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"The Catalyst" is a song by the American
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer ...
. Released on August 2, 2010, it is the first single from their fourth studio album, ''
A Thousand Suns ''A Thousand Suns'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released on September 13, 2010, by Warner Bros. Records. The album was written by the band and was produced by Linkin Park vocalist Mike Shinoda and Rick ...
'', which was released on September 8, 2010. The music video for the song, directed by the band's
turntablist Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating new music, sound effects, mixes and other creative sounds and beats, typically by using two or more turntables and a cross fader-equipped DJ mixer. The mixer is plugged into a PA system ...
Joe Hahn Joseph Hahn (born March 15, 1977) is an American musician, DJ, director and visual artist best known as the DJ of the American rock band Linkin Park, doing the scratching, turntables, sampling, and programming for all seven of Linkin Park's a ...
, was released on August 25, 2010. "The Catalyst" is used in the trailer and credits of the video game ''
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor ...
'' and also the opening song of Namco-Bandai's Arcade game, '' Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs.''. It was also used in select commercials of the
Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...
series, '' Surviving the Cut''. The song was also featured in the video game ''Linkin Park Revenge'' for the iPhone,
iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, ...
, and
iPod Touch The iPod Touch (stylized as iPod touch) is a discontinued line of iOS-based mobile devices designed and marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-controlled user interface. As with other iPod models, the iPod Touch can be used as a music pl ...
. "The Catalyst" has also been used in the advertisement for the 2011 movie '' The Lincoln Lawyer'' with
Matthew McConaughey Matthew David McConaughey ( ; born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. He had his breakout role with a supporting performance in the coming-of-age comedy '' Dazed and Confused'' (1993). After a number of supporting roles, his first succes ...
. "The Catalyst", along with five other songs from ''A Thousand Suns'', are featured in the "Linkin Park Track Pack" as
downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...
for the rhythm video game '' Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock''. The track pack was released on October 19, 2010.


Background

From July 9, 2010 until July 25, 2010, Linkin Park (in collaboration with MySpace.com) held the contest "Linkin Park, Featuring You". In this contest, fans could download stems from the album's first single, "The Catalyst", remix the stems and/or write their own parts for the song on any instrument. The winner of this contest was Czesław "NoBraiN" Sakowski from
Świdnica Świdnica (; german: Schweidnitz; cs, Svídnice; szl, Świdńica) is a city in south-western Poland in the region of Silesia. As of 2019, it has a population of 57,014 inhabitants. It lies in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, being the seventh large ...
, Poland, whose remix was featured as an additional downloadable track on the
Best Buy Best Buy Co. Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was rebr ...
version of ''
A Thousand Suns ''A Thousand Suns'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released on September 13, 2010, by Warner Bros. Records. The album was written by the band and was produced by Linkin Park vocalist Mike Shinoda and Rick ...
'', and also available on
Napster Napster was a peer-to-peer file sharing application. It originally launched on June 1, 1999, with an emphasis on digital audio file distribution. Audio songs shared on the service were typically encoded in the MP3 format. It was founded by Shaw ...
. The liner notes for ''A Thousand Suns'' also credit Sakowski with "Supplemental Programming" on "When They Come for Me", the album's fifth track. The top 20 remixes that were selected by the band are being considered for future use as b-sides and online downloads, as seen in the "Linkin Park, featuring YOU Winner" episode of the band's LPTV series. Two of the remixes (by DIGITALOMAT and ill Audio) have since been released as via the band's webpage as free mp3 downloads, while two others (by Cale Pellick and DJ Endorphin) have been released via the
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...
EP version, released exclusively in Europe. "The Catalyst" has also been featured in the trailer of the video game ''
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor ...
'', which premiered on August 1, 2010 and was directed by Joe Hahn. It was also featured in the game's end credits. The song was also featured in commercials of Discovery Channel's ''Shark Week'' in the summer of 2010. It was also used during the 16th annual X Games competition. On September 15, 2010, Warner Music Japan announced that the song will be the official theme song of '' Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs.'' On August 31, 2010, it was announced that the band would perform the single live for the first time at the
2010 MTV Video Music Awards The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 12, 2010 at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. Chelsea Handler hosted the event, the first woman in sixteen years – since the 1994 MTV ...
on September 12, 2010. The venue of the debut live performance was
Griffith Observatory Griffith Observatory is an observatory in Los Angeles, California on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park. It commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin including Downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south ...
, an iconic location used in Hollywood movies. However, the venue was held secret until the performance but was revealed to be a prominent landmark of Los Angeles. The clip for the 2010 VMAs performance was shown at the 2017 edition, as a tribute to Bennington, who died a month before the awards show. Speaking to
MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...
when the single was released, bassist
Dave Farrell David Michael Farrell, also known by his stage name Phoenix (born February 8, 1977), is an American musician, best known as the bassist of the rock band Linkin Park. He was also a member of Tasty Snax, a pop punk band. Early life He was born in ...
would further elaborate how the sound of "The Catalyst" would end up fitting into the grander scheme of things when it came to the then-forthcoming album ''A Thousand Suns''.
"We wanted a track that represented where the album was going to be and how it was going to work, and this was really the track to do that. It's a risk, but worth it."


Music video

The video for the song was filmed in July and was also directed by Joe Hahn. According to bassist Phoenix, the video contains references to the ''
Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (ch ...
'' as well as the Christian
apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imagery ...
, with Joe Hahn saying it was influenced by
J. Robert Oppenheimer J. Robert Oppenheimer (; April 22, 1904 – February 18, 1967) was an American theoretical physicist. A professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, Oppenheimer was the wartime head of the Los Alamos Laboratory and is often ...
. These are three themes that are also used in the album. When coming up with the idea for the video, Hahn said he thought about what it would be like if mankind had to accept their fate in a time of despair. The video premiered on August 26, 2010. The video begins at a foggy town and Mike is seen singing in his
Stone Island Stone Island is an Italian luxury men's apparel and accessories brand. It was established in 1982 in Ravarino by Massimo Osti. In December 2020, Stone Island was acquired by the Italian fashion house Moncler. History Designer Massimo Osti foun ...
hoodie in a rusted car and the scene then shows people running from the town. The entire town is covered in smoke. The band members are shown in remains of buildings, and Chester sings while submerged in water. Numerous people with gas masks are shown. Later in the video, the people clash with the gas-masked-men, throwing powder at each other, while the band members throw powder at each other as well. The video ends with Chester, still being submerged in water. The video was released on their official YouTube channel on August 25, 2010. As of May 2022, the song has over 215 million views on YouTube.


Covers

Pendulum A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced sideways from its resting, equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the ...
covered the song on September 22, 2010 on
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
as part of the
Live Lounge The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cotton ...
show.


Reception

"The Catalyst" has been met with generally positive reception from critics. Jason Lipshutz of ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' called the song a "nearly six-minute anthem of aggression", emphasizing on the transition from electronica to a slow dirge midway through the track. He also added that it recalls the vocal chants from
Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in th ...
and political commentaries from
Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a po ...
, which the band fuses to create "an original, if a bit awkward, transition from twisty techno to fist-pumping rock". Jason Treuen of ''The Music Network'', in his review of ''A Thousand Suns'', called the song "the best distillation of Linkin Park 2.0", and concluded by noting that "If he albumwas a film, this would be the victorious fight scene.". The ''
New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...
'' named "The Catalyst" the 139th best song of 2010, saying "An electronic rave transforms into a power ballad."


Commercial performance

"The Catalyst" debuted at No. 1 on the US ''Billboard''
Rock Songs Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (formerly known as Rock Songs and Hot Rock Songs) is a record chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine. From its debut on June 20, 2009, through October 13, 2012, the chart ranked the airplay of songs across alternati ...
chart, with 12.2 million audience impressions.Linkin Park Logs First No. 1 Debut On Rock Songs
Billboard (2009-06-20). Retrieved on 2013-08-25.
It became the first song in the chart's 14-month history to debut at the top spot. This gave the band their second No. 1 single on the chart, tying them with
Alice in Chains Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne Stal ...
and
Three Days Grace Three Days Grace is a Canadian rock band formed in Norwood, Ontario in 1992 originally as "Groundswell" and played in various local Norwood backyard parties and area establishments before disbanding in 1995 and regrouping in 1997. Based in T ...
for most No. 1 singles on the chart. It also debuted at No. 3 on the US
Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
chart, becoming the band's fourteenth top five single on the chart (placing them behind Green Day for most top five's on the chart). In its third week on the chart, it reached No. 1, becoming the band's ninth No. 1 on the chart, and tied for second most across all artists on the chart. Although the song charted high on the Rock and Alternative Songs charts, it was one of the band's lowest-charting songs on the US
Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in M ...
chart, peaking just outside the top ten at No. 12. Additionally, it debuted at No. 35 on the US ''Billboard''
Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming i ...
, selling 60,000 downloads in its first week, and became the band's ninth top forty single on the Hot 100. After its debut, it fell to No. 89, but "The Catalyst" rebounded to No. 72 and eventually rose to No. 27 upon the release of ''A Thousand Suns''. The song debuted at No. 20 on the US ''Billboard''
Hot Digital Songs The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally start ...
chart in its first week.Taylor Swift Makes Sparkling Hot 100 Entrance
Billboard (2010-08-11). Retrieved on 2013-08-25.
It achieved a Gold certification from the
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...
.


Track listing

All songs written and composed by Linkin Park.


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Catalyst, The Linkin Park songs 2010 songs 2010 singles Song recordings produced by Rick Rubin Songs written by Mike Shinoda Warner Records singles Video game theme songs Medal of Honor (video game series) Electronic rock songs Synth-pop songs