"Duality" is a song by American
heavy metal band
Slipknot, released in 2004 as the first single from the band's third studio album ''
Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)''. A music video was made for the song, the music video is listed as
Roadrunner Records' greatest video of all-time.
[Guyre, Jen (2010-04-30)]
"The Ten Greatest Music Videos in Roadrunner History"
Roadrunner
The roadrunners (genus ''Geococcyx''), also known as chaparral birds or chaparral cocks, are two species of fast-running ground cuckoos with long tails and crests. They are found in the southwestern and south-central United States and Mexico, us ...
. Retrieved 2011-12-19.
Musical structure
The album version of "Duality" is four minutes and twelve seconds long, and the
radio edit
In music, a radio edit or radio mix is a modification, typically truncated or censored, intended to make a song more suitable for airplay, whether it be adjusted for length, profanity, subject matter, instrumentation, or form. Radio edits may al ...
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...",
[Loftus, John. Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses Overview Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-03-05] leading up to lead guitarist
Mick Thomson
Mickael Gordon "Mick" Thomson (born November 3, 1973) is an American musician. He is one of two guitarists for the heavy metal band Slipknot, in which he is designated #7. Thomson originally met founding Slipknot members Anders Colsefni, Donn ...
playing a
riff
A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or acc ...
accompanied by
Craig Jones' keyboards while Taylor finishes the sentence with "...eyes", in a much more intense voice.
The song is played in
Drop B tuning (which most of Slipknot's songs are tuned to) and features a nu metal style.
Unlike many previous Slipknot singles, "Duality", like most of the songs on ''Vol. 3'', does not have profanity. Thomson explained in a 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
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
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'' wrote that the song "blow
the competition away".
Release and reception
"Duality" was originally released as a
CD single
A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...
on May 4, 2004.
On May 25, 2004, 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
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
charts (although on the former chart, the record has since been broken by "
Dead Memories" and eventually "
Snuff
Snuff may refer to:
Tobacco
* Snuff (tobacco), fine-ground tobacco, sniffed into the nose
** Moist snuff or dipping tobacco
** Creamy snuff, an Indian tobacco paste
Media and entertainment
* Snuff film, a type of film that shows a murder
Literat ...
"). In the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, the song reached number 15. The song also charted on the
Bubbling Under Hot 100
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...
chart at number six (their second highest-charting song on the chart, behind "
Psychosocial
The psychosocial approach looks at individuals in the context of the combined influence that psychological factors and the surrounding social environment have on their physical and mental wellness and their ability to function. This approach is ...
"). To promote the single, the band also made an appearance on ''
The Tonight Show
''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...
'' with
Jay Leno.
The song is included in the video games ''
Madden NFL 10
''Madden 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. The 21st installment of the ''Madden NFL'' series, it is the first game to feature two players o ...
'', the introduction theme in the 2004
PlayStation 2 game ''
ATV Offroad Fury 3'', as a downloadable content for the ''
Rock Band'' series that was released on December 8, 2009 and the debut trailer for ''
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 later on in 2011 in the PAL region and Japan. The game focuses ...
''. It is also included in the game ''
Guitar Hero Live
''Guitar Hero Live'' is a 2015 music rhythm video game developed by FreeStyleGames and published by Activision. It is the seventh main installment in the ''Guitar Hero'' series. The game was released for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, X ...
''.
Jack Osbourne
Jack Joseph Osbourne (born 8 November 1985) is an English media personality with dual American and British citizenship. The son of heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, he starred on MTV's reality series '' The Osbournes'' (2002–2005), along w ...
ranked the song number two on his list of "101 Adrenaline Rock Songs", with "
Smells Like Teen Spirit
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana. It is the opening track and lead single from the band's second album, ''Nevermind'' (1991), released on DGC Records. The unexpected success of the song propelled ''Neve ...
" by
Nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
beating it to the number one spot.
In the 2004 ''
Metal Edge
''Metal Edge'' was a magazine covering heavy metal music published by Zenbu Media. The magazine was founded in the summer of 1985, during the height of glam metal's success. Zenbu Media acquired ''Metal Edge'' in February 2007.
Both ''Metal Edg ...
'' Readers' Choice Awards, the song was voted "Song of the Year" and "Music Video of the Year".
In 2020, ''
Kerrang
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one-of ...
'' and ''
Louder Sound
''Classic Rock'' is a British magazine and website dedicated to rock music, owned and published by Future. It was launched in October 1998 and is based in London. The magazine publishes 13 editions a year, mainly covering rock bands from the 60, ...
'' ranked the song number five and number three, respectively, on their lists of the greatest Slipknot songs.
Music video
The music video, directed by Mark Klasfeld and
Tony Petrossian
Tony Petrossian is a commercial and music video director.
Petrossian is represented by William Morris Endeavor for feature films & television projects in the U.S.
Commercials (partial list)
*Futuroscope - "Robotic Seats" (Paris, France)
*Nike - ...
, cost between $300,000 and $500,000 and was recorded on March 27, 2004.
It was shot in
Des Moines,
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
, at a fan's house that was due for renovation, and features the band performing inside the house surrounded by dozens of fans both inside and outside the house, which gets destroyed in the process as the fans crash through the windows and walls. In the aftermath, the family asked the band to replace an extensive list of objects and fittings that were damaged or destroyed during the shoot.
Roadrunner Records provided the family with roughly $50,000 as compensation. Prior to filming, the production told the crowd only to act wild but not destroy the house; this rule was left unheeded. Midway through the shooting, 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 take extreme caution around
Craig Jones as the nails in his mask may injure them. It was revealed later that the band had performed the song several times while the crowd vandalized the house, and the resulting footage was edited to produce the video.
Shawn Crahan
Michael Shawn Crahan (born September 24, 1969), more commonly known by his stage persona "Clown", is an American musician. He is the co-founder and one of two percussionists for heavy metal band Slipknot in which he is designated #6. Crahan he ...
recalls that the band "asked our real fans to be in the video and people came from all over", adding that "it meant so much to us. We weren't really supposed to destroy that house – but we did it anyway. Another plus for that song is that I get to beat the fuck out of my keg. What else could you want?"
One of the fans was a teenage British national who used some of his savings and his grandmother's money to travel to Iowa from England for the shoot and was accommodated by Corey Taylor after being denied a check-in at a local hotel due to his age. Two incidents occurred during the filming; two fans were injured by broken glass but were treated on the scene by paramedics stationed during filming and a doctor who lived in the neighborhood where the shoot occurred, while a group of youths were arrested by police present during filming for using baseball bats to vandalize a
Ford Taurus
The Ford Taurus is an automobile that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from the 1986 to 2019 model years. Introduced in late 1985 for the 1986 model year, six generations were produced over 34 years; a brief hiat ...
rented by the band's record label to bring fans to the shoot's location.
As of December 2022, the song has 350 million views on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
, and is also available on the CD single and the DVD ''
Voliminal: Inside the Nine'', released in 2006.
Charts
Certifications
Track listings
All songs written by
Slipknot.
;CD single
* include music video "Duality"
;Limited edition CD
;7" vinyl
;US promo CD
;EU promo CD
Release history
Cover versions
In 2014, as part of their album, ''Just The Tip...'',
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
lounge act
The Lounge Kittens covered the song.
In 2016, the British
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
Asking Alexandria
Asking Alexandria are a British Rock music, rock band from York, North Yorkshire, consisting of guitarists Ben Bruce and Cameron Liddell, drummer James Cassells, lead vocalist Danny Worsnop, and bassist Sam Bettley.
Initially formed in 2006 ...
covered the song for the compilation album ''Decades of Destruction''.
In 2018, the German rapper
Alligatoah covered the song for the cover album ''Fremde Zungen''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duality (Song)
2004 singles
2004 songs
Slipknot (band) songs
Roadrunner Records singles
Music videos directed by Tony Petrossian
Song recordings produced by Rick Rubin
Songs written by Paul Gray (American musician)
Songs written by Corey Taylor
Songs written by Jim Root
Songs written by Joey Jordison
American hard rock songs