"Schism" is a song by American

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

Tool A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...

. It was the first single and music video from their third full-length album, ''

Lateralus ''Lateralus'' () is the third studio album by American rock band Tool. It was released on May 15, 2001, through Volcano Entertainment. The album was recorded at Cello Studios in Hollywood and The Hook, Big Empty Space, and The Lodge, in Nor ...

''. In 2002, Tool won the

Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works (songs or albums) containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre. The Grammy Awards is an annual ceremony, where ...

for the song. "Schism" was released as a

DVD single A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

on December 20, 2005. The DVD contains the music video,

audio commentary An audio commentary is an additional audio track, usually digital, consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with a video. Commentaries can be serious or entertaining in nature, and can add informatio ...

David Yow David Yow (born August 2, 1960) is an American musician and actor born in Las Vegas, Nevada and best known as the vocalist for the noise rock bands Scratch Acid and the Jesus Lizard. Yow's debut solo album, '' Tonight You Look Like a Spider'', w ...

, and a remix by

Lustmord Brian Williams is a Welsh industrial musician, sound designer and film score composer. He is often credited for creating the dark ambient genre with albums recorded under the name Lustmord. His experimental work has been described as "not tra ...

Background

Most of the songs on ''

'' use math and science as metaphors for human issues. Singer

Maynard James Keenan Maynard James Keenan (born James Herbert Keenan; April 17, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and winemaker. He is best known as the singer and primary lyricist of the rock bands Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Pusci ...

says, "They're all about relationships. Learning how to integrate communication back into a relationship. How are we as lovers, as artists, as brothers - how are we going to reconstruct this beautiful temple that we've built and that's tumbled down? It's universal relationship stuff." As for the trademark hook, bassist

Justin Chancellor Justin Gunnar Walter Chancellor (born 19 November 1970) is an English musician best known as the bass player for progressive metal band Tool since 1995. He was also the bassist of the band Peach. After settling in the US, along with his engage ...

said, "The twiddly 'Schism' riff came from fooling around. I just play as much as possible, and I don't write stuff down - so when I get a good idea, I play it until I can't forget it."

Overview

"Schism" is known as a prime example of Tool's use of complex rhythms and changing meters. It is also well known for its distinctive bass line throughout. An extended version of the song is performed live. "Schism" was Tool's only entry on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 until "

Fear Inoculum ''Fear Inoculum'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Tool. It was released on August 30, 2019, through Tool Dissectional, Volcano Entertainment, and RCA Records. It is the band's first album in 13 years, due to creative, personal, ...

" in 2019, peaking at number 67 and staying on the charts for 20 weeks. It also hit number two on both the

Alternative Songs 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 ...

and

Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

charts. It almost reached number one on both charts, but was blocked behind

Staind Staind ( ) is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny April, and dr ...

's "

It's Been Awhile "It's Been Awhile" is a song by American rock band Staind. It was released on March 27, 2001, as the lead single from their third studio album, ''Break the Cycle'' (2001). The song is Staind's most successful and is their best-known song, beco ...

". The song is featured in the video game ''

Guitar Hero World Tour ''Guitar Hero World Tour'' (initially referred to as ''Guitar Hero IV'' or ''Guitar Hero IV: World Tour'') is a music rhythm video game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. It is the fourth main installment in the ''Guitar Hero'' ...

''.

Time signature

"Schism" is renowned for its use of uncommon time signatures and the frequency of its meter changes. In one analysis of the song, the song alters meter 47 times. The song begins with two bars of , followed by one bar of , followed by bars of alternating and , until the first interlude, which consists of alternating bars of and . The following verse exhibits a similar pattern to the first, alternating bars of and . The next section is four bars of followed by one bar of . This takes the song back into alternating and . Another and section follows, and after this the song goes into repeating bars of and . The section ends with the music hanging suspended over a bar of . The middle section is subsequently introduced at 3:29, maintaining a group of three bars of then one of until 5:02. Then a series of , , , , then heading into "Between supposed lovers..." which is a three bar group of , and , played twice. It breaks down with a measure of then . then repeats 3 times then and once. The signature riff takes over again, then . The final riff is . The band has referred to the time signature as .

Track listing

;Promotional single ;DVD

Credits and personnel

Tool *

Danny Carey Daniel Edwin Carey (born May 10, 1961) is an American musician and songwriter. He is the drummer for the American rock band Tool. He has also contributed to albums by artists such as Zaum, Green Jellö, Pigface, Skinny Puppy, Adrian Belew, Carol ...

– drums *

– bass * Adam Jones – guitar *

– vocals Production *Produced by

David Bottrill David Bottrill is a Canadian record producer. He has won three Grammys. Formerly, he owned Rattlebox Studios in Toronto, Ontario with producer Brian Moncarz. Moneen, Basia Lyjak, and The Getaway Plan are among the artists to have recorded at th ...

*Art direction by Adam Jones

Chart performance

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schism (Song) 2001 singles Tool (band) songs Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance 2001 songs Volcano Entertainment singles Song recordings produced by David Bottrill Songs written by Maynard James Keenan Songs written by Danny Carey Songs written by Justin Chancellor Songs written by Adam Jones (musician)