"What If" is a song by American rock band

Creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) which summarizes its core tenets. Many Christian denominations use three creeds ...

, released on January 31, 2000 as the second single from their second studio album, ''

Human Clay ''Human Clay'' is the second studio album by American rock band Creed, released on September 28, 1999, through Wind-up Records. Produced by John Kurzweg, it was the band's last album to feature Brian Marshall, who left the band in August 200 ...

'' (1999), and as the lead single from '' Scream 3: The Album'' (2000), the first of two albums released to promote the 2000 slasher film '' Scream 3.'' The song, ''w''ritten by singer Scott Stapp and guitarist

Mark Tremonti Mark Thomas Tremonti (born April 18, 1974) is an American guitarist and singer, best known for his tenures with the rock bands Creed (band), Creed and Alter Bridge. He is a founding member of both bands, and has also collaborated with many other ...

, is considered to be one of the band's heaviest. "What If" was similarly successful to the other three singles from ''Human Clay''. While not entering the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the song peaked at No. 15 on the

Alternative Airplay Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

charts, No. 3 on the

Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent a cross between classic rock, active rock and alternativ ...

charts, and No. 2 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 charts.

Writing and recording

"What If" was written by singer Scott Stapp and guitarist

. Along with the rest of ''Human Clay'', the song was recorded at a house outside of Tallahassee. Lead singer Scott Stapp moved there after reading that Jim Morrison, the frontman of American rock band

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

, lived in Tallahassee.

Composition and lyrics

"What If" is a

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

and heavy metal song with a loud, passionate, and riff-heavy sound. The lyrics are about hatred and those who oppress others. According to guitarist

, the intro was inspired by the 1966 song " Paint It, Black" by English rock band

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

. Along with "

Bullets A bullet is a Kinetic energy weapon, kinetic projectile, a component of firearm ammunition that is Shooting, shot from a gun barrel. They are made of a variety of materials, such as copper, lead, steel, polymer, rubber and even wax; and are made ...

", it is one of Creed's heaviest songs.

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 ...

was directed by David Meyers and it features David Arquette reprising his role as Dewey Riley. The story revolves around Dewey getting call at 11:36 pm from Ghostface that sets off a chain of events at Sunrise Studios, the fictional filming location seen in ''Scream 3'' where the ''Stab'' films were filmed. Each member of the band gets "killed" by the killer while their respective girlfriends run away, only to reveal to them and Dewey towards the end of the video that the guys created the prank. The real killer calls Dewey again, saying they're not finished yet before he starts attacking him from above which then cuts to black. The music video can be found in the home media releases of ''Scream 3''.

Personnel

Credits adapted from ''Human Clay'' linear notes. * Scott Stapp – lead vocals *

– guitar, backing vocals * Brian Marshall – bass * Scott Phillips – drums

Chart performance

Year-end charts

References

2000 singles Creed (band) songs Songs written by Mark Tremonti Songs written by Scott Stapp 1999 songs Wind-up Records singles {{1990s-rock-song-stub Music videos directed by Dave Meyers (director)