"Parabola" 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 was released as the second single from 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 ...

''. Initially released in 2002 as a promo only, the single was re-released on December 20, 2005, which includes the song and a DVD containing the music video and an optional "dual" audio commentary on the video by

Jello Biafra Eric Reed Boucher (born June 17, 1958), known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and political activist. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Init ...

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Initially consisting of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Fl ...

. The dual commentary consists of two separate recordings of Biafra's voice, one playing in each stereo channel. The DVD was released alongside a DVD single for "

Schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

" as well. The song uses a modified drop-B tuning for the guitars. The song is featured on the video game ''

Guitar Hero World Tour ''Guitar Hero World Tour'' is a 2008 rhythm game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. It is the fourth main installment and the sixth overall installment in the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series. The game was launched in North A ...

''. The song was played onboard

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable launch system, reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. ...

mission STS-130, as a wake-up call for astronaut Robert Behnken. Parabola explores the Heideggerian concept of life subjectively experienced as "feeling eternal" in the moment by the consciousness held within its mortal physical body.

Music video

In support of this promo single, a

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 ...

was released – clocking in at over ten minutes because of the inclusion of the song “Parabol” (a separate track on the album set right before “Parabola”. The last note of “Parabol” can also be heard at the beginning of “Parabola” in '' Guitar Hero: World Tour''.Toolshed FAQ
/ref>) Like all of their other videos, it was directed by Adam Jones. The first section includes humanoids meeting and cutting pomaceous fruit, then vomiting black liquid in a circle. The second section features interactions between a small stop-motion creature and a man (played by English musician Tricky). The small creature calls out to the man for help but is crushed and killed by The Berry. The man cuts the creature's body in half, then wanders into a forest and encounters a leaf that turns into a flaming eye. In the final section, The man sees himself as transparent, with all the internal functions of his body visible. Two flaming eyes appear and begin to fly around his body. As the eyes glide about, lotus flowers symbolizing the "

Chakra A chakra (; ; ) is one of the various focal points used in a variety of ancient meditation practices, collectively denominated as Tantra, part of the inner traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. The concept of the chakra arose in Hinduism. B ...

s", begin to line up in the center of his body. The two flaming eyes then join on his forehead to form a "

third eye The third eye (also called the mind's eye or inner eye) is an invisible eye, usually depicted as located on the forehead, supposed to provide perception beyond ordinary sight. In Hinduism, the third eye refers to the ajna (or brow) chakra. In bot ...

" and the man is assimilated into an endless, glowing pattern. The whole sequence could be a visual presentation of a mystical experience called "

Kundalini In Hinduism, kundalini (, ) is a form of divine feminine energy (or ''Shakti'') believed to be located at the base of the spine, in the '' muladhara''. It is an important concept in Śhaiva Tantra, where it is believed to be a force or power ...

awakening", in which a mystical energy or force called Kundalini rises through two intertwined channels within the body. Painter Alex Grey created the design and was deeply involved in the animation from the beginning of the flaming eye sequence through to the end of the video.

Track listing

;Promotional single # "Parabola" (radio edit) – 6:08 # "Parabol" – 3:04 # "Parabola" (album version) – 6:03 ;DVD single # "Parabola" (video) – 10:09 # "Parabola" (commentary) – 10:09 # "Parabol" (

Lustmord Brian Williams is a Welsh musician, sound designer and composer. He has released albums under the name Lustmord starting in the 1980s and through the present. Williams began as a recording artist within the industrial genre, working with Ch ...

remix) – 11:35

Personnel

Tool *

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 ...

– drums *

Justin Chancellor Justin Gunnar Walter Chancellor (born 19 November 1971) is an English musician, best known as the bassist for rock band Tool, a position he has held since 1995. Prior to joining Tool, he played in a band called Peach. After settling in the US ...

– bass * Adam Jones – guitar, art direction *

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 ...

– vocals Production *Produced by David Bottrill *Mixing by

*Art direction by Adam Jones

Chart performance

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parabola (Song) 2002 singles 2001 songs Animated music videos Song recordings produced by David Bottrill Songs written by Maynard James Keenan Songs written by Danny Carey Songs written by Justin Chancellor Songs written by Adam Jones (musician) Stop-motion animated music videos Tool (band) songs Volcano Entertainment singles