Scars (Papa Roach song)

"Scars"
Single by Papa Roach
from the album Getting Away with Murder
Released May 23, 2005
Format CD
Recorded 2003
Genre Alternative rock, alternative metal
Length 3:28
Label Geffen
Writer(s) Jacoby Shaddix, Tobin Esperance
Producer(s) Howard Benson
Certification Gold (RIAA)
Papa Roach singles chronology
"Getting Away with Murder"
(2004)		 "Scars"
(2005)		 "...To Be Loved"
(2006)

"Scars" is the second single from Californian rock band Papa Roach's fourth album, Getting Away with Murder, and seventh released single in total. "Scars" was considered to be a comeback single for the band, despite being unlike their usual work on the album. The single was certified gold (500, 000 units sold) on June 6, 2005. The song, according the band's video album Papa Roach: Live & Murderous in Chicago tells the story of Jacoby Shaddix's "Horrible night in Vegas that changed my life." During live performances before playing the song Shaddix often talks about how "the song saved his life". Not only the song beaten Last Resort as its highest charting single on the Billboard Hot 100, it was also their first and only Top 40 hit peaking at No. 15. The song hit No. 2 and No. 4 on the Modern Rock Tracks and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts and this song became their 1st and only pop hit hitting No. 7 on the Pop Songs chart. This is the band's most successful in the U.S. although Last Resort was more successful internationally chart wise, also hitting No. 1 on the modern rock chart. As with several of their other songs, Papa Roach are have performed "Scars" live with Spanish lyrics.

Background

Lead singer Jacoby Shaddix wrote the song after being taken to hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada with 11 staples in his head in an act of self-harm. Shaddix told MTV News that the song was "about trying to help someone who really doesn't want you to help them".

The lyric "the scars remind us that the past is real" came from a quote by Hannibal Lecter in the novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris.

Music video

The song's video tells the story of Shaddix's girlfriend, played by Taylor Cole, who is a drunk and parties too much. One day, she gets too drunk and passes out at a party at Shaddix's house. She wakes up the following morning with a hangover, and, grabbing her coat, knocks over a candle, which lands on a mat on the floor. The mat is stained with her drink from the night before. She lights the house on fire unknowingly, and goes home. When Shaddix arrives home, his house is burnt down. The girlfriend comes back to the ruin and sees what happened and realized what she did. The band performs this song on top of the burnt remains of Shaddix's house. This video project was directed by Motion Theory.

A completely different CGI video was shot for the song first. This first video consists in a black-and-white scenery, completely fictional and surreal. In this one, Shaddix and the band defeat another girl that seems to be a monster or a witch. The band was not pleased with it and ended up shooting the video mentioned above.

Track listing

CD Maxi
No. Title Length
1. "Scars"    
2. "Scars" (Acoustic Version)  
Canada CD Maxi
No. Title Length
1. "Scars" (Album Version) 3:29
2. "Scars" (Acoustic Version) 3:11
3. "Getting Away with Murder" (Live Napster Version) 3:24
4. "Scars (Second Version)" (Video) 3:31

Chart performance

Chart (2005) Peak
Position
German Singles Chart 82
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[1] 15
U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 Tracks 31
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks 4
U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks 2
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Top 40 7
U.S. Billboard Pop 100 8

The song perked at No. 6 on American Top 40, in August 2005, and spent 50 weeks in the chart from April 2005 to March 2006.

Appearances

References

  1. ↑ "Papa Roach chart history". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2014.

External links