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Meteora is the second studio album by American rock band Linkin Park, released on March 25, 2003 by Warner Bros. Records. Produced by the band and Don Gilmore, who produced their debut album Hybrid Theory (2000), the album has a sound similar to the band’s debut and was recorded from April 2002 to December 2002 at NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California, and mixed at Soundtrack Studios in New York City. The album's pre-production lasted for over a year, starting on the tour bus in June 2001, during Ozzfest, and beginning the full focus on the new songs after coming off tour in early 2002. Its artwork was assembled by the band with help of various graphic artists, and its title is taken from the Greek Orthodox monasteries of the same name.

Linkin Park released singles from Meteora for over a year, including "Somewhere I Belong", "Faint", "Numb", "From the Inside", and "Breaking the Habit"; "Lying From You" was also released as a promotional single.

Meteora received generally positive reviews from critics and critical acclaim from fans upon its release and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and fourteen other international charts; it also became the most successful album in the history of the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. The song "Session" was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, but lost to Jeff Beck's "Plan B". Songs from the album were remixed with songs by American rapper Jay-Z for the 2004 MTV Ultimate Mash-Ups EP Collision Course. Meteora was later certified 7x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on August 15, 2017, and has sold over 16 million copies worldwide.

In 2023, along with the 20th anniversary re-issue, "Lost", a previously unreleased full song from the album's recording sessions was released as a single on February 10, 2023. "Lost" received rock song of the year by iHeartRadio, in 2024.

Background Info and Production[]

Meteora was named after the Meteora rock formation in Greece. After seeing these monasteries on a trip to Europe, the band was inspired by the way they were built, almost defying gravity. It was this feeling of greatness and awesome accomplishment that Linkin Park wished to convey with their music, thus the name.

Don Gilmore produced the album. Linkin Park comprehensively rehearsed the album recording more than forty choruses for the first single "Somewhere I Belong". Like the band's first full-length Hybrid Theory, Meteora was recorded using Pro Tools software. In its first week, it sold an estimated 830,000 units. To date, it has sold 7,000,000 copies in the United States alone, and nearly 16,000,000 copies worldwide[1].

Also interesting to note is the almost complete synchronization of every song throughout the album. The precedent is immediately set with "Foreword," an intro to the album which finishes with a crashing sound (thought by many to be glass breaking, but it is, in fact, an external compact disc burner on a wooden table being smashed with an aluminum baseball bat). The sound effect smoothly transitions this cue into the album's first song "Don't Stay." Almost all the songs are likewise linked together, with some instrumental motif carrying over one song into the next. The album performs this trick between "Foreword", "Don't Stay" and "Somewhere I Belong", "Easier to Run" and "Faint", and "Figure.09", "Breaking the Habit", "From The Inside", and "Nobody's Listening".

Singles[]

Track Listing[]

1. "Foreword" – 0:13
2. "Don't Stay" – 3:08
3. "Somewhere I Belong" – 3:34
4. "Lying From You" – 2:55
5. "Hit the Floor" – 2:44
6. "Easier to Run" – 3:24
7. "Faint" – 2:42
8. "Figure.09" – 3:17
9. "Breaking the Habit" – 3:16
10. "From the Inside" – 2:55
11. "Nobody's Listening" – 2:58
12. "Session" – 2:24
13. "Numb" – 3:06

Bonus Tracks[]

Deluxe Edition[]

14. "Step Up (Live) [Bonus Track]"
15. "Somewhere I Belong (Live at Milton Keynes) [Bonus Track]"

Bonus Edition[]

14. "Lying from You (Live LP Underground Tour 2003)"
15. "From the Inside (Live LP Underground Tour 2003)"
16. "Easier to Run (Live LP Underground Tour 2003)"

Bonus Tour Edition VCD[]

1. "Somewhere I Belong" (music video)
2. "Faint" (music video)
3. "Numb" (music video)
4. "Breaking the Habit" (music video)
5. "From the Inside" (music video)

20 Year Anniversary 3CD Edition[]

14. "Lost (2002 Mix)" – 3:23

Critical Response[]

Despite the strong sales response from fans, Meteora received a mediocre response from critics. The overall Metacritic score was 62, indicating a mixed response among the sources used to compile the score, while with a higher user score of 8.3.

  • The album received excellent reviews from E! Online and Entertainment Weekly.
    • E! Online rated it an A-, and expected it to "shoot straight for the stars". Best tracks: "Don't Stay", "Somewhere I Belong", "Numb".
    • Entertainment Weekly described it as "radio-friendly perfection".
  • The album received good reviews from Dot Music, Billboard, and New Musical Express.
    • Dot Music described it as a "guaranteed source of ubiquitous radio hits". Best Tracks: "Somewhere I Belong", "Faint", "Lying from you", "Nobody's Listening"; rating: 8/10.
    • Billboard Magazine described Meteora as "a ready-made crowdpleaser". Best Tracks: "Somewhere I Belong", "Breaking the Habit"
    • The New Musical Express said it had "massive commercial appeal" but left the reviewer "underwhelmed" Rating: 7, Best track: "Breaking the Habit".
  • The band received average reviews from All Music Guide, Rolling Stone, Blender, Q Magazine, and shakingthrough.net.
    • Rolling Stone said the band "squeezed the last remaining life out of this nearly extinct formula" (nu-metal) Rating 4.5 stars Best tracks: "Breaking the Habit", "Lying from You", "Figure.09", "Numb"
    • allmusic.com described it as "nothing more and nothing less than Hybrid Theory Part 2". Best tracks: "Somewhere I Belong", "Lying from You", "Breaking the Habit", "Hit the Floor".
    • Blender described it as "harder, denser, uglier" (#15, page 128) while Q Magazine described it as "less an artistic endeavor than an exercise in target marketing"

Personnel[]

Linkin Park
Additional musicians
  • David Campbell – Strings arrangement on "Faint" and "Breaking the Habit"
  • Joel Derouin, Charlie Bisharat, Alyssa Park, Sara Parkins, Michelle Richards, Mark Robertson – Violins
  • Evan Wilson, Bob Becker – Violas
  • Larry Corbett, Dan Smith – Celli
  • David Zasloff – shakuhachi flute on "Nobody's Listening"
Production
  • Don Gilmore – Recording, producing
  • EnrJohn Ewing, Jr. – Engineer
  • Fox Phelps – Assistant engineer
  • Andy Wallace – Mixing at Soundtrack Studios, New York, NY
  • Steve Sisco – Assisted mixing
  • Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – Mastering, digital editing at Bernie Grundman Mastering
Management
  • Tom Whalley & Jeff Blue – A&R
  • Marny Cameron – A&R coordination
  • Peter Standish & Kevin Sakoda – Marketing directors
  • Worldwide representation: Rob McDermott for the Firm with Additional Servitude by Ryan Saullo, Ryan Demarti, and Noah Edelman
  • Booking agent: Michael Arfin for Artist Group, International
  • Danny Hayes – Legal for Davis, Shapiro, Lewit, Montone & Hayes
  • Michael Oppenheim & Jonathan Schwartz – Business Managers for Gudvi, Sussman & Oppenheim
  • Worldwide licensing and merchandising: Bandmerch

Gallery[]

Meteora gallery Click here to see more photos about Meteora

Artwork[]

Linkin Park’s sophomore studio album Meteora presents a cover of a man spraypainting. Mike Shinoda and The Flem led the creative direction of the artwork with James R. Minchin III being in charge of photography.

  • Mike Shinoda & The Flem – Creative direction
  • The Flem – Art direction & design
  • Delta, Mike Shinoda, Joseph Hahn & The Flem – Installation artists
  • James R. Minchin III – Photography
  • Nick Spanos – Spray paint can close-up photos

References[]

  1. [1] Billboard News Report
Related to 'Meteora', the second studio album by American band Linkin Park
'Meteora' original release (2003)

"Numb"

GalleryDemosRelease historyCertificationsAwardsCreditsThe Making of Meteora
Meteora - 20th Anniversary Edition

"Interrogation"
"Faint
(Meteora20 Demo)"
"Plaster 2"
"Shifter"

Release historyChart performance
Linkin Park
Emily ArmstrongColin BrittainBrad DelsonPhoenixJoe HahnMike Shinoda
Chester Bennington† • Rob Bourdon
Albums Hybrid TheoryReanimationMeteoraMinutes to MidnightA Thousand SunsLiving ThingsThe Hunting PartyOne More LightFrom Zero
Other Hybrid Theory EPCollision CourseHybrid Theory: 20th Anniversary EditionMeteora 20th Anniversary EditionLost DemosPapercuts
Singles "One Step Closer""Crawling""Papercut""In the End""Somewhere I Belong""Faint""Numb""From the Inside""Lying From You""Breaking the Habit""Numb/Encore""What I've Done""Bleed It Out""Shadow of the Day""New Divide""The Catalyst""Iridescent""Burn It Down""Lost in the Echo""Castle of Glass""Powerless""A Light That Never Comes""Guilty All the Same""Until It's Gone""Wastelands""Final Masquerade""Heavy""Talking to Myself""One More Light""She Couldn't""Lost""Fighting Myself""Friendly Fire""The Emptiness Machine""Heavy Is the Crown"
Side projects XeroDead By SunriseFort MinorGrey DazeStone Temple PilotsJulien-KProjekt RevolutionRelative DegreeStyles of Beyond
CertificationsGalleryAwardsDiscographyLinkin Park Underground
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