Released May 24, 2004 Length 4:08 | Genre Hard rock, heavy metal Label RCA | |
Format CD single, 12" picture disc Recorded August–December 2003 at NRG and Pulse Recording, Los Angeles, California | ||
"Slither" is a song by American hard rock band Velvet Revolver, featured on their 2004 debut album Contraband. When it was released as the second single from the album in 2004, "Slither" topped both the American Billboard Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock charts, as well as reaching number 56 on the main Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 35 on the UK Singles Chart. The song won the 2005 Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance.
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Chart performance
The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and stayed there for 9 weeks. It also became their sole No. 1 hit on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, maintaining the position for 4 weeks. "Slither" also charted at No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Velvet Revolver's highest charting song and one of the highest charting songs that Scott Weiland has appeared on.
Video
The video was filmed in Prague, Czech Republic and Los Angeles. It starts with the band members playing their instruments inside a tunnel while a woman is driving a car seeking for the way to get to that tunnel. As the song continues, people become much more aggressive and the underground concert reaches a peak as band members play hard. Often in the video, Scott Weiland is seen standing before a wall made of human skulls.
Success and awards
Most famous for its instantly recognizable opening bass riff and its unmistakable guitar riff, it is arguably the band's signature song, and was frequently the closer to their shows. It was awarded a Grammy in 2005 for Best Hard Rock Performance, an award Weiland had won with his previous band, Stone Temple Pilots, for the song "Plush" in 1994. In 2009, the song was named the 85th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.