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"Heavydirtysoul" is a song written and recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. The song was released as the sixth and final single from their fourth studio album Blurryface on December 9, 2016. Some of the song's lyrics are directly taken from lead singer Tyler Joseph's "Street Poetry", published on Rock Sound's official YouTube channel on August 27, 2013.

Background

In 2013, Twenty One Pilots were the monthly cover stars for British magazine Rock Sound and Tyler Joseph was filmed performing street poetry in London, England. Some of the lyrics he recited were from the song "HeavyDirtySoul," which was released on band's fourth studio album Blurryface. In addition to his music career as a songwriter, Joseph is also a poet and had written and released two poems: “What’s Your Story?” and “Street Poetry.” For "Heavydirtysoul," Twenty One Pilots used part of the lyrics taken from "Street Poetry," which had been published by Tyler Joseph three years earlier.

Blurryface had served to transcend the realm of music to become a cathartic vessel for Tyler Joseph with its titular character, and a key factor in musically grasping the album was comprehending the psyche of the "Blurryface" alter ego. One other main character on Blurryface had been the music itself; with seven of the fourteen songs appearing to address the music directly, beginning with the first verse of "Heavydirtysoul." The album leapt between various music genre boundaries as Tyler Joseph alternates between rapping, singing, and screaming, even alluding to the notion with opening track "Heavydirtysoul." In spite of the schizophrenic nature of the music, it remains true to the Blurryface persona.

Recording

"Heavydirtysoul" was produced by Ricky Reed and recorded at Serenity West Recording in Hollywood, California. The track was then mixed at The Casita in Hollywood, California and mastered at Sterling Sound in New York City. Most of the song’s lyrics are derived from “Street Poetry,” a short poem Tyler Joseph wrote some time ago. Joseph reworked his poem into "Heavydirtysoul," an aggressively fast-talking opening track which nonetheless boasts an unexpectedly melodic chorus. 

Being an introductory track, "Heavydirtysoul" serves to outline the venturous fourth studio album. Similar to their previous album Vessel, the fourth album was diverse and reflected Joseph and Dun's wide-ranging musical tastes. "Heavydirtysoul" in particular exemplifies the manner in which the duo mix and move between multiple genres, not merely across the album, but within the same track. As the first track on Blurryface, "Heavydirtysoul" encapsulates all musical elements expected of the band’s release. The song contains rap verses with self-referential lyrics, anthemic lines and dramatic, piano-led choruses.

Composition

"Heavydirtysoul" is an alternative hip hop song that runs for a duration of three minutes and fifty-four seconds. Within its track, the duo mix multiple genres, moving between funk-tinged rock, hip-hop, grandeur pop and soul while flaunting R&B hooks and experimenting with electronic dance beats. "Heavydirtysoul" features Joseph’s most intense vocals and complex, high-speed rapping. Joseph's rapid rapping is supplemented by Dun's soulful drumming, generating its groove. Though aggressively fast-talking, the opening track nevertheless struts an unexpectedly melodic chorus. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Music, the song is written in the time signature of common time, with a moderately fast tempo of 130 beats per minute. "Heavydirtysoul" is composed in the key of D minor, while Tyler Joseph's vocal range spans one octave and six notes, from a low of D₄ to a high of C₆. The song is restricted to a droning chord of Dm throughout its verses and pre-chorus, changes to a basic sequence of B♭–Gm–Dm–C at the refrain and follows B♭–G♭m–D♭m–C/E during the bridge as its chord progression. 

The musical arrangement begins with its introduction, opening with an ambient drone before quickly morphing into a hooky, memorable two-step drumbeat and Tyler Joseph's rapped vocals.  Following its intro, the rousing song launches into a storm of industrial drumming beneath Joseph speedy's rapping over fast, pulsating rhythm. The song bounds into catchy breaks and cascading noise before a throbbing unease arises during its pre-chorus. The beat-laden musical arrangement then shifts into a dramatic, piano-driven prechorus. For the song's gospel-inspired chorus, Joseph sings atop an undercurrent of surging energy and scattered percussion. The song's tempo decreases as he starts breaking into a catchy chorus of neo-soul. Joseph invokes screaming in falsetto vocals at the refrain, insisting, "Can you save my heavy dirty soul, for me?" Throughout the disjointed track, a vibrant soundscape effortlessly darts from drum and bass fills to arena-sized choruses and lengthy bass riffs before reaching a heavy rock climax.

Lyrically, "Heavydirtysoul" is about asking for help defeating inner demons in order to become something greater. It features an anthemic theme pertaining to self-discovery through being vulnerable. The song's lyrics reveal that deep down, even despite knowledge of one's greatness, help is necessary in bringing it out or else risk getting lost in thoughts. "Heavydirtysoul" contains frantic rap verses where Joseph delivers fast-paced lyrics with quick-tempered rapping. The song's opening verse expresses a self-referential remark. Joseph alternates from rapping and singing, even alluding to the concept by contending, "This is not rap, this is not hip-hop / just another attempt to make the voices stop." For the chorus, Joseph sings a desperate plea for someone to save his heavy, dirty soul. Towards the end, the song's anthemic bridge incorporates a tag line. Joseph's metaphoric lyrics are haunted by mortality as he sings, "Death inspires me like a dog inspires a rabbit."

Critical reception

Describing it as a "rousing number," Cole Waterman from Spectrum Culture considers "Heavydirtysoul" one of the album's four best songs. Chris Willman of Variety regarded "Heavydirtysoul" as the best track from Blurryface. AllMusic's Neil Z. Yeung cites the song as one of the album's highlights. Calling the tagline one of Joseph's cleverest turns of phrase, Stereogum's Chris DeVille cites the opening track as an instance of how Twenty One Pilots had a way of making counterintuitive, hyperactive musical shifts seem natural. He claimed the song "morphs from some kind of late-'90s trip-hop/Big Beat thing to a Fitz and the Tantrums song to a monolithic heavy-rock climax without ever inducing whiplash." André Curcic from Renowned for Sound claimed, "The introductory track 'Heavydirtysoul' defines the album which seeks to venture beyond definition. The track is incredibly disjointed that is what makes the track one of the best on the album. It begins with a fast, pulsating rhythm and jumps into catchy song breaks that come together to create something wonderful." Comparing its grooves to the mid-1990s works of Prodigy, Jason Pettigrew for Alternative Press claimed, "The first track on the band's 2015 release Blurryface successfully encapsulates all the elements fans have come to expect... 'Heavydirtysoul' is guaranteed to have crowds pogoing from Bunbury to Bonnaroo." He continued saying, "Anxious and frightened, yet trippy and badassed, the duo's blend of fearful and fierce here is stellar." Sharing similar sentiments, Anne Nickoloff and Troy Smith from The Plain Dealer remarked, "The opener "Heavydirtysoul" sounds like The Prodigy is about to rip through your speakers, as drummer Josh Dun goes absolutely ballistic." Emily Jayne Beard from PopBuzz cites "Heavydirtysoul" as one of the songs from the album that "hook you in with instantly memorable beats.

Loudwire's Chad Childers described "Heavydirtysoul" as a "pulse-pushing opener." Scott Mervis for Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described the song as "a banger that launches with a drum rush and speed rap before breaking into a chorus of lovely neo-soul." Likewise, Madison Desler of Orange County Register deemed the track "a beat-heavy banger that features some of Joseph's most rapid-fire rapping." Stuff's Kylie Klein Nixon called the song, "a glorious street parade of cascading noise. ... It's not the lyrics they're hiding up their sleeves either. 'Heavy Dirty Soul' includes the viscerally poetic metaphor: "death inspires me like a dog inspires a rabbit," and that's the kind of wordsmithery that buys a lot of good will.” Kerrang! ranked the song’s tag line as one of the band’s ten best lyrics. Sam Law, from the same publication, said the song "... spectacularly walks the line between fearfulness and ferocity ... Featuring one of the vocalist’s most assured performances, to the contrary, 'Heavydirtysoul' is a masterclass in both, with heaps of classic pop grandeur and that titular soul loaded on for good measure. Writing for the same publication, Emily Carter characterized "Heavydirtysoul" as being a "genre-smashing single." She commented, "Opener 'Heavydirtysoul' hears the frontman rapping, ‘This is not rap / This is not hip-hop / Just another attempt to make the voices stop’ ... All heavy words, but ones that have helped thousands of fans worldwide – myself included – tackle important issues and emotions going on in their head."

Accolades

Twenty One Pilots received a nomination for the Best Rock award with "Heavydirtysoul" at the 34th annual MTV Video Music Awards. Fans were able to vote online for nominees in the eight VMA categories, with the winner being awarded during the telecast that aired from The Forum in Inglewood, California on August 27, 2017.

Commercial performance

"Heavydirtysoul" peaked at No. 8 on the Hot Rock Songs chart, No. 2 on the Alternative Songs chart, No. 22 on the Mainstream Rock chart, and No. 25 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart in the US.

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Heavydirtysoul" was directed by Andrew Donoho and filmed outside the band's hometown, Columbus, Ohio. The video features Tyler Joseph sitting in the passenger seat of an out-of-control vehicle playing chicken with Josh Dun and his flaming drum kit.

The music video for "Heavydirtysoul" was released by Twenty One Pilots on February 3, 2017. The duo provided fans with the opportunity to view how they made their video. Following the debut of the music video for "Heavydirtysoul", the duo released a "Beyond the video' behind-the-scenes experience. It portrays Tyler and Josh getting up at dawn in freezing temperatures to make the video.

Reception

Kerrang!'s Sam Law regarded the music video as "yet another unforgettable stand-out." Jason Pettigrew of Alternative Press complimented the music video, remarking, "Anxious and frightened, yet trippy and badassed, the duo’s blend of fearful and fierce here is stellar. We’re just glad Joseph can take limousines and not the crappy Uber driving him in this video."

Live performance

Twenty One Pilots performed "Heavydirtysoul" as the opener of a concert held at Comerica Theatre on in Downtown Phoenix, Arizona October 14, 2015. Once the duo began, a vast majority of the audience started to sing along closely to the song's lyrics. Twenty One Pilots provided a live rendition of "Heavydirtysoul" as their opening performance during a concert at UNSW Roundhouse in Sydney, Australia on April 20, 2016. With the lower half of their faces half-covered in balaclava, Joseph wielded a tambourine and Dun played drums throughout the track before slowing down and segueing into a performance of "Stressed Out."

Usage in media

The song appears on the soundtracks for the video games WWE 2K16 and Madden NFL 16.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from Blurryface album liner notes.

Charts

Certifications

References

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16. ^ Law, Sam (April 24, 2020). "The 20 Greatest twenty one pilots Songs — Ranked". Kerrang!. Retrieved April 25, 2020. {{cite web}}: no-break space character in |title= at position 4 (help)
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25. ^ Waterman, Cole (May 31, 2015). "Twenty One Pilots: Blurryface - Review". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
26. ^ Mervis, Scott (January 28, 2017). "Twenty One Pilots Are a High-Flying Thrill at PPG Paints Arena". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. John Robinson Block.
27. ^ Nixon, Kylie Klein (March 25, 2017). "Twenty One Pilots Astound With Magic and Acrobatics at First Show on New Zealand/Australia tour". Stuff. Fairfax New Zealand. {{cite web}}: no-break space character in |work= at position 8 (help)
28. ^ DeVille, Chris (May 28, 2015). "The Week in Pop: Meet Twenty One Pilots, The Biggest Band You've Never Heard Of". Stereogum. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
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32. Childers, Chad (November 14, 2019). "The 66 Best Rock Albums of the Decade". Loudwire.
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37. Dickman, Maggie (February 9, 2017). "Twenty One Pilots give us a peek at the making of the "Heavydirtysoul" music video—watch". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. {{cite web}}: no-break space character in |author= at position 9 (help)
38. Dickman, Maggie (February 3, 2017). "Twenty One Pilots release new music video for "Heavydirtysoul"". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. {{cite web}}: no-break space character in |author= at position 9 (help); no-break space character in |work= at position 43 (help)
39. ^ "Watch The Making Of twenty one pilots' Heavydirtysoul Video". Kerrang!. February 9, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
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56. id MUST BE PROVIDED for UK CERTIFICATION.
57. "American single certifications – twenty one pilots – Heavydirtysoul". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links

• "Heavydirtysoul" Music video on YouTube
• "Heavydirtysoul" (Beyond the Video) on YouTube
• "Heavydirtysoul" (TOPxMM) Official video on YouTube
• Template:MetroLyrics song
• "Street Poetry" With Twenty One Pilots' Tyler Joseph on YouTube

v t e Twenty One Pilots
Tyler Joseph Josh Dun
Studio albums	Twenty One Pilots Regional at Best Vessel Blurryface Trench Scaled and Icy Clancy
Singles	"Holding On to You" "Guns for Hands" "Lovely" "House of Gold" "Fake You Out" "Car Radio" "Fairly Local" "Tear in My Heart" "Stressed Out" "Lane Boy" "Ride" "Heathens" "Heavydirtysoul" "Jumpsuit" "Nico and the Niners" "Levitate" "My Blood" "Chlorine" "The Hype" "Level of Concern" "Christmas Saves the Year" "Shy Away" "Choker" "Saturday" "The Outside" "Overcompensate" "Next Semester" "Backslide" "The Craving" "The Line"
Promotional singles	"Ode to Sleep" "We Don't Believe What's on TV" "Cancer" "Morph"
Other songs	"Johnny Boy" "The Judge" "Neon Gravestones"
Tours	Quiet Is Violent World Tour Emotional Roadshow World Tour The Bandito Tour Takeover Tour The Icy Tour
Related	Discography Awards and nominations List of songs recorded by Twenty One Pilots
Category

• Twenty One Pilots songs
• Songs written by Tyler Joseph
• 2015 songs
• 2016 singles
• Fueled by Ramen singles