"Heavydirtysoul" is a song by American musical duo

Twenty One Pilots Twenty One Pilots (stylized in Letter case, all lowercase or as twenty øne piløts) are an American musical duo from Columbus, Ohio. Initially a band, the group was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Tyler Joseph along with Nick Thomas and Chris ...

from their fourth studio album ''

Blurryface ''Blurryface'' (stylized as ') is the fourth studio album by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. It was released on May 17, 2015, through Fueled by Ramen. The album is primarily an alternative hip hop, electropop, indie pop, and reggae album ...

'' (2015). It was written by vocalist

Tyler Joseph Tyler Robert Joseph (born December 1, 1988) is an American singer, rapper, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the frontman for the musical duo Twenty One Pilots, alongside bandmate Josh Dun. He has been nominated for ...

, who derived some of its lyrics from a poem called "Street Poetry" which he had written and published three years earlier. The track was produced by American record producer

Ricky Reed Eric Burton Frederic (born July 23, 1982), known professionally as Ricky Reed, is an American artist, music producer, singer, songwriter, and founder of Nice Life Recording Company. From 2005 to 2014, Reed was also known as Wallpaper. Early w ...

and recorded at Serenity West Recording in Hollywood, California. As the opening track of ''Blurryface'', "Heavydirtysoul" acts as the album's introduction, both musically and thematically. The song contains a

self-referential Self-reference occurs in natural or formal languages when a sentence, idea or formula refers to itself. The reference may be expressed either directly—through some intermediate sentence or formula—or by means of some encoding. In philosop ...

statement where Joseph touches on the concept by candidly addressing its music with self-aware lyrics that give away his insecurities. "Heavydirtysoul" is an intense, aggressive track in which the duo mix and move between several music genres. The song features high-speed vocals as Joseph rotates from complex

rapping Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

to melodic singing to ''

falsetto ''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous ed ...

screaming A scream is a loud speech production, vocalization in which air is passed through the vocal cords with greater force than is used in regular or close-distance vocalisation. This can be performed by any creature possessing lungs, including human ...

over soulful drumming by Josh Dun. Lyrically, "Heavydirtysoul" is about asking for help in defeating one's inner demons to become something greater. The song's lyrics convey an anthemic theme relating to

self-discovery A "journey of self-discovery" refers to a travel, pilgrimage, or series of events whereby a person attempts to determine how they feel, personally, about spiritual issues or priorities,hit song A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

. In the United States, the song peaked at number eight on the U.S. ''Billboard''

Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (formerly known as Rock Songs and Hot Rock Songs) is a record chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine. From its debut on June 20, 2009, through October 13, 2012, the chart ranked the airplay of songs across alternati ...

chart and reached number eight on the top ten most viral tracks on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

. It also managed to top the

alternative radio Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...

add board for the final week of 2016, becoming the most added song on the radio format. The song received universal acclaim from contemporary

music critic ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mus ...

s. "Heavydirtysoul" was released as the final

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from their fourth album in December of 2016. An accompanying music video for the single was directed by Andrew Donoho and filmed outside the band's hometown, Columbus, Ohio. It features Joseph sitting in the passenger seat of an out-of-control vehicle while playing

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...

with Dun and his flaming

drum kit A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player ( drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsti ...

. Twenty One Pilots won the award for

Best Rock Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock was first given out in , one of the four original genre categories added to the VMAs that year. In its first year, the award was called Best Heavy Metal Video, and from 1990 to 1995, it was renamed Best Meta ...

with "Heavydirtysoul" at the 34th annual MTV Video Music Awards. "Heavydirtysoul" has since been certified Platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) for sales of over 1,000,000 paid digital downloads.

Background

Three years prior to its single release, vocalist

wrote and published a short poem called "Street Poetry", and lyrics from it were partially used by Twenty One Pilots for the song "Heavydirtysoul." In 2013, Joseph was first filmed performing "Street Poetry" in the open air in London, England. The duo had been the monthly cover stars for ''

Rock Sound ''Rock Sound'' is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, e ...

'' and provided the British magazine with exclusive video footage. Some of the lyrics he recited on camera subsequently appeared on "Heavydirtysoul", and it was included as the first song on the band's fourth studio album ''

'' in 2015. As the opening track, "Heavydirtysoul" acts as an introduction that unveils the fourth album, both musically and thematically. In an interview with ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', Tyler Joseph briefly explained "Blurryface", which was both the title of their fourth studio album as well as conceptual character who the record is centered on. According to Joseph, "Blurryface is this character that I came up with that represents a certain level of insecurity. These symbols and having a narrative give people a reason to want to take in the whole album—not just one song." By way of his

alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", " doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differen ...

, the

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

operates as a cathartic release for Joseph. He began on "Heavydirtysoul" in the song's first verse with lyrics that give away both his self-awareness and insecurities. Alongside the

persona A persona (plural personae or personas), depending on the context, is the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional Character (arts), character. The word derives from Latin, where it originally ref ...

, one other primary character the was the music in itself. The nature of the music is representative of the

psyche Psyche (''Psyché'' in French) is the Greek term for "soul" (ψυχή). Psyche may also refer to: Psychology * Psyche (psychology), the totality of the human mind, conscious and unconscious * ''Psyche'', an 1846 book about the unconscious by Car ...

of the titular character. "Heavydirtysoul" finds Joseph touching on the concept with a

statement, and it was one of seven songs on the album where he seems to directly address the music.

Recording

"Heavydirtysoul" was produced by

and recorded at Serenity West Recording in Hollywood, California. The track was then mixed at The Casita in Hollywood, California and

mastered Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via meth ...

Sterling Sound George Marino (April 15, 1947 – June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He at ...

in New York City. Some of the lyrics for "Heavydirtysoul" originated from a short poem called "Street Poetry," which had been written three years earlier by Joseph. Twenty One Pilots incorporated part of its lyrics, transforming them into a fast-talking song that sports a

melodic A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combinat ...

chorus. The track exemplifies the manner in which the duo mix and move between several

music genre A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. It is to be distinguished from ''musical form'' and musical style, although in practice these terms are some ...

s on ''Blurryface''. Similar to their previous studio album '' Vessel,'' their fourth album was musically diverse and reflective of the wide range of Joseph and drummer Josh Dun's musical tastes. Being an introductory song, "Heavydirtysoul" served to outline the adventurous record. The opening track epitomizes the album's musical elements, containing rap verses,

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

-driven refrains and erratic musical shifts. It illustrates how the duo deploy hyperactive shifts, with the song gradually developing, unraveling and going in different musical directions. Twenty One Pilots later collaborated with New Orleans quartet

Mutemath Mutemath (sometimes styled as MuteMath or MUTEMATH) is an American alternative rock project founded by American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer Paul Meany. Originally co-founded as a band with Darren King in 2002, Me ...

, who had been their tourmates during the

Emotional Roadshow World Tour Emotional Roadshow World Tour (stylized as EMØTIØNAL RØADSHØW WØRLD TØUR) is the fifth concert tour by the American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, in support of their album ''Blurryface''. The tour began on May 31, 2016 in Cincinnati and c ...

, for a live session known as ''The MUTEMATH Sessions''. Five of their songs were repurposed with new sonics with Mutemath's assistance, giving them a more electronic, atmospheric sheen. Despite the addition of several musicians to their work, the results demonstrate more restraint. Though slight, the new versions stripped away some of the studio technology and polish of their original record production, emphasizing Joseph's vocal abilities and songwriting. Likewise, Dun was also highlighted by a number of

jam Jam is a type of fruit preserve. Jam or Jammed may also refer to: Other common meanings * A firearm malfunction * Block signals ** Radio jamming ** Radar jamming and deception ** Mobile phone jammer ** Echolocation jamming Arts and entertai ...

s and extended

drum break In popular music, a break is an instrumental or percussion section during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main parts of the song or piece. A break is usually interpolated between sections of a song, to pr ...

s alongside the quartet. The recreated "Heavydirtysoul" track exhibits breakdowns between Dun and Mutemath.

Composition

"Heavydirtysoul" is an

alternative hip hop Alternative hip hop (also known as alternative rap) is a subgenre of hip hop music that encompasses a wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream. AllMusic defines it as comprising " hip hop groups that refuse to confor ...

song that runs for a duration of three minutes and fifty-four seconds. Within its track, the duo mesh several genres, moving between

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

-tinged

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 ...

, hip-hop, grandeur pop and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

while flashing R&B

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

s and experimenting with electronic dance beats. "Heavydirtysoul" is an intense, aggressive song that features high-speed vocals and complex

from Tyler Joseph. His rapid rapping is supplemented by soulful drumming from Josh Dun, generating its heavy beats and

groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station * ...

. According to the

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses List of musical symbols, musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chord (music), chords of a song or instrumental Musical composition, musical piece. Like ...

published at Musicnotes.com by

Alfred Music Alfred Music is an American music publishing company. Founded in New York in 1922, it is headquartered in Van Nuys, California, with additional branches in Miami, New York, Germany, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. History In New York City ...

, the song is written in the

time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

, with a moderately fast

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 130

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

. "Heavydirtysoul" is composed in the

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

D minor D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is D major. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed for t ...

, while Tyler Joseph's

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...

spans one

octave In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...

and six

notes Note, notes, or NOTE may refer to: Music and entertainment * Musical note, a pitched sound (or a symbol for a sound) in music * Notes (album), ''Notes'' (album), a 1987 album by Paul Bley and Paul Motian * ''Notes'', a common (yet unofficial) sho ...

, from a low of D₄ to a high of C₆. The song is restricted to a droning chord of Dm throughout its verses and

pre-chorus Song structure is the arrangement of a song, and is a part of the songwriting process. It is typically sectional, which uses repeating forms in songs. Common forms include bar form, 32-bar form, verse–chorus form, ternary form, strophic form, and ...

, changes to a basic sequence of B–Gm–Dm–C at the refrain and follows B–Gm–Dm–C/E during the bridge as its

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

. The musical arrangement begins with its

introduction Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to: General use * Introduction (music), an opening section of a piece of music * Introduction (writing), a beginning section to a book, article or essay which states its purpose and g ...

, opening with an ambient

drone Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...

before quickly morphing into a hooky, memorable two-step drumbeat and Joseph's rapped vocals. Following its intro, the rousing song launches into a storm of

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

drumming beneath his speedy rapping over fast, pulsating rhythm. The track bounds into catchy

breaks Break or Breaks or The Break may refer to: Time off from duties * Recess (break), time in which a group of people is temporarily dismissed from its duties * Break (work), time off during a shift/recess ** Coffee break, a short mid-morning rest ...

and cascading

noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference arise ...

before a throbbing unease arises. The musical arrangement then shifts into a dramatic, piano-driven prechorus. For the chorus, Joseph sings atop an undercurrent of surging energy and scattered percussion. The song's tempo decreases as he starts breaking into a melodic chorus of

neo-soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and contempo ...

. Joseph invokes

in ''

'' vocals at the

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

-inspired refrain. Throughout the disjointed track, a vibrant soundscape smoothly darts from

drum and bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...

fills to arena-oriented choruses and lengthy bass

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 accompani ...

s before reaching a heavy rock climax. Lyrically, "Heavydirtysoul" is about asking for help in defeating one's inner demons in order to become something greater. During the two rap verses, Joseph frantically delivers fast-paced lyrics with quick-tempered rapping. The song's opening verse expresses a

remark where Joseph candidly addresses its music. As he rotates from rapping to singing, Joseph mentions the concept with self-aware lyrics, contending, "This is not rap, this is not hip-hop / just another attempt to make the voices stop." The song's lyrics reveal that deep down, even despite knowledge of one's greatness, aid is necessary in bringing it out or else risk getting lost in thoughts. They serve to convey an anthemic theme relating to

self-discovery A "journey of self-discovery" refers to a travel, pilgrimage, or series of events whereby a person attempts to determine how they feel, personally, about spiritual issues or priorities, At the chorus, Joseph desperately sings a plea, insisting, "Can you save my heavy dirty soul, for me?" Towards the end, the song's

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

incorporates a

tag line In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...

harboring anthemic lyrics. Joseph's metaphoric wordplay is haunted by mortality as he sings, "Death inspires me like a dog inspires a rabbit."

Release and promotion

"Heavydirtysoul" was released as a single from their fourth album ''Blurryface'' by

Warner Music Canada Warner Music Canada is the Canadian division of Warner Music Group. The label previously operated as WEA Music of Canada, Ltd. (French: ''WEA Musique du Canada, Ltée''), often shortened to WEA Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of WEA Internationa ...

in December 2016. The song was released as the first on the track-listing the first

picture disc Picture discs are gramophone (phonograph) records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or colored vinyl. Collectors traditionally reserve the term picture disc for records with graphics that extend at lea ...

of their

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

''Blurryface Live''. Their live album was derived from a concert at

Fox Oakland Theatre The Fox Oakland Theatre is a 2,800-seat concert hall, a former movie theater, located at 1807 Telegraph Avenue in Downtown Oakland. It originally opened in 1928, running films until 1970. Designed by Weeks and Day, the theatre is listed on the Nat ...

in Oakland, California on October 18, 2016. Twenty One Pilots decided to capture their sold-out

for posterity and closed out the year with the

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...

weekend release of a live album, recorded a month prior at Fox Oakland Theater. It was released exclusively on

vinyl record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...

format as opposed to digital download or

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then rele ...

on November 25, 2016. The duo later joined with New Orleans

quartet Mutemath, who had been their former tourmates, to create the

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

''TOPxMM'', also known as ''The MUTEMATH Sessions''. A new version of "Heavydirtysoul" was included on the EP, which was made available for downloading on December 20, 2016.

Critical reception

Sputnikmusic Sputnikmusic is an American music community website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites. The format of the website is unusual in that it includes both professional and amateur c ...

'' praised the song, writing, "Tyler Joseph alternates between rapping, singing, and screaming like they're all the same, and he even alludes to the idea on the curtain-opening 'Heavydirtysoul' ...Despite the music's schizophrenic nature, it's all true to the Blurryface persona – and in that sense, it's artistic." Describing it as a "rousing number," Cole Waterman from ''Spectrum Culture'' considers "Heavydirtysoul" one of the album's four best songs. Chris Willman of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' regarded "Heavydirtysoul" as the best track from ''Blurryface''.

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 databas ...

's Neil Z. Yeung cites the song as one of the album's highlights. Calling the tagline one of Joseph's cleverest turns of phrase, ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...

''s Chris DeVille stated the song "morphs from some kind of late-'90s

trip-hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tempos ...

Big Beat Big beat is an electronic music genre that usually uses heavy breakbeats and synthesizer-generated loops and patterns – common to acid house/techno. The term has been used by the British music industry to describe music by artists such as ...

thing to a

Fitz and the Tantrums Fitz and the Tantrums are an American indie pop and neo soul band from Los Angeles, California, that formed in 2008. The band consists of Michael Fitzpatrick (lead vocals), Noelle Scaggs (co-lead vocals and percussion), James King (saxophone, ...

song to a monolithic heavy-rock climax without ever inducing whiplash." André Curcic from ''

Renowned for Sound ''Renowned for Sound'' is an Australian online magazine An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a pri ...

'' opined, "The track is incredibly disjointed that is what makes the track one of the best on the album. It begins with a fast, pulsating rhythm and jumps into catchy song

that come together to create something wonderful." Comparing its grooves to the mid-1990s works of

Prodigy Prodigy, Prodigies or The Prodigy may refer to: * Child prodigy, a child who produces meaningful output to the level of an adult expert performer ** Chess prodigy, a child who can beat experienced adult players at chess Arts, entertainment, and ...

, Jason Pettigrew for ''

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...

'' claimed the track," ...successfully encapsulates all the elements fans have come to expect... 'Heavydirtysoul' is guaranteed to have crowds pogoing from Bunbury to

Bonnaroo The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Since its first year in 2002, it has been held at what is now Great Stage Park on a farm in M ...

." He continued saying, "Anxious and frightened, yet trippy and badassed, the duo's blend of fearful and fierce here is stellar." Sharing similar sentiments, Anne Nickoloff and Troy Smith from ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

'' remarked, "The opener 'Heavydirtysoul' sounds like The Prodigy is about to rip through your speakers, as drummer Josh Dun goes absolutely ballistic." Emily Jayne Beard from ''

PopBuzz Global Media & Entertainment Limited, trading as Global, is a British media company formed in 2007. It is the owner of the largest commercial radio company in Europe having expanded through a number of historical acquisitions, including Chrysa ...

'' cites "Heavydirtysoul" as one of the songs from the album that "hook you in with tsinstantly memorable beats." ''

Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August of 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive ...

''s Chad Childers described "Heavydirtysoul" as a "pulse-pushing opener." Writing for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', Jia Tolentino mused, "The refrain on their album opener sounds exactly like praise and worship." Scott Mervis for ''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...

'' described the song as "a banger that launches with a drum rush and speed rap before breaking into a chorus of lovely

." Likewise, Madison Desler of ''

Orange County Register ''The Orange County Register'' is a paid daily newspaper published in California. The ''Register'', published in Orange County, California, is owned by the private equity firm Alden Global Capital via its Digital Fiest/Media News subsidiaries. ...

'' deemed the track "a beat-heavy banger that features some of Joseph's most rapid-fire rapping." ''

Stuff Stuff, stuffed, and stuffing may refer to: *Physical matter *General, unspecific things, or entities Arts, media, and entertainment Books *''Stuff'' (1997), a novel by Joseph Connolly (author), Joseph Connolly *''Stuff'' (2005), a book by Jere ...

''s Kylie Klein Nixon called the song, "a glorious street parade of cascading noise. ...It's not the lyrics they're hiding up their sleeves either. 'Heavy Dirty Soul' includes the viscerally poetic metaphor: "death inspires me like a dog inspires a rabbit," and that's the kind of wordsmithery that buys a lot of good will.” ''

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- ...

'' ranked the song's

as one of the band's ten best lyrics. Sam Law, from the same publication, said the song "...spectacularly walks the line between fearfulness and ferocity... Featuring one of the vocalist's most assured performances, to the contrary, 'Heavydirtysoul' is a masterclass in both, with heaps of classic pop grandeur and that titular soul loaded on for good measure. Writing for the same publication, Emily Carter characterized "Heavydirtysoul" as being a "genre-smashing single." She commented, "Opener 'Heavydirtysoul' hears the frontman rapping, 'This is not rap / This is not hip-hop / Just another attempt to make the voices stop' ...All heavy words, but ones that have helped thousands of fans worldwide – myself included – tackle important issues and emotions going on in their head."

Commercial performance

In the United States, "Heavydirtysoul" entered at number thirty-one on the U.S. ''

chart for the date issued June 6, 2015. Over the course of fourteen weeks, the song went up and down on the chart before eventually reaching a peak at number twenty-nine for the date issued September 26, 2015. Over the next six weeks, "Heavydirtysoul" declined several spots before falling off the chart completely after occupying the thirty-fourth position on the date issued November 7, 2015. "Heavydirtysoul" re-entered the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart at number twelve on the issue date January 14, 2017. The song peaked at number eight on the chart for the date issued February 25, 2017. The song also entered and peaked at number twenty-five on the U.S. ''Billboard''

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 ...

for same date issued March 4, 2017, spending one week on the chart. Following the release of its parent album, "Heavydirtysoul" subsequently became a

hit song A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

. In the United States, it reached number eight on the top ten most viral tracks on streaming platform

. The list represents the most viral tracks based on the number of people who shared and listened to them, from May 25 to May 31, through

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

outlets

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

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Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

and Spotify. "Heavydirtysoul" managed to top the final

add board of 2016. It claimed the top spot to become the most added song on alternative radio add board for the week. The song was added by eleven radio stations monitored by

Mediabase Mediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 US and Canadian markets. Mediabase publishes music charts and data based on the most played songs on terrestrial and satellite radio, and provides in-depth analytic ...

for that week. On March 1, 2018, "Heavydirtysoul" was

certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

by the

(RIAA) for sales of over 1,000,000 paid digital downloads.

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Heavydirtysoul" was directed by Andrew Donoho and filmed outside the band's hometown,

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

. The video features Tyler Joseph sitting in the passenger seat of an out-of-control vehicle playing

with Josh Dun and his flaming

. The music video for "Heavydirtysoul" was released by Twenty One Pilots on February 3, 2017. The duo brought their ''Blurryface'' era to a conclusion by finishing off the year with the release of the video. They provided fans with the opportunity to view how they made their music video. Following the debut of the video for "Heavydirtysoul", the duo released a "Beyond the video' behind-the-scenes experience. It portrays Joseph and Dun getting up at dawn in freezing temperatures to make the video.

Reception

Jason Pettigrew of ''

'' praised the music video, remarking, "Anxious and frightened, yet trippy and badassed, the duo’s blend of fearful and fierce here is stellar. We’re just glad Joseph can take limousines and not the crappy

Uber Uber Technologies, Inc. (Uber), based in San Francisco, provides mobility as a service, ride-hailing (allowing users to book a car and driver to transport them in a way similar to a taxi), food delivery (Uber Eats and Postmates), package ...

driving him in this video." ''

''s Sam Law regarded the music video as "yet another unforgettable stand-out." Twenty One Pilots received a nomination and subsequently won the award for

with "Heavydirtysoul" at the 34th annual MTV Video Music Awards in 2017. Fans were able to vote online for nominees in the eight VMA categories, with the winner being awarded during the telecast that aired from The Forum in Inglewood, California on August 27, 2017. It was following a year of success and accolades for the duo, who had been forecast to win their second consecutive VMA for Best Rock Video.

Live performances

Twenty One Pilots did a live rendition of "Heavydirtysoul" while performing for the very first time in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

at the Suntec City's Convention Centre on July 16, 2015. Despite Joseph being ill with a throat infection and having to cancel a concert in

Taipei City Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the Capital city, capital and a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Regions of Taiwan, Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of t ...

prior, the duo managed to show up to deliver a live performance. After the stage lights dimmed and the two took their places, the pair initiated the set with "Heavydirtysoul," wearing in their trademark black hoodies and skeleton masks. The band performed "Heavydirtysoul" as the opener of a concert held at

Comerica Theatre The Arizona Financial Theatre (formerly known as the Dodge Theatre, the Comerica Theatre and the Arizona Federal Theatre) is a multi-use theatre in Downtown Phoenix, Arizona. The venue seats 5,000 people. History Jerry Colangelo, longtime fo ...

on in

Downtown Phoenix Downtown Phoenix is the central business district (CBD) of the City of Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is located in the heart of the Phoenix metropolitan area or Valley of the Sun. Phoenix, being the county seat of Maricopa County, Ari ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

October 14, 2015. Once they began, a vast majority of the audience started to sing along closely to the song's lyrics. The duo gave a live performance of "Heavydirtysoul" at the Aragon Ballroom when

WKQX WKQX (101.1 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial Radio broadcasting, radio station licensed to Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, featuring an alternative rock format known as "Q101". Owned by Cumulus Media, the station serves the Chicago metropolit ...

hosted the first of its four "Nights We Stole Christmas" concerts on December 3, 2015. Despite its complexity, the audience managed to rap and sing along to every word of the song. Twenty One Pilots provided a live rendition of "Heavydirtysoul" as their opening performance during a concert at UNSW Roundhouse in Sydney, Australia on April 20, 2016. With the lower half of their faces half-covered in balaclava, Joseph wielded a

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

and Dun played drums throughout the song before slowing down and segueing into a performance of "

Stressed Out "Stressed Out" is a song written and recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. It was released as a promotional single from their fourth studio album, ''Blurryface'' (2015). Produced by Mike Elizondo and recorded at studios in Los Ang ...

Usage in media

"Heavydirtysoul" was included in the sixteenth edition of the American football video game series ''

Madden NFL ''Madden NFL'' (known as ''John Madden Football'' until 1993) is an American football video game series developed by EA Tiburon for EA Sports. It is named after Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and commentator John Madden and sold more than 130 m ...

'', in ''

Madden 16 ''Madden NFL 16'' is an American football sports video game based on the National Football League and published by EA Sports for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. ''Madden 16'' introduced the new game mode "Draft Champions ...

'', released on

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...

and

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...

through

Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the d ...

. According to executive Steve Schnur: "For the last few years, our ''Madden'' soundtracks focused on recreating the stadium experience. But with ''Madden 16'', we’ve returned to our roots for introducing new artists and new music." "Heavydirtysoul" was among numerous other songs in the ''Madden 16'' tracklist that were added to a playlist on

. "Heavydirtysoul" was also one of the eleven songs featured on the companion soundtrack of the professional wrestling video game ''

WWE 2K16 ''WWE 2K16'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K Sports for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. It is the sequel to '' WWE 2K15'', and was succeeded by ''WWE 2K17''. ...

''. The company 2K revealed the details for the soundtrack of the

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

video game on

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

Beats 1 Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker (such as the Apple HomePod), ...

during their "Release" program on August 14, 2015. The ''WWE 2K16'' soundtrack was made available for streaming on Apple Music.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from ''Blurryface'' album liner notes. *

– vocals, songwriting, programming, piano, bass, guitar, keyboards *

Josh Dun Joshua William Dun (born June 18, 1988) is an American musician. He is best known as the drummer of the musical duo Twenty One Pilots, alongside Tyler Joseph, and also contributes backing vocals and trumpet to the band's work. He has collabora ...

– drums, percussion, backing vocals *

– producer, programming, additional vocals * Drew Kapner – audio engineer * Michael Peterson – assistant audio engineer * Neal Avron – audio mixing * Scott Skrzynski – audio mixing assistant * Chris Gheringer – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* * * * {{authority control Twenty One Pilots songs Songs written by Tyler Joseph 2015 songs 2016 singles Fueled by Ramen singles