Down with the Sickness

"Down with the Sickness" is a song by American heavy metal band Disturbed. It was recorded in 1999 and released as the second single from the band's debut studio album, The Sickness. "Down with the Sickness" is one of Disturbed's best-known songs and is a concert staple, usually played as the last song. This was Disturbed's first single to be certified platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America. The song was certified 8× Platinum by the RIAA on January 17, 2025.^[2]

"Down with the Sickness"
Single by Disturbed
from the album The Sickness
Released	October 31, 2000[1]
Recorded	1999
Genre	Nu metal
Length	4:38 (album version) 3:42 (radio edit)
Label	Giant
Songwriter(s)	Steve Kmak Dan Donegan Mike Wengren David Draiman
Producer(s)	Johnny K
Disturbed singles chronology
"Stupify" (2000) "Down with the Sickness" (2000) "Voices" (2000)
Audio sample
"Down with the Sickness" (chorus) file help

Music and composition

"Down With the Sickness" is a nu metal song^[3][4][5] that features an unusual "ooh-wah-ah-ah-ah" staccato noise from Disturbed's singer David Draiman at the end of the intro, which reappears before the last chorus.^[6] Draiman has stated the sound was made possible by effects on his vocal cords after receiving surgery for acid reflux, but he has dismissed the rumor the noise was actually caused by heartburn, further explaining, "I mean the song originally was written and just had a pause. Mikey's beat is just so tribal and you know it just made me feel like an animal... [The noise] came out one day."^[7]

Guitarist Dan Donegan has mentioned that the tuning for the guitar "is drop C-sharp... your bottom five strings are half a step down and your low string will be dropped to C-sharp."^[8] This is sometimes referred to as "E♭ Drop D♭", the most common drop tuning for bands who play generally in E♭ standard instead of E standard.

Lyrics

A spoken segment near the end of the song describes a child who is physically abused by his mother and who ultimately retaliates. This segment is somewhat controversial and music critics sometimes express a negative opinion of its inclusion in the song. For example, Leor Galil of the Chicago Reader opined, "Yet I still find it hard to believe that the megasingle 'Down With the Sickness,' with its vocal breakdown in which front man David Draiman crudely describes being beaten by his mom (and vice versa), guided the band on to a path that's resulted in four albums topping the Billboard 200."^[9]

However, the band has disavowed that this song is about literal child abuse, and that it is instead about a metaphoric abuse. Lead singer David Draiman explained to the Phoenix New Times:

...the screamed psychodramas in metal hits like "Down With The Sickness" ... are merely inspired by personal history, not a literal journal of his own tortured upbringing. "I'm really talking about the conflict between the mother culture of society, who's beating down the child yearning for independence and individuality, and the submission of the child."^[10]

The "abuse" segment is not included in the radio edit or the music video.

Music video

A music video composed of live concert footage was produced for the song. The song is known for its segment which features a boy being attacked and abused by his mother,^[11] which was not featured in the music video. The music video was recorded at the "Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre" (at the time the Tweeter Center) in Tinley Park, Illinois, during Q101's Jamboree 2001.^[12]

In other media

• The song is featured in the 2001 Jet Li film The One during an action scene.
• The song was featured in the first episode of the 11th season of South Park, “With Apologies to Jesse Jackson”, as Eric Cartman fights with a man who has dwarfism.
• The song is featured in the 2004 remake of the film Dawn of the Dead during the end credits.
• In May 2019, the song was used during the final scene of the Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode “Sicko”.
• Since 2022, Phoebe Bridgers has used the song as her walk-on music when performing live. In 2023, David Draiman gave his blessing of its use after he saw footage of Bridgers' entrance on TikTok.^[13]
• Since February 2024, KFC used the song in a UK advertisement.^[14]
• In March 2024, it was added to Fortnite as a playable Jam Track in Fortnite Festival.

Accolades

Region	Year	Publication	Accolade	Rank
United States	2015	Loudwire	10 Best Metal Riffs of the 2000s[15]	3
United States	2016	Loudwire	Best Metal Song of the 21st Century[16]	Won

Personnel

Disturbed

• David Draiman – vocals
• Dan Donegan – guitar, electronics
• Steve Kmak – bass
• Mike Wengren – drums, percussion, programming

Production

• Johnny K – production, engineering
• Andy Wallace – mixing
• Howie Weinberg – mastering

Charts

Chart (2001)	Peak position
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[17]	37
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[18]	4
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[19]	8
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[20]	5

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[21]	4× Platinum	280,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[22]	6× Platinum	480,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[23]	Gold	45,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[24]	Gold	300,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[25]	3× Platinum	90,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[26]	Platinum	600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[2]	8× Platinum	8,000,000‡
Ringtone / Mastertone
Canada (Music Canada)[27] Ringtone	Gold	20,000*
United States (RIAA)[28] Mastertone	Gold	500,000*
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.