Schism (song)

For a religious schism, see Schism (religion)

"Schism" is a song by the American rock band Tool. Schism was the fifth song on their 2001 album Lateralus. Tool released Schism as the first single from Lateralus on January 15, 2001. In 2002, the song won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. The song is famous for having many different time signatures. A lot of these time signatures are unusual in music, such as 5/8, 7/8, and 9/8.

Schism reached 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. It stayed on the Hot 100 for 20 weeks.^[1]

Schism has a music video. It is a stop-motion video animated using clay. It shows two people trying to join together and become one person.^[2]

In 2005, Tool released Schism on DVD. The DVD version has the music video, a music video commentary, and a remix of the song by Lustmord.

According to the singer of Schism, Maynard James Keenan, the song is about fixing a bad relationship. "Schism" is also a word that has been used mean differences in religious beliefs, and Tool has been known to write songs about religion before.^[2] The riff was created when the bass guitarist, Justin Chancellor, was having fun with his guitar. He did not write down the riff. Instead, he played it until he could remember it.^[3]

• Danny Carey - drums
• Justin Chancellor - bass
• Adam Jones - guitar and art
• Maynard James Keenan - vocals
• David Bottrill - production