A.D.I.D.A.S. (Korn song)

Last updated
"A.D.I.D.A.S."
Korn a.d.i.d.a.s..png
Single by Korn
from the album Life Is Peachy
ReleasedMarch 4, 1997 (1997-03-04)
Recorded1996
Genre
Length2:32
Label Epic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Korn singles chronology
"No Place to Hide"
(1996)		"A.D.I.D.A.S."
(1997)		"Good God"
(1997)

"A.D.I.D.A.S." is a song written and recorded by American nu metal band Korn for their second studio album, Life Is Peachy . It was released as the album's second single in March 1997.

Contents

Background

The title is an acronym for the statement "All Day I Dream About Sex" and indirectly refers to the popular sportswear brand Adidas. The backronym of the brand name dates to the 1970s. [4] "All Day I Dream About Sex" was a recurring joke in the sports shop where Jonathan Davis worked in the early days of Korn. [5]

When the band began, Davis wore an army green tracksuit. [6] He soon drew a "Korn" logo on one with a pen and presented it in live performances that included the bagpipes. [6] He said wearing Adidas "was about breaking the mould, man ... it was about going against everything that metal was supposed to be." [6]

From 1993 to 1997, the band established its style by wearing mainly Adidas T-shirts and tracksuits, [5] which became a trend and unified their fan community. [6] It also helped that the clothing brand was also willing to provide them with free merchandise. [6] Davis was described in 2002 as having an "addiction and a mad obsession to sex", and "constantly fantasizing" about women, and claimed to be a "porn movie specialist". [5] "A.D.I.D.A.S." contains the sexually charged lyrics: "I don't know your fucking name / So what? Let's fuck!". [7] The song was a "wink" to the old backronym "All Day I Dream About Sex" and to the brand. [7] [5]

At the time, some said Korn was "indecent, vulgar, obscene, and intends to be insulting.. [8] Fans wearing the band's characteristic style of clothing with the Korn logo—printed T-shirts were considered "not different than a person wearing a middle finger on their T-shirt". [8]

While the terminology "nu metal" appeared shortly after 1998, Korn and Adidas had pushed the boundaries of the metal code; Davis later stated, "our attitude has always been punk rock." [6]

Live performances

"A.D.I.D.A.S." was played at Woodstock 1999 to a crowd of 275,000. The song was a staple of the band's live set list up until about 2007, when it started to be played far less frequently, and its performances temporarily ceased around 2009. [9] In 2021, the song was performed live for the first time in 12 years, and is now played frequently by the band again.

When guitarist Brian "Head" Welch rejoined Korn in 2013, it was one of the songs he requested the band never play again. In 2003, there was an incident where Welch saw his daughter Jennea, then aged 5, reciting the explicit lyrics to the song, which was a contributing factor to him leaving the band and finding Christianity. Welch later recalled, "She was five years old, and I'm sitting there watching her sing 'All day I dream about sex'. That's not right. I don't care if she didn't know what she was singing. It still freaked me out. It's just not right for her to see her dad strung out on drugs, and it's not right for her to sing that song. It's like I was stealing her childhood or something." [10]

The song was played live at the music festival Sick New World in Las Vegas [11] among other places.

Music video

The music video for "A.D.I.D.A.S." was filmed in Los Angeles with Joseph Kahn directing [12] and released in March 1997. The plot revolves around a car accident that causes the death of all Korn members at the hands of a pimp and his prostitutes. The police officers, firefighters, and paramedics secure the crash site. The corpses are placed in black body bags, where they appear to come alive and move violently. They are then transported to a grotesque morgue where a pathologist examines the corpses. When the band members are undressed, it's revealed that Davis is wearing stripper clothes. [5] This is the only video where Davis can be seen wearing one of his customized sequined Adidas tracksuits. The radio mix of "A.D.I.D.A.S." is used for the video. [13]

When asked about the video in a May 1997 interview with Australia's The Buzz, band member Fieldy remarked "The director.... it was his idea. He just did the Shaq video with the helicopter, and he did the Westside Connection video. He has had pretty much all hip hop crap. Then he came to us with his idea, he knew that Jon used to work for the morgue in the coroner's office and all that crap so...We liked his idea and we're like - let's do it." [14] Arvizu later claimed, "It was one of the hardest videos we ever made because we all had to lie still on cold metal slabs for hours, pretending to be dead. We wore dirty blue contacts in our eyes that made us partially blind while they were in." [15]

In pop culture

"A.D.I.D.A.S." played in a season 1 episode of adult animated comedy Daria titled "Road Worrier", which originally aired on July 7, 1997. [16]

That same year, the music video appeared in an MTV program titled 12 Angry Mothers, which featured a group of mothers who judge different music videos with a "yes" or "no". It received a unanimous "no". [17]

Reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic praised the song. He writes ""A.D.I.D.A.S."—a kinetic funk-metal track allegedly built around the schoolyard acronym "All Day I Dream About Sex"—was Korn's breakthrough single, and deservedly so—it was arguably the best moment [on Life is Peachy]. [3]

Chart ranking, accolades, and legacy

"A.D.I.D.A.S." ranked 24th on Australian radio station Triple J's annual "Hottest 100" list for the year of 1997. [18] [19] Mexican station 91X also ranked it 18th on their "Top 91 of 1997" list. [20]

Noisecreep ranked "A.D.I.D.A.S." as the fourth best Korn video in 2013. They state "Pimps, hookers and Korn perishing in a car accident? That's not why 'A.D.I.D.A.S.' is one of the best Korn videos. It's the deft way that the band explored the seedy underbelly of a city and pushed shock value to the limit that makes it so." [21]

In 2019, Loudwire ranked the song number six on their list of the 50 greatest Korn songs, [22] and in 2021, Kerrang ranked the song number ten on their list of the 20 greatest Korn songs. [23]

"Direct a Korn video contest" winner Sean Dack took inspiration from the "A.D.I.D.A.S." video when directing Korn's "Alone I Break" in 2002. [24]

Track listing

Australian release

  1. "A.D.I.D.A.S." – 2:37
  2. "Chi" (live) – 4:47
  3. "A.D.I.D.A.S." (The Wet Dream mix) – 3:37
  4. "Wicked" (Tear the Roof Off mix) – 3:46
  5. "A.D.I.D.A.S." (Synchro dub) – 4:28
  6. "A.D.I.D.A.S." (video) – 2:32

US release

  1. "A.D.I.D.A.S." (Synchro dub) – 4:27
  2. "A.D.I.D.A.S." (Under Pressure mix) – 3:55
  3. "A.D.I.D.A.S." (The Wet Dream mix) – 3:35
  4. "Wicked" (Tear the Roof Off mix) – 3:47

UK release No. 1

  1. "A.D.I.D.A.S." (radio mix) – 2:32
  2. "Chi" (live) – 4:46
  3. "Ball Tongue" (live) – 4:56
  4. "Lowrider/Shoots and Ladders" (live) – 6:15

UK release No. 2

  1. "A.D.I.D.A.S." – 2:33
  2. "Faget" – 5:51
  3. "Porno Creep" – 2:03
  4. "Blind" – 4:19

Austrian and Swedish release

  1. "A.D.I.D.A.S." (radio mix) – 2:35
  2. "Ball Tongue" (live) – 4:56
  3. "Lowrider/Shoots and Ladders" (live) – 6:14
Tracks 2 and 3 were recorded live at the Bronco Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on November 23, 1996.

Charts

Chart (1997)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [25] 45
Australia Alternative Singles (ARIA) [26] 8
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [27] 87
Scotland (OCC) [28] 27
UK Singles (OCC) [29] 22
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles ( Billboard ) [30] 13

Year-end charts

Chart (2001)Position
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan) [31] 168

See also

Related Research Articles

Nu metal is a subgenre of alternative metal that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu metal rarely features guitar solos or other displays of musical technique, and emphasizes rhythm with instrumentation that is heavily syncopated. Nu metal guitarists typically use seven-string guitars that are down-tuned to produce a heavier sound. Vocal styles are often rhythmic and influenced by hip hop, and include singing, rapping, screaming and sometimes growling. DJs are occasionally featured to provide instrumentation such as sampling, turntable scratching and electronic background music. Nu metal is one of the key genres of the new wave of American heavy metal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korn</span> American nu metal band

Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, originally formed in 1993 by James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and David Silveria, who were members of the band L.A.P.D. Their current lineup features Shaffer (guitar), Arvizu (bass), Brian "Head" Welch (guitar), Jonathan Davis (vocals), and Ray Luzier (drums), the last of whom replaced Silveria in 2007. The band is notable for pioneering and popularizing the nu metal genre.

<i>Roots</i> (Sepultura album) 1996 studio album by Sepultura

Roots is the sixth studio album by Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura. It was released in Europe on February 20, 1996 and in the U.S. three weeks later on March 12 by Roadrunner Records. It is the band's last studio album to feature founding member and vocalist/rhythm guitarist Max Cavalera.

<i>Korn</i> (album) 1994 studio album by Korn

Korn is the debut studio album by American nu metal band Korn. It was released on October 11, 1994, through Immortal and Epic Records. Before recording the album, the band was approached by Immortal/Epic Records after a performance in Huntington Beach, California. The band signed to their label because they did not want to "sign away all of their creative freedom". The band would record at Indigo Ranch Studios in Malibu, California, with producer Ross Robinson, who also produced their 1993 demo Neidermayer's Mind. The recording took place from May to June 1994. After the recordings, Korn toured with Biohazard and House of Pain.

<i>Life Is Peachy</i> 1996 studio album by Korn

Life Is Peachy is the second studio album by American nu metal band Korn. It was released on October 15, 1996, through both Immortal Records and Epic Records. After the release of Korn's 1994 self-titled debut album, the band reunited with Ross Robinson to produce and went back to Indigo Ranch Studios to record. Life Is Peachy features such themes as drugs, social encounters, sex, betrayal, and revenge. The album has fourteen tracks, excluding the hidden track after "Kill You". Martin Riedl photographed its cover art, and its title is credited to Korn's bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu. Life Is Peachy was Korn's first significant breakthrough, which came from constant touring after the debut album's release and building a fan base, thus fueling great expectations.

<i>Follow the Leader</i> (Korn album) 1998 studio album by Korn

Follow the Leader is the third studio album by American nu metal band Korn. It was released on August 18, 1998, through both Immortal and Epic Records. This was their first album not produced by Ross Robinson. Instead, it was produced by Steve Thompson and Toby Wright.

<i>Take a Look in the Mirror</i> 2003 studio album by Korn

Take a Look in the Mirror is the sixth studio album by American nu metal band Korn. Released on November 21, 2003, through Epic Records and Immortal Records, it is the last Korn studio album to feature their full original lineup, as their original guitarist Brian "Head" Welch left the band in February 2005 until his return in 2013. Original drummer David Silveria also left Korn before the end of 2006 after the release of their next album See You on the Other Side. It was also the last studio album by Korn under the Epic and Immortal labels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Welch</span> American guitarist

Brian Philip Welch, also known by his stage name Head, is an American musician. He is a guitarist and founding member of the nu metal band Korn and his solo project Love and Death, where he also provides vocals. Along with fellow Korn guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer, Welch helped develop Korn's distinctive sound that defined the nu metal aesthetic beginning in the mid-'90s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freak on a Leash</span> 1999 Single by Korn

"Freak on a Leash" is a song by the American nu metal band Korn, featured on the group's 1998 studio album, Follow the Leader. After Follow the Leader's release, the song was released as a single on February 25, 1999, and since then, it has been re-released over ten times. The song uses dissonance, distortion, various guitar effects, and a heavy, aggressive style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Here to Stay (Korn song)</span> 2002 single by Korn

"Here to Stay" is a song by American nu metal band Korn that appears on the band's fifth studio album, Untouchables as the album's opening track. It was released as the album's first single in June 2002. The song won the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance, as well as winning an award for Best International Video on MuchMusic in 2002. It was also nominated for Best Rock Video at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards and Best Single at the 2002 Kerrang! Awards. The music video, directed by The Hughes Brothers was highly successful, and gained frequent airplay on MTV and MuchMusic in particular, featuring the band members on a TV screen amongst major world issues at the time. The video won a 2002 Metal Edge Readers' Choice Award for Music Video of the Year. The song has become a staple of the band's live show to this day. Dizzee Rascal samples this song on his single, "Sirens" from his album, Maths + English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twisted Transistor</span> 2005 single by Korn

"Twisted Transistor" is a song written and recorded by American nu metal band Korn for their seventh studio album, See You on the Other Side. It was released as the album's first single in September 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blind (Korn song)</span> 1994 single by Korn

"Blind" is a song by American nu metal band Korn for their self-titled debut album. It was released as the album's first single in August 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Did My Time</span> 2003 single by Korn

"Did My Time" is a song written and recorded by American nu metal band Korn for the film, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. It was released as a single in July 2003 in support of the film, and was later featured on the band's sixth studio album, Take a Look in the Mirror.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falling Away from Me</span> 1999 single by Korn

"Falling Away from Me" is a song by American nu metal band Korn. It was released as the first single from their fourth album Issues, debuting in an episode of Comedy Central's animated series South Park, entitled "Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery". The song went on to become one of Korn's most popular singles, with an anti-child abuse themed video topping MTV's Total Request Live for ten days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Good God (Korn song)</span> 1997 single by Korn

"Good God" is a song written and recorded by American nu metal band Korn for their second studio album, Life Is Peachy. It was released as the album's third single in November 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Got the Life</span> 1998 single by Korn

"Got the Life" is a song by American nu metal band Korn. It was released in 1998, as the second single from their third album, Follow the Leader (1998). The song was recorded in April 1998 at NRG Recording Studios. The band decided they would release the song as a promotional single after each member found that there was something "special" about the song. The single had "phenomenal success", and its music video was requested more than any other video on MTV's TRL, making it the first officially "retired" music video.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Make Me Bad</span> 2000 single by Korn

"Make Me Bad" is a song written and recorded by the American nu metal band Korn for their fourth studio album, Issues. Many Korn fans interpret the lyrics to be about frontman Jonathan Davis' getting tired of drinking or drug abuse and his decision to get sober a year prior to Issues coming out. It was released as the album's second single in February 2000, enjoying major success on US rock radio stations and in the United Kingdom. The Alien-inspired music video is one of the most expensive videos Korn have ever filmed featuring actors Brigitte Nielsen, Udo Kier, Tatjana Patitz, and Shannyn Sossamon. An acoustic medley of "Make Me Bad" and The Cure's "In Between Days" was performed with The Cure for the MTV Unplugged series in December 2006.

"Faget" is a song by the American nu metal band Korn. It is the sixth track from the band's self-titled debut studio album. The song is about how Korn's lead vocalist, Jonathan Davis, was bullied in high school for being into arts, wearing eyeliner, being into new wave music, and wearing frilly shirts. According to Jonathan Davis, he was constantly called names such as "faggot".

<i>The Path of Totality</i> 2011 studio album by Korn

The Path of Totality is the tenth studio album by American nu metal band Korn. It was released on December 2, 2011, in Europe and December 6, 2011, in the US. The album was produced by various electronic music producers such as Skrillex, Noisia, Excision and various other independent producers. "Get Up!", is one of three tracks produced by Skrillex, and was released as a digital download on May 6, 2011. "Narcissistic Cannibal" was released as the second single on October 18, 2011.

"Take Me" is a single by American nu metal band Korn, from their studio album, The Serenity of Suffering. It peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in April 2017.

References

  1. ↑ Wiederhorn, Jon (July 1, 2013). "Noisey Vs. Metalsucks". Vice.
  2. ↑ "Paolo Gregoletto: Nu-Metal - Revered or Reviled? The Top Ten". All Axess. 5 January 2015. (January 5th, 2015). Retrieved on September 23rd, 2015
  3. 1 2 "A.D.I.D.A.S. review". AllMusicGuide. Retrieved October 21, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Fact Check: What Does Adidas Really Stand For?". Snopes . 21 November 2000. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Paquet, Sebastien (2002). Prélude et fugue (ed.). Korn de A à Z [Korn from A to Z]. MusicBook guides (in French) (1st ed.). Paris: L'Express éditions. pp. 15, 16. ISBN   978-2-843-43101-2. OCLC   470426200.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Law, Sam (May 26, 2021). "'It was about smashing down walls': How adidas invaded nu-metal". Kerrang! . Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  7. 1 2 Bozza, Anthony (2010). Whatever You Say I Am: The Life And Times Of Eminem. New York: Random House. p. 283. ISBN   978-1-4000-5380-3.
  8. 1 2 Attinello, Paul Gregory; Halfyard, Janet K.; Knights, Vanessa (2010). Music, Sound and Silence in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. UK: Ashgate Publishing. p. 181. ISBN   978-0-7546-6042-2.
  9. ↑ Korn Concert Setlists setlist.fm
  10. ↑ Waliszewski, Bob (2011). Plugged-In Parenting: How to Raise Media-Savvy Kids with Love, Not War. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. pp. 77–78. ISBN   9781604828085 . Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Korn - A.D.I.D.A.S. | Sick New World Festival | Las Vegas 2023". YouTube .
  12. ↑ Billboard March 1, 1997
  13. ↑ Korn - A.D.I.D.A.S on YouTube
  14. ↑ "KoRn Articles & Interviews". members.tripod.com. Retrieved Jul 19, 2020.
  15. ↑ Arvizu 2009, p. 79-80
  16. ↑ "Outpost Daria Reborn - Song List: Season One". outpost-daria-reborn.info. Retrieved Jul 19, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Korn Facts". Angelfire . Retrieved Jul 19, 2020.
  18. ↑ "The Hottest 100 of 1997: the full list". Double J. Jan 25, 2018. Retrieved Jul 19, 2020.
  19. ↑ "The Most Popular Hottest 100 Of All Time Is Being Replayed This Month". Music Feeds. Jan 17, 2018. Retrieved Jul 19, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Top 91 of 1997". Jan 20, 1997. Retrieved Jul 19, 2020.
  21. ↑ Sciarretto, Amy (8 October 2013). "10 Best Korn Videos". Noisecreep. Retrieved Jul 19, 2020.
  22. ↑ "The Top 50 Korn Songs, Ranked". Loudwire . September 13, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  23. ↑ Law, Sam (April 20, 2021). "The 20 greatest Korn songs – ranked". Kerrang . Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Treatment: Korn". MTV. November 3, 2002.
  25. ↑ "Korn – A.D.I.D.A.S.". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  26. ↑ "ARIA Alternative Charts Top 20". ARIA Report . No. 377. May 11, 1997. p. 12. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 14, no. 8. 22 February 1997. p. 11. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  28. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 25th, 2022.
  29. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Korn Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2001". Jam! . Archived from the original on July 26, 2002. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.