Black Heart

Album: High Rise (2013)
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Songfacts®:

  • This came from a song idea that bassist Robert DeLeo had. "I just wanted to have something," he told Noisecreep. "I started out on guitar and went to bass out of necessity. I always write on guitar. I just wanted to come up with something that kind of had everything - had great power chords, great stringy chords and parts to it. I was just feeling that one."

    DeLeo then presented his demo to the rest of the band, and once Chester Bennington added his vocals, the end result was just as he wanted.
  • In our interview with Stone Temple Pilots drummer Eric Kretz, he said: "That one's so great because it has such a great porch stomp feel to it. When Robert was presenting that on guitar, it was just like you start smacking your foot on the floor [stomps foot]. We were all feeling where the groove was going. So when I hopped behind the kit, I was riding the floor toms in the verse of it with a very straight ahead beat, just to really get the energy across of where those hits were. Then it was just a matter of where to take it, especially for the kind of bridge and the ending of the song. That one was a really exciting start, and then it took a lot of work to make it seem seamless like that."
  • DeLeo told Noisecreep that groove he plays came from a long sought-after instrument. "I just bought and found a rare bass that I had been looking for for years. I got a chance to use it on that song, so that meant a lot too. To do that from a gear geek kind of perspective," he said.

    DeLeo added: "I've been looking for this certain Rickenbacker 4001 Bass. That's a very rare 1971 Rickenbacker Bass. There were only 20 of those made in '71. It's very rare and very collectible. Growing up on Paul McCartney and Chris Squire from Yes, Geddy Lee. You dream of instruments of that. Then when you find one, it's like, 'Well this is going on the song.' That means a lot, man. Dreaming about those instruments as a little kid and actually having one and using it on a song that you put together. It means a lot."

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