Can You Hear Me (Korn song)

"Can You Hear Me"[lower-alpha 1] is a song by American nu metal band Korn, released as the penultimate single from their thirteenth studio album The Nothing.

"Can You Hear Me"
Single by Korn
from the album The Nothing
ReleasedSeptember 6, 2019 (2019-09-06)[1]
Recorded2019 (album version)
Length2:53
LabelRoadrunner
Songwriter(s)Jonathan Davis
Producer(s)Nick Raskulinecz
Korn singles chronology
"Cold"
(2019)		 "Can You Hear Me"
(2019)		 "Finally Free"
(2020)

Background

"Can You Hear Me" was originally revealed on 14 May 2015 on the YouTube channel of music equipment company Antelope Audio.[2][3] The song was initially intended as a solo work by Davis, but was eventually included in The Nothing after Nick Raskulinecz heard it:

"The band went back and did it, and I really liked how that came out. That’s one of the songs with 20-something vocals on it, there’s so many harmonies it’s like Abba or some shit. I love it."[4]

"Can You Hear Me" was eventually revealed to be the eighth track on the album upon the release of lead single "You'll Never Find Me" in June 2019, over four years after its debut. It was ultimately released as the third single from the album a week prior to its release on 6 September 2019,[5] with an accompanying visualizer promoting a podcast bearing the album's title.

A proper music video for the song was released on 20 March 2020.[6] This music video focuses on a central figure, dressed in a hoodie and producing what appears to be slime, interacting with a series of television screens and a smartphone.[6][7] Scenes from the video feature a reflection of the person's face, a mixture of both positive and negative social media interactions, emoji, and phone users seemingly transforming into zombies.[8] The video has been interpreted as a criticism of social media culture and addiction[8][9] as well as highlighting the mental health effects of isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]

An acoustic version of the song was released later in 2020.

Composition

Backed by a guitar riff described as "searing",[10] the song is considerably more electronic in texture than other songs on The Nothing.[11]

The chorus is often highlighted for its highly emotional lyrical content.[10][12]

Reception

A Kerrang! review of the album praises "Can You Hear Me" as "a bewitching, haunted anthem of loss".[13]

Vince Neilstein of MetalSucks approved of the song, despite his general dislike of Korn, comparing it to their 2000 hit "Make Me Bad";[14] his only criticism being the lack of a question mark in the song title.

Personnel

Notes
  1. A trailing question mark is absent in almost all cases, with only the video thumbnail for the acoustic version containing it

References
  1. "Korn Get Futuristic in New Song 'Can You Hear Me'". Loudwire.com. September 6, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  2. "Video: KORN's JONATHAN DAVIS In Studio Recording New Song 'Can You Hear Me'". Blabbermouth.net. May 14, 2015. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  3. "Korn's Jonathan Davis Shares Clip of New Song, "Can You Hear Me" – Music News – ABC News Radio". Abcnewsradioonline.com. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  4. "Watch Korn Perform Four New Songs At Album Release Show". Kerrang!. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  5. "Korn Release Can You Hear Me Video, Announce Podcast Series". Kerrang!. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  6. Grow, Kory (March 20, 2020). "See Korn's Depiction of Toxic Self-Isolation in 'Can You Hear Me' Video". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  7. Lauryn Schaffner. "Korn Release Intense New Video For 'Can You Hear Me'". Loudwire.com. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  8. "Korn look at the world through a digital lens in 'Can You Hear Me' video". Nme.com. March 21, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  9. Pasbani, Robert. "KORN "Can You Hear Me" Music Video Explores Dangers of Social Media Culture". Metalinjection.net. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  10. Martoccio, Angie (September 6, 2019). "Watch Korn's Chilling 'Can You Hear Me' Video". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  11. Stephen Hill (September 12, 2019). "Korn's The Nothing recaptures the genuine darkness of their earlier works". Loudersound.com. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  12. Pattillo, Alice; Hill, Stephen; Goodman, Eleanor (September 13, 2019). "Korn's The Nothing: Your ultimate track-by-track guide". Loudersound.com. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  13. "Album Review: Korn – The Nothing". Kerrang!. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  14. "Here's the New Korn Song, "Can You Hear Me"". Metalsucks.net. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
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