Jonathan Davis says he never wants to sing Korn’s Daddy again: “I realised how dark it is – it’s some depressing shit”

Korn’s Jonathan Davis singing live onstage — (Image credit: Gina Wetzler/Redferns)

Korn’s self-tited debut album is one of the most influential albums of the 1990s – and one of the most harrowing. Singer Jonathan Davis’ lyrics address everything from bullying to drug abuse – and, on the song Daddy, child abuse.

That latter track was so difficult for Jonathan to sing that he broke down in tears in the studio while recording it. In fact, the band didn't play it live for two decades, until they aired it on the 20th anniversary tour in support of their debut album's big milestone. Now, speaking exclusively to Metal Hammer, Jonathan says he never wants to play the song again.

“I felt like I robbed the world of doing that live for so long,” says Jonathan of the decision to not play the song before 2015. “I felt like I owed it to our fans that were hardcore enough to come and see us on the 20th anniversary of that album, but I don’t wanna do it again.

“Going out and touring that record, I realised how dark it is – it’s some depressing shit. As we got into (1998’s) Follow The Leader, it became more about groove. The emotion was there, but it wasn’t that particular darkness we captured on that first record.”

He added that while the 30th anniversary of their debut album is coming up in 2024, Korn are unlikely to revisit Daddy.

“I don’t think I wanna go through that again,” he says. “It was difficult, and I think I was proving to myself that I could do it too.”

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