Daddy (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Daddy” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Korn | |||||
| Album | Korn | ||||
| Released | 1994 | ||||
| Recorded | 1994 | ||||
| Genre | Nu metal | ||||
| Length | 17:31 | ||||
| Label | Immortal/Epic | ||||
| Producer | Ross Robinson | ||||
| Korn track listing | |||||
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"Daddy" is a song written and recorded by American rock band Korn for their self-titled debut album. It is the album's twelfth and final track.
Contents |
[edit] Concept
The band's singer, Jonathan Davis, has stated that the song is about his painful experience of being molested as a child and not being believed.[1] However, he denied it was about physical or sexual abuse at the hands of his father, and the title and some concepts within the song stem from his parents not believing him. The song caused many to assume Rick Davis (Jonathan's father) had molested his son. It is a source of embarrassment for him, though his son has gone on the record in many interviews saying it was written about a family friend who sexually abused him. When a 12-year-old Jonathan tried to turn to his family, he said, they ignored him. Neither Jonathan or Rick will say who the person was, though both say it was a woman.[2]
In an early Kerrang! magazine interview, Jonathan is asked about the song, responding:
"People think 'Daddy' was written because my Dad fucked me up the ass, and that's not what the song's about. It wasn't about my Dad, or my Mom. "When I was a kid, I was being abused by somebody else and I went to my parents and told them about it, and they thought I was lying and joking around. They never did shit about it. They didn't believe it was happening to their son ... I don't really like to talk about that song. This is as much as I've ever talked about it..."[3] – Jonathan Davis
[edit] Music and structure
The song ends with Davis actually sobbing for a long period as the band keeps on playing an instrumental track. The rest of the band did not know that the song was about his childhood prior to recording.
After a long period of silence at the end of the song, a discussion can be heard; a random audio clip that producer Ross Robinson found in an abandoned house. The argument revolves around a man named Michael and a woman named Geri conversing about the installation of a car part (apparently an exhaust manifold on a Dodge Dart). Michael can be heard screaming at Geri (profanity-laden) over the merits of the installation.
[edit] Live performance
The song is notable for, despite its popularity amongst fans, never being played live after the album version was recorded; an earlier version of the song was performed at each of their first three shows. Jonathan Davis says that the song is simply too personal for him to perform live.
Occasionally, an instrumental excerpt of the song would be used as an introduction to "Shoots and Ladders" during early live performances.
[edit] Demo version
The demo version of the song, which is found on Neidermeyer's Mind, is considerably shorter than the album version. While the album version is 9:32 in length, the demo version is 4:29 in length. The demo does not feature the acapella intro; it starts immediately with Fieldy's bass riff. It also has a different chorus. After the instrumental bridge, there is an extra part to the song with Jonathan Davis singing: "Mommy! Why did Daddy touch me there?" which leads into "I didn't touch you there."
[edit] References
- ^ Barry Walters (December 1999). Jonathan Davis, Public Freak on a Leash, Lashes Back. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2007-01-28.
- ^ Chris Page (November 2002). The Evolution of Korn (Hope on the Horizon). Californian staff writer. Retrieved on 2008-02-25.
- ^ Steffan Chirazi (October 1996). Heart Of Darkness. Kerrang! interviewer. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
- ^ Tim Keneally. Masters of disaster James Shaffer and Brian Welch divulge the secrets behind Korn's brooding style of twisted metal. Guitar World. Retrieved on 2007-09-28.
