Korn released “Twisted Transistor” as a digital single on September 27, 2005. The lead single from See You on the Other Side introduced a changed band and a new writing partnership. Working with the Matrix, Korn developed a song with a direct vocal hook that placed Jonathan Davis’s voice against the band’s heavy rhythm section.
The sessions followed guitarist Brian “Head” Welch’s departure earlier that year. Davis, guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer, bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu and drummer David Silveria continued as a quartet, while the move from Epic to Virgin gave the recording another point of departure. Their seventh studio album would be their first without Welch, and they opened the writing process to collaborators outside the band.
The Matrix had established themselves through records with artists including Avril Lavigne, Hilary Duff and Liz Phair. That background made them an unexpected choice for Korn, but the work began with the band playing. In a 2006 interview with SongwriterUniverse, Lauren Christy explained that she, Graham Edwards and Scott Spock spent their first day listening to Korn record and jam. They then returned to their own studio to develop ideas before working with Davis on melodies and lyrics.
For “Twisted Transistor,” Christy had a title before she had a story. She suggested it to Davis, and the two developed the song’s vocal hook. Her account describes a collaboration built around the musicians’ performances, with the producers helping turn that material into songs. The sessions were productive enough that, by her recollection, they completed 23 demos in three weeks.
Davis also described a longer period of experimentation around the album. In a 2005 interview with AltSounds, later republished by RIOT, he said writing began in January and that writing and recording took roughly six months. They worked at Korn’s Hollywood clubhouse. Asked what listeners should understand about the record, he pointed to the smaller lineup and the freedom they had given themselves: “We experimented a lot.”
The video extended that willingness to change how Korn presented themselves. Director Dave Meyers cast four rappers in the musicians’ roles: Lil Jon played Davis, Snoop Dogg played Munky, Xzibit played Fieldy and David Banner played Silveria. The casting made the performers part of the joke rather than guests appearing alongside the band.
Its mock documentary format let the rappers exaggerate rock star behavior while performing as Korn. The idea also played on the band’s frustration with music television. In the AltSounds interview, Davis explained that the suggestion rappers might help the clip get MTV airtime was itself a joke. The video used the crossover to make fun of the machinery surrounding a rock band.
Looking back in an interview published by Metal Hammer in 2026, Davis recalled spending time with the rappers throughout the shoot and described the extended version as a miniature movie. His memory of the production centered on the humor and the friendships that made the casting possible.
“Twisted Transistor” led into See You on the Other Side, released through Virgin on December 6, 2005. The album expanded the collaboration beyond one single, with production contributions from Davis, the Matrix and Atticus Ross. Another Matrix collaboration, “Coming Undone,” subsequently became a single from the same record.
