Leader of Men

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"Leader of Men"
Single by Nickelback
from the album The State
ReleasedMarch 4, 2000 (2000-03-04)
Recorded1998
GenreAlternative metal[1]
Length3:30
LabelRoadrunner
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Dale Penner
  • Nickelback
Nickelback singles chronology
"Fly"
(1996) 		"Leader of Men"
(2000) 		"Old Enough"
(2000)

"Leader of Men" is a song by Canadian

Alternative Songs
chart.

Both versions of the song feature on the album; the original version features as the third track, while the acoustic version is the eleventh and final track.

Origin and recording

Nickelback's lead vocalist and guitarist Chad Kroeger began writing "Leader of Men" as early as 1996, although it was not recorded until the band began work on its second album The State in 1998.[2] The band's second guitarist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake is credited as a co-writer on the track.[3] According to Kroeger, who wrote the lyrics to the song while under the influence of "magic mushrooms", many of the lines in the song are "about what you're going through when you're [high]".[2] The song was held back for some time as the band felt that it was "not a good representation of what [they] honestly sound like", but was later considered and ultimately chosen for inclusion on the album after feedback from Peake's girlfriend, who told Kroeger that "You have to record that on the next album. It's a great song."[2]

In an analysis of "Leader of Men", University of Leeds lecturer Derek B. Scott claimed that the song "demonstrates all the hallmarks of the grunge aesthetic", outlining that it begins with "a long, brooding verse with tense, harmonically static and percussive guitar work, vocal lines low in the singer's register, and quiet drumming" before later featuring a "sudden and dramatic shift to a chorus featuring a soaring vocal in a higher tessitura, and greater volume, intensity and melodic and harmonic development".[4] In addition to the regular recording of the track, an acoustic version of "Leader of Men" was also featured on The State; reviewing the album for AllMusic, JT Griffith claimed that the inclusion of the second version of the song "would be more impressive if the song were not so bland and still strangely familiar".[5]

Release and reception

"Leader of Men" debuted on the

Alternative Songs chart (then known as Hot Modern Rock Tracks) for the week of August 12, 2000,[9] after 16 weeks on the chart since entering at number 40 on July 1, 2000.[10] At the end of the year, the song ranked at number 27 on the end of year Mainstream Rock chart.[11]

"Leader of Men" was also featured on the

The Videos and The Ultimate Video Collection.[15][16]

Track listings

  • Some versions of the CD single also featured the "Leader of Men" music video.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The State.[20]

Chart positions

Weekly charts

Chart (2000) Peak
position
Canadian Top Rock Songs (RPM)[6]
 11
US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)[8] 8
US
Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[9]
 21

Year-end charts

Chart (2000) Peak
position
US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)[11] 27

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-7546-6476-5
    .
  2. ^
    ISSN 0006-2510
    . Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  3. ^ "Leader of Men". Broadcast Music, Inc. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  4. ISBN 9781317041979
    . Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  5. All Media Network
    . Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  6. ^ a b "RPM Rock Report" (Scan). RPM. Vol. 68, no. 25. Toronto, Ontario: Library and Archives Canada. April 12, 1999. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  7. ^ "Top Mainstream Rock Songs Chart: The Week of March 4, 2000". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  8. ^ a b "Mainstream Rock Songs: Nickelback Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  9. ^ a b "Alternative Songs: Nickelback Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  10. ^ "Top Alternative Songs Chart: The Week of July 1, 2000". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  11. ^
    ISSN 0006-2510
    . Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  12. All Media Network
    . Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  13. All Media Network
    . Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  14. ISSN 0006-2510
    . Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  15. All Media Network
    . Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  16. All Media Network
    . Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  17. ^ Leader of Men (Australia CD Single liner notes). Nickelback. Roadrunner Records. 2000. RR 2092-3.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ Leader of Men (US Promo single sleeve). Nickelback. Roadrunner Records. 2000. RR Promo 460.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ Leader of Men (US Promo single sleeve). Nickelback. Roadrunner Records. 2000. RR Promo 488.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ The State (media notes). Nickelback. EMI Music Canada. 2000. 7243 5 25951 2 9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

External links

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