Take a Picture

"Take a Picture"
Single by Filter
from the album Title of Record
Released	November 16, 1999 (1999-11-16)
Format	CD
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	06:03
Label	Warner Bros.
Writer(s)	Richard Patrick
Producer(s)	Ben Grosse, Richard Patrick, Geno Lenardo, Rae DiLeo
Filter singles chronology
"Welcome to the Fold" (1999) "Take a Picture" (1999) "The Best Things" (2000)

"Take a Picture" was the second single from Filter's Title of Record. The song became a major hit during the start of 2000. It was the band's first departure from industrial rock.

The song's lush synthesized wall of sound and its lyrics, revolving around the chorus: "Could you take my picture? / 'Cause I won't remember", lends it a surreal and dreamlike aura. Filter's frontman, and founding member Richard Patrick has said that the song is about him getting drunk on an airplane, taking off all of his clothes, and fighting with the flight attendants who tried to stop him.^[1] This would account for the introductory, and later-repeated, lyrics: "Awake on my airplane, awake on my airplane...my skin is bare, my skin is theirs."

"Take a Picture" also features Patrick's petulant taunt: "Hey, Dad, what do you think about your son now?" Patrick's father was offended by this line, but Patrick explained to his father that each time he sings the line it has a different meaning because Patrick changes the tone in which he delivers the line each time it's sung.^[2]

A music video, directed by David Meyers, featured the band in a dreamlike sequence taking place in four different areas; a room being flooded by water, under the ocean with no scuba gear on, on a tiny rowboat in the middle of the ocean, and on the roof of a tiny cottage.

Filter appeared two years in a row at popular Washington, D.C./Baltimore radio station 99.1 HFStival. The first year's performance in September 1999 did not include the song. Mass requests and increasing popularity (as stated all day during the second year's performance in May 2000) resulted in the song being played as their closer.

Charts

The song crossed over to Top 40 radio (it reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 on February 5, 2000, after reaching the Top 40 on December 14, 1999). It hit #1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart on February 5, 2000.^[3] Remixes were provided by Club 69. The song was also a Top 5 hit on the Mainstream Rock Tracks at #4 and the Modern Rock Tracks at #3 beating their previous hit, Hey Man, Nice Shot. It was also a Top 10 hit on the Adult Top 40 at #7 and a Top 20 hit on the pop charts at #15 making their 1st and only song to chart on the 2 latter charts.

The song peaked at #8 on the New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart on February 28, 2000.^[4] Despite not reaching the #1 spot, Take A Picture was nevertheless the most played rock song on New Zealand radio that year, and it remains popular as of 2012.

The song has been featured in numerous motion pictures, including The Girl Next Door, Saving Grace, Little Nicky and Pay It Forward.

The song was re-recorded for use in the 2009 music video game Band Hero, where it is a playable track. This recording is based on the live arrangements of the song, which features a more present drum track and slightly different vocals.

Chart performance

Notes

External links

• Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics