New Divide

"New Divide"
Single by Linkin Park
from the album Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – The Album
Released	May 18, 2009 (2009-05-18)
Recorded	2008-2009
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	4:29
Label	Reprise
Writer(s)	Linkin Park
Producer	Mike Shinoda
Certification	2x Platinum (RIAA), Gold (RIANZ) Platinum (ARIA) [1]
Linkin Park singles chronology
"Leave Out All the Rest" (2008) "New Divide" (2009) "The Catalyst" (2010)
Audio sample file info · help Music video "New Divide" on YouTube

"New Divide" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. The song is released as a single and was recorded specifically for Michael Bay's film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The song serves as the film's theme, and was released as a single on May 18, 2009.^[2] It is one of the few songs to top the US Rock Songs, Modern Rock Tracks and Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks at the same time.

Background

Linkin Park's "What I've Done" was included on the first Transformers soundtrack and was featured in the film's trailer. Mike Shinoda first alluded to "New Divide" on March 28, 2009, stating "We've been working on a new song in the past couple of weeks that has been a lot of fun. The backdrop for the song is built on layered, heavy synths and a sharp performance by [the band's drummer] Rob Bourdon."^[3] On April 24, Shinoda revealed that they were working with film score composer Hans Zimmer, writing various interpretations of "New Divide" to serve as thematic elements for the film.^[4] When discussing the Transformers sequel with Blabbermouth, Michael Bay said "I love Linkin Park... they really delivered with 'New Divide' — it's a great song that perfectly matches the film's intensity."^[5] Parts of the intro were used in the final Transformers trailer.

The cue "NEST" from Steve Jablonsky's Revenge of the Fallen musical score features instrumental excerts from "New Divide". Linkin Park worked with award-winning composer Hans Zimmer to re-work "New Divide" in the musical score. As a result, the song was featured prominently in the film with instrumental clips of it played several times throughout the film in addition to the song being played during the end credits. The song was later adopted as the theme/opening song for the NHL's San Jose Sharks. The song also plays as the background music for the Medal of Honor E3 multiplayer trailer.

A live version of the song was included as a b-side to "The Catalyst" and a bonus track for the Japanese release of A Thousand Suns. The studio version of the song was also included as the b-side to "Iridescent".

Composition

The song is composed in the key of F minor in 4/4 time. The song employs a verse-chorus-verse format, with the second chorus being shorter than the first, plus a mechanically-themed breakdown halfway through the second chorus.

Critical reception

"New Divide" received critical acclaim upon its release. Fans alike praised it for its aptitude and appeal as the movie's soundtrack. Much of the song's criticism from reviewers is that of the structure, claiming it is too similar to past Linkin Park singles, as well as sounding very similar to "What I've Done" which was used in Transformers. Videos posted on YouTube show similarities in structure between the two songs.^[6] One of the reviews was from Chris Williams of Billboard Magazine, who wrote:

" 'New Divide' fits the sci-fi genre: spacious, moody and futuristic. Lead vocalist Chester Bennington gives one of his more straightforward vocal performances, deftly balancing his usual rock edge with a more melody-focused pop vocal. It's a welcome return that should satisfy the band's fan base and bring in some new fans as well."^[7]

Music video

On May 14, Shinoda revealed that they were currently recording an accompanying music video for the song.^[8] The video, shot on location at Paramount Studios (which distributed the Transformers films) May 13 and 14,^{[citation needed]} is set in the Egyptian cave where the bodies of the Dynasty of the Primes and the Autobot Matrix of Leadership are hidden, and was directed by Joe Hahn, the band's DJ. When discussing the video, Shinoda stated "[Joe Hahn's] planning on using a lot of really interesting cutting-edge visual techniques, blurring the line between our performance and some kind of digital/mechanical reality."^[9] Chester Bennington confirmed that the video is related to the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen movie, saying on his blog, "Honestly, I don't know what's going on in the video. We're in a tomb rocking out and there's a huge dead Transformer."^[10] Linkin Park has released two behind the scenes videos of the music video. Both photos and footage of the video shoot were posted on Shinoda's blog site.^[11] The video premiered on the band's Myspace site on June 11. There are two versions, the Transformer version or the alternate version which consists only of the band playing.

The music video features scenes taken from the movie, along with shots of the band inside the Tomb of the Primes (The 7 original Transformers) while performing the song. A lot of special effects are also seen and the video is heavily edited in places making use of thermal cameras and using flying food parts as texture around a lot of the thermal imagery. Despite many rumors of the female in the video being Megan Fox and even vocalist Chester Bennington's wife Talinda, she is a different actress hired to portray Mikaela Banes. According to Talinda, she is only shown in the thermal lens to look more like Fox.^[12] Bassist Dave Farrell is not seen in shots of the whole band performing as he injured his wrist during the first day of filming. It is presumed this is the reason for his lack of appearance in the video. However, he is seen many times during the special effects.

The video is the most watched Linkin Park music video and Rock Video of all time in YouTube with over 100 million views as well as second most watched music video.^[13]

The video was packaged into the two-disc special edition DVD and Blu-ray of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

As of September 24, 2011 New Divide is the first rock song to reach 100 million views on a music video on YouTube

Track listing

Digital single

No.	Title	Length
1.	"New Divide"	4:29

UK iTunes EP single

All songs written and composed by Linkin Park. 

No.	Title	Length
1.	"New Divide" (studio version)	4:28
2.	"New Divide" (instrumental)	4:29
3.	"New Divide" (a cappella)	3:56

New Divide (Live) single

No.	Title	Length
1.	"New Divide" (live)	4:54

Chart performance

In the United States, "New Divide" debuted at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, the band's highest debut to date, and their highest peaking song since "In the End" on the chart. The single dropped sharply to number 39 the week after its release but resurfaced within the top 10 at number nine following the movie's worldwide premiere. "New Divide" reached number one on both the Alternative Songs chart and the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It has stayed at #1 on Alternative for twelve weeks so far, making it their second longest running number one there. It is the band's eighth number one on the Alternative Songs chart. The single was certified Platinum by the RIAA in August 2009, and in December 2010 it topped the 2 million mark in paid downloads.^[14] "New Divide" debuted at number three on the Canadian Hot 100 and reached the top ten on the Australian ARIA Charts, debuting at number ten. 'New Divide' has since become Linkin Park's highest charting song in Australia, peaking at #3 on the Aria Top 50 Singles Chart. It reached platinum in Australia after 15 weeks on the chart selling over 70,000 sales.^{[citation needed]} It left the chart after 21 weeks making it the 587th best ever song on the ARIA chart.^{[citation needed]} It has also reached #2 on the New Zealand RIANZ chart and was certified Gold after 12 weeks, selling over 7,500 copies.^[15] The song went platinum in New Zealand and the left the chart after 20 weeks making it the 364th best ever song on the chart.^{[citation needed]}

"New Divide" has been successful worldwide. The song peaked at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart, and number 1 on the UK Rock Charts. In Germany it reached #4, tying it as their highest peaking song there. It is the band's highest peaking song in Finland, reaching #3. It also reached the top twenty in Italy, Turkey, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Charts

Chart (2009)[16]	Peak position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[17]	3
Austria Top 40 [18]	2
Belgium (Flanders) [18]	51
Canadian Hot 100[19]	3
Czech Top 20 Chart[20]	1
Dutch Top 40[21]	23
European Hot 100 Singles[22]	8
German Singles Chart[23]	4
Italian Singles Chart[24]	19
Finnish Singles Chart[25]	3
Japan Hot 100[26]	22
New Zealand Singles Chart[27]	2
Swedish Singles Chart[28]	8
UK Rock Chart[citation needed]	1
UK Singles Chart[29]	19
US Billboard Hot 100[30]	6
US Billboard Pop Songs	26
US Billboard Adult Pop Songs	21
US Billboard Alternative Songs[30]	1
US Billboard Rock Songs[30]	1
US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[30]	1

Year-end charts

End of year chart (2009)	Position
Australian Singles Chart	29[31]
German Singles Chart[32]	32
New Zealand Singles Chart[33]	23
Swiss Singles Chart[34]	33
UK Singles Chart[35]	145
US Billboard Year-End	61[36]

Certifications

Country	Certification (sales thresholds)
United States	2x Platinum[37]
Germany	Gold [38]
Japan	Gold[39]

References

1. ^ "http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupageshttpwww.aria.com.aupagesARIACharts-Accreditations-2009Singles.htm". Aria.com.au. 2009-12-31. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupageshttpwww.aria.com.aupageshttpwww.aria.com.aupagesARIACharts-Accr.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-21. 
2. ^ Ditzian, Eric 'Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen' Soundtrack To Feature Linkin Park MTV News. May 7, 2009.
3. ^ In Studio: Drums MikeShinoda.com. March 28, 2009.
4. ^ Transformers 2: New Linkin Park Song and Score MikeShinoda.com April 24, 2009.
5. ^ Linkin Park Reunites With Director Michael Bay For Summer Blockbuster blabbermouth.net. May 7, 2009.
6. ^ "Linkin Park - New Divide / What I've Done Superimposition (direct comparison)". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-N5NFmp3hY. Retrieved 2010-05-21. 
7. ^ Up for Discussion Jump to Forums (2009-09-14). "New Divide". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/reviews-singles/new-divide-1003980983.story. Retrieved 2010-05-21. ^{[dead link]}
8. ^ Mixtape #3, New Divide Video MikeShinoda.com. May 14, 2009.
9. ^ Linkin Park Rocks 'Transformers' Noise Creep. May 14, 2009
10. ^ Chester Bennington (ChesterBe) on Twitter May 16, 2009
11. ^ New Divide Video Shoot MikeShinoda.com. May 25, 2009.
12. ^ Talinda Bennington (Talindab) on Twitter June 16, 2009
13. ^ now to post a comment! (2009-06-15). "New Divide". Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysSxxIqKNN0. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
14. ^ "Week Ending Dec. 26, 2010: What Santa Brought - Chart Watch". New.music.yahoo.com. 2010-12-29. http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/72698/week-ending-dec-26-2009-what-santa-brought/#postcomment. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
15. ^ "RIANZ". RIANZ. http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart_facts.asp. Retrieved 2010-05-21. 
16. ^ "aCharts". Acharts.us. http://acharts.us/song/43815. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
17. ^ "Australia Singes Top 50". Australian Recording Industry Association. acharts.com. July 13, 2009. http://acharts.us/australia_singles_top_50/2009/29. Retrieved 2009-07-12. 
18. ^ ^{a b} "oe3.ORF.at / Woche 28 / 2009". Charts.orf.at. http://charts.orf.at/oe3/single/2009/woche28/. Retrieved 2010-05-21. 
19. ^ Canadian Hot 100^{[dead link]}
20. ^ "T-Music Chart - Czech Top 20". T-music.cz. 2009-05-27. http://www.t-music.cz/hudba/t-music-chart/. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
21. ^ "Dutch Top 40 - Music Charts". Acharts.us. http://acharts.us/dutch_top_40. Retrieved 2010-05-21. 
22. ^ "Top 100 Music Hits, Top 100 Music Charts, Top 100 Songs & The Hot 100". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100#/artist/linkin-park/chart-history/411805. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
23. ^ "TOP 10 - Singlecharts aus Deutschland - Die Charts sind © by media control - Musikcharts". mix1.de. 2001-12-13. http://www.mix1.de/charts/singlecharts.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-21. 
24. ^ Steffen Hung. "Italiancharts.com". Italiancharts.com. http://www.italiancharts.com/search.asp?search=New+Divide&cat=s. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
25. ^ Suomen virallinen lista^{[dead link]}
26. ^ "Information Not Found". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?JSESSIONID=D1LGK2xV4fKkCvBFnGG17sdNcysnqDzyN10l9Tmns4TZ1tzMGd9Q!-1906239168&f=Japan+Hot+100+Singles&pageNumber=Top+11-50&g=Singles. Retrieved 2010-05-21. 
27. ^ "New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart". Rianz.org.nz. http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart.asp. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
28. ^ "www.sverigetopplistan.se". www.sverigetopplistan.se. http://www.sverigetopplistan.se/. Retrieved 2010-05-21. 
29. ^ "Linkin Park - New Divide". Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=34400. Retrieved 2010-05-21. 
30. ^ ^{a b c d} Artist Chart History - Linkin Park - Singles, Billboard.com
31. ^ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2009". ARIA. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-100-singles-2009.htm. Retrieved November 12, 2010. 
32. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}
33. ^ "RIANZ". RIANZ. http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart_annual.asp. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
34. ^ "2009 Year End Swiss Singles Chart". Swiss Music Charts. 2009. http://swisscharts.com/year.asp?key=2009. Retrieved 2010-07-16. 
35. ^ "Charts Plus Year end 2009" (PDF). Charts Plus. http://www.ukchartsplus.co.uk/UKChartsPlusYE2009.pdf. Retrieved 2010-07-19. 
36. ^ "Year End Charts - Year-end songs - The Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/charts-year-end/hot-100-songs?year=2009#/charts-year-end/hot-100-songs?year=2009. Retrieved November 12, 2010. 
37. ^ Park&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2010&sort=Artist&perPage=25 "RIAA-Gold & Platinum - March 10, 2011". Recording Industry Association of America. March 10, 2011. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=2&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=Linkin Park&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2010&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved March 10, 2011. 
38. ^ AT LEAST ONE OF artist or title MUST BE PROVIDED for GERMAN CERTIFICATION.
39. ^ "Digital sales certification in July, 2010". Recording Industry Association of Japan. 2010-08-20. http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/chart/w100820.html. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 

• http://www.taringa.net/posts/musica/2603214/New-Divide---Linkin-Park-(2009)-%5BNuevo-single%5D.html

External links

• Lyrics at LinkinPark.com
• Music video at LinkinPark.com
• Linkin Park Underground interview transcript with Brad on lptimes.com

Preceded by "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day "Panic Switch" by Silversun Pickups	Billboard Alternative Songs number-one single June 20, 2009 July 4 – September 19, 2009	Succeeded by "Panic Switch" by Silversun Pickups "Notion" by Kings Of Leon
Preceded by "If Today Was Your Last Day" by Nickelback	UK Rock Chart number-one single June 14, 2009 - September 13, 2009	Succeeded by "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse
Preceded by "Sound of Madness" by Shinedown	Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks number-one single July 11, 2009 - August 29, 2009	Succeeded by "Champagne" by Cavo
Preceded by "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day	Billboard Rock Songs number-one single June 27, 2009 - September 12, 2009	Succeeded by "Check My Brain" by Alice in Chains