Wikipedia

Pardon Me

This article is about the Incubus song. For the Weezer song, see Make Believe (Weezer album).

"Pardon Me" is a song by American rock band Incubus. Released on October 5, 1999, as the lead single from their third studio album Make Yourself, it was the band's first song to receive considerable radio airplay, reaching number three on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, number seven on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number two on Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.[3][4][5]

"Pardon Me"
Single by Incubus
from the album Make Yourself
B-side"Crowded Elevator"
ReleasedOctober 5, 1999
StudioNRG (Los Angeles)
Genre
Length3:44
Label
Songwriter(s)Incubus
Producer(s)Scott Litt
Incubus singles chronology
"New Skin"
(1998) 		"Pardon Me"
(1999) 		"Stellar"
(2000)
Music video
"Pardon Me" on YouTube

Background and writing

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In an interview, lead singer Brandon Boyd explained the song's origins, "I was in a bookstore, browsing through an old Life magazine, when I saw a picture of what the article called spontaneous human combustion. There were an old guy's legs and shoes, perfectly intact - then, right around his knee area, was just a pile of charred ashes. I was going through some turmoil in my life, both good and bad, and the image struck a chord, so I wrote a song about it."[6] Boyd had recently returned from a tour to find out that his girlfriend of 7 years broke up with him, and that both his grandmother and a close friend of his had died. After seeing a picture in Life magazine of a man who had spontaneously combusted, he related the man's problems to his own.[6]

Music video

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The music video for "Pardon Me", directed by Steven Murashige,[6] also gained considerable airplay. The video begins with Brandon Boyd and his father Charles,[6] at opposite ends of a hallway. As the two approach each other, Charles begins to regress in age and appearance, while Boyd begins to grow more elderly, becoming increasingly alike as they advance toward each other. When they meet, they pass through each other and continue on in opposite directions. Footage of the band members in white outfits (except for Boyd, who is shirtless) in a red-colored box are also shown, as is footage of the band members in red outfits being surrounded by businessmen and businesswomen.

The video premiered on The Box the week ending on January 16, 2000.[7]

Track listing

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US single
  1. "Pardon Me" (Album Version)
  2. "Crowded Elevator"
  3. "Pardon Me" (Acoustic)
  4. "Drive" (Acoustic)
US promotional single
  1. "Pardon Me" (Acoustic)
UK single
  1. "Pardon Me" (Album Version)
  2. "I Miss You" (Acoustic)
  3. "Crowded Elevator"

Personnel

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Incubus

Production

Charts

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Chart (2000) Peak
position
Scotland (OCC)[8] 86
UK Singles (OCC)[9] 61
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[10] 3
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[11] 7
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[12] 2

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[13] Platinum 30,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States October 5, 1999 Alternative radio
[14]
United Kingdom May 8, 2000
Epic [15]

References

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  1. ^ Deville, Chris (December 13, 2024). "Stream The Nu-Metal Covers Comp A Christmas F*cking Miracle". Stereogum. Retrieved April 7, 2025. Maybe you'll just be reminded that songs like N.E.R.D.'s "Lapdance" and Incubus' "Pardon Me" are, in fact, nu-metal.
  2. ^ Graves, Wren (May 20, 2024). "50 Best Post-Grunge Songs". Consequence. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  3. ^ "Billboard". December 18, 1999.
  4. ^ "Bubbling Under Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
  5. ^ "Incubus". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d "A Deep Dive Into Incubus' Pardon Me Video". Kerrang!. Wasted Talent Ltd. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  7. ^ "Video Monitor". Billboard. January 25, 2000. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  8. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  9. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  10. ^ "Incubus Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  11. ^ "Incubus Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  12. ^ "Incubus Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  13. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Incubus – Pardon Me". Radioscope. Retrieved March 14, 2025. Type Pardon Me in the "Search:" field.
  14. ^ "Alternative: Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. October 1, 1999. p. 121. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  15. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting May 8, 2000: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. June 9, 2001. p. 23. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
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