At the turn of the century, Limp Bizkit emerged as one of the leaders in the nu-metal gold rush after their seminal album Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water sold over 1 million copies in its first week alone (compared to Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory which sold 50,000 copies in its debut just one week after).
Despite this insane success, Fred Durst and his band-mates slowly became a laughing stock amongst fans as nu-metal began to recede in popularity and Limp Bizkit were seen as embarrassingly corny. And how can you blame them with lyrics from Durst like "‘Cuz now it’s time to pay the piper / Bums are the type of shit that’s in a diaper / Don’t make me have to call a sniper / And wipe your brains off my windshield wiper you dirty bug"? It got to the point where guitarist Wes Borland quit the band at the end of 2001, before probably realising that he wasn't going to make as much money anywhere else and rejoined in the mid 2000's. After another album and an EP, the band went on hiatus in 2005 until 2009 after which they released two more albums.
Over 6 albums and 23 singles in total, there are some songs worth mentioning a lot more than others, but you can't deny they had some catchy riffs and bouncy beats that are still really fun to sing along with your friends or bang your head to.
Go and chuck on the reddest cap you have and let's jump in to our picks for the five best Limp Bizkit songs ever released.
5 - Break Stuff
It's just one of those days; your train didn't show up, you're stuck in traffic or your boss is just being a dick - everyone has their shitty episodes. Arguably the band's biggest hit of their career from the 1999 album Significant Other, 'Break Stuff' is still probably a nostalgic anthem for many people who are just sick of everything and want to let it out. The riff that kicks in at the 2-minute mark will stir something up in even the most reserved individuals.
4 - Gold Cobra
Despite what some diehards might say, we think their 2011 album Gold Cobra is actually a pretty solid when stacked up to their other releases. Given that it was 8 years since their last album, nobody knew what to expect from a band in a long-dead genre, but Limp Bizkit's dumb antics and bouncy riffs were back on full display and they clearly didn't give a fuck. The title track is vintage Bizkit complete with cringey lyrics from a Fred Durst bordering on too old (but isn't that their charm?). The music video is one of the worst things we've ever seen, though - seriously.
3 - My Generation
Yeah, there are a million songs out there that stick the middle finger up to authorities or anyone talking shit on their generation, but 'My Generation' doesn't try to be clever about it - it's just straight to the point in true Limp Bizkit fashion. Perfect lyrics for edgy teens at the time and probably a big factor in helping sell the insane amount of units that Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water did, but it has some sick riffs and the huge scratching from DJ Lethal at the end wraps it up in one big angsty anthem.
2 - The Truth
One of Limp Bizkit's most underrated songs comes from their 2005 EP 'The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1)', which was the first release back with original guitarist Wes Borland after quitting in 2001. You can definitely hear Wes' influence in the song which has some real heavy riffs (something their previous album was devoid of) and lyrics from Durst that are much more mature than what he was usually known for. It sounds a little like Rage Against the Machine but hey, we're not complaining.
1 - My Way
In our opinion, 'My Way' is absolutely the best Limp Bizkit song. Another huge single off their biggest album Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water, the song embodies everything about the nu-metal sound at the time - brooding guitars, sample scratching, huge choruses, semitones everywhere and that goddamn bassline which is so glorious. The only thing holding it back is Durst's cheesy-ass lyrics (huge surprise), but if you can get past those it's a total banger.
Honourable Mentions
Counterfeit
Pollution
Do you agree with our list? Would you have put 'Nookie' or 'Rollin'' in your top 5? Let us know!
Listen to Limp Bizkit now.
