"3 Libras" is a song by

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band

A Perfect Circle A Perfect Circle is an American Rock music, rock Supergroup (music), supergroup formed in Los Angeles, California in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool (band), Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. A Perfect Circle released three of their ...

. The song was the second single from their debut album ''

Mer de Noms ''Mer de Noms'' (French for ''"Sea of Names"'') is the debut studio album by American rock music, rock band A Perfect Circle. The album was released on May 23, 2000, and entered the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 at No. 4, making it the highest ...

''. The song was well received both critically and commercially, with it peaking at number 12 on both the US ''

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 advertis ...

Modern Rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college and commercial rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. ...

and

Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent a cross between classic rock, active rock and alternativ ...

charts in 2000.

Background

As with all of the ''

'' album, "3 Libras'" music was written by guitarist

Billy Howerdel William L. Howerdel (born May 18, 1970) is an American musician, best known as a founding member, guitarist, backing vocalist, songwriter, and producer for the band A Perfect Circle, as well as for his former solo project, Ashes Divide. Howerde ...

, while the lyrics were written by vocalist

Maynard James Keenan Maynard James Keenan (born James Herbert Keenan; April 17, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, philanthropist, record producer, and winemaker. He is best known as the singer and primary lyricist of the rock bands Tool (band), Tool, A Perfe ...

. The two originally envisioned the track to be the first single of their debut album prior to being talked into going with the

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

track "

Judith The Book of Judith is a deuterocanonical book included in the Septuagint and the Catholic Church, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Christian Old Testament of the Bible but Development of the Hebrew Bible canon, excluded from the ...

" by record label executives, who felt the track was a better lead off single due to it being less of a departure from Keenan's other band,

Tool A tool is an Physical object, object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many Tool use by animals, animals use simple tools, only human bei ...

. Two official remixed versions of the song have been made; the "Feel My Ice Dub Mix" by band member

Danny Lohner Daniel Patrick Lohner, frequently known as Renholdër, is an American musician and record producer best known for his work with Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle. In 2020, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Ni ...

, and the "All Main Courses Mix" by Robert "3D" Del Naja of

Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol, England, by Robert Del Naja, Robert "3D" Del Naja, Daddy G, Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, Tricky (musician), Adrian "Tricky" Thaws and Andrew Vowles, Andrew "Mushroom" ...

. They were compiled in 2004 on the band's remix album '' Amotion''.

Composition

While much of ''Mer de Noms'' sound is identified with a conventional

aesthetic, "3 Libras" sound is primarily driven by acoustic guitar and violin. Majority of the song consists of melodic, clean guitar tones, and a violin melody played over, composed by band

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...

and violinist

Paz Lenchantin Paz Lenchantin (born December 12, 1973) is an Argentine-American musician. She is best known for having been the bass guitarist and backing vocalist of the alternative rock band Pixies (band), Pixies, playing with the band and recording three stu ...

. Drummer

Josh Freese Joshua Ryan Freese (born December 25, 1972) is an American drummer. A member of punk rock band the Vandals since 1989, Freese has also been a member of new wave band Devo since 1996. He was previously a member of hard rock band Guns N' Roses ...

plays the rim of the drum kit on every eighth note, with the song being performed in 6/8. The song finishes with a full-band performance and distorted electric guitars in the song's outro, ending on a dark

guitar chord In music, a guitar Chord (music), chord is a Set (mathematics), set of Musical note, notes played on a guitar. A chord's notes are often played simultaneously, but they can be played sequentially in an arpeggio. The implementation of guitar chor ...

. Several alternate versions the song have very different compositions. The "Feel My Ice Dub Mix" featured a greatly slowed down tempo and added electronic beats and effects, giving it a more

trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

-like sound, where the "All Main Courses Mix" made extensive use of radio static and

noise Noise is sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...

sound effects. When performed live, in absence of a dedicated violinist, the band would commonly play an alternate version of the song, with Howerdel playing clean electric guitar tones through the song, with the full band backing him with their respective instruments.

Reception

The song was generally well received, commercially and critically. The song received significant radio airplay, charting at number 12 on both the US ''

and

charts. Critics praised the song. ''Sputnikmusic'' referred to the song as "one of the most beautiful songs APC ever released" and "one of the most emotional releases of the album".

Artistdirect Artistdirect (stylized as ARTISTdirect) is an American online digital media entertainment company. Overview Founded in 1996, it owns several websites, including artistdirect.com and artistdirectinterviews.com. These websites are a group of affi ...

editor in chief Rick Florino named the track one of the "Top 20 Maynard James Keenan Songs", calling it "...a tender moment of longing encased in a beautiful, blissful melody...'3 Libras' illuminates the singer's massive vocal range and ability." Florino separately praised the band's live composition of the song as well, stating that he felt it reached "heavenly heights" when performed by the band in their reunion tours in 2010.

Track listing

All music composed by

, all lyrics composed by

. CD1 #"3 Libras" #"Magdalena" (live) #"3 Libras" (Feel My Ice dub mix) #"Judith" (live) #"3 Libras" (live) CD2 #"3 Libras" (live in Phoenix) #"3 Libras" (All Main Courses mix) #"Sleeping Beauty" (live in Phoenix) #Interactive picture gallery (CD-ROM)

Charts

References

{{authority control 2000 singles 2000 songs A Perfect Circle songs Heavy metal ballads Music videos directed by Paul Hunter (director) Songs written by Billy Howerdel Songs written by Maynard James Keenan Virgin Records singles