"Lateralus" is a song by 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 Wale ...

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 ...

. The song is the third single and title track of their third studio album ''

Lateralus ''Lateralus'' () is the third studio album by the American rock band Tool. It was released on May 15, 2001, through Volcano Entertainment. The album was recorded at Cello Studios in Hollywood and The Hook, Big Empty Space, and The Lodge, in Nor ...

''.

Overview and background

The song is known for its distinct

time signature A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...

s and corresponding lyrical patterns. The time signatures of the chorus of the song change from 9/8 to 8/8 to 7/8; as drummer

Danny Carey Daniel Edwin Carey (born May 10, 1961) is an American musician who is the drummer for the progressive metal band Tool. He has also contributed to albums by artists such as Zaum, Green Jellö, Pigface, Skinny Puppy, Adrian Belew, Carole Kin ...

says, "It was originally titled 9-8-7. For the time signatures. Then it turned out that 987 was the 16th number of the

Fibonacci sequence In mathematics, the Fibonacci sequence is a Integer sequence, sequence in which each element is the sum of the two elements that precede it. Numbers that are part of the Fibonacci sequence are known as Fibonacci numbers, commonly denoted . Many w ...

. So that was cool."

Interpretation

In a 2001 interview, singer

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 ...

commented on the lyric mentioning black, white, red and yellow: "I use the archetype stories of North American aboriginals and the themes or colors which appear over and over again in the oral stories handed down through generations. Black, white, red, and yellow play very heavily in aboriginal stories of creation." The line " As below so above and beyond, I imagine" is a reference to

Hermeticism Hermeticism, or Hermetism, is a philosophical and religious tradition rooted in the teachings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, a syncretism, syncretic figure combining elements of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. This system e ...

and the ''

Emerald Tablet The Emerald Tablet, also known as the Smaragdine Table or the ''Tabula Smaragdina'', is a compact and cryptic text traditionally attributed to the legendary Hellenistic period, Hellenistic figure Hermes Trismegistus. The earliest known version ...

''.

Mathematical significance

In July 2017, in an interview with

Joe Rogan Joseph James Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American podcaster, Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC color commentator, comedian, actor, and former television host. He hosts The Joe Rogan Experience, ''The Joe Rogan Experience'', which is o ...

, Maynard described his thoughts on the song; "...in a way a song like Lateralus with the Fibonacci thing, I feel like I kind of pulled a very pedestrian, sophomoric move by including those numbers in there because in general music is the Fi ratio. Everything that all nature, all these things we’re talking about, it’s already here. By pointing it out like, staring at it, pointing at it with those numbers present, and the way that the numbers and the lyrics are, I feel like, you know, it's good to let people know about it, but I almost feel like it was kind of a dick joke, in a way. It’s… um… I could do better.” The syllables Maynard sings in the first verse follow the first six numbers in the pattern, ascending and descending in the sequence 1-1-2-3-5-8-5-3. "Black (1), then (1), white are (2), all I see (3), in my infancy (5). Red and yellow then came to be (8), reaching out to me (5). Lets me see (3)." In the next verse, Maynard begins with the seventh number of the Fibonacci sequence (13), implying a missing verse in between. He descends back down with the following pattern; 13-8-5-3. "As below so above and beyond I imagine (13). Drawn beyond the lines of reason (8). Push the envelope (5). Watch it bend (3)." The second verse adds the missing line to complete the sequence; "There is (2), so (1), much (1), more that (2), beckons me (3), to look through to these (5), infinite possibilities (8)." 1-1-2-3-5-8-5-3-2-1-1-2-3-5-8-13-8-5-3.

Reception

Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive i ...

'' listed "Lateralus" as number one on their list of the Top 50 Metal Songs of the 21st Century.Hartmann, Graham
"No. 1: Tool, 'Lateralus' – Top 21st Century Metal Songs"
''

''. Retrieved on 05 September 2012.

Chart performance

References

{{authority control 2001 singles Tool (band) songs Volcano Entertainment singles 2001 songs Songs written by Maynard James Keenan Songs written by Danny Carey Songs written by Justin Chancellor Songs written by Adam Jones (musician)