Break Stuff

This article is about the song by Limp Bizkit. For the album by Vijay Iyer, see Break Stuff (album).

"Break Stuff" is a song by American nu metal band Limp Bizkit, released on May 2, 2000, as the fourth and final single from their second studio album Significant Other (1999). The song was released alongside "N 2 Gether Now", and has remained a staple of Limp Bizkit's live shows.

"Break Stuff"
Single by Limp Bizkit
from the album Significant Other
Released	May 2, 2000 (2000-05-02)
Recorded	1998
Genre	Nu metal rap metal
Length	2:46
Label	Interscope
Composer(s)	Wes Borland Sam Rivers John Otto
Lyricist(s)	Fred Durst
Producer(s)	Terry Date Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit singles chronology
"N 2 Gether Now" (1999) "Break Stuff" (2000) "Take a Look Around" (2000)
Music video
"Break Stuff" on YouTube

Music video

The music video was shot at Skatelab. The band members are seen in some scenes not playing any instruments and some scenes they are playing each other's instruments. Cameos include Snoop Dogg, Jonathan Davis of Korn, Dr. Dre, Eminem and his daughter Hailie, Pauly Shore, model Lily Aldridge, and Tony Hawk's son Riley Hawk.^[1][2]

It received its world premiere in February 2000 on the short-lived USA Network music show Farmclub, alongside Korn's video for their single, "Make Me Bad". Both groups made a guest appearance to introduce their respective videos.

Live performances

The song was noted for a performance at Woodstock '99 in which violent actions occurred. When the song played, Fred Durst encouraged the crowd to become rowdy, stating, "Don't let anybody get hurt. But I don't think you should mellow out. That's what Alanis Morissette had you motherfuckers do. If someone falls, pick 'em up." In the mosh pit, fans tore plywood on the walls when the song played and numerous sexual assaults were reported to have occurred.^{[3][4][5][6][7]} During the band's 2001 appearance at the Big Day Out festival in Sydney, Australia, teenager Jessica Michalik was crushed by the unruly crowd near the front of the stage before dying from her injuries.^[8]

Awards and legacy

The video for the song won the MTV Video Music Award for The Best Rock Video in 2000.^[9]

In 2022, Louder Sound and Kerrang each named "Break Stuff" as Limp Bizkit's greatest song.^[10][11]

Covers

• Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine covered this as a lounge version on his 2000 album, Lounge Against the Machine.
• Three Days Grace has covered the song in 2011 during live shows.^[12]
• Australian metal band Confession did a cover of this song.
• In 2012, pop-punk band Patent Pending recorded a tongue-in-cheek piano ballad version for their EP Spring Break 99.
• Baltimore pop-punk band All Time Low covered this song during their World Triptacular tour.
• American singer-songwriter K.Flay has covered this song in her 2020 EP 'Don't Judge A Song By Its Cover,' along with Green Day's "Brain Stew" and The Offspring's "Self Esteem."^[13]
• Russian punk band Pussy Riot covered this song for use in an episode of the Netflix show In from the Cold.^[14]

Charts

Chart (1999–2025)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[15]	41
Germany (GfK)[16]	42
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[17]	22
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18]	28
Portugal (AFP)[19]	9
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[20]	95
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[21]	14
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[22]	23
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[23]	14
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[24]	19

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[25]	Gold	300,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[26]	2× Platinum	60,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[27]	Platinum	600,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "'Hey, isn't that...' | Our favourite rock video cameos of all time. - Hit The Floor". Hit The Floor. August 6, 2014. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
2. "Lily Aldridge: 5 Things You Didn't Know About The Model & Actress". Footwear News. August 31, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
3. Daniel Kreps, 19 Worst Things About Woodstock '99. Rolling Stone, 2014-07-31, page found December 4, 2015.
4. Devenish, Colin (2000). Limp Bizkit. St. Martin's. pp. 127–153. ISBN 0-312-26349-X.
5. "Police Investigate Reports of Rapes at Woodstock". Washingtonpost.com. July 29, 1999. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
6. Stark, Jeff (July 27, 1999). "What A Riot". Salon. Retrieved October 7, 2007.
7. "Woodstock 99: Three days of peace, love and rape". Salon. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
8. "Report Critical Of Bizkit In Big Day Out Death". Billboard.
9. "2000 MTV Video Music Awards | Highlights, Winners, Performers and Photos from the 2000 MTV VMAs". www.mtv.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
10. Hobson, Rich (February 7, 2022). "The 25 best Limp Bizkit songs ever". Louder Sound. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
11. "The 20 greatest Limp Bizkit songs – ranked". Kerrang. August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
12. "Three Days Grace Cover Break Stuff Live". YouTube. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
13. Daw, Stephen (December 11, 2020). "First Out: New Music From Troye Sivan, K.Flay, Channel Tres & More". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
14. "In From the Cold - Soundtrack List". TUNEFLIX. January 28, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
15. "Limp Bizkit – Break Stuff". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
16. "Limp Bizkit – Break Stuff" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
17. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 17, 2000" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
18. "Limp Bizkit – Break Stuff" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
19. "Music & Media: Portugal" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved May 1, 2018.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
20. "Limp Bizkit – Break Stuff". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
21. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart". Official Charts Company. June 21, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
22. "Limp Bizkit Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
23. "Limp Bizkit Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
24. "Limp Bizkit Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
25. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Limp Bizkit; 'Break Stuff')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
26. "New Zealand single certifications – Limp Bizkit – Break Stuff". Radioscope. Retrieved January 19, 2025. Type Break Stuff in the "Search:" field.
27. "British single certifications – Limp Bizkit – Break Stuff". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 5, 2024.