"Go with the Flow" is a song by

Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated as QOTSA or QotSA) is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1996. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme shortly before he returned to his native Palm Desert, California. ...

from the album ''

Songs for the Deaf ''Songs for the Deaf'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Queens of the Stone Age, released on August 27, 2002, by Interscope Records. It features guest musicians including Dave Grohl on drums, and was the last Queens of the Ston ...

'', released as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

in 2003. It is the only single from the album to not feature

Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (; born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He founded the rock band Foo Fighters, of which he is the lead singer, guitarist, principal songwriter, and only consistent member. From 1990 to 1994, he was the drummer of th ...

on drums, instead featuring

Gene Trautmann Gene Trautmann (born 1966) is an American drummer, best known for his work with rock bands Queens of the Stone Age, Dig and the Miracle Workers, and as a touring member of Eagles of Death Metal. He has also contributed to releases by The Dese ...

who left the band during the recording of the album. At the

46th Annual Grammy Awards The 46th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2004, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2002, through September 30, 2003. It recognized acc ...

, the song was nominated for

Best Hard Rock Performance The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards from 1990 to 2011. The academy recognized hard rock music artists for the first time at the 31st Grammy Awards in 1989. The category ...

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for the song was filmed in England by

Shynola Shynola are a London-based directing team who have worked across live-action and animation for over twenty years. Chris Harding, Richard Kenworthy, Jason Groves and the late Gideon Baws formed Shynola while they were at art college in the late 1 ...

. At the

2003 MTV Video Music Awards The 2003 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2003, honoring the best music videos from June 1, 2002, to June 9, 2003. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The ceremony is best remembered for ...

, it won Best Special Effects and was nominated for Best Art Direction and Breakthrough Video. The video—rendered in black, white, and red—features the band performing at the back of a

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a Truck_classification#Table_of_US_GVWR_classifications, light or medium duty truck that has an enclosed cabin (truck), cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (th ...

driving through a desert highway. The video also has sexual themes such as a metaphor of two cars colliding with each other, symbolizing intercourse, and an image of a

bident A bident is a two-pronged implement resembling a pitchfork. In Renaissance art, the bident is associated with the Greek god Pluto (mythology), Pluto. Etymology The word 'bident' was brought into the English language before 1871, and is derived f ...

(like the one on the cover of the album) showing some erotic attributes.

Reception

"Go with the Flow" is widely regarded as one of the band's best songs. In 2016, ''

Louder Sound ''Classic Rock'' is a British magazine and website dedicated to rock music, owned and published by Future. It was launched in October 1998 and is based in London. The magazine publishes 13 editions a year, mainly covering rock bands from the 196 ...

'' ranked the song number six on their list of the 10 greatest Queens of the Stone Age songs, and in 2021, ''

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 ...

'' ranked the song number four on their list of the 20 greatest Queens of the Stone Age songs.

Track listings

;UK CD 1: #"Go with the Flow" (album version) #"

No One Knows "No One Knows" is a song by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age written by band members Josh Homme and Mark Lanegan. It was the first single and second track from their third album, ''Songs for the Deaf'', and was released on November 26, ...

" (

UNKLE Unkle (often stylised as U.N.K.L.E. or UNKLE, occasionally known as UNKLE Sounds) is a British musical outfit founded in 1992 by James Lavelle. Originally categorised as trip hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a ...

reconstruction remix radio edit) #"Hangin' Tree" (live at the

Melkweg Melkweg (Dutch for "Milky Way") is a music venue and cultural center on Lijnbaansgracht, near Leidseplein in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is housed in a former dairy and includes four music halls as well as a cinema, a restaurant and an exhibitio ...

in Amsterdam on June 24, 2002) #"Go with the Flow" (CD-ROM video) ;UK CD 2: #"Go with the Flow" (album version) #"Regular John" (live; Melkweg in Amsterdam on 24 June 2002) #"Do It Again" (live; Melkweg in Amsterdam on 24 June 2002) ;Australian special edition: #"Go with the Flow" (album version) #" Avon" (live; The

Mean Fiddler The Astoria 2, subsequently known as the LA2 and later the Mean Fiddler, was a nightclub at 165 Charing Cross Road in London, England. History The venue was originally a ballroom in the basement of the London Astoria theatre and connected by ...

, London, on June 25, 2002) #"

" (Lavelle remix radio edit version) #"No One Knows" (CD-ROM video) ;Dutch edition: #"Go with the Flow" (album version) #"Avon" (live; The Mean Fiddler on June 25, 2002) #"No One Knows" (UNKLE Reconstruction radio edit) #"No One Knows" (CD-ROM video) ;UK 12": #"Go with the Flow" (album version) #"No One Knows" (UNKLE reconstruction vocal version) The 12" is pressed on clear vinyl.

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2003 singles Animated music videos Music videos shot in the United Kingdom Queens of the Stone Age songs Songs written by Josh Homme Songs written by Nick Oliveri Song recordings produced by Eric Valentine