Breaking the Habit

Breaking the Habit Linkin Park Meteora Family Friendly Information Released 2003 Genre Nu Metal Language English Length 3:19 Source Downloadable song Playable in Rock Band 3 Rock Band Blitz Difficulty Band 2 Basic Pro Guitar 3 NoNo Part Bass 0 NoNo Part Drums 5 5 Keys 1 2 Vocals 2 2

Details Male singer Keys Solo 3-part Harmonies

Breaking the Habit is a song by Linkin Park which is about someone who has the tendency to do things to hurt himself physically and mentally.

"You all assume I'm safe here in my room unless I try to start again" - this means he spends a lot of time in his room, where everyone thinks he can't do anything to hurt himself, but little do they know that he could at any time start hurting himself without them knowing. He regrets all the things he has done or had done to him in the past and he constantly picks himself apart for it.

"I don't wanna be the one the battles always choose cause inside I realize I'm the one confused," is saying he gets a lot of problems thrown at him and he doesn't understand why this always seems to happen to him. (thanks, Elise - guelph, Canada)

More lyric analysis:

"Clutching my cure, I tightly lock the door" - The cure for emotional pain is to cause physical pain.

"You all assume I'm safe here in my room, unless I try to start again" - That is showing that the person prefers solitude, and although others think he's safest by himself, it's really when he's worst off, because he will start his self harm all over again. Also, he doesn't seem to understand his pain and all he wants is for it to go away, but the only known way for it to go away is to cause more. It's a vicious cycle. (thanks, Kalee - Wichita, KS)

Mike Shinoda had been trying to write a song around this lyrical idea for for over five years but nothing seemed to work. While the album was being put together, Mike began working on an interlude, crossing a digitally manipulated beat with strings and piano. Brad and Joe suggested that Mike make the small interlude into a whole song. The piece was extended to three minutes and sixteen seconds and went under the name "Drawing." When Mike took it home to write lyrics, it only took him less than 2 hours to get the song that he was trying to write for years. With some finishing touches of live piano and live strings, the song was finally complete - six years in the making. (thanks, Nick - Paramus, NJ) Shinoda said this was inspired by the multitudes of fans who have expressed to the band how their music has helped them. Whether it be with depression, drugs, low self-esteem, traumas... or anything really. It's very much about the reciprocity between the band and the fans. This won the Viewer's Choice award at the MTV Video Music awards. The video was animated by Studio Gonzo. (thanks, Allie - Santa Rosa, CA, for above 2)

Mike Shinoda on shoutweb.com: "This was going to be an instrumental track that was 10 minutes long. The guys convinced me to turn it into a full song. I'm proud of this song in a lot of ways. I put a lot of work into it. I just think it's really powerful. Chester's performance is one of his best. Lyrically, it's kind of just about getting away from the parts of you that you do not like. It goes into great deal about that type of situation. The things about our lyrics in general is that we spend so much time on them that there is no way I can tell you in conversation any better than the actual lyrics. If I sit here and think up something, that's an off-the-top-of-my-head summary of what those lyrics are about whereas those lyrics took five years to do. So those lyrics are the most accurate depiction of what that's about, not what I can tell you."

Video

Breaking the Habit - Linkin Park Expert All Instruments RB3 DLC