Bother (song)

"Bother" is the second single from the hard rock band Stone Sour's self-titled debut album. It was originally released as a solo song by frontman Corey Taylor, but the billing was later changed to Stone Sour. The song was one of Stone Sour's first songs to put them into the mainstream. The cover features Taylor's hands and rings, one of them being a Spider-Man ring which is a reference to the song's debut appearance on the soundtrack to the film Spider-Man (although the track is credited to Taylor as the performer, not Stone Sour) and to Taylor being a fan of the superhero. The other has the number eight on it, representing Taylor's number in Slipknot. Taylor has stated that the song is about when he moved back to Des Moines from Denver, where he hoped to try to move forward with his music.

"Bother"
Single by Stone Sour
from the album Music from and Inspired by Spider-Man and Stone Sour
Released	August 5, 2002
Recorded	2001[1]
Length	4:00
Label	Roadrunner
Songwriter(s)	Corey Taylor
Producer(s)	Tom Tatman Stone Sour James "Jimbo" Barton
Stone Sour singles chronology
"Get Inside" (2002) "Bother" (2002) "Inhale" (2003)

In 2024, Taylor released a remix/follow-up song titled Bother '23 (Still Not Bothered) on his compilation album CMF2...or Not 2B for Record Store Day. It features cover songs and unreleased B-sides.^[2]

Music video

The music video shows Taylor standing face-to-face with an exact copy of himself in a large room. As the two sing, Taylor's copy begins to rapidly age, and eventually dies and turns to dust as the other band members surround the two Taylors. All that is left of the copy is his Spider-Man ring, which the other Taylor puts on his own finger, encompassing his own Spider-Man ring. This video was directed by Gregory Dark.^[3]

Track listing

CD single cardboard sleeve Europe (2002) / CD single UK (2003)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Bother"	3:57
2.	"Rules of Evidence"	3:44

CD single enhanced Europe (2002) and Australia (2003)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Bother"	3:57
2.	"Rules of Evidence"	3:44
3.	"The Wicked"	4:54
4.	"Bother" (video)	4:06

Promo CD single US (2002)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Bother" (from Spider-Man)	3:57

Promo CD single Australia (2002)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Bother"	4:00

Promo CD single cardboard sleeve UK (2002)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Bother" (radio version)	3:57
2.	"Bother" (album version)	3:57

CD single Japan (2003)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Bother"	3:57
2.	"Rules of Evidence"	3:44
3.	"The Wicked"	4:55

Charts

Chart performance for "Bother"

Chart (2002−2003)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[4]	41
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5]	42
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[6]	87
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[7]	25
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[8]	40
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9]	43
Quebec Airplay (ADISQ)[10]	12
Scotland (OCC)[11]	28
UK Singles (OCC)[12]	28
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[13]	2
US Billboard Hot 100[14]	56
US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[15]	27
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[16]	4
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[17]	2

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Bother"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[18]	Gold	35,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[19]	Platinum	80,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[20]	Gold	15,000‡
United States (RIAA)[21]	Gold	500,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Bother"

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	August 5, 2002 (2002-08-05)	Alternative radio	Roadrunner	[22]
	August 19, 2002 (2002-08-19)	Mainstream rock active rock		[23]
	December 2, 2002 (2002-12-02)	Contemporary hit hot AC radio triple A radio		[24]
United Kingdom	February 1, 2003 (2003-02-01)	CD		[25]
Australia	February 10, 2003 (2003-02-10)	CD		[26]