vocalist Taylor was relying on explicit content in the lyrics, and wanted to try something "different". This was echoed by Jim Root in a 2011 interview. Allmusic said that "Duality"'s lyrics "aren't unique" to Slipknot but described it as "otherwise strong". Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
said "Duality" had a "grindcore riff". Q Magazine wrote that the song "blow[s] the competition away". The BBC declared it "a pop-metal classic".
Release and reception
"Duality" was originally released as a CD singleCD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
on May 4, 2004.
On May 25 the single was released on 7-inch red vinyl to coincide with the release of the album. There is also a 7-inch picture disc release which includes the same track listing.
"Duality" reached band records of number five and six in the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and Hot Modern Rock Tracks charts (although on the former chart, the record has since been broken by "Dead Memories
Dead Memories
"Dead Memories" is a song by American heavy metal band Slipknot. The song was released as the third single from their fourth album All Hope Is Gone. The track was released on December 1, 2008. The music video for the single was directed by P. R. Brown and Shawn Crahan. The video premiered on MTV2...
" and eventually "Snuff
Snuff (song)
"Snuff" is a power ballad by American heavy metal band Slipknot, Released as the fifth single from their fourth album All Hope Is Gone on September 28, 2009, the song charted at number two on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, their highest charted single to date, surpassing "Dead...
"). In the UK Single Chart, the song reached number 15. The song also charted on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart at #6 (their second highest charting song on the chart, behind "Psychosocial
Psychosocial (song)
"Psychosocial" is a song by American heavy metal band Slipknot. It is released as the second single and fourth track from their fourth studio album, All Hope Is Gone. The song entered airplay on June 26, 2008 and was originally planned for release as a digital single on July 1 but was delayed and...
"). To promote the single, the band also made an appearance on The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
with Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
.
The song is included in the football video game Madden NFL 10
Madden NFL 10
For the tenth installment in the Madden series, see Madden 64Madden NFL 10 is an American football video game based on the National Football League that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 21st annual installment in the Madden NFL video game franchise...
and is included as DLC for the Rock Band series of video games on December 8, 2009
In 2010, the song was used for the debut trailer for the game nail'd
Nail'd
Nail'd is an off-road arcade racing game developed by Techland for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Nail'd was released on 30 November 2010 in North America and on 4 February 2011 in Europe. It is currently available in both regions via digital download from Steam. The game focuses on...
.
Jack Osbourne
Jack Osbourne
Jack Joseph Osbourne is an English media personality, best known as the son of musician Ozzy Osbourne and music manager Sharon Osbourne, and brother of Aimee and Kelly Osbourne.-Early life and family:...
ranked the song #2 on his list of "101 Adrenaline Rock Songs", with "Smells Like Teen Spirit
Smells Like Teen Spirit
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana. It is the opening track and lead single from the band's second album, Nevermind , released on DGC Records...
" by Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
beating it to the #1 spot.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, directed by Tony Petrossian
Tony Petrossian
Tony Petrossian is an acclaimed director of commercials and music videos. Today, he is best known for his work in television advertisements and music videos. He has directed spots for brands including McDonald's, Nike, Subway, Zoo York, Beeline, Sony Ericsson, the Environmental Defense Fund and...
, was produced at a cost between $300,000 and $500,000 and was recorded on March 27, 2004. It was shot on location at a fan's house in Des Moines, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
which was due for renovation, the aftermath of which resulted in the family asking the band to replace an extensive list of objects and fittings which were damaged or destroyed during the video shoot. Roadrunner Records provided the family with roughly $50,000 as compensation. The video is available on the CD single and the DVD; Voliminal: Inside the Nine
Voliminal: Inside the Nine
Voliminal: Inside the Nine is the third video album by American heavy metal band Slipknot. Released December 5, 2006 through Roadrunner Records, the 2-disc DVD set features an 84 minute movie created by band member Shawn "Clown" Crahan. The set also includes live performances, music videos from...
, which was released in 2006. Mid-way through shooting the video, the band and fans were asked to avoid jumping around too much, as it would have resulted in either the floor caving in or the entire house collapsing. Fans were also told to be careful around Craig Jones as the nails in his mask may hit them.
The video starts with a large crowd of fans,running towards the camera which is clearly behind a window. As the song switches in intensity the video cuts to shots inside the house of the band performing in very close quarters with the fans. The video constantly switches between clips of the band performing and fans destroying the house and the surrounding environment. At one point in the video, when lead singer Corey Taylor sings the lyrics, "You cannot kill what you did not create", the words are seen painted on the garage door behind the crowd of fans. Near the end of the song there is a coda section where the music and singing builds up to a highly energetic section. Prior to this Corey seemingly calms the crowd with an outstretched arm, which is followed with Corey pacing through the crowd repeating the lyrics "All I've got, all I've got is insane". Then the scene cuts and an even larger crowd is situated outside watching the performance. Once the chorus begins again the crowd immediately continues to destroy their surroundings and the song suddenly ends. It was revealed later that the band had simply performed the song several times while the crowd vandalised the house, and the resulting footage was edited to produce the video.
Charts
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
28 |
| Sweden Singles Top 60 | 35 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
43 |
| French Singles Chart | 74 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
87 |
| UK Rock Chart UK Rock Chart The UK Rock Chart usually refers to the Top 40 Rock Singles and the Top 40 Rock Albums Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company from physical record sales in British retail outlets with larger than average genrespecific sales.... |
1 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
15 |
| US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100... |
6 |
| US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 5 |
| US Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 6 |
Track listings
All songs written by SlipknotSlipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
.
CD Single
- Duality (Single Version) - 3:33
- Don't Get Close (Duality Demo) - 3:45
- Disasterpiece (Live) - 5:25
- Duality (Video)
Promo CD
- Duality (Edit) - 3:33
- Duality (Album Version) - 4:13
7" Vinyl
- Duality (Single Version) - 3:33
- Don't Get Close (Duality Demo) - 3:45
Limited Edition CD
- Duality (Single Version) - 3:33
- Don't Get Close - 3:45
Release history
| Year | Type | Label | Catalog | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 12-inch 12-inch single The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality... |
Roadrunner Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:... |
3988-7 | |
| 2004 | 7-inch Single (music) In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear... |
Roadrunner | 13984-7 | |
| 2004 | LP LP album The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry... |
Roadrunner | RR 3988 | |
| 2004 | CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... |
Roadrunner | 3988-0 | |
| 2004 | CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... |
Universal | 6139883 |