Invisible

"Invisible"
Song by Linkin Park
from the album One More Light
Working title:	Invisible - MS w Justin Parker
Recorded:	2016
Released:	May 10, 2017
Length:	3:34
Stems:	Leaked Multitracks
Time signature:	4/4
Key:	B Major
Live debut:	February 27, 2017
Last performed:	July 6, 2017
Writer:	Mike Shinoda, Justin Parker
Producer:	Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Jesse Shatkin, Andrew Dawson, RAC, Emily Wright
Label:	Warner Bros. Records
One More Light tracklist
Nobody Can Save Me Good Goodbye Talking To Myself Battle Symphony Invisible Heavy Sorry For Now Halfway Right One More Light Sharp Edges

"Invisible" is the fifth track on One More Light. It was written in collaboration with Justin Parker. The song is predominantly sung by Mike Shinoda with Chester Bennington on backing vocals doing the higher harmonies. "Invisible" was premiered on May 10, 2017 at 9am PST Zane Lowe's World Record show on Beats 1 and became available to people who pre-ordered One More Light. The song was set to be released as the second single from the album in the US but was canceled in favor of " Talking To Myself".

Background

A September 7, 2015 article published by NME revealed Mike Shinoda had writing sessions planned in London for a collaboration with an unknown artist. He later told Ticketmaster, "I did a couple of stopovers in London on the way back from the Hunting Party tour and worked with two different songwriters and really enjoyed it. I thought it was super fun and saw merit in keeping that going. I took the songs back to the band and asked them what they think. They loved the material, first and foremost." One of those tracks was "Invisible", a song that deals with Mike wanting to concentrate on being a father.

A live feed from the studio was done on February 24 through Facebook, showing the band working with Justin Parker, an English songwriter and record producer who has worked with big names like Ellie Goulding, Lana Del Rey, Skrillex, Rihanna, Seal, and Icona Pop. An update from the studio sent to the band's mailing list subscribers on March 22 was also accompanied by pictures of the band working with him. On April 7, 2016, Ethan Mates posted a picture (which was immediately removed) of his computer on Facebook showing a folder called "LP Album 7 Main". Inside the folder, there was a file named "Invisible - MS w Justin Parker". A live feed held on Linkin Park's Facebook page on November 14 confirmed Justin Parker as one of the artists Mike worked with in London. He said Parker taught him a different approach to songwriting: to write without any sound in mind and, instead, write with meaning in mind. Parker helped him with the lyrics but said the music was up to the artist to create and refused to touch it. Mike left the studio with a phone recording of himself singing and playing piano. In a December 2016 issue of the Kerrang! magazine, Mike Shinoda announced Linkin Park had collaborated with American producer Andrew Dawson, who did additional production on the song.

Throughout the process, both Mike and Chester recorded vocals for the song, but since "Invisible" is Mike's story, he decided he should be the one singing on the final version. The song was written about Mike's kids and the thought that when they get older and become teenagers, it will be harder to discipline them. According to him, "Invisible" sends the listener to that moment when, in a parental or mentoring situation, you have to tell your kids something they don't wanna hear and you want them to know you're doing it because you care, not because you wanna hurt their feelings.

"Invisible" was built largely around Mike's initial sounds, but the bridge was mostly done by RAC and Jesse Shatkin.

Lyric Video

The official lyric video for "Invisible" was released on May 10, 2017 following the song's premiere on Beats 1. It was directed by Jose Lun, an Spanish art director and motion graphics artist for the production company Dreambear.

Versions

Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.

Studio

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Invisible	One More Light	3:34	2016	May 10, 2017
Invisible	Invisible (Radio Promo) One More Light Instrumentals	3:33	2016	May 2017	Official instrumental version. Contains echoed vocals.

Live

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Invisible	One More Light Live	4:30	June 20, 2017	December 15, 2017	Speech after the song recorded in Kraków on June 15, 2017.

Live

"Invisible" got its live debut at the band's performance for The Late Late Show with James Corden after the band had played " Heavy" for the broadcast later that night. The song was played three times, with the first two attempts getting aborted due to lighting issues and a mess up with Mike's vocals.

The song didn't get its public live debut until the second show of the One More Light World Tour in Santiago, only being included in the full version of the setlist for the South American tour. The track was also given an extended intro with the bridge synth and vocal samples from the chorus being played before the song. Starting on the European Tour, the song was included in both the festival and full setlists, with the " Battle Symphony"/" Nobody Can Save Me" slot being dropped instead. During the band's performance at Hellfest, Mike accidentally rapped the chorus of " Remember The Name" after "Invisible", likely because he forgot the festival set cuts " Waiting For The End", the song that "Remember The Name" serves as an intro for.

The first known time "Invisible" was performed at all on Mike's solo tour was in Dallas where Mike and the band rehearsed the song. It wouldn't get a proper debut until Denver where it replaced " Sorry For Now". Dan performed a drum solo during the extended bridge.

Variations

Linkin Park

Last Updated: November 1, 2017

Type	Description	First Played	Last Played
Intro	Bridge Synth w/ Chorus Vocal Samples	May 9, 2017	July 6, 2017
Outro	Remember The Name Chorus	June 18, 2017	June 18, 2017

Mike Shinoda

Last Updated: April 28, 2020

Type	Description	First Played	Last Played
Bridge	Drum Solo	November 9, 2018	September 6, 2019

Personnel

Linkin Park

• Chester Bennington - Vocals
• Rob Bourdon - Drums
• Brad Delson - Guitar
• Joe Hahn - Programming
• Phoenix - Bass
• Mike Shinoda - Keyboards, Programming, Vocals

Additional Musicians

• Additional keyboards and programming by Jesse Shatkin

Production

• Written by Mike Shinoda and Justin Parker
• Produced by Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson
• Co-produced by Jesse Shatkin
• Additional production by Andrew Dawson and RAC
• Vocal production by Emily Wright
• Music performed by Linkin Park
• Vocals by Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda
• Chester's vocals recorded at The Pool Recording Studio, London, UK
• Mike's vocals recorded at The Warehouse Studio, Vancouver, CA
• Music recorded at Larrabee Studios, North Hollywood, CA and Sphere Studios, North Hollywood, CA
• Engineered by Ethan Mates, Mike Shinoda and Josh Newell
• Assistant engineer: Alejandro Baima
• Studio B assistant engineer: Warren Willis
• Studio drum tech: Jerry Johnson
• Mixed by Serban Ghenea at Mixstar Studios, Virginia Beach, VA
• Engineered for mix by John Hanes

Lyrics

Album Version

I've got an aching head
Echoes and buzzing noises
I know the words we said
But wish I could've turned our voices down

This is not black and white
Only organized confusion
I'm just trying to get it right
And in spite of all I should've done

I was not mad at you
I was not trying to tear you down
The words that I could've used
I was too scared to say out loud
If I cannot break your fall
I'll pick you up right off the ground
If you felt invisible
I won't let you feel that now

Invisible
Invisible
Invisible
Invisible

You didn't get your way
And it's an empty feeling
You've got a lot to say
And you just want to know you're being heard

But this is not black and white
There are no clear solutions
And I'm just trying to get it right
And in spite of all I should've done

I was not mad at you
I was not trying to tear you down
The words that I could've used
I was too scared to say out loud
If I cannot break your fall
I'll pick you up right off the ground
If you felt invisible
I won't let you feel that now

Invisible
Invisible
Invisible
Invisible

This is not black and white
There are no clear solutions
And I'm just trying to get it right
And in spite of all I should've done

I was not mad at you
I was not trying to tear you down
The words that I could've used
I was too scared to say out loud
If I cannot break your fall
I'll pick you up right off the ground
If you felt invisible
I won't let you feel that now

Invisible
Invisible
Invisible
Invisible

Invisible
Invisible
Invisible
Invisible

Gallery

• 

  Premiere announcement

• 

  Linkin Park in the studio with Justin Parker and Jon Green

• 

  One More Light folder on Ethan Mates' computer

External Links

Music Video

1. Invisible (Lyric Video): LPTV | Jose Lun's Vimeo | Vevo

Live Videos

• Invisible (The Late Late Show With James Corden): The Late Late Show With James Corden

Facebook

• Teaser
• Invisible Vocals
• Invisible Gang Vocals

Interview

• Story Behind The Song