Numb is a song by Linkin Park, released in September 8, 2003 as the third single from their second studio album, Meteora (2003), and is the closing track on the album. One of Linkin Park‘s most well-known and critically acclaimed songs, Numb topped the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for 12 weeks in 2003 and 2004. The song also spent three weeks atop the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song was remixed as “Numb/Encore”, a collaboration between the band and American rapper Jay-Z. It was a massive hit for both artists that was featured on the album Collision Course and earned them the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Numb was ranked number 95 on Rhapsody‘s list of the Top 100 Tracks of the Decade.
On March 15, 2022, Numb became the second song by the band after “In the End” to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify.
Directed by band member Joe Hahn, the Numb music video was filmed in June 2003 in Prague and features scenes in St. Vitus Cathedral, Johannes Kepler Grammar School (Gymnázium Jana Keplera), and the famed Charles Bridge. The band’s performance section was filmed afterwards in Los Angeles, due to vocalist Chester Bennington suffering from severe abdominal and back pains at the time. The final video was released alongside the single in early September 2003.
The video’s plot follows a day in the life of an outcast teenage girl, portrayed by Briana Evigan, interspersed with scenes of Linkin Park performing the song in a cathedral. The girl, an aspiring artist, is shunned and ridiculed by her parents, teachers, and peers. She is shown with self-inflicted cut marks on her arms that spell out “NUMB”. At the song’s climax, she throws paint at a canvas in anger, then runs into the cathedral only to find that the band have disappeared.
In November 2018, Numb became Linkin Park‘s first music video to reach over one billion views on their YouTube channel. In March 2023, the video was remastered in 4K resolution. In June 2023, Numb became the first song by the band to surpass two billion views on YouTube in June 2023, and currently holds the title of the most viewed rock video on YouTube. As of September 2024, the music video for Numb has over 2.3 billion views and 13 million likes on the platform.
Tracklist:
- Numb
- From the Inside (Live)
- Numb (Video)
Credits:
Chester Bennington: lead vocals
Mike Shinoda: piano, backing vocals
Brad Delson: guitars
Rob Bourdon: drums
Dave “Phoenix” Farrell: bass guitar
Joe Hahn: turntables, samplers
Chester Charles Bennington (March 20, 1976 – July 20, 2017)
