Points of Authority

2001 promotional single by Linkin Park

"Points of Authority"

Promotional single by Linkin Park
from the album  Hybrid Theory
Released| January 17, 2001 (2001-01-17) (promo)
Studio| NRG (Los Angeles)
Genre|

* Nu metal[1][2][3]
* rap metal[4]

Length| 3:23
Label| Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)| Linkin Park
Producer(s)| Don Gilmore
Music video
"Points of Authority" on YouTube

"Points of Authority" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It is the fourth track on their first studio album, Hybrid Theory. The song was released in 2001 as a promo release. A CD single for the song was set to be released in the UK in September 2001, but instead, "Papercut" was released as the third single from the album. It was later planned as the fifth official single from the album, planned for a January 2002 release but was cancelled for unknown reasons. In its place, the song's remix version was released. Mike Shinoda's verses originally had different lyrics, and Chester Bennington's parts became no different from the Hybrid Theory version.[citation needed]

The song's remix "Pts.OF.Athrty" was released as the only single taken from remix album Reanimation (2002) while another remix, by the Crystal Method, was released on LP Underground 2.0. The song is one from the seven Linkin Park's songs that appeared in the mash-up EP Collision Course with American rapper Jay-Z. If the Linkin Park package is downloaded on DJ Hero 2, then players (as DJs) can play with a scratched version of "Pts.OF.Athrty". The song was used in the 2000 Adam Sandler film Little Nicky.

## Music video

[edit]

The music video was directed by Nathan "Karma" Cox, and it was released in promoting the DVD Frat Party at the Pankake Festival. It shows live presentations by Linkin Park during their tour in 2001.

An alternative video was also released as hidden content in the DVD Frat Party at the Pankake Festival. It was similar to the live version release of "Crawling", recorded at the Dragon Festival in San Bernardino, California on February 3, 2001.

## Track listing

[edit]

EU promo CDNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Points of Authority"| 3:22

## Critical reception

[edit]

"Points of Authority" is widely regarded as one of Linkin Park's best songs. In 2017, Billboard ranked the song number seven on their list of the 15 greatest Linkin Park songs,[5] and in 2021, Kerrang ranked the song number eleven on their list of the 20 greatest Linkin Park songs.[6]

## In other media

[edit]

* A demo of the song, entitled "Oh No", appears on LP Underground X: Demos.
* A demo of the song with slightly altered lyrics appears on LP Underground 12.0.
* A remix, entitled "Points of Authority/99 Problems/One Step Closer" appears on Collision Course.

## Pts.OF.Athrty

[edit]

"Pts.OF.Athrty"

Single by Linkin Park
from the album  Reanimation
B-side|

* "H! Vltg3"
* "By Myself"

Released| July 8, 2002 (2002-07-08)
Genre| Industrial metal[7]
Length|

* 3:45 (album version)
* 3:38 (single version)

Label| Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)| Linkin Park
Producer(s)|

* Jay Gordon
* Mike Shinoda
* Brad Delson (co-production)

Linkin Park singles chronology
| "In the End"
(2001)  | "Pts.OF.Athrty"
(2002)  | "Somewhere I Belong"
(2003)

|
|

Music video
"Pts.OF.Athrty" on YouTube

"Pts.OF.Athrty" is a remix of "Points of Authority" that was released as a single from their remix album, Reanimation. The single features remixes of the Hybrid Theory tracks "Points of Authority", "High Voltage" and "By Myself".

There is also an alternate version of Jay Gordon's remix, which surfaced on a Jay Gordon remix page in 2008.[8]

### Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Linkin Park.

"Pts.OF.Athrty"No.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Pts.OF.Athrty"|  | 3:36
2.| "Buy Myself (remix of By Myself by Marilyn Manson)"| Linkin Park| 4:26
3.| "H! Vltg3"|  | 3:32

"H! Vltg3/Pts.OF.Athrty"No.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "H! Vltg3"|  | 3:30
2.| "Pts.OF.Athrty"|  | 3:36
3.| "Buy Myself (remix of By Myself by Marilyn Manson)"| Linkin Park| 4:26

### Music video

[edit]

This remix of "Points of Authority" is renowned for its video, a completely CGI battle between robots, ruled by the heads of Linkin Park members, and an alien race. The heads of all six Linkin Park members are kept in a digital lab equipped with computers and advanced equipment which can be seen extracting something from the heads as Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda sing. According to director Joe Hahn, the band members' heads are powering the world. At the very end of the video, the commander of the alien race tries to battle the blue tentacles that were released by the members' heads, but gets his gun ripped out of his hand, and is enveloped by them.

Hahn explained that the events of the video took place after the end of the human race and all that's left are the heads of the six Linkin Park members. The video is also said to have been inspired by the dream sequences in the 2001 film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. The music video was aired on Cartoon Network's Toonami block as a commercial break (around the year 2002). There is also a video for "Points of Authority" from Hybrid Theory which contains footage of the band playing live. It is featured on the DVD Frat Party at the Pankake Festival.

Another video features the live performance of "Points of Authority" from Linkin Park's live album Live in Texas. The Live in Texas version is available on iTunes, along with "Lying from You". The "Points of Authority" video was not officially uploaded on YouTube by Linkin Park or Warner Records. It is available exclusively on Linkinpark.com.[9] The "Pts.OF.Athrty" music video is available on both Linkin Park and Warner Records YouTube channels.[10][11]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

2002 weekly chart performance for "Pts.Of.Athrty"  | Chart (2002)  | Peak
position

|

Australia (ARIA)[12] | 44
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[13] | 47
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[14] | 4
Germany (GfK)[15] | 31
Hungary (Single Top 40)[16] | 12
Ireland (IRMA)[17] | 25
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[18] | 3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[19] | 54
Italy (FIMI)[20] | 39
Scotland (OCC)[21] | 6
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[22] | 45
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] | 61
UK Singles (OCC)[24] | 9
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[25] | 1
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[26] | 29
2017 weekly chart performance for "Pts.Of.Athrty"  Chart (2017)  | Peak
position

|

UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[27] | 6

### Year-end charts

[edit]

Year-end chart performance for "Pts.Of.Athrty"  | Chart (2002)  | Position

|

Canada (Billboard)[28] | 59

### Certifications

[edit]

Certifications for "Pts.Of.Athrty"  Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

New Zealand (RMNZ)[29] | Gold  | 15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[30] | Silver  | 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

## Credits

[edit]

### Linkin Park

[edit]

* Chester Bennington – lead vocals
* Mike Shinoda – rapping, keyboards, programming, samples
* Brad Delson – guitar, bass
* Joe Hahn – turntables, samples, synthesizers
* Rob Bourdon – drums

### Production

[edit]

* Don Gilmore – engineering
* Steve Sisco – engineering
* John Ewing Jr. – additional engineering, Pro Tools
* Matt Griffin – engineering assistance
* Andy Wallace – mixing
* Brian Gardner – audio mastering, digital editing
* Jeff Blue – executive production

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Chesler, Josh (May 18, 2015). "10 Nu-metal Songs That Actually Don't Suck". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
2. ^ Hill, Stephen (July 4, 2017). "The Top 40 nu-metal songs of all time". Metal Hammer. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
3. ^ Vincent, Jack (March 20, 2021). "11 Underrated Songs: Linkin Park".
4. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (October 1, 2024). It Starts With One: The Legend and Legacy of Linkin Park. New York, NY: Hachette Books. p. 104\. ISBN 978-0-306-83250-5.
5. ^ Unterberger, Andrew (July 20, 2017). "The 15 Greatest Linkin Park Songs". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
6. ^ Law, Sam (April 17, 2021). "The 20 greatest Linkin Park songs – ranked". Kerrang. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
7. ^ Edward, Luke (Mar 20, 2022). "Best Linkin Park Songs: 20 Classics That Launched A Nu-Metal Revolution".
8. ^ Jay Gordon Samples
9. ^ "Points of Authority (Official Video) on LinkinPark.com". Archived from the original on 2012-04-20. from www.linkinpark.com
10. ^ "Pts.Of.Athrty (Official Music Video)". YouTube. from the Linkin Park YouTube channel
11. ^ "Linkin Park - Pts.OF.Athrty [Animated] (Video)". YouTube. from the Warner Records YouTube channel
12. ^ "Linkin Park – Points of Authority". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
13. ^ "Linkin Park – Points of Authority" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
14. ^ "Linkin Park Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
15. ^ "Linkin Park – Points of Authority" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
16. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
17. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Linkin Park". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
18. ^ "Tipparade-lijst van week 35, 2002" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
19. ^ "Linkin Park – Points of Authority" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
20. ^ "Linkin Park – Points of Authority". Top Digital Download.
21. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
22. ^ "Linkin Park – Points of Authority". Singles Top 100.
23. ^ "Linkin Park – Points of Authority". Swiss Singles Chart.
24. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
25. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
26. ^ "Linkin Park Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
27. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
28. ^ "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2002". Jam!. January 14, 2003. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
29. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Linkin Park – Points of Authority". Radioscope. Retrieved December 28, 2024. Type Points of Authority  in the "Search:" field.
30. ^ "British single certifications – Linkin Park – Points of Authority". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 16, 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* "Pts.OF.Athrty" official lyrics
* "By Myself" official lyrics

* v
* t
* e

Linkin Park songs

* Singles discography
* Awards and nominations

Hybrid Theory|

* "Papercut"
* "One Step Closer"
* "Points of Authority"
* "Crawling"
* "Runaway"
* "In the End"
* "She Couldn't" (20th Anniversary Edition)

Reanimation|

* "Pts.OF.Athrty"

Meteora|

* "Somewhere I Belong"
* "Lying from You"
* "Faint"
* "Breaking the Habit"
* "From the Inside"
* "Numb"
* "Lost" (20th Anniversary Edition)
* "Fighting Myself" (20th Anniversary Edition)

Collision Course|

* "Numb/Encore"

Minutes to Midnight|

* "Given Up"
* "Leave Out All the Rest"
* "Bleed It Out"
* "Shadow of the Day"
* "What I've Done"

A Thousand Suns|

* "Burning in the Skies"
* "Waiting for the End"
* "Blackout"
* "Wretches and Kings"
* "Iridescent"
* "The Catalyst"

Living Things|

* "Lost in the Echo"
* "In My Remains"
* "Burn It Down"
* "I'll Be Gone"
* "Castle of Glass"
* "Powerless"

Recharged|

* "A Light That Never Comes"

The Hunting Party|

* "Keys to the Kingdom"
* "All for Nothing"
* "Guilty All the Same"
* "Wastelands"
* "Until It's Gone"
* "Rebellion"
* "Final Masquerade"

One More Light|

* "Good Goodbye"
* "Talking to Myself"
* "Battle Symphony"
* "Invisible"
* "Heavy"
* "One More Light"

Papercuts|

* "Friendly Fire"
* "Qwerty"

From Zero|

* "The Emptiness Machine"
* "Heavy Is the Crown"
* "Over Each Other"
* "Two Faced"
* "Up from the Bottom"
* "Unshatter"

Featured songs|

* "We Made It"
* "Darker Than Blood"

Other songs|

* "New Divide"
* "Not Alone"
* "Rolling in the Deep"
* "White Noise"
* "Darker Than the Light That Never Bleeds"

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

|

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