Chester Bennington's ability to hold a note (a fry-screamed D5-B4) for 17 seconds (2:27-2:44) is considered the highlight of the song.

"Given Up" made its live debut on April 28, 2007 in Berlin, Germany along with "No More Sorrow" and the hit single "What I've Done".

In June 2007, the official Billboard website gave information stating that "Given Up" and "Shadow of the Day" would be the next two singles from Minutes to Midnight, following "What I've Done."

[5] On his official blog, Chester Bennington stated both when the video was shot and that it features live performance from the band.

The video premiered on the band's official website on March 3, 2008 at 4pm Pacific Standard Time (Midnight UTC).

The video consists of live clips from the shows (stated above) and has been edited together in a sharp, rugged manner which contains short cut scenes with many special effects, mainly altering the coloring.

Transitions between cut scenes are in a style of worn analog tape distortion giving the video an even more rugged, tough appearance.

Bennington performs his seventeen-second scream perched on the guard rail, inches from the audience.

Throughout the video, several flash scenes appear such as a cowboy, hippopotamus, an MRI of a knee, and quotes from Magical Thinking: True Stories (the "Commercial Break" chapter), a book by Augusten Burroughs.

[10][11] The song was also used in the trailer and commercials for the 2009 film Crank: High Voltage, in which frontman Chester Bennington makes a cameo.