Wait and Bleed

"Wait and Bleed" is a song by American heavy metal band Slipknot. Released as the band's debut single off their 1999 self-titled debut album. After being remixed to replace the screamed vocals in the verses with more melodic singing, it was released as the lead single from the album in July 1999, and peaked at number 34 on the American Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in February 2000. It remains one of the band's signature songs.

"Wait and Bleed"
Single by Slipknot
from the album Slipknot
Released
  • July 1999
  • February 28, 2000 (commercial)[1]
Recorded1998 at Indigo Ranch, Malibu, California
GenreNu metal[2][3][4]
Length2:27
LabelRoadrunner
Songwriter(s) [5] [6]
Producer(s)
Slipknot singles chronology
"Wait and Bleed"
(1999)		 "Spit It Out"
(2000)
Music video
"Wait and Bleed" on YouTube
Claymation music video
"Wait and Bleed" on YouTube

Meaning and background

Joey Jordison recalled in an interview with Kerrang!: "I wrote the music for 'Wait and Bleed' on my own… I showed it to the guys at rehearsal, and then Corey wrote some lyrics really fast in our practice space… He took us to a new level immediately." "The song's about that switch in your head that can go at any moment," noted Corey Taylor. "You go from being a civilized human being to someone who can commit terrible acts. I've always been fascinated by the fact we represent ourselves as civilized when, at any moment, we can become animals."[7]

"Wait and Bleed" earned Slipknot a first Grammy nomination in 2001 for Best Metal Performance, though it lost to Deftones' "Elite".[8] The song won the Best Single award at the 2000 Kerrang! Awards. The song enjoyed a degree of commercial success, reaching number 34 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart[9] and number 27 in the UK Singles Chart.[10] It was also ranked number 36 on VH1's "40 Greatest Metal Songs" list.[11] In 2020, Kerrang and Louder Sound ranked the song number four and number one, respectively, on their lists of the greatest Slipknot songs.[12][13] This track, along with "Left Behind", "Pulse of the Maggots", and "Snuff", were released as downloadable songs in the Rock Band series. A remix version of "Wait and Bleed" by Terry Date was featured on the soundtrack for Scream 3.

"It was just a basic song. We didn't know it was going to be that popular. The funny thing is the record label, especially new guys at the record label, were coming around when we started getting big, and they're like, 'Oh, the next record, you can write, like, three Wait And Bleeds.' And we're just like, 'You are an idiot.' Therefore, we don't do that. But obviously the band, believe it or not, we have so much control over what we do that we don't write anything for money, we don't write anything for popularity, we have to like it first. And it's just a song that we liked, and it just so happened that it got on the radio and got the attention that we didn't expect." – Chris Fehn[14]

Music videos

There are two videos for "Wait and Bleed". The first, directed by Thomas Mignone,[15] features a live performance of the song, filmed during a performance on July 31, 1999, at the Ankeny Airfield in the band's hometown of Des Moines.[16] The second, known as the "Claymation version", depicts all nine members as small, animated, doll-like creatures inside a laboratory inhabited by a man who is attempting to catch them. Eventually, the band cause the man to fall and be stung by dropping a jar of insects. As the band looks over the man, Chris Fehn's doll covers him in fuel and Shawn Crahan's doll sets him alight, killing him.

As of October 2023, the music video for "Wait and Bleed" has over 140 million views on YouTube.[17]

Track listing

All songs credited to Slipknot.

CD single
  1. "Wait and Bleed" (Terry Date Mix) – 2:34
  2. "Spit It Out" (Overcaffeinated Hyper Version) – 2:28
  3. "(sic)" (Molt-Injected Mix) – 3:28
  • Includes "Wait and Bleed" live music video
  • "(sic)" (Molt-Injected Mix) is missing on Netherlands release
EU promo single
  1. "Wait & Bleed" (Radio Mix) – 2:34
  2. "Spit It Out" (Overcaffeinated Hyper-Molt Mix) – 2:28
  3. "(sic)" (Spaceship Console Mix) – 3:28
  • "Wait & Bleed" (Radio Mix) does not have the final "and it waits for you!" scream unlike Terry Date mix
  • "(sic)" (Spaceship Console Mix) is no different from Molt-Injected mix
US promo CD single
  1. "Wait and Bleed" (Radio Mix) – 2:30
  2. "Wait and Bleed" (LP Mix) – 2:27
  3. "Call-Out Hook"  – 0:12
UK promo CD single
  1. "Wait & Bleed" (Radio Mix) – 2:30

Personnel

Charts
Chart performance for "Wait and Bleed"
Chart (2000) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[20] 46
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[21] 52
Scotland (OCC)[22] 25
UK Singles (OCC)[23] 27
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[24] 1
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[25] 34

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[26] Platinum 80,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[27] Gold 20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[29] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Steffen Hung. "Slipknot - Wait And Bleed". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
  2. "26 Nu Metal Workout Songs". Bodybuilding.com. May 28, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  3. Chesler, Josh. "10 Nu-Metal Songs That Actually Don't Suck". Phoenix New Times. (May 18th, 2015)
  4. Alex Distefano. "The Top 10 Essential Nu Metal Albums". LA Weekly.
  5. ASCAP. "Slipknot Repertory". ASCAP. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  6. "Slipknot - Slipknot | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  7. Bryant, Tom (14 July 2012). "Hell unleashed". Kerrang #1423. pp. 22–23.
  8. "Grammy Awards: Best Metal Performance". Rock On The Net. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  9. "Artist Chart History - Slipknot". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  10. "The Official Charts Company - Slipknot". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2008-02-07.
  11. "VH1 40 Greatest Metal Songs". VH1. May 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-10.
  12. Law, Sam (March 27, 2020). "The 20 greatest Slipknot songs – ranked". Kerrang. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  13. Chillingworth, Alec (December 22, 2020). "The Top 50 best Slipknot songs ever". Louder Sound. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  14. "Wait and Bleed by Slipknot". Songfacts.
  15. Slipknot (1999). "Wait and Bleed" (Liner). Roadrunner Records.
  16. Greg Kennelty (May 6, 2023). "This SLIPKNOT Show From 1999 Is So Insanely Energetic". Metal Injection. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  17. Slipknot (October 27, 2009). "Slipknot - Wait And Bleed [OFFICIAL VIDEO] [HD]". YouTube. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  18. "Song Chart from Indigo Ranch Session - Showing Only 8 Members Involved - Chris Fehn Didn't Record Anything on the ST Album". 28 December 2021.
  19. "Self-Titled". Slipknot History. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  20. "Slipknot – Wait and Bleed". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  21. "Slipknot – Wait and Bleed" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  22. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  23. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  24. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  25. "Slipknot Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  26. "Canadian single certifications – Slipknot – Wait and Bleed". Music Canada. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  27. "Portuguese single certifications – Slipknot – Wait and Bleed" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  28. "British single certifications – Slipknot – Wait and Bleed". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  29. "American single certifications – Slipknot – Wait and Bleed". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
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