The song contains a self-referential statement where Joseph touches on the concept by candidly addressing its music with self-aware lyrics that give away his insecurities.
The song features high-speed vocals as Joseph rotates from complex rapping to melodic singing to falsetto screaming over soulful drumming by Josh Dun.
Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart and reached number eight on the top ten most viral tracks on Spotify.
Three years prior to its single release, vocalist Tyler Joseph wrote and published a short poem called "Street Poetry", and lyrics from it were partially used by Twenty One Pilots for the song "Heavydirtysoul.
[2] Some of the lyrics he recited on camera subsequently appeared on "Heavydirtysoul", and it was included as the first song on the band's fourth studio album Blurryface in 2015.
[3][4] In an interview with Billboard, Tyler Joseph briefly explained "Blurryface", which was both the title of their fourth studio album as well as conceptual character who the record is centered on.
Though slight, the new versions stripped away some of the studio technology and polish of their original record production, emphasizing Joseph's vocal abilities and songwriting.
[15][16] Within its track, the duo mesh several genres, moving between funk-tinged rock, hip-hop, grandeur pop and soul while flashing R&B hooks and experimenting with electronic dance beats.
[16] "Heavydirtysoul" is composed in the key of D minor, while Tyler Joseph's vocal range spans one octave and seven notes, from a low of D3 to a high of C5.
[23][16] The musical arrangement begins with its introduction, opening with an ambient drone before quickly morphing into a hooky, memorable two-step drumbeat and Joseph's rapped vocals.
[31] Twenty One Pilots decided to capture their sold-out Emotional Roadshow World Tour for posterity and closed out the year with the Thanksgiving weekend release of a live album, recorded a month prior at Fox Oakland Theater.
[13][14] Sputnikmusic praised the song, writing, "Tyler Joseph alternates between rapping, singing, and screaming like they're all the same, and he even alludes to the idea on the curtain-opening 'Heavydirtysoul' ...Despite the music's schizophrenic nature, it's all true to the Blurryface persona – and in that sense, it's artistic.
"[3] Comparing its grooves to the mid-1990s works of Prodigy, Jason Pettigrew for Alternative Press claimed the track," ...successfully encapsulates all the elements fans have come to expect... 'Heavydirtysoul' is guaranteed to have crowds pogoing from Bunbury to Bonnaroo.
"[34] Sharing similar sentiments, Anne Nickoloff and Troy Smith from The Plain Dealer remarked, "The opener 'Heavydirtysoul' sounds like The Prodigy is about to rip through your speakers, as drummer Josh Dun goes absolutely ballistic.
"[37] Scott Mervis for Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described the song as "a banger that launches with a drum rush and speed rap before breaking into a chorus of lovely neo-soul.
"[26] Likewise, Madison Desler of Orange County Register deemed the track "a beat-heavy banger that features some of Joseph's most rapid-fire rapping.
Featuring one of the vocalist's most assured performances, to the contrary, 'Heavydirtysoul' is a masterclass in both, with heaps of classic pop grandeur and that titular soul loaded on for good measure.
[41] Over the next six weeks, "Heavydirtysoul" declined several spots before falling off the chart completely after occupying the thirty-fourth position on the date issued November 7, 2015.
The list represents the most viral tracks based on the number of people who shared and listened to them, from May 25 to May 31, through social media outlets Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Spotify.
[48] On March 1, 2018, "Heavydirtysoul" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 1,000,000 paid digital downloads.
[17][50] The video features Tyler Joseph sitting in the passenger seat of an out-of-control vehicle playing chicken with Josh Dun and his flaming drum kit.
[53] Jason Pettigrew of Alternative Press praised the music video, remarking, "Anxious and frightened, yet trippy and badassed, the duo’s blend of fearful and fierce here is stellar.
[54][55][56] Fans were able to vote online for nominees in the eight VMA categories, with the winner being awarded during the telecast that aired from The Forum in Inglewood, California on August 27, 2017.
[57][58] Twenty One Pilots did a live rendition of "Heavydirtysoul" while performing for the very first time in Singapore at the Suntec City's Convention Centre on July 16, 2015.
[20] Despite Joseph being ill with a throat infection and having to cancel a concert in Taipei City prior, the duo managed to show up to deliver a live performance.
[20] After the stage lights dimmed and the two took their places, the pair initiated the set with "Heavydirtysoul," wearing in their trademark black hoodies and skeleton masks.
[59] The duo gave a live performance of "Heavydirtysoul" at the Aragon Ballroom when WKQX hosted the first of its four "Nights We Stole Christmas" concerts on December 3, 2015.
[21] Twenty One Pilots provided a live rendition of "Heavydirtysoul" as their opening performance during a concert at UNSW Roundhouse in Sydney, Australia on April 20, 2016.
[60] With the lower half of their faces half-covered in balaclava, Joseph wielded a tambourine and Dun played drums throughout the song before slowing down and segueing into a performance of "Stressed Out.
[62] The company 2K revealed the details for the soundtrack of the WWE video game on Apple Music's Beats 1 during their "Release" program on August 14, 2015.