‘Head For the Barricade’: the worst nu-metal song in existence?
There are usually many trends that fall out of favour in rock history for a damn good reason. While it’s clear that a lot of people had fun listening to hair metal bands or donning their favourite leisure suits and sunglasses when blasting yacht rock back in the day, there’s a reason why the modern age of rock and roll fans aren’t trying to be the next version of Rupert Holmes or Poison whenever they try to make something new. But while nu-metal was a welcome change of pace at the time, it was only a matter of time before someone started pointing out the holes in the operation.
Granted, the genre’s reputation as a punching bag isn’t entirely warranted. Rage Against the Machine had already proved that rap and rock could work well together, and while bands like Korn did have some genuine pain behind most of their lyrics, there were millions of other bands who either wanted to shock for the sake of it or make something that tried to make a quick buck off of existential angst.
In some respects, the genre was no better than post-grunge in exploiting people’s feelings, but there were still ways of twisting it around. While they are far from a fan of the nu-metal label, Linkin Park has always been an example of what the genre sounds like when it’s actually earnest, with most of Hybrid Theory and Meteora sounding like they’re coming from a genuine place. But with all nu-metal, it all went wrong with Fred Durst.
Even though Limp Bizkit is already known as a punchline to most people, Durst put up the kind of insane bars that would make even edgy kids wince. And while we could all give in to the sheer stupidity of something like ‘Break Stuff’, Results May Vary was even further proof of why he should have gone away following their infamous Woodstock 1999 performance.
We were already off to a shaky start with a song about wanting to sniff the underwear of a woman on ‘Eat You Alive’, but ‘Head For the Barricade’ was the moment no one could take this guy seriously any longer. Durst had been known for sounding like the equivalent of that school bully who picked on every kid he could, but listening to him talk about the real-life tragedies that come from bullying is reprehensible.
Although he says he appreciates his haters, everything gets thrown out the window with the following line: “I’m glad I’m hated, I guess I’m doin’ somethin’ right/That’s what happened back in Columbine/You gotta know when to stop and don’t go over the top.” So, for those people still on the hype train for all things Bizkit, here is a classic example of Durst willing to do everything he can to get a shock out of the audience.
Yes, it might be shocking, but trying to justify his anger by minimising the effects of a school shooting is one of the most tasteless things that anyone has put on a record. There were some dark places that artists were willing to go, but Durst’s definition of dealing with that is trying to exploit victims who weren’t even old enough to drink, which is where a lot of people started to fall off the train.
And it looked like Durst knew that he messed up on this album as a whole, with Bizkit laying low throughout the rest of the 2000s and miraculously managing to get a new fanbase from people wanting to relive those days when they used to fit into JNCO jeans. But even if he has a cuddly facade now and at least has some self-awareness on the album Still Sucks, never forget ‘Head for The Barricade’ as being the prime example of Durst wanting attention in whatever way, shape, or form. And like all bullies from back in the day, they don’t deserve that kind of attention.
