Counterfeit (song) - Music and Lyrics

Music and Lyrics

The song originated from the band's frustrations at the fact that other bands were copying Limp Bizkit's style. According to Borland, "They saw this little thing we built and they were like, 'Oh, let's get baggy pants and dress like kind of hip-hoppy and, you know, play heavy metal and rap.' five or six bands just popped up out of nowhere that became these, you know, groups that were trying to sound like us. It was ridiculous. That's where the song 'Counterfeit' came from."

On the recorded version, Borland played without a guitar pick, performing with two hands, one playing melodic notes, and the other playing chord progressions. Borland's playing featured octave shapes, and choppy, eighth-note rhythms, sometimes accompanied by muting his strings with his left hand, creating a percussive sound. Borland also made use of unevenly accented syncopated sixteenth notes and hypnotic, droning licks to create a disorienting effect.