Songfacts®:

• "Friendly Fire" is a synth-driven track that Linkin Park originally recorded during their 2017 One More Light sessions. It was first referenced in September 2016 when the band's creative director, Joe Hahn, shared a photo on social media that showed a list of songs they'd laid down for One More Light. "Friendly Fire" appeared on the list, but ultimately didn't make the final cut.
  
  The band eventually completed "Friendly Fire" for their 2024 greatest hits album Papercuts (Singles Collection 2000–2023).
  
  "'Friendly Fire' was always one of our favorite songs from the One More Light sessions," said guitarist Brad Delson. "Something about it wasn't quite right, so as close as it got to the finish line, we chose to set it aside for later. When we started looking for an unreleased track to include on our greatest-hits collection, I was blown away by the power of the song, the power of the storytelling, the power of the vocal, the sonic landscape and I actually thought that it was closer than maybe we had realized at the time. We got together to work on it and connect some of the missing pieces that for whatever reason hadn't revealed themselves during the recording of One More Light."
• The cinematic song dives into the depths of self-doubt and the feeling of self-destruction. Lines like "Pullin' a trigger in a useless war" and "What are we fighting? It's just friendly fire" powerfully evoke the image of internal conflict. The late Chester Bennington's vocals add an emotional layer, leaving listeners to ponder the song's meaning and its potential connection to his own experiences.
• Brad Delson co-wrote "Friendly Fire" with vocalist Mike Shinoda and British songwriter Jon Green (Lady A's "Hurt," Kylie Minogue's "Say Something," Calvin Harris and Rag'n'Bone Man's "Lovers In A Past Life").
• Linkin Park released "Friendly Fire" as a single from Papercuts (Singles Collection 2000–2023) on February 23, 2024. A music video directed by longtime collaborator Mark Fiore accompanies it. The clip shows never-before-seen studio and live footage of the band recording with Chester Bennington.
• "Friendly Fire" debuted at #1 on Billboard's Rock & Alternative Airplay chart dated March 9, 2024. This meant that Linkin Park held three out of the five top chart-topping debuts since the ranking's inception in 2009. Previously, Linkin Park secured the top spot with:
  
  "The Catalyst" on August 21, 2010
  
  "Lost" on February 25, 2023