"Shoots and Ladders" is a song written and recorded by the American nu metal band Korn for their self-titled debut album. It was released as the album's third single in 1995.

Music and structure

The title is a mockery of American children's game Chutes and Ladders (also known in the United Kingdom as Snakes and Ladders), with the song's lyrics mostly consisting of nursery rhymes. It is the first Korn song to feature bagpipes. The song uses the following nursery rhymes in its lyrics: *"

Ring a Ring o' Roses "Ring a Ring o' Roses", "Ring a Ring o' Rosie", or (in the United States) "Ring Around the Rosie", is a traditional nursery rhyme, folk song and playground singing game. Descriptions first emerge in the mid-19th century, but are reported as ...

" *"

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" is a popular English language nursery rhyme and counting-out rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 11284. Lyrics A common version is given in ''The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'': :One, two, buckl ...

" *"

London Bridge Is Falling Down "London Bridge Is Falling Down" (also known as "My Fair Lady" or "London Bridge") is a traditional English nursery rhyme and singing game, which is found in different versions all over the world. It deals with the dilapidation of London Bridge ...

" *"

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" is an English nursery rhyme, the earliest printed version of which dates from around 1744. The words have not changed very much in two and a half centuries. It is sung to a variant of the 1761 French melody '' Ah! vous di ...

" *" This Old Man" *"

Mary Had a Little Lamb "Mary Had a Little Lamb" is an English language nursery rhyme of nineteenth-century American origin, first published by American writer Sarah Josepha Hale in 1830. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 7622. Background The nursery rhyme was ...

Concept

"It was written because all these little kids sing these nursery rhymes and they don't know what they originally meant. Everyone is so happy when singing '

Ring Around the Rosie "Ring a Ring o' Roses", "Ring a Ring o' Rosie", or (in the United States) "Ring Around the Rosie", is a traditional nursery rhyme, folk song and playground singing game. Descriptions first emerge in the mid-19th century, but are reported as da ...

' but it is about the Black Plague. All of them have these evil stories behind them." – Jonathan Davis

Music video

The video for "Shoots and Ladders" was directed by

McG The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hem ...

and shows clips of Korn performing in front of an energetic crowd, similar to " Blind". Korn is also seen performing in front of a fake castle-like building. Munky can be seen with duct tape over his mouth while coming out from a field of weeds. In the beginning, Jonathan can be seen tied up and hanging upside down. Head, Fieldy, and David appear in various clips as well, but is not very specific. The video premiered in June 1995. "Shoots and Ladders" was filmed at Golf N' Stuff in

Norwalk, California Norwalk is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 105,549 at the 2010 census and an estimated 103,949 in 2019. It is the 58th most densely-populated city in California. Founded in the late 19th century, Nor ...

Awards

The song was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

in 1997 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 ...

. This would be Korn's first nomination in any Grammy category.

Track listing

(Source:)

US radio promo

* CD5" #"Shoots and Ladders" – 3:39 (radio edit) #"Sean Olson" – 4:45 (radio edit)

UK radio promo

* 10" Side A: #"Shoots and Ladders (Hip Hop Remix)" – 4:07 #"Shoots and Ladders (Hyper Remix)" – 2:32 Side B: #"Shoots and Ladders (Industrial Remix)" – 3:50 #"Shoots and Ladders (Industrial Instrumental)" – 3:59

Credits

;Korn *

Jonathan Davis Jonathan Howsmon Davis (born January 18, 1971), also known as JD or JDevil, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and frontman of nu metal band Korn, who are considered a pioneering act of the nu ...

– vocals, bagpipes * Munky – guitar * Head – guitar *

Fieldy Reginald Quincy Arvizu (born November 2, 1969), also known as "Fieldy", is an American musician, best known as the bassist for nu metal band Korn. He is also the guitarist/bassist for rock band StillWell. Musical career Prior to Arvizu's tim ...

– bass *

David Silveria David Randall Silveria (born September 21, 1972) is an American drummer, best known as the original drummer for nu metal band Korn from 1993 until leaving the band in 2006. He then became the drummer for Infinika, which was formed in 2012 and d ...

– drums ;Other *

Ross Robinson Ross Robinson (born February 13, 1967) is an American record producer who discovered acts such as Korn, Glassjaw, The Blood Brothers, Slipknot, and Limp Bizkit. Robinson has also worked with Tech N9ne, The Cure, Sepultura, and many others. ...

– production * Eddy Schreyer – mastering * Stephen Stickler – photography * Jay Papke/Dante Ariola – art direction and design * Chuck Johnson – engineering and mixing

References

External links

{{Authority control Korn songs 1994 songs 1995 singles Compositions for bagpipe Music videos directed by McG Immortal Records singles Epic Records singles Songs written by Reginald Arvizu Songs written by Jonathan Davis Songs written by James Shaffer Songs written by David Silveria Songs written by Brian Welch Songs based on children's songs