"She Couldn't" is a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

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

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...

. Originally leaked in 2009, it was later officially released in 2020 as the first single from the 20th Anniversary Edition re-release of their debut album, ''

Hybrid Theory ''Hybrid Theory'' is the debut studio album by American Rock music, rock band Linkin Park, released on October 24, 2000, by Warner Bros. Records. Recorded at NRG Recording Studios, NRG Recordings in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, North Hollywo ...

''.

Background

The song was originally recorded in 1999 while Linkin Park was recording material for their debut studio album, ''

''. The song was one of the first songs recorded by the band after frontman

Chester Bennington Chester Charles Bennington (March 20, 1976 – July 20, 2017) was an American singer who was the lead vocalist of the rock band Linkin Park. He was also the lead vocalist of Grey Daze, Dead by Sunrise, and Stone Temple Pilots at various po ...

had joined. An unofficial, bootleg version of the song surfaced in 2009 when a fan purchased a demo CD containing the song from

eBay eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...

and leaked it. After the band hinted at releasing material earlier in the week, the song was officially released on August 13, 2020, in promotion of the band's 20th anniversary re-release of ''Hybrid Theory''. Its initial release was through a website created by the band to look like a computer desktop from the year 2000. The track is one of twelve unreleased tracks that was featured on the release.

Themes and composition

The song was described as sounding similar to the material that made it on to the original ''

'' album despite its softer sound and longer run-time of over five minutes. The song is more of a

and lacks the heavy guitar sound on much of the album, instead focusing on beats, loops, and Bennington's vocals. ''

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 ...

'' described the song's sound as having a "mellow groove with a simple guitar loop twisting around

trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...

drums,

synths A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis an ...

, and record-scratching texture". Late frontman

provides vocals for the verses, while the band's other vocalist,

Mike Shinoda Michael Kenji Shinoda ( ; born February 11, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and graphic designer. He co-founded the rock band Linkin Park in 1996 and is the band's co-lead vocalist, as well as rhythm guitarist, ...

, provides the chorus. Additionally, the chorus features a

Mos Def Yasiin Bey ( ; born Dante Terrell Smith; December 11, 1973), formerly known as Mos Def ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A prominent figure in conscious hip hop, he is recognized for his use of wordplay and commentary on social an ...

vocal sample from the High and Mighty's song " B-Boy Document 99". Shinoda noted the mellower, softer sound of the song foreshadowed the band's change in musical direction found later in the band's career, explaining it was always an approach the band had explored.

Reception

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 ...

'' praised the song for sounding like it belonged on ''Hybrid Theory'', stating "Despite its softness and lack of the heavy guitars...despite its length and willingness to run at its own pace...you could slot this anywhere in the album's second half and it wouldn't jar. It may be the one that got away, but it doesn't sound like something that didn't work".

Personnel

Linkin Park *

– vocals *

– vocals, keyboards *

Brad Delson Bradford Philip Delson (born December 1, 1977) is an American musician. He is the lead guitarist and one of the founding members of the rock band Linkin Park.

– guitars, bass *

Joe Hahn Joseph Hahn (born March 15, 1977) is an American musician, DJ, director, and visual artist best known as the DJ and creative director of the rock band Linkin Park, doing the scratching, turntables, sampling, and programming for all eight of ...

– turntables, samples *

Rob Bourdon Robert Gregory Bourdon (born January 20, 1979) is an American musician, best known as a co-founding member and the former drummer of the rock band Linkin Park. He remained in the band until their hiatus in 2017; when the band members began work ...

– drums Other musicians * Kyle Christner – additional bass

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1999 songs 2020 singles 2020s ballads Linkin Park songs Songs released posthumously Songs written by Brad Delson Songs written by Chester Bennington Songs written by Mike Shinoda Songs written by Mos Def Sentimental ballads Warner Records singles