"Will You" is a song by American Christian metal band

P.O.D. P.O.D., an initialism for Payable on Death, is an American Christian metal band formed in 1992 and based in San Diego, California. The band's line-up consists of drummer and rhythm guitarist Wuv Bernardo, vocalist Sonny Sandoval, bassist Traa ...

and the lead single from their fifth

studio 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 ...

, '' Payable on Death.'' Released on September 22, 2003, the song charted at No. 17 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 on December 2 that year.

Composition

The band chose "Will You" as a lead single to demonstrate a new side both lyrically and musically as noted by

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's Jon Wiederhorn: :"The surging rhythm and audible tension are instantly familiar, as is the bottom-heavy groove laid down by bassist

Traa The Rock Across Australia (TRAA) is a compilation of weekly Christian music charts according to the number of radio plays in Australia. TRAA published its first report on 15 February 1999. The chart listed the top 30 most played songs. It n ...

and drummer Wuv, but the technical guitar fills and

rap 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 ...

-free vocals of Sonny Sandoval give the band a new vibe." "Will You" features lyrics of anxiety and desperation amidst a turbulent and potentially crumbling relationship. Sandoval explained the song's nature in an interview: :"We always said we wanted to do something like that, but it just kinda turned darker than your average 'I love you' type of song. It's about sticking with the one you love and putting up with that person and being there through thick and thin."

Music video

Shot in September 2003 in Los Angeles, the

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

was directed by

Marc Webb Marc Preston Webb (born August 31, 1974) is an American music video director and filmmaker. Webb made his feature film directorial debut in 2009 with the romantic comedy ''500 Days of Summer'', and went on to direct ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' in ...

who also directed P.O.D.'s previous video. "Will You" carries the Christian message of

turning the other cheek Turning the other cheek is a phrase in Christian doctrine from the Sermon on the Mount that refers to responding to insult without retort and allowing more insult. This passage is variously interpreted as accepting one's predicament, commanding no ...

and deals with the problems faced by four adolescents with little in common. A young

preppy Preppy (also spelled preppie) or prep (all abbreviations of the word ''preparatory'') is a subculture in the United States associated with the alumni of old private Northeastern college preparatory schools. The terms are used to denote a perso ...

girl is pressured into sex before being comforted by a punk rock girl; an interracial couple is harassed at a party; and a youth deals with an alcoholic mother. This is accompanied by sped-up footage of P.O.D. performing the song in a vacant lot.Wiederhorn, Jo
P.O.D. Urge Fans To Turn Other Cheek With 'Will You' Video
MTV.com (October 7, 2003). Retrieved on 6-19-11.

Track listing

# "Will You (Album version)" - 3:48 # "Will You ( Chris Vrenna remix)" - 3:54 # "Cain (Instrumental)" - 6:10

Official versions

* "Will You" 3:47 * "Will You (Video/Radio Edit)" 3:44 * "Will You (Chris Vrenna Remix)" 3:56 * "Will You (Tommie Sunshine New Mix)" 6:27 * "Will You (Tommie Sunshine Original Remix) "5:37 * "Will You (Tommie Sunshine Special Original Gigolo Instrumental)" 5:37 * "Will You (Tommie Sunshine Forever Remix)" 5:09

Charts

References

{{Authority control P.O.D. songs 2003 singles Torch songs Music videos directed by Marc Webb 2003 songs 2000s ballads Song recordings produced by Howard Benson Atlantic Records singles Rock ballads Songs written by Jason Truby Songs written by Noah Bernardo Songs written by Traa Daniels Songs written by Sonny Sandoval