Formed in 1996, Linkin Park rose to international fame with their debut studio album, Hybrid Theory (2000), which became certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Released during the peak of the nu metal scene, the album's singles' heavy airplay on MTV led the singles "One Step Closer", "Crawling" and "In the End" all to chart highly on the US Mainstream Rock chart. The lattermost also crossed over to the nation's Billboard Hot 100. Their second album, Meteora (2003), continued the band's success. The band explored experimental sounds on their third album, Minutes to Midnight (2007). By the end of the decade, Linkin Park was among the most successful and popular rock acts.
The band continued to explore a wider variation of musical types on their fourth album, A Thousand Suns (2010), layering their music with more electronic sounds. The band's fifth album, Living Things (2012), combined musical elements from all of their previous records. Their sixth album, The Hunting Party (2014), returned to a heavier rock sound, and their seventh album, One More Light (2017), was a substantially more pop-oriented record. Linkin Park went on a hiatus when longtime lead vocalist Bennington died in July 2017. In April 2022, Shinoda revealed the band was neither working on new music nor planning on touring for the foreseeable future.
Linkin Park is among the best-selling bands of the 21st century and the world's best-selling music artists, having sold over 100 million records worldwide. They have won two Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, 10 MTV Europe Music Awards and three World Music Awards. In 2003, MTV2 named Linkin Park the sixth-greatest band of the music video era and the third-best of the new millennium. Billboard ranked Linkin Park No. 19 on the Best Artists of the Decade list. In 2012, the band was voted as the greatest artist of the 2000s in a Bracket Madness poll on VH1. In 2014, the band was declared as "The Biggest Rock Band in the World Right Now" by Kerrang!.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linkin_Park
Studio albums
Hybrid Theory (2000)
Meteora (2003)
Minutes to Midnight (2007)
A Thousand Suns (2010)
Living Things (2012)
The Hunting Party (2014)
One More Light (2017)
Vertical Limit
Linkin Park Lyrics
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Product of what, you're taught to know
Forfeit the game, 'cause tomorrow
When it's all done, you'll reap what you sow
You love the way I look at you
While taking pleasure in the awful things you put me through
You take away if I give in
You like to think you're never wrong
(You live what you've learned)
You have to act like you're someone
(You live what you've learned)
You want someone to hurt like you
(You live what you've learned)
You want to share what you've been through
(You live what you've learned)
You love the things I say I'll do
The way I'll hurt myself again just to get back at you
You take away when I give in
My life, my pride is broken
You like to think you're never wrong
(You live what you've learned)
You have to act like you're someone
(You live what you've learned)
You want someone to hurt like you
(You live what you've learned)
You want to share what you've been through
(You live what you've learned)
Ya, yo
Forfeit the game, stop the talk show
Product of what, you're taught to know
Forfeit the game, 'cause tomorrow
When it's all done, reap what you sow
Forfeit the game, stop the talk show
Product of what, you're taught to know
Forfeit the game, 'cause tomorrow
When it's all done, you reap what you sow
You like to think you're never wrong
(You live what you've learned)
You have to act like you're someone
(You live what you've learned)
You want someone to hurt like you
(You live what you've learned)
You want to share what you've been through
(You live what you've learned)
You like to think you're never wrong
(Forfeit the game; You live what you've learned)
You have to act like you're someone
(Forfeit the game; You live what you've learned)
You want someone to hurt like you
(Forfeit the game; You live what you've learned)
You want to share what you've been through
(You live what you've learned)
"Vertical Limit" is an angst-ridden track that speaks to the cost of toxic relationships. The lyrics touch upon the cycle of abuse and self-harm that can occur in unhealthy dynamics between individuals. The chorus serves as a call-to-action to "forfeit the game" which can be interpreted as ending the cycle of abuse by refusing to participate in the hurtful behavior any longer.
The verses outline the pain experienced by the victim of the toxic relationship. The other person involved takes pleasure in causing harm and "loves the way" the victim reacts to their afflictions. The victim recognizes that their "life and pride" have been "broken" due to this person's actions. The bridge is a mix of repetition and alteration of the verse lyrics. The phrase "you live what you've learned" is repeated, emphasizing the idea that the abuser has been hurt in the past and is now perpetuating that harm onto someone else.
Overall, "Vertical Limit" is a cautionary tale that highlights the destructive nature of toxic relationships and the importance of breaking the cycle of abuse.
Line by Line Meaning
Forfeit the game, stop the talk show
Stop playing games and pretending to be something you're not
Product of what, you're taught to know
You are a reflection of the lessons and values you were taught
Forfeit the game, 'cause tomorrow
When it's all done, you'll reap what you sow
Stop playing games in the present, because eventually the consequences of your actions will catch up to you
You love the way I look at you
While taking pleasure in the awful things you put me through
You enjoy the attention and validation you receive from hurting me
You take away if I give in
My life, my pride is broken
When I give into your manipulative behavior, you take away my sense of self-worth and identity
You like to think you're never wrong
(You live what you've learned)
You have been taught to never admit fault or weakness
You have to act like you're someone
(You live what you've learned)
You must put on a facade that conforms to society's expectations and norms
You want someone to hurt like you
(You live what you've learned)
Your own pain and suffering has led you to unintentionally inflict the same onto others
You want to share what you've been through
(You live what you've learned)
You want others to understand and empathize with the pain you've experienced
You love the things I say I'll do
The way I'll hurt myself again just to get back at you
You enjoy watching me self-destruct in attempts to seek revenge on you
You take away when I give in
My life, my pride is broken
When I give into your manipulation and abuse, you take away my sense of purpose and self-worth
You like to think you're never wrong
(You live what you've learned)
You still refuse to admit fault or accept personal responsibility for your actions
You have to act like you're someone
(You live what you've learned)
Your façade of strength and perfection is a product of the toxic lessons and values imparted onto you
You want someone to hurt like you
(You live what you've learned)
Your own pain has normalized the concept of hurting others in your mind
You want to share what you've been through
(You live what you've learned)
You desire empathy and validation from others for your own pain and struggles
Forfeit the game, stop the talk show
Product of what, you're taught to know
Forfeit the game, 'cause tomorrow
When it's all done, reap what you sow
Reiterated message to stop playing games and confront the consequences of your actions
You like to think you're never wrong
(Forfeit the game; You live what you've learned)
Reiterated message that you must stop avoiding responsibility for your actions
You have to act like you're someone
(Forfeit the game; You live what you've learned)
Reiterated message that your façade of perfection is toxic and harmful to yourself and those around you
You want someone to hurt like you
(Forfeit the game; You live what you've learned)
Reiterated warning that your pain has led you to inflict harm onto others, and you must stop before the cycle continues
You want to share what you've been through
(You live what you've learned)
Reiterated message that you want others to understand and empathize with your pain
Contributed by Declan O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
who is svs23
Thanks to limewire, I though this was the original one
Timothy John Leaver
A simlar thing happen to me when i was child,with it's going down i thought the demo version was the final one!.
Bryan Acosta
The very same thing happened to me bro. Youre not alone
Austin Saya
Dawg idk how i found this one but I honestly thought it was a remix back then
CloudsHideTheSun
Same here! The 'real' version just doesn't sound right to me at all. Only just discovered that this wasn't the final version due to Spotify. Now every time I'm listening to the album I have to run to the PC and come to Youtube when the 'wrong' version comes on to listen to this instead!
Peter Schmidt
It's not?
pidevildog07
The best version
h. a
Fucken oath!!
Master Asia
Absolutely right, love this version!!
hellelujahh
This one is so much better than the album version! The "forfeit the game, stop the talk show" lyrics are fluent and rhythmical, and also the whole track sounds more balanced to me. Glad I finally know how this version's called :)