No One Knows

Album: Songs For The Deaf (2002)
Charted: 15 51
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Songfacts®:

  • The title of this song accurately describes what it's about. "It's a mystery," QOTSA leader Josh Homme told MTV when the song was released. "No one knows."

    He did let on that writing songs is a catharsis for the band, so it's possible he'll sing about it but not talk about it.
  • Queens Of The Stone Age made some noise with their first two albums but didn't have an actual hit until they released "No One Knows" on their third album, Songs For The Deaf. The band made very radio-unfriendly songs (see: "Feel Good Hit Of The Summer") so they weren't on the radar of many radio stations, but "No One Knows" made a steady climb, going to #1 on the Modern Rock Chart and even entering the Hot 100, peaking at #51 in March 2003, about six months after the album was released. It didn't go to their heads: The bands kept making unpredictable, unorthodox rock music to serve their fans, most of whom didn't care for the teen pop and R&B that ruled the airwaves.
  • Josh Homme wrote the song with Mark Lanegan, best known as the frontman for Screaming Trees. They teamed up to write two other tracks for the album as well: "Song For The Dead" (with a lead vocal by Lanegan) and "Song For The Deaf."
  • Dave Grohl, the drummer in Nirvana and frontman in the Foo Fighters, played drums on "No One Knows" and most of the others on Songs For The Deaf. Queens Of The Stone Age only has one permanent member, Josh Homme, so Grohl was able to join the band without feeling tethered. Getting back behind the kit seemed therapeutic for him. He felt a bit bogged down while recording the Foo Fighters album One By One, which ended up being released a few months after Songs For The Deaf after Grohl re-recorded some of it. He even joined Queens for a tour in the summer of 2002.

    Grohl's impact on the band wasn't just musical. Having him on board gave them instant cachet with their record company, which helped because their first two albums weren't huge sellers. When they wanted a big-budget video for this song, the label was happy to oblige knowing Grohl would be in it.

    In a Songfacts interview with Nick Oliveri, the goateed bassist in the band, he said: "When Dave came in, the game changed. It was immediately a game-changer for how we were being treated by the label – as naturally would happen. And we knew the songs were super-strong and we had something super-special."
  • The album has two concepts:

    1) Music for deaf people. This one is generally metaphorical - the idea that it's so loud even the deaf will hear it - but is literal on the opening track, "The Real Song For The Deaf," which contains various pulses and vibrations that hearing impaired people can feel.

    2) A road trip from Los Angeles to the Joshua Tree desert, with radio stations tuning in and out along the way. It's a drive Josh Homme made quite often, as he lived in Joshua Tree but often worked in LA.

    In between some songs on the album, we hear the radio station tuning, with bits of songs and commercials coming on before settling on a station where a DJ introduces the next song. After "No One Knows," a DJ introduces the next song, "First It Giveth," in Spanish. The voice of the DJ is Alain Johannes, the flamenco guitarist on that track.

    The snippets of songs that go by as the dial tunes are real songs the band recorded but didn't use for the album.
  • The main riff of this song was originally used by Josh Homme on a song for his side project The Desert Sessions called "Cold Sore Superstars." This was found on The Desert Sessions Volumes 7 & 8, along with the song "Hanging Tree," which was also re-recorded as a Queens Of The Stone Age song.
  • This song is featured in several video games, including Guitar Hero, which allowed gamers to play along with this song using a guitar-shaped controller. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Bert - Pueblo, NM
  • Dave Grohl became the first person to hold the #1 spot on the Modern Rock chart as a member of three different groups when "No One Knows" reached the summit. He'd previously topped the tally with Nirvana and Foo Fighters.
  • Josh Homme is a big Björk fan, so he sought director Michel Gondry, who helmed many of her music videos (including her debut "Human Behaviour") for the "No One Knows" video. In the clip, co-directed by Dean Karr, the band accidentally hits a deer with their truck and the deer, in turn, attacks them. The band members end up mounted on a wall.

    There was little attempt to make the deer look real, which adds to the comedic value. Nick Oliveri told Songfacts how it went down. "My girlfriend at the time went to the taxidermy store and got a deer, and they put mechanical pieces in it and made it into this little robot that could move and smack us in the head," he said. "It was quite fun."

    Grohl isn't in the deer scenes, but Mark Lanegan is - he's the guy with the shaggy hair. "I recall being stuck in the wall with our heads through the wall and Mark being sick," Oliveri added. "And Dean Karr putting grocery bag handles on his ears and Mark going, 'You son of a bitch... I'm going to kill you!' It was the funniest thing ever because we were strapped in the wall. It was a long one, but it was a fun day."
  • The UK band The Vaccines recorded a version for their 2021 covers EP Cosy Karaoke, Vol. 1. The accompanying music video finds frontman Justin Young driving through the streets of London.

Comments: 9

  • Love This Song from England West Yorkshire Why is dave grohl not in the truck with the other band members? Is it because he wanted to stay in the back ground? Love the song and Dave Grohl is amazing on the drums. Wish I could be an all round musician like him. He can play guitar, sing and play the drums
  • Reggev from Misgav, IsraelIt's on Rock Band 3 too
  • Captain D from Cincinnati, OhDave does rock it out in the song...
  • Steve from New York, NyAmazing song. Dave Grohl pretty much goes note for note with the guitar part, which is amazing.
  • Amelia from Modesto, CaWhoo Dave Grohl is LOVE
  • Siedha from East Orange, Nji first heard this song on Guitar Hero 1
    i could never beat it... so i downloaded it so that i could finally hear the whole songs without the crowd booing at my mistakes lol
  • Ryan from Marlborough, MaI am not to sure but it seems like the song is about some sort of hard drug. Its experence and the downfall of this drug, most likly a pychodelic. or maybe the song has a deeper meaning, i don't know.
  • Kyle from Cardiff, WalesDave grohl....Is my hero!! Lol
    QOTSA = amazing =]
  • Damon from Miami, FlWhat a song! What a drum solo! Dave Grohl RULES!!!
see more comments

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