Battle Symphony

"Battle Symphony"
Single by Linkin Park from the album One More Light
Released	March 16, 2017
Length	3:36
Label	Warner Records • Machine Shop Records
Writer	Mike Shinoda • Brad Delson • Jon Green
Producer	Mike Shinoda • Brad Delson • Andrew Bolooki
Linkin Park promotional singles chronology
"LIES GREED MISERY" (2012) "Battle Symphony" (2017) "Good Goodbye" (2017)

"Battle Symphony" is the fourth track off Linkin Park's seventh studio album One More Light. It was released as a promotional single on March 16, 2017.

Background

In January 2016, a Solent University student encountered Jon Green and posted about her experience on Twitter, stating that he was working with Linkin Park at the moment. Jon would co-write multiple songs with the band around this time, one of them being "Battle Symphony." The only other track that ended up on One More Light was "Nobody Can Save Me."

The existence of "Battle Symphony" became known to the public after Joe posted a video on Instagram that featured a clip of Brad playing an acoustic guitar. The band's song board could be seen in the background.

Writing

Lyrics

During a concert in Hamburg, Chester briefly mentioned the meaning behind "Battle Symphony," stating that it was a song about things coming apart and being put back together.

Music

The vocal chops featured in "Battle Symphony" are Mike's scat vocals being chopped up in Pro Tools. He used a pitch shifter and added effects to finalize the demo vocals.

Lyric video

As the band were shooting a lyric video for "Battle Symphony," a couple of people ran into them one day. One of them gave the group their drone so that they could use footage for the video.

The video was posted on March 16, 2017, just hours before the song was set to be released. The video was directed by Rafatoon and features him in his acting debut.

Live

"Battle Symphony" was first performed on March 27, 2017, and last performed on October 27, 2017 at Chester's memorial show. Jon was a featured guest at the concert.

The song was frequently messed up, especially during the intro. When this technical difficulty famously occurred during the tribute concert, Mike stated that Chester "would not have this shit."

The song was also played for Mike's solo venture in 2019, which once again featured Jon. A year earlier, Mike talked about how he couldn't play certain Linkin Park songs on tour due to their emotional weight; he cited "Battle Symphony" as one of those songs.

Linkin Park

• Chester Bennington – lead vocals
• Mike Shinoda – producer, writer
• Brad Delson – guitar, backing vocals, producer, writer
• Dave Farrell – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Joe Hahn – programmer, backing vocals
• Rob Bourdon – drums, backing vocals

Lyrics

I got a long way to go
And a long memory
I been searching for an answer
Always just out of reach
Blood on the floor
Sirens repeat
I been searching for the courage
To face my enemies
When they turn down the lights

I hear my battle symphony
All the world in front of me
If my armor breaks
I'll fuse it back together
Battle symphony
Please just don't give up on me
And my eyes are wide awake
For my battle symphony
For my battle symphony

They say that I don't belong
Say that I should retreat
That I'm marching to the rhythm
Of a lonesome defeat
But the sound of your voice
Puts the pain in reverse
No surrender, no illusions
And for better or worse
When they turn down the lights

I hear my battle symphony
All the world in front of me
If my armor breaks
I'll fuse it back together
Battle symphony
Please just don't give up on me
And my eyes are wide awake

If I fall, get knocked down
Pick myself up off the ground
If I fall, get knocked down
Pick myself up off the ground
When they turn down the lights

I hear my battle symphony
All the world in front of me
If my armor breaks
I'll fuse it back together
Battle symphony
Please just don't give up on me
And my eyes are wide awake
For my battle symphony
For my battle symphony