Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that the band likes to say "f--k" quite a bit in one song, and there are many subtle (and not so subtle) references to the "Three D's" (Depression, Destruction, and Death) on this earnest, enjoyable album. Words associated with death ("hearse," "noose," "hand grenade") are used in the context of personal revelation and interpersonal communication and not in terms of actually harming someone else.
Families can talk about using dramatic lyrics to get your point across. Do they make the songs sound more believable? Can you be less intense and still have the same effect? Families can also discuss the title of the album, which refers to the Doomsday Clock, created in 1947 to show how close (in imaginary "minutes") the world is to nuclear destruction. Why do you think the band chose this title? What can you, as one single person, do to help increase the minutes left until "midnight?"
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Kathi Kamen Goldmark
"MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT, the title of Linkin Park's third album, refers to the Doomsday Clock, a concept cooked up by scientists to show how close, in imaginary "minutes," the world is to nuclear destruction, aka "midnight." Originally set to 11:53 p.m. in the 1940s, the clock has been pushed forward and reversed several times since, and now stands at 11:55 p.m. What does this have to do with the new Linkin Park CD? We're not completely sure either, but the band seems to equate the concept of our civilization's current brink-of-annihilation status with the very personal concerns of angst-filled young adults.
Lyrics like "I'm giving up/I'm sick of living/Is there nothing you can say/take this all away/I'm suffocating/tell me what the f--k is wrong with me" (on "Given Up") or "When my time comes/forget the wrong that I've done/help me leave behind some reasons to be missed" ("Leave Out All the Rest") may not be brilliant poetry, but they will resonate with teens wrestling with raging emotions in a sometimes scary world.
Aspiring young musicians will really enjoy the extra notes provided in the CD insert, explaining a little about the process of writing, recording, and producing each song. They'll also dig the excellent production and hard-rocking, hook-filled, heart-felt performances.
For more rockin' tunes, fans might want to check out Nine Inch Nails, Good Charlotte, and Fall Out Boy.
Rate It!
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ViolenceSome violent imagery, mostly in the context of personal angst. |
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Language"F--k" (and its derivations) is used often in one song. |
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Social BehaviorAll over the map -- alternately pissy and poignant. |
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