Korn, Daddy | Controversial Songs

In the 16th edition of Controversial Songs (2025), we explore the controversy behind “Daddy” by nu metal band Korn.

Bring on the controversy! Controversial Songs is a column that provides background information and insight into songs that raised eyebrows, stirred the pot, or were banned. The more censorship censor$hit, the better! The records that grace Controversial Songs are old and new alike, with all genres of music welcome.  In the 16^th edition of Controversial Songs (2025), we explore the controversy behind “Daddy” by Korn.

“Mother, please forgive me / I just had to get out all my pain and suffering / Now that I am done, remember I will always love you / I’m your son.” What a way to begin a song! What was the pain that Jonathan Davis, the frontman of the nu metal band Korn, was experiencing? Sexual abuse. Woah! Capturing such abuse in a song naturally makes “Daddy” controversial. It also makes the song incredibly powerful. Davis experienced abuse in real life, naturally painful and traumatic, but not at the hands of his father – it was at the hands of a babysitter who has since passed away. In a 2024 article that captures a therapist’s reaction to this 1990s classic – When Survivors of Sexual Abuse Aren’t Believed: Therapist reacts to “Daddy” by Korn – she asserts:

I just want to hug him. This is the most raw piece of music I’ve ever listened to in my life. This is so brave and powerful that, truly one of the most bold pieces of art I’ve ever seen.

Jonathan Davis has plenty to express on the 12^th and final track from Korn’s 1994 self-titled debut.  “Daddy” is not short. That is an understatement. It runs 17:30 long! Some of the runtime features silence beginning at the 9:30 mark, with a spoken word conversation (hidden track, “Michael & Geri”) kicking in after the 14-minute mark (14:05).  Written by Korn, Ross Robinson produced this difficult, controversial, but important listen.  Robinson is credited with getting one of the rawest, most emotional performances from Davis.  According to an article from Metal Hammer:

“I just went up to him and held his arms, looked straight in his eyes, and said, ‘You need to do it,’ and he goes, ‘I know,’ and that was it. And I still, to this day, haven’t been able to get that deep of a performance from anybody. His heart was exploding, and I think we made musical history.”

“Innocent child, looking so sweet / I’ll rape your mind and now your flesh I reap.” Yikes! Those lyrics hail from the first verse, which is performed enigmatically, sounding troubled and weird.  The same sentiment occurs in the second verse, where Davis asserts, “Come out and play, I’ll be your daddy.” Davis’ vocals grow angrier and louder during the choruses that follow the verses.  He shouts:

“You raped, I feel dirty

It hurt, as a child

Tied down, ‘that’s a good boy’

And fucked your own child.”

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see why “Daddy” raised eyebrows.  Notably, Davis wasn’t singing about his father committing this heinous, pedophilic, and predatory act.  But he is a victim, and he is upset with his parents (mom) in this song about their unbelief regarding the incident.  “I didn’t touch you there / Mommy said she didn’t care,” he sings in the bridge, continuing, “I didn’t touch you there / That’s why Mommy stopped and stared.” Tough to hear. Far too many times, the abused stories are ignored and neglected.  It already takes immense courage to reveal such a personal, troubling experience. In the final chorus, Davis is truly torn to shreds, singing “I scream, no one hears me / It hurt, I’m not a liar / My God, saw you watch / Mommy, why your own child.” Post-chorus, Davis lets the f-bombs fly, as he unleashes his raw emotion towards his abuser (Daddy in this song):

“I fuckin’ hate you

Oh, you fucker

Motherfucker, I fuckin’ hate you, fuck you

You son of a bitch,

You fuckin’ ruined my life

I wanted to die…”

“Daddy” does a phenomenal job of capturing angst, pain, and tension. It is uncomfortable to listen, as it should be.  No one, particularly an innocent child, deserves to be abused.  Furthermore, their story should not be dismissed.  This is trauma that deserves to be addressed justly.  This could not have been an easy song for Jonathan Davis to sing, yet, he gave his all and delivered one of the best performances of his illustrious career.

Korn // Korn // Sony Music Entertainment, Inc. // 1994

Korn, Daddy: Controversial Songs No. 16 (2025) [: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Sony Music Entertainment, Inc.; Andrea Mosti from Pexels; AcatXlo, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay; christian buehner on Unsplash]