Song · Tool
“Parabola” by Tool
From the album Lateralus (2001)
“Parabola” by Tool appears on 12 radio countdowns from 12 stations between 2001 and 2013. It was first released in 2001 on the album Lateralus. Its best result is #7 on the WCCC Top 106 Songs of 2002. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #103 alternative song of 2002.
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Video from YouTube (TOOLVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
Tool followed "Schism" with "Parabola", the second single from their third album, Lateralus, out in 2001, and it's the record's great release of pressure. Adam Jones tunes down to a modified drop-B and lets the riff swell like a tide coming in, Justin Chancellor's bass winds around it, Danny Carey pounds out rolling, tribal patterns, and Maynard James Keenan climbs from a murmur to a full-throated roar. Under the heaviness sits a meditation, borrowed from Heidegger, on how a life lived inside a mortal body can still feel eternal in the moment.
David Bottrill co-produced with the band and recorded and mixed it. First sent out only as a promo, it got a proper release in late 2005 with a DVD featuring Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys giving a two-voiced commentary on the video, and it later woke astronaut Robert Behnken aboard space shuttle mission STS-130.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Hard Rock & Metal
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 49 | Triple J Australia (national) | Triple J Hottest 100 of 2001 | 100 |
| 2002 | 92 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 2002 | 107 |
| 2002 | 43 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 2002 | 91 |
| 2002 | 87 | WFNX Boston, MA | WFNX Top 100 Songs of 2002 | 100 |
| 2002 | 103 | 107.7 The End Seattle, WA | The End Top 107 Songs of 2002 | 107 |
| 2002 | 44 | The Buzz Burlington, VT / Plattsburgh, NY / Montreal, QC | The Buzz Top 99 Songs of 2002 | 99 |
| 2002 | 7 | WCCC The Rock Hartford, CT | WCCC Top 106 Songs of 2002 | 106 |
| 2002 | 33 | WBER Rochester, NY | WBER Listener Countdown 2002 | 224 |
| 2002 | 80 | Radio 104.1 Hartford-New Haven, CT | WMRQ Top 104 Songs of 2002 | 104 |
| 2002 | 81 | Radio & Records United States (national airplay chart) | Radio & Records Top 100 Songs of 2002 | 99 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 761 | KISW | KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) | 999 |
| 2013 | 181 | KBPI | KBPI Top 200 Songs of All Time | 200 |
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