Why didn't The Catalyst/Waiting for the End become big hits? [video=youtube;51iquRYKPbs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51iquRYKPbs[/video] Okay it's almost the 2nd year anniversary for "The Catalyst" but I've always wondered why it didn't smash on the charts, especially on the US. Sure it topped the Billboard Rock and Alternative Charts, but it's kind of LP's home anyway so it shouldn't be surprising. But on the main chart it only peaked at #27 and its run lasted only 5 weeks. Worldwide, it only reached Top 10 on Belgium and Hungary. This is kind of surprising since Catalyst just followed a Top 10 hit (New Divide) and was highly anticipated. The song also had a high-profile performance on MTV Video Music Awards that was lauded by most critics/viewers AND the music video is fantastic. It's also their best lead single by a long shot (One Step Closer/What I've Done are 2nd placers, Burn It Down is generic and boring, Somewhere I Belong is just ). It's very different and unique from the generic mess like Katy Perry we usually hear on the radio, combining elements of electronic rock, techno, and rave. The lyrics are simple yet effective and doesn't feel repetitive (even though it is) while the instrumentation is just fantastic and leads to an epic climax. MOST IMPORTANTLY, the song is just ANTHEMIC, I think it's obvious from the live performances, the chant is LIFE. I really though the radio would eat this up and would actually reach "In The End"-level of success (one can dream right? ). I know the charts aren't usually welcoming of rock bands (The success of In The End was kind of a miracle), but this song really had it all. I. DON'T. UNDERSTAND. [video=youtube;5qF_qbaWt3Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qF_qbaWt3Q[/video] Even more mind-boggling is the performance of "Waiting for the End", though it lasted 9 weeks on the chart, it only peaked at #42 on the main chart. One of the few songs that really had me breakdown, I dare say this is one of their best songs EVER. It's one of those LP songs that just STANDS OUT on first listen and has very low burn rate (Still on loop on my playlist). If "The Catalyst"'s uniqueness polarized the critics and the listeners, Waiting for the End is much safer sounding and is a perfect radio-fodder. It screams SMASH HIT more than Catalyst, tbh. It was lauded by critics and is clearly a fan-favorite. Ten or 20 years from now, when you look back on Linkin Park's discography, this is one of the few that would really stand-out and shows the band's versatility. So what happened? A Thousand Suns still had fantastic album sales but the performance of these 2 singles means the general public wasn't very receptive. Why?
The Catalyst was kind of a hit. It shocked people who couldn't believe this was LP. The Catalyst is my favourite song ever. A band like LP can't really make a song that will reach number one because it isn't really pop in most cases. (BID exception) It's awesome that New Divide reached #6, which was maybe because of Transformers and In The End reached #2, but, that was 10 years ago, music was different. But, LP will always be a big hit, and their every release is anticipated.
It seemed to me Waiting For The End had more success than the Catalyst did, which is alright because I wasn't a fan of that song anyway.
I was shocked at WFTE's lack of success as well. I thought that would be a hit for sure - it's so easy to listen to, and it's pretty darn poppy.
The "problem" with them I think is that the music comes from Linkin Park. If it had been another artist maybe they would've gone through the roof, but no it was LP and maybe people can't admit that they are perfectly capable to step out of their box and do something like this. People just don't expect (or want) this from LP and like Minus said, it was all "we want guitarz". The band was judged from their background and I'm not sure they even took the time to appreciate the songs themselves. I don't know, it's just my view on things.
I think it's more to do with the fact that New Divide was the fucking shit and blew up everywhere. No-one ever discusses that song's importance but nevertheless it's one of their most solid tracks and that's one of the reasons it hit 6 on the Top 100. It was big, it was crunchy, it was fucking epic. And hearing ATS after New Divide, for many fans might've been completely confusing. I'm not surprised The Catalyst didn't chart well since not everyone gets this kind of music but, me, aswell as everyone, was expecting WFTE to be a fucking hit all around the world.
Concerning 'Waiting For The End', I was baffled as well. I've presented the song to my male and female friends in which both parties absolutely fell in love with it. The guys couldn't believe it was Linkin Park, and the gals asked for suggestions on similar tracks by the band.
Waiting for the End did become a big hit. As for The Catalyst, it just wasn't meant to be a hit single, and it has an unusual song structure.
WFTE got a fair bit of radio play over here in Massachusetts. I have never heard The Catalyst on the radio. A few people I know talked about the single a little bit, but overall, nobody really talked about it. Where I live, no one likes LP, I am like the odd one of my town, having LP tattoos and wearing LP shirts and what not. I think the reason they weren't big hits is because they weren't ''traditional LP'' sounding and had complex song structures for the basic listener. People listening to the radio don't like stuff like that. This is why I call New Divide, the Qwerty of MTM. Basically, New Divide was released a year before ATS came out roughly, and people assumed that's what the album would sound like. Just like how Qwerty was released in 2006 and people thought that was what MTM would sound like. Luckily, we don't have that issue this time around with Living Things. I love New Divide and Qwerty a lot but I didn't expect the albums to sound like those, I know for sure TONS of fans did though.
Those are two of my favorite songs from LP, and while they both did extremely well on the charts, I thought they'd do better (ESPECIALLY, as everyone else has pointed out, WFTE) WFTE had everything that a single should have.
Quick story... The same was said for me when QWERTY came out. I expected MTM to sound like that. I don't expect anything out of Linkin Park's albums anymore. I've learned my lesson. It only took me one time.
"The Catalyst" in particular isn't a song that is really fit to be a single. It's a lengthier song that doesn't have the poppy edge that is really needed for current-day mainstream success. As for "Waiting for the End," it's hard for me to personally understand why it wasn't a big hit because I think it's the most single-ready song off of A Thousand Suns. But, then again, the album itself had nothing that really could mesh in the mainstream. People are looking for poppy, dancy songs and nothing on ATS provides for that. It isn't surprising to me that the ATS singles weren't as successful. It's just a different album entirely. I would have been curious to see how songs like "When They Come For Me" and "Blackout" would have fared on the radio - same with "Wretches and Kings." To this day I am boggled as to why Linkin Park chose "The Catalyst" as their first single.
I'll probably get flamed, but I think "New Divide" is a shitty song. Way too generic IMO. And, no, "Waiting For The End" did not blow up like some of you are saying. I rarely saw the music video on MTV or FUSE, I only heard the song a few times on local radio, and 80% of my friends/family have no clue what that song is. I'm sure I'm not alone