Regretting the Past: Limp Bizkit - Significant Other · 6:40am Jan 16th, 2021
There is no name that deserves to be on RTP more than Limp Bizkit. Or more specifically, Fred Durst. LB was the first band to appear on RTP on YouTube with their 2000 album Chocolate Starfish And The Hotdog Flavored Water, which everyone thought they were joking about when they announced it. But they weren't, being headed by Fred Durst and all. In fact, Durst ever refers to himself as a chocolate starfish. They then appeared on RTP again with the 2003 album Results May Vary, which is known as arguably the worst album covered on RTP to this day.
Believe it or not, as much as I hate Fred Durst, I can't say there isn't any talent in LB. Wes Borland, disregarding their debut Three Dollar Bill, Y'all $, is a really good guitarist. which shows when he gets the chance to strum along and play. Everyone else is good at using their individual talents as well. But it's all overshadowed by one of the worst frontmen in rock of all time, the chocolate starfish manchild, Fred Durst. If LB had any other frontman, they wouldn't be nearly as bad as they are because there would be better vocals, and more time spent on the lyrics. Fred Durst, more often than not, is whining about anything he can think about, whether it be him being all alone or he has it rough.
Which leads me to the album that made LB a household name, their sophomore album from 1999, Significant Other. I will give credit and say this, they fixed the issues from their debut album. Instead of screeching and scratching on the guitar, Wes Borland, despite his insane wardrobe, actually learned how to play. However, instead of screaming and growling, Fred Durst goes to his high pitched whining we all know and hate. This album sold literally 16 million copies worldwide and went six times platinum! The only real goal they had was to show they could stand out in the nu metal sub-genre and not be a Korn rip off.
But still, 16 million people all lined up to hear a manchild whine about whatever he could think of. It had only four singles, thank God, but is still over an hour in length.
Let's get this album over with. I can't believe I'm wasting my time listening to Limp Bizkit.
Track One
Intro
Nothing to say here other than the fact they nailed it. I didn't want the worst, but I got it.
Track Two
Just Like This
For an opening track, this isn't bad to be honest. It's not great, definitely not warranting 16 million copies, but not bad. Despite having a snare, everyone gets to show off their individual talents, especially Wes on the guitar. The momentum kinda goes down when Durst starts singing, but even he isn't terrible here. He's always been able to give a fast and clear delivery when he needs to, but he still sounds like he's whining. The lyrics aren't bad either. It's just about the song-writing process and how their coming in hot. I'm usually critical about opening tracks in albums, and this isn't a bad way to start an album. Now's a good time to mention a problem with LB: they drop their name in so many of their songs! Still, if I had to listen to this song for an hour with no break to save my life, I'd probably be okay.
Track Three
Nookie
Here it is, the first single released from the album that put LB into the spotlight. It was inescapable at the time. Again, there's a solid baseline for the most part, but it's all ruined by Durst. This is where he starts whining, and the lyrics don't help him. It's definitely not LB's worst song by any means, but it's... not great. It sounds like it was written by a group of teens who were told to write something "punk and edgy," and even that's being generous.
Why did this get so much airplay though? Even Wes Borland agrees and hates the song. The song alone was certified platinum seven times. Let that sink into your head. It even earned LB a grammy nomination. Thank God for Metallica at the time (even though they weren't much better then). To sum how dumb this song is, the best moment lyrically is when Durst rhymes the words "nookie" and cookie". I bet he feels really proud of himself there.
Track Four
Break Stuff
This was the fourth single released and also received heavy airplay. It's one of the more ridiculed by LB, and lyrically, it's just more whining about having a bad day. It was covered by couple people, even live by Three Days Grace (are you kidding me?!), and charted really well and was even certified silver in the UK.
I will say this, it is a lot better than "Nookie" for how much airplay it got. There's a lot more power and effort behind Durst's vocals, and Borland gets to play a bit more as well. But it's still not great. It's even more whining about having a bad day and running into people you don't like. Again, why did this get so much airplay? It's not terrible, and it is better than "Nookie" like I said it was, but still, it's not good. It's tolerable for sure, but it's not like I'd wanna hear this again, not even as a guilty pleasure.
Track Five
Re-Arranged
No joke, this is actually a good song. Wes Borland gets to strum along to the beat, raising and lowering tempo when necessary. It's really well mixed, and there's a solid beat and bassline. And surprisingly, Fred Durst doesn't sound bad either. I've always thought that if Fred Durst could get out of his own way and sing melodically, he can actually sound good, and this song is why. This was released as the second single after "Nookie" but didn't get nearly as much airplay on radio or MTV, despite it being the band's only #1 on the Modern Rock Chart. It just boggles me that the songs that didn't get as much airplay are the ones worth listening to.
And that leads me to my main problem with this album. There's one single left, but after "Re-Arranged" they just stopped trying. Four songs (one of which isn't even that good) is more than most bands can claim are the highlights of the album, but it's not nearly enough when you have 15 tracks in total, not counting any secret tracks. So from here on out, I'm gonna just breeze through the songs while stating my problems a lot quicker because everything I've talked about so far, those are the main highlights.
Track Six
I'm Broke
Wow, I knew Fred Durst was lazy, but this takes it to a whole new level. He's literally complaining about how he's not a millionaire like a bunch of other artists. Guess what, that changed bigtime by 2000, so just shut up please. I'm not sure why Wes Borland decided to go so rough for the verses, it doesn't add anything. This song honestly feels like it could be something, but Fred Durst just can't help himself and whine about being broke. This one's also not mixed as well as the others, which just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Track Seven
Nobody Like You
(featuring Jonathan Davis and Scott Weiland)
Even with Korn and Stone Temple Pilots frontmen can make a good LB song. Again, this is not mixed well, and it's just more complaining about people hating you. Davis and Weiland add absolutely nothing. The chorus sounds especially bad as well, as none of the singers here are giving more than what sounds like 25%. Even with two talented guest singers, this is just pure filler.
Track Eight
Don't Go Off Wandering
The music sounds a bit better, but it's literally a lead in immediately brought down by a manchild complaining about no one liking him. He brings the song to a grinding halt, even worse than John Carobi (thank God he's not among the guest musicians on the album). I've heard worse deliveries from Durst, but that's because he doesn't even care enough to put effort into his whining. I really hope you guys appreciate me doing this so you don't accidentally end up hearing this in entirety yourselves... not that you're all dumb enough to not click away at any of these songs.
And I still have half the album to go.
Track Nine
9 Teen 90 Nine
Ha ha ha, they made a joke, ha ha ha, they referenced the year this came out, ha ha ha, they referenced the year that got this, Trapt's debut album Amalgimation, Crazy Town's debut The Gift Of Game, and Kid Rock's Devil Without A Cause, ha ha ha, they called out 1999 for being a terrible year for music. Once again, it's a strong lead in with Durst slowing it all down. Fred Durst trying to sound serious while singing stupid lyrics about literally trying to make the best out of a bad situation is honestly ironically funny. 16 million people bought this. Why? Was it because LB was labeled nu metal like Korn, Disturbed, ad Slipknot? Because no one could escape "Nookie"? It's just filler and whining. They even literally steal the guitar work and rhythm from "Just Like This" which was a decent song.
Track Ten
N 2 Gether Now
(featuring Method Man)
First, what is this? Second, where's the guitar? Third, why is Method Man here? Finally, WHY WAS THIS RELEASED AS A SINGLE?! "N 2 Gether Now" was the third single from the album and is a perfect example of why I don't listen to rap or hip hop. It literally features either Durst or Method shouting stfu over and over during the chorus, I can't tell who. Believe it or not, Durst actually sounds a lot better than Method. At least he's giving effort and has a decent beat. Method has no continuous melody and sounds like he's just moaning along. Luckily, this didn't get much airplay or even chart anywhere. Still, why did they decide to release this as a single instead of "Just Like This"?
Track Eleven
Trust?
Strip out the vocals, and this could actually be a decent song. This feels like it could've been something, but it's all brought down by terrible lyrics and an awful singer. He's not whining and actually sounds a bit better here, but he's also bragging about how he's "so cool and untouchable". It's literally getting to the point where I'm starting to go mind numb listening to this album.
Track Twelve
No Sex
(featuring Aaron Lewis)
I'll give credit where it's due and say it was nice to include Aaron Lewis here as part of LB's endorsement of Staind. And depsite how much I dislike Aaron Lewis, I can't deny the fact that everyone in Staind, including him, has talent. Lewis is a good singer and guitarist when he wants to be. The problem is, he never wants to be. By all means, Lewis does a good job with the guitar work here alongside Wes Borland and even sounds good in the background singing, but once again, it's all brought down by Fred Durst. It's honestly incredible that no matter who they get as a guest musician, he can manage to Durst it all up and make it terrible. At least I could stand to hear this again if it came on. It's filler, but at least it's decent filler, I guess? I am at the bottom of the barrel here, and there are still three tracks left.
Tract Thirteen
Show Me What You Got
I hear the opening guitar, and I get excited. I hear Durst trying to hype up the song, and I get a little nervous for what's coming. I hear the guitar drop an octave, I get worried. And sure enough, it all comes to a grinding halt when Durst gets going. He's not whining at least, but this is still the worst song so far. Wes Borland's guitar work sounds so unsettling, and Durst's vocals get really weird for the chorus. Once again, this song had potential in the opening seconds, but after that, I just wanna either skip it or listen to the first ten seconds again.
One thing I haven't been mentioning for the last few tracks is that these songs, for some reason, have a really weird change up at the end. I haven't been mentioning it since I thought it would only be for one or two tracks, but it's been every song since "I'm Broke". Last second change ups can work well when used sparingly, but these just sound weird and disturbing.
Track Fourteen
A Lesson Learned
Yeah, I learned my lesson: don't volunteer to willingly listen to LB or anything associated with Fred Durst. This one sounds especially weird, like they got too comfortable with the sound effects. It's not as bad as "Show Me What You Got" or "N 2 Gether Now" but I'm just left in confusion. Why did they think this was worth including? Why did everyone think a band with the name Limp Bizkit was worth buying 16 million copies of? Why does LB still have a good following? Why do they remain a household name? Luckily, it's short, so I can just get to the end.
Track Fifteen
Outro
Here it is, everyone. The end. Basically just the into all over again but with a more prominent beat. Once again, they're right, I got the worst. This is it, the thrilling conclusion. If I'm thrilled about anything, it's that this album is finally over.
There is a hidden track featuring Matt Pinfield ranting about Limp Bizkit and how they deserve to be the best selling band since the Beatles. It adds absolutely nothing. That's it, it's finally over.
After all that, here's what I've learned: Limp Bizkit sucks. I'm glad they stopped producing albums after 2011, because God knows they'd still be a household name if they were still a prominent band today. They've earned their place in the Triforce of Suckage alongside Creed and Nickelback (both of which I don't think are actually that bad). Like I said, Limp Bizkit has talent, but it's all stuck behind a manchild who keeps whining about not being loved.
Significant Other and Limp Bizkit as a whole are worth regretting. They're the stains on everyone's rock collection and should never have become a household name. There are good songs on this album and even more songs with potential, but that's what drives me crazy: they have potential but don't do anything with it. Or more like they actually can't do anything with it because the one member who doesn't have talent is in charge. This isn't even LB's worst album. Seriously, Limp Bizkit (which is a stupid name, by the way) wouldn't be nearly as bad if they just got a different frontman. Then again, a lot of the lyrics and even the name of the band would be changed. So let's not regret Limp Bizkit as much as we should regret Fred Durst.
When we praise mediocrity, nothing good comes of it. Well this, this is just praising hot garbage. If you like Limp Bizkit, like them, support them. But I can't stand them.
And believe it or not, the next album I plan to listen to is even worse than this. Expect a coverage of it in February at the earliest because I have to take a while to recover from this
Most Limp Bizkit songs I can at least tolerate, but I can't freaking stand N 2 Gether Now. Seriously, this song should take it's own advice and stfu.
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It always seems the worst Limp Bizkit songs are the ones with guest singers and musicians, from "N 2 Gether Now" and "Rollin' (Urban Assault Vehicle)". And yet, this still isn't the worst Limp Bizkit album