"Daddy" is a song recorded and performed by 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 first album ''Korn'' (1994).

Concept

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 ...

has stated that the song is about a painful and tragic experience of being

molested Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is re ...

as a child and not being believed. However, he denied it was about physical or sexual

abuse Abuse is the act of improper usage or treatment of a person or thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, ...

at the hands of his father, and the title and some concepts within the song stem from his parents not believing him. The song caused many to assume that Jonathan's father Rick Davis had molested his son. It is a source of embarrassment for Rick, though his son has gone on the record in many interviews saying it was actually written about a family friend. Jonathan and Rick both decided not to say who the person was. In an early ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...

'' magazine interview, Davis commented on the song: In an interview with ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', Davis stated that he was comfortable performing the song when it was played as part of the album's 20th anniversary. However, in a 2022 interview with ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions published by different companies available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' featu ...

'', Davis said that he felt he owed it to the fans to play the song during said tour, and that he doesn't want to perform it again. Davis has also uploaded a video discussing the song to YouTube. In the video, he said that the abuser was his babysitter; his abuser had since died.

Music and structure

The song eventually leads to Davis being stranded in a room and shouting hostile things, presumably to the abuser, which then leads to Davis weeping for a long period of time as a lullaby by vocalist Judith Kiener is heard. The band continues on playing an instrumental version until eventually a door is heard shutting. The rest of the band did not know that the song was about Davis' childhood prior to recording. After about five minutes of silence at the end of the song, a discussion can be heard; an audio clip that producer

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. ...

found inside an abandoned house. The argument revolves around a man named Michael and his wife named Geri conversing about the installation of a car part (apparently an exhaust manifold on a

Dodge Dart The Dodge Dart is a line of passenger cars produced by Dodge from the 1959 to 1976 model years in North America, with production extended to later years in various other markets. The production Dodge Dart was introduced as a lower-priced full-si ...

). Michael can be heard verbally abusing Geri over the merits of the installation. This hidden track is called "Michael & Geri".

Live performance

The song is notable for its popularity among fans. However, it was rarely played live after the album version was recorded; an earlier version of the song was performed at a few of their first shows. Jonathan Davis says that the song is simply too personal for him to perform live. "I don't play that song live because it's just magic," Davis said. "If I play that song over and over every night, it'd lose its meaning. I don't want people to expect me to freak out like I did on that. That was what happened in that point in time, and that magic was captured, and I don't want to fuck with it." Korn announced they were going to play their self-titled album in full on tours to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the album, including playing "Daddy"; however, the band later stated they will only be playing their debut album in full at festivals, hence not playing "Daddy" on the Prepare for Hell tour with

Slipknot The slip knot is a stopper knot which is easily undone by pulling the tail ( working end). The slip knot is related to the running knot, which will release when the standing end is pulled. Both knots are identical and are composed of a slipp ...

and

King 810 King 810 (pronounced ''King eight one oh''; formerly known as and often shortened to simply King) is an American nu metal band from Flint, Michigan, formed in 2007. The band currently consists of David Gunn, Eugene Gill, Johnpaul Vega and Bryc ...

Legacy

The song remains popular with fans, often ranked highly among other Korn songs. It is considered by many to be one of the most disturbing songs ever released, and is often cited as such on various polls and lists.

References

{{authority control Korn songs 1994 songs Songs about fathers Songs based on actual events 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 about sexual assault it:Korn (album)#Daddy Songs about pedophilia Works about rape Works about sexual abuse