Leader of Men
 |
| "Leader of Men" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Leader of Men" is the lead single from the 2000 album, The State, by Canadian rock band Nickelback. The band's first successful single, the song reached the US rock charts, peaking at number eight on Mainstream Rock Tracks and number 21 on Modern Rock Tracks. The single propel the band to their mainstream rock success.
Meaning
Chad Kroeger, the band's frontman, has said that the song is about a time he possibly saved the life of a friend.
The line about jumping off a cliff to save a girl — that really happened. Some of my friends and I were cliff diving. One of my friends, Kathy, was getting swept downstream and couldn't stay afloat - she wasn't a strong swimmer. So I jumped in, swam down to her and pulled her ashore.
- Chad Kroeger "The song starts off, 'Tell your friends not to think aloud until they swallow'," Kroeger says.
What that line implies is that usually what you say after you start tripping is far more interesting than what you're going to say when you're dead straight. A lot of the lines in the song are about what you're going through while you're zooming.
- Chad Kroeger
On the other hand, at some stops during Nickelback's 2002 Tour, Chad Kroeger would introduce the song by saying, "This is a song about tripping on 'shrooms, or sometimes, a song about magic mushrooms. This one's called 'Leader of Men'." There was a prototype song called The Shroom Song, with slightly different lyrics.
Track listings
- "Leader of Men"
- "Leader of Men" [acoustic]
- "Just Four" [from the album Curb]
Release history
Charts
| Country | Release Date |
|---|---|
| United States | March 11, 2000 |
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Rock/Alternative Chart | 11 |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 8 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 21 |