"Feeling This" is a song by American rock band Blink-182 for their untitled fifth studio album (2003). The song is the opening track on the album and was released as its lead single on October 6, 2003, through Geffen Records. It was written by guitarist Tom DeLonge, bassist Mark Hoppus, and drummer Travis Barker, and was produced and mixed by Jerry Finn. The song originated on the first day of producing the album. Its lyrics are purely sexual in nature; the band juxtaposes lust and passion between verses and choruses, thematically connected with a wistful, regretful tone.
The song features a Latin-inspired backbeat in the chorus, and the song ends in a melodic, harmonized duet split between DeLonge and Hoppus. Elements of the song were inspired by rock groups Led Zeppelin and the Beach Boys. The song's music video, photographed by David LaChapelle, depicts a dystopian correctional facility that is overtaken by its inmates. An early version of the song, erroneously titled "Action", was released on the soundtrack for the video game Madden NFL 2004.
"Feeling This" received critical acclaim and peaked at number two on Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in late 2003. It was also a top-20 hit in the United Kingdom and Australia. The digital single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2005. Blink-182 has performed "Feeling This" in a number of live appearances, including on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
Background
thumb|right|170px|alt=A man playing bass guitar sings into a microphone.|Bassist [[Mark Hoppus was the first to begin writing the song.]]
"Feeling This" was the first track that was recorded for Blink-182 in early 2003. On the first day of pre-production on the album, Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus asked an engineer to explain Pro Tools to him, as it was the first time the band would record their music digitally. He began recording guitar and bass parts and experimenting with the software. When guitarist Tom DeLonge and drummer Travis Barker arrived, they too began adding new tracks to the project. Upon playback of a rough mix of the song, the engineer automated the music to fade at the song's conclusion, but mistakenly forgot to do the same for the vocal tracks. Hoppus, who had been listening to the Beach Boys at the time, liked the a cappella interplay of their voices. All agreed to keep it in the final version of the song.
Composition
thumb|left|170px|alt=A man plays a drum kit in front of an American flag.|Drummer [[Travis Barker was influenced by John Bonham on the song.]]
The song is composed in the key of E major and is set in time signature of common time with a tempo of 173 beats per minute. The vocal range spans from E3 to B4.
"Feeling This" opens with flanged drums. The "harmony-rich" chorus of the song, which contains the refrain "Fate fell short this time, smile fades in the summer / Place your hand in mine, I'll leave when I wanna", is replete with a "syncopated Latin-flavored backbeat." In the chorus, Barker plays a cowbell, which he initially included as a joke, believing Hoppus and DeLonge would "hate it." A slightly different version of the song had been released previously as part of the soundtrack for the video game Madden NFL 2004 under the erroneous title "Action". Barker explained in an interview that "'Action' just sounded kind of dorky to us. Like we would always call it 'Feeling This' and then someone at our label, I think, like wrote it as 'Action' one time and sent out singles to people. And it was always supposed to be 'Feeling This'."
To promote Blink-182, the group performed "Feeling This", as well as their past hit "Dammit" on Total Request Live on November 11, 2003, and on the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! in November 26, 2003. Richard Cheese covered the song on their 2004 album I'd Like a Virgin.
Commercial performance
"Feeling This" debuted at number 40 on Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart on October 18, 2003, jumping to number 13 in its second week, which was at that time the fourth-biggest move in the history of that chart. The song moved upwards on the chart over the following weeks, eventually achieving a peak of number two (behind Linkin Park's hit "Numb") on November 29, 2003. It remained at number two for two more weeks before dropping to number three, after which it continued dropping before exiting the top 20 on February 21, 2004. In total, it spent twenty-six weeks on the chart. It spent eight weeks on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, which acts as an extension to the Billboard Hot 100 chart; it peaked at number two on December 20, 2003.
In the United Kingdom, "Feeling This" debuted at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending date November 30, 2003. before exiting the chart on December 28; in all, it spent ten weeks on the chart.
Critical reception
"Feeling This" received favorable reviews from music critics. Kelefa Sanneh, writing for The New York Times felt the song was an "appealing hybrid," while noting the growing popularity of emo could have influenced the "more anguished" tone. Greg Kot of Entertainment Weekly praised the vocal harmonies, calling them reminiscent of Queen. Joshua Klein of The Washington Post similarly complimented the interplay between DeLonge and Hoppus and its "multiple-perspective portrait of first love." Andy Doerschuk of Drum! praised Barker's "fat, syncopated beat" and noted elements of Bonham as well as James Brown's drummers. Rolling Stone Jenny Eliscu made note of its "catchy hooks", while Stephen Thompson, writing for The A.V. Club, considered it among many songs on the album that were "straightforwardly conventional."
Music video
thumb|alt=A decaying building, formerly a jail.|The clip was shot at the abandoned [[Lincoln Heights Jail north of downtown Los Angeles.]]
The video follows students at a dystopian-based correctional facility who rebel and take over the establishment, intertwined with shots of the band performing outside the prison in a cage, providing a "soundtrack to the chaos." Hoppus described their idea for the facility: "It's kind of a combination of prep school and reform school, and it's very repressed and kids are being held down. There is a lot of authority and a lot of strict regimen, and the kids lash out and take over the school and destroy the place."
Formats and track listings
All songs were written and composed by Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker, except where noted.
US CD (2003) <small>(981432-0)</small>
- "Feeling This" – 2:56
- "Violence" – 3:48
- "The Rock Show" (Live in Chicago) – 3:08
- "Carousel" (Live in Chicago) – 2:55 (DeLonge/Hoppus)
US 7-inch single (2003) <small>(B0001518-21)</small>
- "Feeling This" – 2:56
- "Violence" – 3:48
UK CD (2003) <small>(981432-0)</small>
- "Feeling This" – 2:56
- "The Rock Show" (Live in Chicago) – 3:08
Credits and personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Blink-182.
- Tom DeLonge – guitar, vocals
- Travis Barker – drums, cowbell
|190
|-
!scope="row"|Russia Airplay (TopHit)
|181
|-
!scope="row"|US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)
|74
|}
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!scope="col"|Chart (2004)
!scope="col"|Position
|-
!scope="row"|US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)
|30
|}
Certifications
Release history
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+Release dates and formats for "Feeling This"
!scope="col"|Region
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Format(s)
!scope="col"|Label
!scope="col"|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| United States
| rowspan="2"| October 6, 2003
| Alternative radio
| rowspan="4"| Geffen
|
|-
| Active rock radio
|
|-
! scope="row"| Australia
| November 10, 2003
| CD
|
|-
! scope="row"| United Kingdom
| November 24, 2003
|
|
|}