Parabola (song)

"Parabola" is a song by the American rock band Tool, the song was released as the second single from their third studio album Lateralus. Initially released in 2002 as a promo only, the single was re-released on December 20, 2005, which includes the song and a DVD containing the music video and an optional "dual" audio commentary on the video by Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys. The dual commentary consists of two separate recordings of Biafra's voice, one playing in each stereo channel. The DVD was released alongside a DVD single for "Schism" as well.

"Parabola"
Single by Tool
from the album Lateralus
ReleasedJanuary 2002
Recorded2001
GenreProgressive metal[1]
Length6:03
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)David Bottrill
Tool singles chronology
"Schism"
(2001)		 "Parabola"
(2002)		 "Lateralus"
(2002)

The song is featured on the video game Guitar Hero World Tour. The song was played onboard Space Shuttle mission STS-130, as a wake-up call for astronaut Robert Behnken.[2]

Music video

In support of this promo single, a music video was released – clocking in at over ten minutes because of the inclusion of the 3-minute "Parabol" lead-in (a separate track on the album set right before "Parabola"). The last note in "Parabol" can also be heard at the beginning of "Parabola" in Guitar Hero: World Tour.[3] It was directed by Adam Jones and, like other Tool videos, includes several abstract scenes (which can be seen on the single art).[4] These include humanoids meeting and cutting pomaceous fruit, then vomiting a black liquid in a circle. Another scene features interactions between a small stop-motion creature and a human (played by English musician Tricky). The small creature calls out to the man for help but is crushed by The Berry. The man dissects the creature's body, then wanders into a forest and encounters a leaf that turns into a flaming eye.

The man then sees himself as transparent, with all the internal functions of his body visible. Two flaming eyes appear and begin to fly around his body. As the eyes glide about, lotus flowers symbolizing the "Chakras", begin to line up in the center of his body. The two flaming eyes then join together on his forehead to form a "third eye" and the man is assimilated into an endless, glowing pattern. The whole sequence could be a visual presentation of a mystical experience called "Kundalini awakening", in which a mystical energy or force called Kundalini rises through two intertwined channels within the body.

Painter Alex Grey created the design and was deeply involved in the animation from the beginning of the flaming eye sequence through to the end of the video.

Track listing
Promotional single
  1. "Parabola" (radio edit) – 6:08
  2. "Parabol" – 3:04
  3. "Parabola" (album version) – 6:03
DVD single
  1. "Parabola" (video) – 10:09
  2. "Parabola" (commentary) – 10:09
  3. "Parabola" (Lustmord remix) – 11:35

Personnel

Tool

Production

Chart performance
Chart (2002) Peak
position
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[5] 31
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[6] 10

References
  1. Hill, Stephen (January 28, 2019). "Every Tool album (and one EP) ranked from worst to best". Metal Hammer. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  2. "STS-130 Wakeup Calls". NASA. February 14, 2010. Archived from the original on March 2, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
  3. Toolshed FAQ
  4. MVDBase
  5. "Tool Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  6. "Tool Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
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