"Dig" is a song by American heavy metal band Mudvayne, released in 2000 as the band's debut single. It appears on the band's debut studio album L.D. 50 (2000). A music video was released for the song on April 10, 2001, and it later won the first ever MTV2 Award. It is also one of the band's most well-known songs, being certified gold in the United States.[6] A live version of the song taken from the Tattoo the Earth tour appears on the live album Tattoo the Earth: The First Crusade.[7][8] The song also appeared on the compilation album WWF Tough Enough. The song has also spawned an Internet meme known as "Brbr Deng" (the onomatopoeia of the opening bass riff), which bassist Ryan Martinie has expressed some ambivalence about.[9]

"Dig"
Single by Mudvayne
from the album L.D. 50
Released2000
StudioThe Warehouse Studio, Vancouver[1]
GenreNu metal[2][3][4][5]
Length2:43
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
Mudvayne singles chronology
"Dig"
(2000)
"Death Blooms"
(2000)
Alternative cover
Music video
"Dig" on YouTube

Music video edit

The music video for the song won the MTV2 Award in 2001[10] and was directed by Thomas Mignone.[11] It was one of the first music videos to feature heavy metal artists in vibrant, brightly lit and color-saturated images, in sharp contrast to the dark, shadowy videos typical of the genre.[citation needed] The award was to honor the best overall achievement by an act whose video premiered on MTV2 and received significant on-air rotation.[10] A special edition DVD single was released featuring nine different camera angles, allowing viewers to switch between the various bandmembers' performances filmed during the video's production. The DVD also included a behind the scenes featurette titled "Dig a Little Deeper".

Track listing edit

Promo single
No.TitleLength
1."Dig" (clean version)2:42
2."Dig" (LP version)2:43
Maxi single
No.TitleLength
1."Dig" (radio edit)2:43
2."Nothing to Gein" (radio edit)4:15
Cassette single
Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Dig" (radio edit)2:43
2."Nothing to Gein" (radio edit)4:15
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."Dig" (album version)2:43
2."Nothing to Gein" (album version)5:29

Charts edit

Weekly edit

Weekly chart performance for "Dig" by Mudvayne
Chart (2001) Peak
position
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[12] 23
US Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)[13] 33

Year-end edit

2001 year-end chart performance for "Dig" by Mudvayne
Chart (2001) Position
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[14] 95
2002 year-end chart performance for "Dig" by Mudvayne
Chart (2002) Position
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[15] 168

Certifications edit

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[16]
Video single
Gold 25,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Internet memes edit

The music video of Dig resurfaced during 2012 on Youtube, most notably when creators would dub funny noises over the scream Chad Gray does at the beginning of the song. The most viewed one of these videos is 'Most Brutal Metal Scream 2012', with over 15 million views. Another Internet meme created from this video was 'brbr deng', which refers to the heavy bass sound.

References edit

  1. ^ "2002174617". Shopping.com. Retrieved February 22, 2017.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "Paolo Gregoletto: Nu-Metal - Revered or Reviled? The Top Ten". All Axess. January 5, 2015. (January 5, 2015). Retrieved on September 23, 2015
  3. ^ Pasbani, Robert (August 21, 2014). "CHAD GRAY Says MUDVAYNE Ain't Over Yet". MetalInjection. Retrieved January 28, 2015. In 2000, Mudvayne broke big with their track "Dig," a song that still gets stuck in my head to this day. Honestly, it may be one of my favorite nu-metal songs of all time.
  4. ^ Diver, Mike (September 6, 2009). "Top Ten - Nu-Metal Anthems". Clash. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  5. ^ "30 Best Nu Metal Songs, Ranked". Spin Magazine. May 17, 2017.
  6. ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - September 24, 2015". www.riaa.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015.
  7. ^ Huey, Steve (October 24, 2000). "Tattoo the Earth: The First Crusade - Various Artists : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  8. ^ ""Tattoo the Earth: The First Crusade" Set for Release October 24 on 1500 Records". NY Rock. September 21, 2000. Archived from the original on December 18, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  9. ^ "Mudvayne Bassist Ryan Martinie Shares His Thoughts on the "Brbr-DENG" Memes and Videos". MetalSucks. July 16, 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Slim's 'Weapon' Bulges With Six MTV VMAs". Billboard. September 7, 2001. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  11. ^ "Mudvayne | Music Videos, News, Photos, Tour Dates, Ringtones, and Lyrics". MTV. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  12. ^ "Canadian Digital Song Sales". Billboard. January 12, 2002. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  13. ^ Artist Chart History - Mudvayne - Singles, Billboard, Accessed June 11, 2009
  14. ^ "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2001". Jam!. Archived from the original on January 26, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  15. ^ "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2002 (Part 2)". Jam!. January 14, 2003. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004.
  16. ^ "American videosingle certifications – Mudvayne – Dig". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 13, 2023.