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"I Don't Care"
Single by Apocalyptica featuring Adam Gontier
from the album Worlds Collide
Released	May 30, 2008 (US) September 5, 2008 (Germany)
Recorded	2007
Genre	Alternative metal post-grunge pop rock cello metal
Length	3:57 (album version) 3:41 (single and US album version)
Label	Jive
Songwriter(s)	Eicca Toppinen Adam Gontier Max Martin
Producer(s)	Howard Benson
Apocalyptica singles chronology
"S.O.S. (Anything But Love)" (2008) "I Don't Care" (2008) "End of Me" (2010)

"I Don't Care" is a song by Finnish rock band Apocalyptica, the song was released in 2008 as the third and final single from their sixth album Worlds Collide and features Adam Gontier, lead singer of Three Days Grace, on lead vocals. The song reached number one on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for one week and number two on the Alternative Songs chart where it spent a year in the top 20.

Background and composition

Eicca Toppinen spoke about the song in an interview for Dutch metal webzine Zwaremetalen in 2007: "I wrote some of the lyrics to "I Don't Care." Max Martin wrote most of the lyrics, though. The song is about a fantasy and not about anyone in particular, but I think everyone can find a sense of truth in the lyrics."

Versions

There are two recorded versions of the song. The first one (length 3:57) was released in 2007 in Europe. Adam Gontier wanted to re-record the song for the US and Canada release of "Worlds Collide" in 2008 and that version is 3:41. In this radio edit version of the song, some explicit content of the lyrics, including the chorus's second half, are replaced. The radio edit version is available only on the single and the US and Canadian edition of the album. In a February 2008 interview for Brave Words and Bloody Knuckles magazine Eicca Toppinen from Apocalyptica explains why there are two versions of the song: "Actually we've reworked the song. Adam originally recorded his vocals in the spring with our producer (Jacob Hellner), but Adam wasn't entirely happy with the result. So a couple of weeks ago, Adam went to the studio with Howard Benson to record a new version of the song. It's really great. It will actually be on the US/Canadian edition."

Music video

Speaking on the concept of the video, Eicca Topinnen said "It's going to be a bit freaky". "It'll be surrealistic in many ways, maybe a little bit in the spirit of Tim Burton. There's acrobats, strange-looking people doing strange things. It's going to be shot in an old house where nobody lives; it's a big mansion. It's really spooky. Of course, the director, Lisa Mann, is the only person who really knows at the moment, but it's exciting for us. She really wants to bring out the people inside the band. It feels completely different. It has a really special look."

The video shows the band playing in a decrepit house. The band plays in a small room with a low ceiling (Adam Gontier has to hunch over in order to stand). Next, the video shows members from the band and other women entering in and out of little doors. In the next scene, it shows the band, Gontier, and more women in a hallway standing still, dancing, walking and playing. Then, three women enter. In this dance sequence, the women dance around the three cello players, trying to seduce them, but they pay no attention. In a cutaway, it shows the three men playing. Cut back, and the three women sit in their laps. Then it shows the men playing the women like cellos. The following scene shows Gontier, rejecting a woman as she attempts to dance with him. In a cutaway scene continuing from the dance sequence, the women take their cellos away. In the last scene, it shows everybody in a room surrounding a table, eating, drinking, laughing, talking, dancing, and kissing. In the end, the band and Adam Gontier finished playing and a green light is shown shining behind them.

Chart performance

"I Don't Care" debuted at number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song peaked at number 78 on the chart and also reached number two on the Alternative Airplay chart. Additionally, the song topped the Mainstream Rock chart and remained on the chart for 40 weeks.

In other media

The track was used in The CW's series Smallville in season eight, episode 16, called "Turbulence".

Track listing

Personnel

Credits for "I Don't Care" adapted from album's liner notes.

Chart positions

Certifications

Release history

References

1. Sean Colburn (March 12, 2009). "I Don't Care - Apocalyptica". The Ledger. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
2. "Apocalyptica (Mainstream Rock)". December 20, 2008. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
3. "Apocalyptica (Alternative Airplay)". December 27, 2008. Archived from the original on May 10, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
4. Dekker, Jaco (September 22, 2007). "Interview Apocalyptica". Zwaremetalen.com (in Dutch).
5. ^ "Exclusive: Apocalyptica Film "I Don't Care" Video in Toronto". Bravewords.com. February 13, 2008. Archived from the original on February 17, 2008. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
6. "Billboard Hot 100: Week of November 1, 2008". Billboard. November 1, 2008. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
7. Gary Graff (July 19, 2010). "Apocalyptica Records Naked, Recruits Gavin Rossdale for '7th Symphony'". Billboard. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
8. "LV Music: Metal Music on Cellos Apocalyptica Still Fighting Stereotypes Finding Fans". The Morning Call. March 16, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
9. Worlds Collide (booklet). Jive. 2007.
10. "Adam Gontier Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
11. "Adam Gontier Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
12. "Apocalyptica: I Don't Care" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
13. "Adam Gontier Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
14. "Adam Gontier Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
15. "Alternative Airplay Songs – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
16. "Mainstream Rock Songs – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
17. "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
18. "Canadian single certifications – Apocalyptica – I Don't Care". Music Canada. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
19. "I Don't Care (feat. Adam Gontier) - Single by Apocalyptica". Apple Music. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
20. "Available for Airplay Archive: 2006 – September". FMQB. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
21. "Available for Airplay Archive: 2006 – September". FMQB. Archived from the original on November 25, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
22. "I Don't Care: Amazon.ca: Music". Amazon. Retrieved July 4, 2024.

• 2008 singles
• Apocalyptica songs
• Rock ballads
• Songs written by Max Martin
• Songs written by Adam Gontier
• Songs written by Eicca Toppinen
• 2007 songs
• Jive Records singles