Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart

"Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" is a song by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots, featured on their third album, Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop. An alternative rock tune, it was recorded in 1995 and released as the album's second single the following year. The track is also on the greatest hits album, Thank You. It was the most played song on Active rock radio stations in the United States in 1996.^[2]

"Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart"
Single by Stone Temple Pilots
from the album Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop
B-side	"Pop's Love Suicide" "Ride the Cliché"
Released	1996
Recorded	1995
Genre	Alternative rock[1]
Length	2:56
Label	Atlantic
Composer(s)	Eric Kretz
Lyricist(s)	Scott Weiland
Producer(s)	Brendan O'Brien
Stone Temple Pilots singles chronology
"Big Bang Baby" (1996) "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" (1996) "Lady Picture Show" (1996)
Audio sample
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Music video
"Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" on YouTube

Track listing

1. "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart"
2. "Pop's Love Suicide"
3. "Ride the Cliché"

Composition and meaning

The core music was written by drummer Eric Kretz, while the lyrics were written by Scott Weiland. Weiland stated in a radio interview that the very ambiguous and mysterious lyrics to the song alluded to a "very bad experience dropping acid."^{[citation needed]} In his autobiography Not Dead and Not For Sale (its title a reference to the lyrics of Trippin'), he adds that it "reflects my hunger for redemption".^[3] The song's chorus riff references Led Zeppelin's "Dancing Days",^[4] which the band performed on Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin.

Critical reception

Sadie Sartini Garner of Pitchfork praised "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" as a representation of alternative rock "whose burning chorus would've fit on Alice in Chains' Dirt, and whose choppy, pepped-up verses cleared a happier path out of grunge that bands like Third Eye Blind would gladly follow."^[5]

In 2015, Loudwire and Stereogum ranked the song number six and number one, respectively, on their lists of the ten greatest Stone Temple Pilots songs.^[6][7]

Charts

Chart (1996)	Peak Position
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[8]	1
US Radio Songs (Billboard)[9]	36
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[10]	1
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[11]	3

Awards and accolades

The band has had seven songs reach the number one position on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, with "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" being their fifth single to reach the top. In 1997, the song received a nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance at the Grammy Awards.

Appearances of the song

• Cover version is featured in Guitar Hero II and Guitar Hero Mobile.
• Master track is featured in Guitar Hero: Smash Hits and downloadable content for Rock Band series.
• Since their 2008 reunion it has frequently been the band's closing song in concerts.