"What I've Done" was featured in the video game Guitar Hero World Tour. In January 2011, it was released in a Linkin Park DLC pack for Rock Band 3. The song is also a B-side to the UK single of "Iridescent". An instrumental version of the song is currently used by Sky UK as background music for their interactive services.
Chester Bennington described the track in a March 2007 interview with MTV:
Joe [Hahn] came up to Mike and me and asked us to take the whole idea of Minutes to Midnight and apply that to how the band has changed. So, in a way, it's us saying goodbye to how we used to be...The lyrics in the first verse are 'In this farewell, there's no blood, there's no alibi,' and right away, you'll notice that the band sounds different: The drums are much more raw, the guitars are more raw and the vocals aren't tripled. It's just us out there .... and that's how Rick Rubin wanted it.
The single and video appeared in the iTunes Store shortly after midnight EST on April 2, 2007. It became available the day after on iTunes in the UK and Australia. On April 2, the song was featured streaming on the front page of their official website, with the video being added to the site shortly thereafter.
The song starts out with a short 3-second guitar part and then a piano motif, before adding a hip hop-inspired drum line, and then introducing a raw-sounding guitar riff. When the song is played live at Linkin Park's concerts, Mike Shinoda plays the piano intro and the guitar after that. This song differs from most of Linkin Park's songs from previous albums in that it features almost no lead vocals from vocalist Mike Shinoda, with the exception of a brief "na na na" refrain at the end. "What I've Done" was the last song written for Minutes to Midnight. The song also has a downbeat exactly once every second, consistent throughout its entirety.
Mike Shinoda created a remix of the song, which is called "What I've Done (Distorted Remix)", which is included as a b-side to "Bleed It Out". The remix was then included in the international tour edition of Minutes to Midnight, as well as a track in the Linkin Park Underground-exclusive CD Underground X: Demos.
Music video
The music video for "What I've Done" was filmed in the California desert and was directed by Linkin Park turntablist Joe Hahn. It features footage of the band performing in an area outside of the city, interspersed with footage showing many political movements and humanitarian issues including pollution, racism, Nazism, the Ku Klux Klan, abortion, terrorism, Holocaust, deforestation, poverty, drug addiction, obesity, destruction, rising gasoline prices and crimes committed by humanity. Some cutscenes, such as the traffic scene and the napalm exploding, were also featured on the Rise Against music video for "Ready to Fall". The video premiered on April 2, 2007 on MTV and Fuse. It premiered on MTV Asia, MTV Germany, TMF Netherlands and Canada's MuchMusic on April 3, 2007.
The video starts off with some grass sinking down into the dirt, causing it to turn wet. It then cuts to a scorpion walking to where Linkin Park are performing. It explores the many ironies of humanity and its ill-effects on the earth and the environment (see above). It juxtaposes various pieces of footage: a large, well-fed man eating fast food, a woman measuring her waist and a man who is so malnourished that his ribcage is visible through his skin; African Americans being hosed down by the Ku Klux Klan; nuclear explosions, the World Trade Center collapsing as a result of the September 11 attacks, children waving American flags (one of the children being Brad Delson), a Middle Eastern child holding an AK-47, clips of oil tankers torn in half and birds covered in an oil slick. It also features Communist leaders Fidel Castro, Joseph Stalin & Mao Zedong. The video ends with the same clip from the beginning, but played in reverse, where it has the grass re-growing.
The video clip was featured and won on MTV's Battle of the Videos against videos by Evanescence ("Sweet Sacrifice") and Lil' Mama ("Lip Gloss"). The video also marks the first appearance of a Linkin Park video in the #1 spot on MTV's TRL, hitting #1 six times so far. The video has over 444 million views on YouTube as of March 2020. AOL currently has a live performance of "What I've Done" on their website. MTV's James Montgomery called "What I've Done" the "biggest, baddest and best Linkin Park video of all time," praising the visuals as well as the numerous political figures and events occurring within the video. He summarized the video's message: "Hahn was smart — or brave — enough to inject a message here: the destructive power of man versus the unyielding beauty of nature, and where it all will undoubtedly end (hint: we lose)."
As mentioned in episode 89 of MTV Cribs, Chester's jacket was lent to him by Yellowcard frontman Ryan Key.
Alternate music video
A second video, made exclusively for Australia, features a considerably different scenario from the first; instead of clips of human sin and the grass sinking clip, the video tells the story of a woman (played by Emma Mullings) working at a government-run pharmaceutical company learning of a plan to develop a deadly new virus for "social control", and – with the help of several people dressed in black hooded sweatshirts with Linkin Park's logo on them – smuggles out several blood samples of a human test subject of the virus to expose the conspiracy. The video can be seen on YouTube and Linkin Park's Australian website.
Commercial performance
Despite Minutes To Midnight having mixed responses, the song made big debuts on the US charts during the chart week of April 21, 2007. The song debuted in the top 10 of the US Hot 100 on April 10, 2007, at #7. It is the band's second highest debut to date on the chart (this title was previously held by "Somewhere I Belong" which opened at #47), earning "Hot Shot" debut of the week, and subsequently becoming the third highest position for a Linkin Park single to date on the Hot 100. The song was their highest debut until they released "New Divide" in May 2009. At the time of its debut it was only the eleventh song since 2000 to debut at #7 or higher on the Hot 100, and only the third song to do so by an artist not from American Idol. The song was partly fueled by digital sales, debuting at #4 on the digital chart. The song was certified 2×Platinum by the RIAA on November 13, 2008. It reached 3 million downloads by early 2011, making it their most successful digital song in the US. As of January 2015, the song has sold 3,700,000 copies in the US.
In addition the song became only the third song ever to open at #1 on the Modern Rock chart, also becoming the band's seventh number one on the chart. It held the #1 spot on Alternative Songs for 15 consecutive weeks, at the time tying it with Marcy Playground's "Sex and Candy" The song also reached #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart, where it stayed for 8 consecutive weeks. In the iTunes music store, the song had reached number two. It was kept out of the top spot by "Give It to Me" by Timbaland. The music video is the first to reach the number 1 spot on TRL for Linkin Park video history. It has also become a moderate hit on the Adult Top 40, and Pop 100 Airplay charts, peaking at number 21 and 17 respectively on those charts.
The song hit #6 in the UK once the physical format was released, making it Linkin Park's highest-charting UK single.
What I've Done
Linkin Park Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's no blood, there's no alibi
'Cause I've drawn regret
From the truth of a thousand lies
So let mercy come and wash away
What I've done
I'll face myself to cross out what I've become
And let go of what I've done
Put to rest what you thought of me
While I clean this slate
With the hands of uncertainty
So let mercy come and wash away
What I've done
I'll face myself to cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done
For what I've done
I start again
And whatever pain may come
Today this ends
I'm forgiving what I've done
I'll face myself to cross out what I've become
Erase myself
And let go of what I've done
(Na-na na na, na-na na na, na-na na na)
What I've done
(Na-na na na, na-na na na, na-na na na)
Forgiving what I've done
(Na-na na na, na-na na na, na-na na na)
(Na-na na na, na-na na na, na-na na)
The song "What I've Done" by Linkin Park talks about regret and the desire for redemption. The lyrics talk about acknowledging past mistakes and wanting to right the wrongs. The first verse sets the tone for the song, saying goodbye without any explanations or excuses, and accepting responsibility for past mistakes. The line "drawn regret from the truth of a thousand lies" means that the singer acknowledges the lies they have told and the regret that comes from them.
The chorus of the song, "What I've Done," talks about facing oneself and acknowledging what they have become, and then erasing themselves from who they have been. The singer wants to let go of their past and move on to a new beginning without the baggage of their past. The line "put to rest what you thought of me" means that the singer is letting go of what others think of them and focusing on moving forward.
The second verse talks about starting anew and facing whatever pain may come, knowing that they have learned from their past mistakes. The line "with the hands of uncertainty" means that the singer is unsure about what the future holds, but is willing to take the risk and move forward. The song ends on a positive note, with the singer forgiving themselves for what they have done and starting again.
Line by Line Meaning
In this farewell
As I bid goodbye
There's no blood, there's no alibi
There's nothing to hide behind, no excuse to make
'Cause I've drawn regret
I have come to regret my actions
From the truth of a thousand lies
I have realized the falsehood of my ways
So let mercy come and wash away
I hope for forgiveness to cleanse me of my guilt
What I've done
My past actions and their consequences
I'll face myself to cross out what I've become
I'll confront my past and its effects on me to change my future self
Erase myself
I'll wipe the slate clean by letting go of my old self
And let go of what I've done
I'll release myself from the burden of my past actions
Put to rest what you thought of me
I want people to move past their negative opinions of me
While I clean this slate
As I start anew
With the hands of uncertainty
With the uncertainty of what the future holds
For what I've done
For the things I've done
I start again
I begin anew
And whatever pain may come
And regardless of the consequences
Today this ends
Today marks an end to this chapter of my life
I'm forgiving what I've done
I'm letting go of my past actions and forgiving myself
Na-na na na, na-na na na, na-na na na
Instrumental
What I've done
My past actions and their consequences
Forgiving what I've done
Letting go of my past actions and forgiving myself
Na-na na na, na-na na na, na-na na na
Instrumental
Na-na na na, na-na na na, na-na na
Instrumental
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Brad Delson, Chester Charles Bennington, Dave Farrell, Joseph Hahn, Mike Shinoda, Robert G. Bourdon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@NuWhoo
In this farewell
There’s no blood
There’s no alibi
‘Cause I’ve drawn regret
From the truth
Of a thousand lies
So let mercy come
And wash away
What I’ve done
I'll face myself
To cross out what I’ve become
Erase myself
And let go of what I’ve done
Put to rest
What you thought of me
While I clean this slate
With the hands of uncertainty
So let mercy come
And wash away
What I’ve done
I'll face myself
To cross out what I’ve become
Erase myself
And let go of what I’ve done
For what I’ve done
I start again
And whatever pain may come
Today this ends
I’m forgiving what I’ve done!
I'll face myself
To cross out what I’ve become
Erase myself
And let go of what I’ve done
What I’ve done
Forgiving what I’ve done
@channelthename
在這場告別中
In this farewell
沒有血跡，沒有不在場證據
There's no blood, there's no alibi
因為我已經後悔了
'Cause I've drawn regret
來自一千個謊言的真相
From the truth of a thousand lies
所以讓憐憫降臨並洗淨吧
So let mercy come and wash away
我做了什麼
What I've done
我會面對自己
I'll face myself
劃掉我已經變成的樣子
To cross out what I've become
抹去我自己
Erase myself
並放下我所做的一切
And let go of what I've done
休息一下
Put to rest
你對我的看法
What you thought of me
當我清理這塊石板時
While I clean this slate
帶著不確定性的雙手
With the hands of uncertainty
所以讓憐憫降臨並洗淨吧
So let mercy come and wash away
我做了什麼
What I've done
我會面對自己
I'll face myself
劃掉我已經變成的樣子
To cross out what I've become
抹去我自己
Erase myself
並放下我所做的一切
And let go of what I've done
對於我所做的事
For what I've done
我重新開始
I start again
無論會發生什麼痛苦
And whatever pain may come
今天就到此結束
Today this ends
我很寬容
I'm forgiving
我做了什麼
What I've done
我會面對自己
I'll face myself
劃掉我已經變成的樣子
To cross out what I've become
抹去我自己
Erase myself
並放下我所做的一切
And let go of what I've done
我做了什麼
What I've done
（娜-娜，娜，娜，娜-娜，娜，娜）
(Na-na, na, na, na-na, na, na)
（娜-娜，娜，娜，娜-娜，娜，娜）
(Na-na, na, na, na-na, na, na)
原諒我所做的事
Forgiving what I've done
（娜-娜，娜，娜，娜-娜，娜，娜）
(Na-na, na, na, na-na, na, na)
（娜-娜，娜，娜，娜-娜，娜）
(Na-na, na, na, na-na, na)
@Springtrapstudio2023
My name is Optimus Prime and I am sending this message to Chester Bennington. Wherever you are now, we will never forget you ... the legends never die
@Enriqueking
We love the favourite linkin park songs listening to this radio music!!!!
@jeremygomez4124
Ok cool, “Springtrap Studio”
@unlucky4435
no your name is Springtrap Studio
@bertkurt
@@unlucky4435 L + Kid + Ratio + Cringe + Minus + Divide + Times + Plus + A + B + C + D + E + F + G + H + I + J + K + L + M + N + O + P+ Q + R + S + T + U + V + W + X + Y + Z + AK47 + C4 + M16 + AWM + MP5
@KapilSingh410
@Springtrap Studio Chester Bennington didn’t kill himself!
@klajdisinanaj3977
15 years later the world is fucked but we are still here coming to the same music , just an undying piece
@lairdiscracked2271
Frl man u a goat bro
@emals6628
i see im not the only one who has come back
@srapyzoschi4133
🧍🏽