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The Catalyst

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This article is about the song by Linkin Park. For the audiobook, see The Catalyst (Doctor Who audio). For other uses, see Catalyst (disambiguation).

"The Catalyst"
Single by Linkin Park
from the album A Thousand Suns and Medal of Honor
B-side"New Divide" (Live)
ReleasedAugust 2, 2010 (2010-08-02)
Recorded2008–2010
Genre
Length
  • 5:40 (album version)
  • 4:44 (single version)
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Linkin Park
Producer(s)
Linkin Park singles chronology
"New Divide"
(2009) 		"The Catalyst"
(2010) 		"Waiting for the End"
(2010)
Audio sample
Music video
"The Catalyst" on YouTube

"The Catalyst" is a song by the American rock band Linkin Park. Released on August 2, 2010,[5] it is the first single from their fourth studio album, A Thousand Suns, which was released on September 8, 2010. The music video for the song, directed by the band's turntablist Joe Hahn, was released on August 25, 2010.[6]

"The Catalyst" is used in the trailer and credits of the video game Medal of Honor and also the opening song of Namco-Bandai's Arcade game, Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs.. It was also used in select commercials of the Discovery Channel series, Surviving the Cut. The song was also featured in the video game Linkin Park Revenge for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. "The Catalyst" has also been used in the advertisement for the 2011 movie The Lincoln Lawyer with Matthew McConaughey.

"The Catalyst", along with five other songs from A Thousand Suns, are featured in the "Linkin Park Track Pack" as downloadable content for the rhythm video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. The track pack was released on October 19, 2010.

Background

From July 9, 2010 until July 25, 2010, Linkin Park (in collaboration with MySpace.com) held the contest "Linkin Park, Featuring You". In this contest, fans could download stems from the album's first single, "The Catalyst", remix the stems and/or write their own parts for the song on any instrument. The winner of this contest was Czesław "NoBraiN" Sakowski from Świdnica, Poland, whose remix was featured as an additional downloadable track on the Best Buy version of A Thousand Suns, and also available on Napster.[7][8] The liner notes for A Thousand Suns also credit Sakowski with "Supplemental Programming" on "When They Come for Me", the album's fifth track.

The top 20 remixes that were selected by the band are being considered for future use as b-sides and online downloads, as seen in the "Linkin Park, featuring YOU Winner" episode of the band's LPTV series.[9] Two of the remixes (by DIGITALOMAT and ill Audio) have since been released as via the band's webpage as free mp3 downloads, while two others (by Cale Pellick and DJ Endorphin) have been released via the iTunes EP version, released exclusively in Europe.[10]

"The Catalyst" has also been featured in the trailer of the video game Medal of Honor, which premiered on August 1, 2010 and was directed by Joe Hahn. It was also featured in the game's end credits.[11][12] The song was also featured in commercials of Discovery Channel's Shark Week in the summer of 2010. It was also used during the 16th annual X Games competition.[13] On September 15, 2010, Warner Music Japan announced that the song will be the official theme song of Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs.[14][15][16][17]

On August 31, 2010, it was announced that the band would perform the single live for the first time at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010.[18] The venue of the debut live performance was Griffith Observatory, an iconic location used in Hollywood movies.[19][20] However, the venue was held secret until the performance but was revealed to be a prominent landmark of Los Angeles.[21] The clip for the 2010 VMAs performance was shown at the 2017 edition, as a tribute to Bennington, who died a month before the awards show.

Music video

A behind-the-scenes screenshot of the music video, showing lead vocalists Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson and bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell throwing colored powder at each other.

The video for the song was filmed in July and was also directed by Joe Hahn. According to bassist Phoenix,[citation needed] the video contains references to the Bhagavad Gita as well as the Christian apocalypse, with Joe Hahn saying it was influenced by J. Robert Oppenheimer.[22] These are three themes that are also used in the album.[23][24] When coming up with the idea for the video, Hahn said he thought about what it would be like if mankind had to accept their fate in a time of despair.[25]

The video premiered on August 26, 2010.[26] The video begins at a foggy town and Mike is seen singing in his Stone Island hoodie in a rusted car and the scene then shows people running from the town. The entire town is covered in smoke. The band members are shown in remains of buildings, and Chester sings while submerged in water. Numerous people with gas masks are shown. Later in the video, the people clash with the gas-masked-men, throwing powder at each other, while the band members throw powder at each other as well. The video ends with Chester, still being submerged in water.

The video was released on their official YouTube channel on August 25, 2010.[27]

As of October 2020, the song has 194 million views on YouTube.

Covers

Pendulum covered the song on September 22, 2010 on BBC Radio 1 as part of the Live Lounge show.[28]

Reception

"The Catalyst" has been met with generally positive reception from critics. Jason Lipshutz of Billboard called the song a "nearly six-minute anthem of aggression", emphasizing on the transition from electronica to a slow dirge midway through the track. He also added that it recalls the vocal chants from Muse and political commentaries from Green Day, which the band fuses to create "an original, if a bit awkward, transition from twisty techno to fist-pumping rock".[2] Jason Treuen of The Music Network, in his review of A Thousand Suns, called the song "the best distillation of Linkin Park 2.0", and concluded by noting that "If [the album] was a film, this would be the victorious fight scene.".[29] The New York Post named "The Catalyst" the 139th best song of 2010, saying "An electronic rave transforms into a power ballad."[30]

Fan reception, however, has been mixed, with some criticizing the band from moving away from their original sound too much and some have considered the song a 'sellout'. Others praised the band's experimentation and evolution that showcased the band's new direction.

Commercial performance

"The Catalyst" debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard Rock Songs chart, with 12.2 million audience impressions.[31] It became the first song in the chart's 14-month history to debut at the top spot.[31] This gave the band their second No. 1 single on the chart, tying them with Alice in Chains and Three Days Grace for most No. 1 singles on the chart. It also debuted at No. 3 on the US Alternative Songs chart, becoming the band's fourteenth top five single on the chart (placing them behind Green Day for most top five's on the chart).[31] In its third week on the chart, it reached No. 1, becoming the band's ninth No. 1 on the chart, and tied for second most across all artists on the chart.[32] Although the song charted high on the Rock and Alternative Songs charts, it was one of the band's lowest-charting songs on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, peaking just outside the top ten at No. 12. Additionally, it debuted at No. 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100, selling 60,000 downloads in its first week, and became the band's ninth top forty single on the Hot 100. After its debut, it fell to No. 89, but "The Catalyst" rebounded to No. 72 and eventually rose to No. 27 upon the release of A Thousand Suns. The song debuted at No. 20 on the US Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart in its first week.[33] It achieved a Gold certification from the RIAA.[34]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Linkin Park.

CD single
No.TitleLength
1."The Catalyst"5:44
2."New Divide" (Live)4:55
Digital download
No.TitleLength
1."The Catalyst"5:42
NoBraiN remix single[35]
No.TitleLength
1."The Catalyst" (feat. NoBraiN)4:22
iTunes EP[10]
No.TitleLength
1."The Catalyst"5:42
2."The Catalyst" ("Bobby Bloomfield" DIOYY? Remix)3:06
3."The Catalyst" (King Fantastic Remix)4:04
4."The Catalyst" (featuring DJ Endorphin)5:00
5."The Catalyst" (featuring Cale Pellick)3:31
Promotional radio CD single
No.TitleLength
1."The Catalyst" (Radio Edit)4:44
2."The Catalyst" (Album Version)5:43
3."The Catalyst" (Pendulum Remix)4:20

Charts

Chart (2010) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[36] 33
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[37] 18
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[38] 6
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[39] 9
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[40] 28
Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100)[41] 19
European Hot 100 Singles 29
Germany (GfK)[42] 11
Hungary (Single Top 40)[43] 8
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[44] 95
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[45] 27
Scotland (OCC)[46] 40
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[47] 46
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[48] 31
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[49] 29
UK Singles (OCC)[50] 40
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[51] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[52] 27
US Billboard Rock Songs[53] 1
US Billboard Alternative Songs[53] 1
US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[53] 12

Year-end charts

Chart (2010) Position
Japanese Top 100[54] 96
Billboard Alternative Songs[55] 40
Billboard Rock Songs[56] 40

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[57] Gold 500,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "LISTEN: Linkin Park Debut New Song". SPIN.com. August 2, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Music Charts, Most Popular Music, Music by Genre & Top Music Charts". Billboard. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  3. ^ "Album Review: A Thousand Suns". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  4. ^ "Ranking Every Alternative Rock No. 1 Hit from Worst to Best". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  5. ^ Shinoda, Mike (July 8, 2010). "NEW ALBUM, "A THOUSAND SUNS," OUT SEPTEMBER 14". LinkinPark.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2011. Retrieved July 29, 2010.[needs update]
  6. ^ Hahn, Joe (August 25, 2010). ""The Catalyst" Music Video Premiere". LinkinPark.com. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  7. ^ Linkin Park (July 9, 2010). "LINKIN PARK, FEATURING YOU". LinkinPark.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2010. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  8. ^ "Linkin Park Best Buy Exclusive". Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  9. ^ "Linkin Park, featuring YOU Winner". Retrieved September 6, 2010.
  10. ^ a b "The Catalyst - EP". iTunes. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  11. ^ Hahn, Joe (July 27, 2010). ""THE CATALYST" IN MEDAL OF HONOR". LinkinPark.com. Archived from the original on July 30, 2010. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  12. ^ "Medal of Honor (2010) – End Credits".
  13. ^ "Music on ESPN X Games broadcasts". July 29, 2010. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  14. ^ COBS ONLINE (April 5, 2010). "史上初！リンキン・パークがガンダムとタイアップ！メンバーデザインのガンプラ付限定版が11月24日発売決定". Cobs.jp. Archived from the original on September 19, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  15. ^ "Linkin Park／リンキン・パーク『ア・サウザンド・サンズ』". Wmg.jp. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  16. ^ Khiong, Ngee (September 15, 2010). "Ngee Khiong: Linkin Park Limited Gunpla & Music CD Announced". Ngeekhiong.blogspot.com. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
  17. ^ "テーマ曲はLINKIN PARK！「機動戦士ガンダム エクストリームバーサス」9月28日稼動開始！ | 公式ガンダム情報ポータルサイト「GUNDAM.INFO」". Gundam.info. Archived from the original on November 23, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
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  24. ^ Treuen, Jason. "Album review: Linkin Park, A Thousand Suns (track-by-track)". The Music Network. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  25. ^ Hahn, Joe (August 25, 2010). ""The Catalyst" Music Video". LinkinPark.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
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  27. ^ Linkin Park – The Catalyst (Official HD) on YouTube
  28. ^ Staples, Derek (September 23, 2010). "Check Out: Pendulum covers Linkin Park's "The Catalyst"". consequenceofsound.net. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  29. ^ Treuen, Jason (September 3, 2010). "Album review: Linkin Park, A Thousand Suns (track-by-track)". The Music Network. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  30. ^ Dan Aquilante; Christina Amoroso; Joe Barracato; Billy Heller; Charlie Heller; Mary Huhn; Sara Lieberman; Stephen Lynch; Sheila McClear; Brian Niemietz; Maxine Shen; Mandy Stadtmiller; Sara Stewart; Reed Tucker; Elisabeth Vincentelli; Andy Wang (October 1, 2011). "The Top 210 Songs of 2010". New York Post. Archived from the original on July 26, 2012.
  31. ^ a b c Linkin Park Logs First No. 1 Debut On Rock Songs. Billboard (2009-06-20). Retrieved on 2013-08-25.
  32. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/column/chartbeat/chart-highlights-adult-pop-alternative-songs-1004110760.story
  33. ^ Taylor Swift Makes Sparkling Hot 100 Entrance. Billboard (2010-08-11). Retrieved on 2013-08-25.
  34. ^ "RIAA Certifications". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  35. ^ "The Catalyst (feat. NoBraiN) - Single" (in Japanese). iTunes.com. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
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  37. ^ "Linkin Park – The Catalyst" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
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  41. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 36. týden 2010 in the date selector. Retrieved 2018-11-01.
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  43. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
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  47. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201033 into search. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
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  49. ^ "Linkin Park – The Catalyst". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
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  51. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  52. ^ "Linkin Park Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  53. ^ a b c https://www.billboard.com/artist/linkin-park/chart-history/
  54. ^ "レコード協会調べ 2009年12月16日～2010年12月14日「着うたフル(R)」 2010年有料音楽配信「年間チャート」（通称：レコ協チャート）" [Record Association Analysis: December 16, 2009 – December 14, 2010 Full-length Cellphone Download 2010 paid digital sales "Yearly Chart" (Abbreviated: RIAJ Chart)] (PDF). RIAJ. December 20, 2010. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  55. ^ "Billboard 2010 Year-End Alternative Songs". Billboard. December 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  56. ^ Billboard 2010 Year-End Top Rock Songs
  57. ^ "American single certifications – Linkin Park – The Catalyst". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
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