Don't Stay by Linkin Park

Album: Meteora (2003)

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Songfacts®:

This is one of many radio-friendly Linkin Park songs. It is yet another anger and angst-filled rocker by the group, this time dealing with changing emotions between a boy and girlfriend or a breakup. It's one of those songs to capture the feeling of a large amount of effort and work ending up being a waste.
The only Linkin Park song not tuned to Dropped Db, this one is lower down to B. Brad Delson tried out a new Ibanez extended scale guitar designed to be tuned deeper, and this song resulted. >>
Suggestion credit:
Dennis - Toledo, OH, for above 2
Linkin Park often played this song first in live performances. The closer was typically "One Step Closer." >>
Suggestion credit:
Mokumo - Arlington, MA
Mike Shinoda: "That song started off as almost a Spanish or reggae style sound with the guitar. The first time I heard it, I almost thought it sounded like some kind of Latin dancing thing. And it was funny because it didn't sound that way. It just gave me that idea in my head so Brad and I worked on it. Brad ended up coming up with the final thing, which is what you hear there. The nice thing about the song is that it's written really heavy. It's got an interesting bounce to it and that Spanish guitar thing is gone now. Because it came from that place, it has a different vibe to the rhythm of it. I think it's a really fun song. It's going to be a really fun song to play live. It's really energetic." >>
Suggestion credit:
Tim - PGH, PA
In a 2003 MTV interview, vocalist Chester Bennington explained the significance of the band's emotion-based lyrics. "We don't talk about situations, we talk about the emotions behind the situations," he said. "Mike and I are two different people, so we can't sing about the same things, but we both know about frustration and anger and loneliness and love and happiness, and we can relate on that level."
This is the first full track (after the 13-second intro, "Foreword") on the band's second studio album, Meteora. After proving themselves with their debut, Hybrid Theory, Linkin Park became bonafide rock stars and earned more creative control on Meteora. They co-produced the album alongside Hybrid Theory producer Don Gilmore.

Comments: 13

Luna Loud from Royal Woods, MichiganOk, to clear a few things up about the tunings: On this album and Hybrid Theory, Brad and Mike mostly tuned to drop-Db. The exceptions are: "With You" and "Runaway" (Standard tuned 7-string guitars, BEADGBE), "Don't Stay" (Drop-B, BF#BD#G#C#), "Somewhere I Belong" and "Easier To Run" (Standard Bb/A#, A#D#G#C#F#A#). After Meteora, the band mostly played in drop-D, and more rarely, standard E.

Hope that cleared things up.
Emo_boi from CowpensDaMn
Zero from Nowhere, NjDude from Texas, on 2 songs from Hybrid Theory (With You and Runaway) Brad does use a 7 string, not entirely sure exactly what tunings those songs are in, as I don't make a habit of playing along to LP songs to learn them. To my knowledge, those are the only songs he uses a 7-string on.
Thomas from Surabaya, IndonesiaEaster Egg: for anyone who has a sound-editing software like Adobe Audition or Sony Sound Forge, amplify the last 5 seconds near the end of this song by 6 dB, then you'll hear strange tones like telephone answering machine. The tones then continued on Somewhere I Belong, maybe Mike Shinoda wanted to make a transition effect between their songs, instead of just silence.
Esther from Sauwerd, NetherlandsIt's great. But I think the text could be better, if you wrote it with teh meaning of a battle, you want a person close to you, and gone from you, you could express that better and not lean into one side. And, as allways, I miss the drumms a little... Fantastic that even this doesn't bring the song down, it's amazing.
Drake from Cincinnati, OhI'm sorry, but I find "Sometimes I...just feel like SCREAMING AT MYSELF!" to be laughable. It's a laughable attempt at being hardcore.
Caroline from Katy, TxI love this song, so many people to tell it to.... Meteora is better than Hybrid Theory.
Amey from Zion, IlI thought it was for someone that was betrayed by their BF/GF, and they still like the person, but at other times they just want them to get away and forget everything. They just want to drop it all and leave them, and nothing more. Besides the awesome sound, this is the second track on the Meteora CD.
Kayla from Rancho Cucamonga, Cawow this song brings back memories because, as said before, linkin park plays "don't stay" first thing when they do a concert and it reminds me of the feeling when i saw LP play live for the first time (projekt revolution '04). the song began to play and right as LP began to get really into song, the Linkin Park curtain tht was blocking evry1s view fromt he stage dropped and there they were. the 6 guys who have changed my life. that was the best feeling ever and the most exciting and emotional experience (the concert as a whole) of my life. since tht day i have been fortunate enough to see LP again and to meet them twice. they are really humble and sweet guys. this is one of the happier (in a way) and more sentimental LP songs for me.
Dude from Tx, TxI don't know why everyone likes to downtune guitars. I always thought Delson played a baritone with a low B-string.
Rebecca from Peoria, Az this song is like so cool its like saying like u want someone to leave u a lone and i need them to stay like "Sometimes I
Need to remember just to breathe
Sometimes I
Need you to stay away from me
Sometimes I'm
In disbelief I didn't know
Somehow I
Need you to go" this is like saying go away i don't u anymore but yea very good song
Rob from Castaic, Cafor some reason i dont like dont stay as much as all their other stuff. Maybe its because it sounds really poppish coming after the foreward on Meteora.
Anonymousthis song is the best i love it i some times sing to it!its wonderful heavy on rock and i likem to be to heavy heavy its just a great song like if you got your heart broken it just a great song for that also.

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