Twisted Transistor

"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.

"Twisted Transistor"
Single by Korn
from the album See You on the Other Side
ReleasedSeptember 27, 2005
Recorded2005
Length4:12
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Korn singles chronology
"Another Brick in the Wall"
(2004)		 "Twisted Transistor"
(2005)		 "Coming Undone"
(2006)

Music and structure

This is the first Korn single as a quartet without former guitarist Brian Welch who departed the group in 2005. The song introduces a clear change in direction for the band, embracing a more pop-tinged, bouncy sound, free of most of lead singer Jonathan Davis's throaty rage that characterized the group's previous albums, while guitarist Brian "Head" Welch's pummeling, seven-string guitar riffs are replaced entirely with James "Munky" Shaffer's simplistic power chords and a more hook-heavy, catchy chorus.

A sample previously implemented on Coil and Danny Hyde's remix of Nine Inch Nails' "Closer", can be heard at the end of the bridge section of "Twisted Transistor".

Concept

"You know that feeling when you're alone in your room, you feel bad and nothing around you seems to be going well then suddenly when you turn on your radio, you are immediately 'deep in the music'. That's exactly the subject of Twisted Transistor with the lyrics: 'A lonely life where no one understands you but don't give up because the music do'. – Jonathan Davis

Chart performance

The song has become Korn's second most successful single to date on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number sixty-four,[1] and became their highest charting single on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs chart, peaking at number three, until it was surpassed by "Never Never," which reached number one in 2013.[1] Its success was continued overseas, where it charted in many countries, including number twenty-seven in the UK, number twenty-four in Australia, and number six in Finland.

Charts
Chart (2005–06) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) 24
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) 37
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) 6
Germany (Media Control AG) 66
Ireland (IRMA) 24
Italy (FIMI) 14
Netherlands (MegaCharts) 27
Polish Singles Chart[2] 46
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) 60
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[3] 27
US Billboard Hot 100[1] 64
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[4] 9
US Dance/Club Play Songs (Billboard)[1] 24
US Mainstream Rock Songs (Billboard)[1] 3
US Pop 100 (Billboard)[1] 63

Music video

The video for the song was directed by Ryan Ratajski and features a Spinal Tap-esque mockumentary produced by "documentary filmmaker Rob Piner" (a reference to Canadian music journalist Nardwuar the Human Serviette)[5] where four rappers play the parts of Korn: Lil Jon as Jonathan Davis, Xzibit as Fieldy, David Banner as David Silveria, and Snoop Dogg as Munky. The real Korn appears at the end of the video as representatives of "Fony Music", complaining about how the music video isn't going to sell because it lacks "bling-bling" and "booty shakin'". There is also a section in the video featuring 'Jonathan' recording vocals in "Big Rick's Studio", a reference to metal and hip-hop producer Rick Rubin, as Big Rick himself as he appears in the video bears a resemblance to Rick Rubin.

The rappers have jokingly noted in interviews that "It might be a [new] band coming towards you".[6]

Appearances in media
  • The song was featured in EA Sports' Arena Football as part of EA Trax.
  • The song was also the theme song for WWE's PPV, Taboo Tuesday 2005.
  • The song appeared once in Criss Angel Mindfreak while Criss was visiting Korn Studios.
  • Part of the song was heard at the beginning of the episode of NCIS titled "Head Case" during Season 3.
  • The band performed the song on a 2007 episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Eva Longoria.

Track listing

UK release
  • 7" VUS316, CD VUSCD316
  1. "Twisted Transistor" (radio edit)
  2. "Too Late I'm Dead"

Australian release
  • CD 3474592
  1. "Twisted Transistor" (radio edit)
  2. "Appears"
  3. "Twisted Transistor" (Kupper's Elektro-tek radio edit)

US promotional release
  • 12" VUSTDJ316
  1. "Twisted Transistor" (Dummies Club Mix)
  2. "Twisted Transistor" (album version)
  3. "Twisted Transistor" (Kupper's Elektro-tek Klub Mix)
  4. "Twisted Transistor" (Josh Harris Fuck the Club Mix)

See also

References
  1. "Korn > See You on the Other Side > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
  2. "Polish Singles Chart |".
  3. Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK: Alex K - Kyuss". Zobbel. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
  4. "Twisted Transistor - Korn". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
  5. Nardwuar -- Pop Culture's Historian, at Ion Magazine; by Bryce Dunn; published August 30, 2013; retrieved October 27, 2013; "Snoop Dogg put me in a Korn video for the song “Twisted Transistor”. Even though I’m not actually in the video, Snoop and some other hip-hop stars (like T-Pain and Xzibit) play members of Korn, and in one part of the video they are being interviewed by a guy in a tartan hat and he gets punched! When I asked Snoop about that he said, “We were thinking about you when we put that guy in the video”. Thank you Snoop Dogg!"
  6. "Lil Jon, Snoop, Xzibit, David Banner Star In New Korn Video". VH1. 2005-10-06. Retrieved 2007-10-05.
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