Pardon Me

"Pardon Me" is a song by American rock band Incubus. Released on October 5, 1999, as the lead single from their third studio album Make Yourself, it was the band's first song to receive considerable radio airplay, reaching number three on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, number seven on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number two on Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.[2][3][4]

This article is about the Incubus song. For the Weezer song, see Make Believe (Weezer album).
"Pardon Me"
Single by Incubus
from the album Make Yourself
B-side"Crowded Elevator"
ReleasedOctober 5, 1999
RecordedMay–June 1999
StudioNRG (Los Angeles)
GenreNu metal[1]
Length3:44
Label
Songwriter(s)Incubus
Producer(s)Scott Litt
Incubus singles chronology
"New Skin"
(1998)		 "Pardon Me"
(1999)		 "Stellar"
(2000)

Background and writing

In an interview, lead singer Brandon Boyd explained the song's origins, "I was in a bookstore, browsing through an old Life magazine, when I saw a picture of what the article called spontaneous human combustion. There were an old guy's legs and shoes, perfectly intact - then, right around his knee area, was just a pile of charred ashes. I was going through some turmoil in my life, both good and bad, and the image struck a chord, so I wrote a song about it."[5] Boyd had recently returned from a tour to find out that his girlfriend of 7 years had been cheating on him, and that both his grandmother and a close friend of his had died. After seeing a picture in Life magazine of a man who had spontaneously combusted, he related the man's problems to his own and was inspired to write the lyric "Pardon me while I burst into flames" on his hand.

Music video

The music video for "Pardon Me", directed by Steven Murashige, also gained considerable airplay. The video begins with Brandon Boyd and his father Charles, at opposite ends of a hallway. As the two approach each other, Charles begins to regress in age and appearance, while Boyd begins to grow more elderly, becoming increasingly alike as they advance toward each other. When they meet, they pass through each other and continue on in opposite directions. Footage of the band members in white outfits (except for Boyd, who is shirtless) in a red-colored box are also shown, as is footage of the band members in red outfits being surrounded by businessmen and businesswomen.

The video premiered on The Box the week ending on January 16, 2000.[6]

Track listing
US single
  1. "Pardon Me" (Album Version)
  2. "Crowded Elevator"
  3. "Pardon Me" (Acoustic)
  4. "Drive" (Acoustic)
US promotional single
  1. "Pardon Me" (Acoustic)
UK single
  1. "Pardon Me" (Album Version)
  2. "I Miss You" (Acoustic)
  3. "Crowded Elevator"

"Pardon Me" was released as downloadable content for Rock Band 3. The song was played during the credits of an episode from the fourth season of Daria. The song also appeared in the film Little Nicky starring Adam Sandler.[7]

It was also used in the Newgrounds classic game Pick the Path,[8] where it is the only song Fiore, the main character, will listen to.

On YouTube, "The AGK Series" made by Bryan Bay used "Pardon Me" as the intro of the song.

Charts
Chart (2000) Peak
position
Scotland (OCC)[9] 86
UK Singles (OCC)[10] 61
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[11] 3
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[12] 7
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[13] 2

Personnel

Incubus

Production

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States October 5, 1999 Alternative radio
[14]
United Kingdom May 8, 2000
Epic [15]

References
  1. Shumka, Dave. "10 nu metal songs that still hold up on CBC music". CBC Music. (February 14, 2013)
  2. "Billboard". December 18, 1999.
  3. "Bubbling Under Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
  4. "Incubus". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  5. "A Deep Dive Into Incubus' Pardon Me Video". Kerrang!. Wasted Talent Ltd. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  6. "Video Monitor". Billboard. January 25, 2000. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  7. "Little Nicky (2000)". IMDb. February 22, 2017.
  8. "Pick the Path". Newgrounds. January 1, 2001.
  9. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  11. "Incubus Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  12. "Incubus Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  13. "Incubus Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  14. "Alternative: Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. October 1, 1999. p. 121. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  15. "New Releases – For Week Starting May 8, 2000: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. June 9, 2001. p. 23. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
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