"Somewhere I Belong" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released to US radio on February 24, 2003, as the first single from their second studio album, Meteora (2003), and is the album's third track. It entered the top ten on several music charts, including the New Zealand Singles Chart, where it peaked at No. 1 in April 2003.
"Somewhere I Belong" was released in Australia and the United Kingdom on March 17, 2003.[13][14] In New Zealand, the song debuted at number 33 on April 6, 2003, and jumped to number one the following week, becoming Linkin Park's most successful single there.[15] It entered the top 10 in the Czech Republic,[16] Hungary,[17] Ireland,[18] and the United Kingdom,[19] and it was a top-20 success in Australia, Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden.[20] It additionally reached the top 40 in France and Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia).[21]
Music videoedit
The video was directed by the band's turntablist, Joseph Hahn. It presents the band playing the song in front of a fire, with occasional shots of Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda in front of a waterfall with what appears to be monks around them. The doors in what is supposedly Bennington's room have the Chinese characters for fire and water, which possibly represent the waterfall and burning fire behind Shinoda while rapping.
During the video, on a dresser sits several props, most notably, Master Grade Gunpla models of the MSN-04 Sazabi from Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack, XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero (EW Version) from Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, and RX-78GP01-Fb Gundam "Zephyranthes" Full Burnern from Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory. At the last time they sing the chorus, the bed sets on fire, and forms the Hybrid Theory Soldier. Near the ending of the video, tall, long-legged, tusked creatures that were on a painting (reminiscent of Salvador Dalí's The Elephants and The Temptation of St. Anthony) behind Chester's bed march past, even at one point the creature paintings seemed to move before stopping again. It was awarded as Best Rock Video at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards,[22] and was the first music video broadcast on Fuse TV. MTV's James Montgomery named the video as Linkin Park's fifth best, saying that while the video is "massive", he said "it's the minimal touches that make it one of their all-time best", and called the end result a "stirring, powerful piece".[23][24]
The song was one of the three songs off of Meteora that played during The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' win at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards. "Somewhere I Belong" played during "Best Movie" while "From the Inside" and "Faint" appeared during the nominee montage for "Best On-Screen Team" and "Best Action Sequence" respectively.[citation needed]
^Making of the Album 'Meteora' (video). Event occurs at 27:40–29:10 – via YouTube.
^ abMeteora (US CD album booklet). Linkin Park. Warner Bros. Records. 2003. 48186-2. ...they ended up recording the final version one week after the rest of the album was finished, in the studio where they were mixing.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Toby L (January 3, 2004). "LINKIN PARK - 'SOMEWHERE I BELONG' (WARNER)". Rock Feedback. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
^Mertens, Max (March 6, 2017). "How Today's Club Music is Influenced by Alt-Rock and Nu-Metal". Vice. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
^Sinclair, Tom (March 28, 2003). "Meteora". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
^"Ranking Every Alternative Rock No. 1 Hit from Worst to Best". Consequence of Sound. July 5, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
^"Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1492. February 21, 2003. p. 30. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
^"The Hot 100: Week of March 15, 2003". Billboard. March 15, 2003. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
^ ab"Linkin Park Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
^ ab"Linkin Park Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
^ ab"Linkin Park Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
^ ab"Linkin Park Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
^ ab"The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 17th March 2003" (PDF). ARIA. March 17, 2003. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 6, 2003. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
^ ab"New Releases – For Week Starting 17 March 2003: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. March 15, 2003. p. 29. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
^"Arhiva romanian top 100 – Editia 31, saptamina 11.08–17.08, 2003" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on February 18, 2005. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
^"Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201730 into search. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201730 into search. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
^"Linkin Park Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
^"Italian single certifications – Linkin Park – Somewhere I Belong" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved April 15, 2019. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Somewhere I Belong" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
^"British single certifications – Linkin Park – Somewhere I Belong". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
^"Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1492. February 21, 2003. p. 30. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
^"New Releases". netcd.co.nz. March 31, 2003. Archived from the original on April 11, 2003. Retrieved November 9, 2023.