The reason is because this song’s been done too many times already, in a variety of different ways. The song’s message is to not let people break you down. The context here is that you’ve already suffered a lot, and persevered, and you’re not going away.
The problem is this song doesn’t offer anything new, and its musical composure is lazy. What happened to the Korn that used to confess and relive a struggle? I cannot connect with this song because it’s so devoid of any emotional passion.
There was a time when Jonathan Davis used to feel every word he sang, but now it just feels like mild musing.
Then the music video portrays some of the most pretentious shit I’ve ever seen. Coming from someone who was bullied a lot growing up, this all comes off as trite. Nobody wanted to focus on how you envy everyone else’s happiness… even to the point of hating everyone around you. Nobody wanted to focus on how enough abuse began to forge evil thoughts in your mind… thoughts about suicide and murder… and how you’re frightened about the fact that you of all people are thinking it. Nobody wanted to focus on being marginalized and made to feel completely insignificant… never finding your place, and being forced to watch as everyone else lives comfortably in spite of your constant misery. Nobody ever mentions that bullying is never a 1-person job; bullying is an involvement by everyone. When someone picks on you and beats you up, there’s always a crowd nearby cheering them on. Everyone hates you. Everyone wishes you were gone. Everyone else is better than you, and you’re nothing.
That’s what it feels like to be picked on. So when a song surfaces that addresses this topic and attacks it head on, you’d think I’d accept it lovingly like I’ve done in the past. But not this one.
Here’s a list of songs by comparable bands that already have this idea, and execute it at the intensity that it deserves: Artist – Song Title
Five Finger Death Punch – Bulletproof
Five Finger Death Punch – Coming Down
Ill Nino – Scarred
Ill Nino – Art of War
Ill Nino – Against the Wall
Exilia – Can’t Break Me Down
Korn – Hold On (yeah, that’s right, they already did this the right way once before)
%{ youtube wvVTf3uN5YY %}
Mudvayne – Not Falling
(hed)P.E. – Renegade
Fear Factory – Linchpin
In This Moment – From the Ashes
Godsmack – Awake
Disturbed - I’m Alive
Love and Death – Empty (That’s right, Love and Death, Korn’s sister band formed by one of their guitarists. This song was made rougly about the same time as Hater… so there’s no excuse)
The list goes on. In every one of those cases, the song was more powerful, or more emotionally-driven. I felt a release with each one. Korn’s song here just falls flat, which pisses me off because they’ve already done it correctly in the past.
Korn, what are you doing? You used to be one of us…