Released June 13, 2005 Genre Alternative metal | Format 7"
CD Label Roadrunner | |
Recorded The Mansion
Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research
Los Angeles, California, U.S. Length 4:38 (album version)
4:20 (radio edit)
3:37 (single mix) | ||
"Before I Forget" is a Grammy Award-winning song written and recorded by American metal band Slipknot. It is the third single from their 2004 album Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses). It was listed as AOL's top metal song of the decade.
Contents
"Before I Forget" borrows certain elements from a much older Slipknot song "Carve", which was recorded before their self-titled album.
Singer Corey Taylor stated that he fought with producer Rick Rubin over the chorus. Rubin wanted Taylor to change the chorus vocal melody because he felt it wasn't catchy; however, Taylor stood his ground and the chorus stayed unchanged.
Within the last 18 seconds of the full-length song, Morse Code can be heard in the left channel that spells the word Slipknot, along with Corey muttering, "You're wasting it", nonetheless reversed.
The earliest version of this song was in 1996 with Anders Colsefni on vocals. The song was called "Carve" and was for the SR Demo 1997. Fans refer to the demo as Crowz.
The song was featured in the video games MotorStorm, Rock Band 3, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Guitar Hero Live.
Grammy Award Win
After being nominated six times previous, the band won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. It was the second track from the album that was nominated for a Grammy Award. "Vermilion" was nominated in 2005 for the same award.
Music video
The music video for "Before I Forget" shows Slipknot performing the song unmasked and in casual clothes (all with black shirts), as opposed to their usual coveralls. The music video makes use of strategic camera techniques in which the members' faces are never totally shown (in some instances, however, some of the band members' eyes are shown up close), thus keeping with the band's running theme of anonymity at the time. Their masks are shown next to them as they perform. At the end of the music video, the band immediately stops playing the song as it ends and they all walk away.
The music video for "Before I Forget" was directed by Tony Petrossian and was voted as the "Most Rocking Video" by the Scuzz audience in the Top 100 Most Rocking Videos 2007. This music video also helped to garner the band its first and only Grammy Award win for "Best Metal Performance" in 2006.