Counterfeit (song)

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"Counterfeit"
"Counterfeit" cover
Single by Limp Bizkit
from the album Three Dollar Bill, Yall$
B-side(s) Nobody Loves Me
Released 1997
Format CD
Recorded May 1997 at Indigo Ranch Studio in Malibu, California
Genre Nu Metal, Rapcore
Length 5:10
Label Flip, Interscope
Producer(s) Fred Durst
Ross Robinson
DJ Lethal
Limp Bizkit singles chronology
"Counterfeit"
(1997)
"Faith"
(1998)

"Counterfeit" is a song by Limp Bizkit from their debut album Three Dollar Bill, Yall$. It was the band's first single, and hit among fans (although it was Faith that brought the group into the mainstream).

The song can be traced back to one of the band's early demo tapes in 1996, but it could have been written as early as 1995, when guitarist Wes Borland first joined.

There were two single releases. The first was 'Counterfeit/Nobody Loves me' in 1997, and the second was 'Counterfeit Countdown' in 1999, when the group suddenly broke through into the mainstream. 'Counterfeit Countdown' contained a collection of remixes of the song. DJ Lethal's Extreme Guitar Remix of the song later made it onto New Old Songs, the band's remix album.

The song was later part of the band's 2005 Greatest Hitz compilation.


[edit] Song meaning

"Counterfeit" is a song about people who don't act genuine. Instead of staying true to who they are, some people follow trends, and change their style to go with what is popular in order to fit in. In other words, the song is a criticism of overly conformist individuals.

  "Hey man, wake up and smell the concrete,
  Strange to see you change like the LB,
  Could be identity crisis, but I can't buy this,
  Reality bites, but that's what life is,
  Pitiful you, your hideous behaviour,
  Hate what God gave ya, fakin' all the flavour,
  Artificial mind seeking out them new trends,
  Get in where you fit in"

The song title also fits in with the title of the album Three Dollar Bill, Yall$, as there is no three dollar bill available in American currency, thus a three dollar bill would be counterfeit.

Ironically enough, in later years with the rise in popularity in Limp Bizkit, many bands made an attempt to cash in on the popularity of their style, and Fred Durst ended up being labelled as a 'sellout' by some because of it.

[edit] Music Video

There were several music videos of the song and its remixes. The original video portrays a teenage boy with bleached hair who is harassed by others. Wanting to fit in, he starts by cutting his hair short. He then takes his shirt off, and starts to cover himself with a black tar-like substance. He puts on a fly mask, as he continues to cover himself with the tar, with Fred Durst suddenly watching him in the background with a disgusted look on his face. The boy then exits his room and comes down the stairs, now mutated into some sort of human fly. He enters the kitchen, where his family simply ignores him. He jumps onto the kitchen table, and begins to throw around the food on the table, while rubbing some into his face. The band plays the song in a musty basement throughout the video.

[edit] Track Listing

Single Info Single Cover
Counterfeit/Nobody Loves Me (1997)
  1. Counterfeit (Radio Edit) - 4:14
  2. Nobody Loves Me - 4:01
  3. Counterfeit (Album Version) - 5:08
Counterfeit Countdown (1999)
  1. Counterfeit (Album Version) - 5:10
  2. Counterfeit (Lethal Dose Extreme Guitar Mix) - 3:32
  3. Counterfeit (Lethal Dose Remix) - 3:24
  4. Counterfeit (Phat Ass remix) - 3:04
  5. Counterfeit (USA Radio Edit) - 4:15