The Clincher

"The Clincher"
"The Clincher"
Single by Chevelle
from the album This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In)
Released	January 25, 2005
Genre	Alternative metal; nu metal;
Length	3:43
Label	Epic
Songwriters	Pete Loeffler; Sam Loeffler; Joe Loeffler;
Producers	Michael Baskette; Chevelle;
Chevelle singles chronology

"The Clincher" is a song by American rock band Chevelle, released as the second single from the band's third album This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In). The song is about claustrophobia, as confirmed by Sam Loeffler. Despite this, many people still mistakenly infer that the song is the band's take on The Passion of Christ, due to lyrics like "helped to nail down" which refers to the crucifixion.^[1]

Music video

The music video, directed by Nathan Cox, features the band Chevelle performing in the woods while a boy collects bugs. One of the bugs he collects turns out to be a beautiful angel (played by Nicole Marie Lenz) who endures great suffering when she is framed and mounted on the wall. At the end of the video, the boy recognizes her pain and ultimately frees her.

Critical reception

Loudwire ranked it the sixth greatest Chevelle song.^[2]

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "The Clincher"
Chart (2005)	Peak position
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)^[3]	8
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)^[4]	8
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)^[5]	3

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "The Clincher"
Chart (2005)	Position
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)^[6]	26

Certifications

Certifications for "The Clincher"
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[7]	Gold	500,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

↑ James Montgomery (February 1, 2005). "Chevelle Get Poles Shoved Through Their Chests For 'Clincher'". MTV. It's about claustrophobia. It's cool to get a song out on the radio that everyone can listen to but it's about such a dark subject.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
↑ Childers, Chad. "10 Best Chevelle songs". Loudwire. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
↑ "Chevelle Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
↑ "Chevelle Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
↑ "Chevelle Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
↑ "Most-Played Modern Rock Songs of 2005" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 13, no. 50. December 16, 2005. p. 52. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
↑ "American single certifications – Chevelle – The Clincher". Recording Industry Association of America. January 15, 2021.

External links

[1] James Montgomery (February 1, 2005). "Chevelle Get Poles Shoved Through Their Chests For 'Clincher'". MTV. It's about claustrophobia. It's cool to get a song out on the radio that everyone can listen to but it's about such a dark subject.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)

[2] Childers, Chad. "10 Best Chevelle songs". Loudwire. Retrieved January 13, 2022.

[sc_Billboardbubbling100_Chevelle-3] "Chevelle Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2020.

[sc_Billboardalternativesongs_Chevelle-4] "Chevelle Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2020.

[sc_Billboardmainstreamrock_Chevelle-5] "Chevelle Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2020.

[6] "Most-Played Modern Rock Songs of 2005" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 13, no. 50. December 16, 2005. p. 52. Retrieved March 30, 2026.

[United_StatesChevelleThe_ClinchersingleCertRef-7] "American single certifications – Chevelle – The Clincher". Recording Industry Association of America. January 15, 2021.

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