What in the World? – Passenger and the Dawn of the New Millennium
The year was 2000.
A new millennium had just begun. The world had spent months worrying that computers would fail at the stroke of midnight. Instead, the lights stayed on, the planes kept flying, and humanity stepped into the 21st century wondering what came next.
The future had arrived.
It was into this strange, exciting world that Deftones released White Pony, an album that would redefine heavy music. Hidden among its many standout tracks was one of alternative metal's greatest collaborations: Passenger, featuring Maynard James Keenan.
Welcome to the Future
The calendar now read 2000, and suddenly everything seemed possible.
The Y2K bug, which many feared would cripple banks, power grids, and governments, had passed with surprisingly little disruption. Relief quickly turned into excitement as the world embraced a new technological era.
People were carrying their trusty Nokia 3310s. The first camera phones were beginning to appear. And in living rooms around the globe, gamers were lining up for Sony's revolutionary PlayStation 2.
It felt like tomorrow had finally arrived.
Music Was Changing Forever
Perhaps the biggest revolution wasn't happening on television or in politics.
It was happening online.
Napster had turned the music industry upside down. For the first time, millions of people could discover artists with a few clicks, sharing songs across continents in ways record companies had never imagined.
The old rules no longer applied.
Heavy music was changing too. Nu metal dominated the charts, but bands like Deftones were pushing beyond rap-metal clichés, creating something darker, more atmospheric, and emotionally complex.
A World in Transition
Politics reflected the uncertainty of the moment.
The fiercely contested U.S. presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore would dominate headlines for weeks, while in Russia, Vladimir Putin officially assumed the presidency, beginning a new political era whose consequences would echo for decades.
It was a world searching for its identity.
The Perfect Soundtrack
Passenger captures that uncertainty beautifully.
Driven by hypnotic riffs and an almost cinematic atmosphere, the song feels like travelling through the night with no clear destination. Chino Moreno's dreamlike vocals intertwine perfectly with Maynard James Keenan's haunting performance, creating a conversation that is mysterious, intimate, and strangely unsettling.
Like the world of 2000 itself, the song never fully reveals where it's heading.
Instead, it invites you to enjoy the journey.
The Hidden Gem
Although White Pony is widely regarded as one of the defining rock albums of the 21st century, Passenger has largely remained a fan favourite rather than a mainstream hit.
That's surprising.
It brings together two of alternative metal's most distinctive voices on a track that still sounds remarkably fresh more than two decades later. Every listen reveals another layer hidden beneath its dense, atmospheric production.
Sometimes the greatest songs aren't the singles everyone remembers.
Sometimes they're waiting halfway through an album, ready to be discovered.
Looking Back from Today
Listening to Passenger now feels like stepping into a time capsule from the year 2000.
A world embracing the internet.
A music industry about to be transformed forever.
A new century filled with excitement, uncertainty, and endless possibility.
And through it all, one extraordinary song captured exactly what it felt like to stand on the threshold of the future.
B-Side Man Verdict
Some songs belong to a moment. Others seem to predict what's coming next.
Passenger is one of those rare tracks.
Released as the world crossed into a new millennium, it became the perfect soundtrack for an age of rapid change—proof that the future isn't always bright or dark. Sometimes, it's simply mysterious.
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