“3 Libras” by A Perfect Circle

"3 Libras" was the song Billy Howerdel and Maynard James Keenan first wanted as the calling card for A Perfect Circle's debut, Mer de Noms, but label executives steered them toward the harder-hitting "Judith", figuring it would sound closer to Keenan's other band, Tool. So "3 Libras" became the second single, and it shows exactly what made the suits nervous: a hushed, circling guitar figure, Paz Lenchantin's violin and Luciano Lenchantin's viola drawing a string haze around it, and Keenan singing with a wounded restraint.

Howerdel produced and played guitar and bass, Josh Freese held down the drums, and Alan Moulder shared the mixing with Howerdel. The single went over well with critics and listeners alike, and remixes by Danny Lohner and by Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja later landed on the 2004 collection Amotion.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.