"Shoots and Ladders" is a song written and recorded by the American

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, with a metal umlaut) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop music, hip hop, funk, industrial music, industrial, and grunge. Nu ...

band

Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, originally formed in 1993 by James Shaffer, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald Arvizu, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and David Silveria, who were members of the band ...

for their self-titled debut album. It was released as the album's third single in 1995.

Music and structure

The title is a mockery of American children's game

Chutes and Ladders Snakes and ladders is a board game for two or more players regarded today as a worldwide classic. The game originated in ancient India as ''Moksha Patam'', and was brought to the United Kingdom in the 1890s. It is played on a game board with ...

(also known in the United Kingdom as

Snakes and Ladders Snakes and ladders is a board game for two or more Player (game), players regarded today as a worldwide classic. The game Traditional games of India, originated in ancient India as ''Moksha Patam'', and was brought to the United Kingdom in the ...

), with the song's lyrics mostly consisting of nursery rhymes. It is the first Korn song to feature bagpipes. The song uses the following nursery rhymes in its lyrics: *"

Ring a Ring o' Roses "Ring a Ring o' Roses", also known as "Ring a Ring o' Rosie" or "Ring Around the Rosie", is a nursery rhyme, traditional music, folk song, and playground game. Descriptions first appeared in the mid-19th century, though it is reported t ...

" *"

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" is a popular English language nursery rhyme and counting-out rhyme of which there are early occurrences in the US and UK. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 11284. Rhyme A common version is given in ''The Oxford ...

" *"

London Bridge Is Falling Down "London Bridge Is Falling Down" (also known as "My Fair Lady" or "London Bridge") is a traditional English nursery rhyme and singing game, which is found in different versions all over the world. It deals with the dilapidation of London Bridg ...

" *"

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" is an English nursery rhyme, the earliest printed version of which dates from around 1744. The words have barely changed in two and a half centuries. It is sung to a variant of the 18th-century French melody "''Ah! vous di ...

" *"

This Old Man "This Old Man" is an English language children's song, counting exercise, folk song, and nursery rhyme with a Roud Folk Song Index number of 3550. Origins and history The origins of this song are obscure and possibly very old. There is a ver ...

" *"

Mary Had a Little Lamb "Mary Had a Little Lamb" is an English-language nursery rhyme of nineteenth-century American origin, first published by American writer Sarah Josepha Hale in 1830. Its Roud Folk Song Index number is 7622. Background The nursery rhyme was firs ...

Concept

"It was written because all these little kids sing these nursery rhymes and they don't know what they originally meant. Everyone is so happy when singing '

Ring Around the Rosie "Ring a Ring o' Roses", also known as "Ring a Ring o' Rosie" or "Ring Around the Rosie", is a nursery rhyme, folk song, and playground game. Descriptions first appeared in the mid-19th century, though it is reported to date from decades ...

' but it is about the

Black Plague The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

. All of them have these evil stories behind them." – Jonathan Davis

Music video

The video for "Shoots and Ladders" was directed by

McG The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as the 'G, is a sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the el ...

and shows clips of Korn performing in front of an energetic crowd, similar to " Blind". Korn is also seen performing in front of a fake castle-like building.

Munky James Christian Shaffer (born June 6, 1970), also known by his stage name "Munky", is an American musician best known as a co-founder and guitarist of the nu metal band Korn. He was ranked at No. 26 of Guitar World's 100 Greatest Heavy Metal G ...

can be seen with duct tape over his mouth while coming out from a field of weeds. In the beginning, Jonathan can be seen tied up and hanging upside down. Head, Fieldy, and David appear in various clips as well, but is not very specific. The video premiered in June 1995. "Shoots and Ladders" was filmed at Golf N' Stuff in

Norwalk, California Norwalk is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 102,773 at the 2020 census. Founded in the late 19th century, Norwalk was incorporated as a city in 1957. It is located southeast of downtown Los Angeles a ...

Awards

The song was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

in 1997 for

Best Metal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works (songs or albums) containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre. The Grammy Awards is an annual ceremony, where ...

. This would be Korn's first nomination in any Grammy category.

Track listing

(Source:)

US radio promo

* CD5" #"Shoots and Ladders" – 3:39 (radio edit) #"Sean Olson" – 4:45 (radio edit)

UK radio promo

* 10" Side A: #"Shoots and Ladders (Hip Hop Remix)" – 4:07 #"Shoots and Ladders (Hyper Remix)" – 2:32 Side B: #"Shoots and Ladders (Industrial Remix)" – 3:50 #"Shoots and Ladders (Industrial Instrumental)" – 3:59

Credits

;Korn *

Jonathan Davis Jonathan Howsmon Davis (born January 18, 1971), also known as JD, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is the lead vocalist and frontman of nu metal band Korn, which is considered a pioneering act of the nu metal genre. Davis's ...

– vocals,

bagpipes Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, N ...

– guitar *

Head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

– guitar *

Fieldy Reginald Quincy Arvizu (born November 2, 1969), also known as Fieldy, is an American musician, best known as the bassist for nu metal band Korn. He is also the guitarist/bassist for rock band StillWell. Career Prior to Arvizu's time in Korn, ...

– bass *

David Silveria David Randall Silveria (born September 21, 1972) is an American musician, best known as the original drummer for nu metal band Korn from 1993 until leaving the band in 2006. He then became the drummer for Infinika, which was formed in 2012 and ...

– drums ;Other *

Ross Robinson Ross Robinson (born February 13, 1967) is an American record producer who discovered acts such as Korn, Glassjaw, The Blood Brothers, Slipknot, and Limp Bizkit. Robinson has also worked with Tech N9ne, The Cure, Sepultura, and many others. ...

– production * Eddy Schreyer – Audio mastering, mastering * Stephen Stickler – photography * Jay Papke/Dante Ariola – art direction and design * Chuck Johnson – engineering and mixing

References

{{Authority control Korn songs 1994 songs 1995 singles Compositions for bagpipe Music videos directed by McG Immortal Records singles Epic Records singles Songs written by Reginald Arvizu Songs written by Jonathan Davis Songs written by James Shaffer Songs written by David Silveria Songs written by Brian Welch Songs based on children's songs