"Powerless" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. The song was written by the band and produced by co-lead vocalist Mike Shinoda and Rick Rubin. Its working title was "Tinfoil", which instead ended up serving as the intro to the song. It was released on iTunes as a digital single from the soundtrack of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter on October 31, 2012, in Japan. The song was also released as a single worldwide through the official website of the band. The song was released as the third single from the album Living Things.[1][2] The release included the "Powerless" artwork and featured just the one track.
"Powerless" | ||||
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Single by Linkin Park | ||||
from the album Living Things and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter | ||||
Released | October 31, 2012 | |||
Recorded |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 3:44 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Songwriter(s) | Linkin Park | |||
Producer(s) | ||||
Linkin Park singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Promotional video on YouTube |
Composition
edit"Powerless" is a mid-tempo song[3] that features "lock-step beats, soaring harmonies, and synthesizer whispers".[4] The song has a piano-based production and is described by Spin as having an "electro-goth atmosphere like Bruno Mars on the most recent Twilight soundtrack".[5] The Silver Tongue Online described the song as "a foundation of busy percussion and electronica, a sweeping chorus and Coldplay-worthy bridge".[6] It's also been described as a "surging, slow-burning, classically Linkin Park anthem".[7] Lyrically, the song is about a self-destructive friend or lover.[8]
Promotion
edit"Powerless", the twelfth and closing track of the album, is featured in the closing credits to the film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.[9] A performance music video of "Powerless" featuring scenes from the film was released on Yahoo!, serving as the film's music trailer.[10] The music video was directed by Timur Bekmambetov, director of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.[11] The video was filmed in Berlin, Germany.[11] Bekmambetov screened the film for the band, who reacted positively to the film, and believed that the band had a song that would fit into the film; hence, "Powerless" was chosen.[11]
It was used in a commercial promoting the second season of the NBC show Revolution, following the usage of "Roads Untraveled" in a commercial promoting the first season.
Reception
editBillboard lists "Powerless" as an example "of why Linkin Park remains vital while its nu-metal compatriots have more or less fallen by the wayside".[4] AltSounds.com says the song is "certainly bigger and bolder than the majority of the album's songs, but it still doesn't shake you to your core like I wish it would".[12]
Music video
editChester Bennington has confirmed in an interview that a music video will be shot for "Powerless".[13] Music for Relief premiered the promotion video of "Powerless" on November 27, 2012.[14] The two-minute video was a compilation between the "Powerless" footage filmed for the trailer of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and clips of the Music for Relief's Power the World campaign.[14]
As of November 2021, the song has 4.5 million views on YouTube.
Track listing
editNo. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Powerless" | Linkin Park | 3:44 |
Personnel
edit- Chester Bennington – lead vocals
- Mike Shinoda – keyboards, piano, backing vocals, guitars
- Dave Farrell – bass guitar
- Joe Hahn – turntables, samplers, synthesizers
- Rob Bourdon – drums, percussion
Charts
editChart (2012) | Peak position |
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UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[15] | 40 |
Release history
editRegion | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Japan[16] | October 31, 2012 | Digital download | Warner Bros. |
Worldwide[1] |
References
edit- ^ a b Linkin Park - Powerless Linkin Park.
- ^ Discography : Singles : Linkin Park Archived 2015-11-20 at the Wayback Machine Linkin Park
- ^ "Linkin Park News - Linkin Park - Living Things Review". Artists.letssingit.com. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
- ^ a b "New Music Releases, Music Reviews, Album Releases & Song Releases". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
- ^ Wood, Mikael. "Linkin Park, 'Living Things' (Warner Bros./WEA) | SPIN | Albums | Critical Mass". SPIN. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
- ^ Wesley, Justin (2012-06-21). "Linkin Park – Living Things". Thesilvertongueonline.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-23. Retrieved 2012-07-07.
- ^ Grimmie, Destiny (2012-06-19). "Album Review: Linkin Park – 'Living Things'". Ology. Archived from the original on 2012-06-22. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
- ^ "Linkin Park - Living Things Review". Rock.about.com. 2012-06-26. Archived from the original on 2012-11-19. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
- ^ Gallo, Phil (2012-06-13). "Linkin Park Score 'Abe Lincoln' End Credits". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
- ^ "Linkin Park & Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Exclusive". Yahoo!. 2012-06-16. Archived from the original on 2012-06-19. Retrieved 2012-06-16.
- ^ a b c "Linkin Park song featured in end credits of 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'". The Philippine Star. PhilStar Daily. 2012-06-24. Retrieved 2012-07-13.
- ^ "Review: Linkin Park – Living Things [Album] | Altsounds.com Reviews". Hangout.altsounds.com. 2012-07-03. Archived from the original on 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
- ^ "VMusic - Music News - Latest local and international music news". [V] Music. Archived from the original on 2012-09-10. Retrieved 2012-08-18.
- ^ a b "Music For Relief premiered the new POWERLESS Video 11/27". Lpassociation.com. Retrieved 2012-11-22.
- ^ "2012-07-07 Top 40 Rock & Metal Singles". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2012-07-10.
- ^ "Powerless - Single". iTunes Japan. Apple, inc. 31 October 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2012.