Pitiful (Blindside song)

"Pitiful"
Single by Blindside
from the album Silence
Released	15 July 2002 [1]
Length	3:12
Label	Elektra
Songwriter(s)	Christian Lindskog, Simon Grenehed, Tomas Näslund, Marcus Dahlström
Producer(s)	Howard Benson
Blindside singles chronology
"Pitiful" (2002) "Sleepwalking" (2003)

"Pitiful" is a song by Swedish rock band Blindside, released as the lead single from their third studio album Silence . The song charted on both the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts, peaking at number 18 and 36 respectively. The song made an appearance on the soundtrack for the 2002 EA Sports video game NHL 2003 . ^[2]

Reception

Writing for Billboard in 2002, Adam G. Keim described "Pitiful" as "harsh and heavy," and noted its rotation on MTV2. ^[3] Similarly, Greg Miller of the Reading Eagle referred to the song as "highly anticipated," and highlighted that the song was "rising to the top of the charts". ^[4] The single received three out of five stars from The Bolton News . ^[5]

Sean Richardson, writing for The Boston Phoenix described the song as "disgraced sinners offering pretty vocal melodies and self-lacerating guitar riffs to God in exchange for forgiveness," highlighting its "vivid crucifixion imagery" and frontman Christian Lindskog's "climactic howl." Richardson also noted the song’s spiritual themes and compared it to the work of P.O.D., while emphasizing Blindside’s more hardcore-influenced sound. ^[6]

Live performances

The band performed the song on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in September 2002. ^[7]

Track listing

German CD single ^[8]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Pitiful (album version)"	Blindside	3:12
2.	"December in Sweden (non-album track)"	Blindside	3:22
3.	"Midnight (acoustic version)"	Blindside	4:11

US CD single ^[9]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Pitiful (album version)"	Blindside	3:12

Charts

Chart performance for "Pitiful"

Chart (2002–2003)	Peak position
UK Singles (OCC) [10]	171
UK Rock & Metal (OCC) [11]	21
US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [12]	36
US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [13]	18

Cover versions

American rock band Saosin covered the song live in 2023, and their performance was later included on their 2024 live album Live at the Garden Amphitheater. ^[14]

References

1. "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records . No. 1461. July 12, 2002. p. 27. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
2. "THE SOUNDS OF NHL 2003". EA Sports. Electronic Arts. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
3. G. Keim, Adam (24 August 2002). "Elektra's Blindside Eyes Stateside Success" (PDF). Billboard . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 22. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
4. Miller, Greg (24 September 2002). "Blindside's message is heavy, but important". Reading Eagle . p. 16. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
5. "Blindside - Pitiful (Out Monday, Eastwest)". The Bolton News . 2003-03-28. p. 28. Retrieved 2025-07-21.
6. Richardson, Sean (4 October 2002). "Blindside and Project 86 spread the P.O.D. gospel". The Boston Phoenix. p. 25. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
7. DiBiase, John (28 December 2002). "Blindside, "Silence" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
8. Pitiful (German CD single liner notes). Blindside. Elektra Records. 2002. 7559-67332-2.
9. Pitiful (US CD single liner notes). Blindside. Elektra Records. 2002. Prcd 1795-2.
10. "Chart Log UK 1994–2010 Darren B – David Byrne". Zobbel. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
11. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
12. "Blindside Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
13. "Blindside Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
14. Ryan, Nolen (26 March 2024). "Saosin announce 20th anniversary live album with Cove Reber and Anthony Green". Alternative Press . Retrieved 17 July 2025.