“Judith” by A Perfect Circle

"Judith" was the song that introduced A Perfect Circle, the lead single off their 2000 debut Mer de noms, and it seethes like a family argument that has been simmering for decades. Maynard James Keenan wrote it about his mother, Judith Marie Keenan, who spent much of her life in a wheelchair after a stroke and still clung to her Christian faith, a devotion her son could not make sense of. He spits out his disbelief with an anger that feels uncomfortably personal.

Billy Howerdel wrote the music with him, played guitar and bass and produced, sliding his riffs over Josh Freese's knotty, lurching drums, with Paz Lenchantin singing alongside him; Alan Moulder helped mix it. David Fincher directed the video.

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