"She Couldn't"
Single by Linkin Park
from the album Hybrid Theory (20th Anniversary Edition)
ReleasedAugust 13, 2020 (2020-08-13)
Recorded1999
GenreAlternative rock
Length5:06
LabelWarner
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Mike Shinoda
Linkin Park singles chronology
"One More Light"
(2017)		 "She Couldn't"
(2020)		 "Lost"
(2023)
Audio video
"She Couldn't" on YouTube

"She Couldn't" is a ballad by American rock band Linkin Park. Originally leaked in 2009, it was later officially released in 2020 as the first single from the 20th Anniversary Edition re-release of their debut album, Hybrid Theory.

Background

The song was originally recorded in 1999[1] while Linkin Park was recording material for their debut studio album, Hybrid Theory.[2][3] The song was one of the first songs recorded by the band after frontman Chester Bennington had joined.[4] An unofficial, bootleg version of the song surfaced in 2009 when a fan purchased a demo CD containing the song from eBay and leaked it.[5][6] After the band hinted at releasing material earlier in the week,[7] the song was officially released on August 13, 2020, in promotion of the band's 20th anniversary re-release of Hybrid Theory.[8] Its initial release was through a website created by the band to look like a computer desktop from the year 2000.[5] The track is one of twelve unreleased tracks that was featured on the release.[9][6]

Themes and composition

The song was described as sounding similar to the material that made it on to the original Hybrid Theory album despite its softer sound and longer run-time of over five minutes.[10] The song is more of a ballad and lacks the heavy guitar sound on much of the album, instead focusing on beats, loops, and Bennington's vocals.[10] Rolling Stone described the song's sound as having a "mellow groove with a simple guitar loop twisting around trip hop drums, synths, and record-scratching texture".[6] Late frontman Chester Bennington provides vocals for the verses, while the band's other vocalist, Mike Shinoda, provides the chorus. Additionally, the chorus features a Mos Def vocal sample from the High and Mighty's song "B-Boy Document 99".[6] Shinoda noted the mellower, softer sound of the song foreshadowed the band's change in musical direction found later in the band's career, explaining it was always an approach the band had explored.[11]

Reception

Kerrang! praised the song for sounding like it belonged on Hybrid Theory, stating "Despite its softness and lack of the heavy guitars...despite its length and willingness to run at its own pace...you could slot this anywhere in the album's second half and it wouldn't jar. It may be the one that got away, but it doesn't sound like something that didn't work".[10]

Personnel

Linkin Park

Other musicians

  • Kyle Christner – additional bass

Charts

Chart performance for "She Couldn't"
Chart (2020) Peak
position
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[12] 47

References

  1. ↑ "Linkin Park announce 20th anniversary reissue of 'Hybrid Theory'". NME. August 13, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Linkin Park Drop Previously Unreleased Song, "She Couldn't"". MetalSucks. August 13, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Linkin Park Celebrate 'Hybrid Theory' 20th Anniversary by Dropping Unreleased Song 'She Couldn't'". www.radio.com. August 13, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Mike Shinoda Reflects on Linkin Park's She Couldn't: "We Set the Groundwork for Our Later Evolution"". August 14, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Campbell, Rachel (August 13, 2020). "Hear Linkin Park's unreleased 'Hybrid Theory' era demo "She Couldn't"". Alternative Press.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Blistein, Jon (August 13, 2020). "Linkin Park Drop Demo 'She Couldn't,' Off of 'Hybrid Theory' 20th-Anniversary Edition". Rolling Stone.
  7. ↑ "Linkin Park Announce Hybrid Theory: 20th Anniversary Edition And Stream Previously Unreleased Song, She Couldn't". Kerrang!. August 13, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Linkin Park Drop Previously Unreleased 'Hybrid Theory'-Era Song". Loudwire. August 13, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Linkin Park Celebrates 20th Anniversary of 'Hybrid Theory' With Special Reissue, Hear Previously Unreleased Track". Billboard. August 13, 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 "The First Reaction To Linkin Park's New Track, She Couldn't". Kerrang!. August 13, 2020.
  11. ↑ Johnson, Josh (August 14, 2020). "Mike Shinoda explains on how "She Couldn't" "set the groundwork" for Linkin Park's sound – Music News". ABC News Radio. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Linkin Park Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
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