The Meaning Behind “No One Knows” by Queens of the Stone Age and Whether Josh Homme Himself Even Knows

With the help of Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age found mainstream success in 2002 with their breakthrough hit “No One Knows.”

The track appears on the band’s third studio album Songs for the Deaf, a loosely conceptualized album about the California desert.

Though they formed in Seattle, the band is most associated with California’s Palm Desert music scene. Founder Josh Homme was born in Palm Springs in 1973 and developed a cult following with his band Kyuss, a pioneer of stoner rock. Kyuss also featured future Queens of the Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri.

Queens of the Stone Age is famous for its heavy and dry recordings. It’s as if the Palm Desert climate they call home has removed every last drop of echo and reverb from the studio. Homme, an imposing figure, composes angular, doom-and-gloom guitar riffs, yet sings in tender falsetto lyrics that echo the Brothers Grimm fairy tales.

Homme has an instinct for making devilish grooves swing. But is there a deeper meaning beneath this stoney anthem? Regardless of the song’s title, someone must know what it’s about.

“It’s a Mystery”

MTV asked Homme about the song’s meaning. “It’s a mystery what that song’s about,” he said. “It’s kind of almost Beatles-esque with a driving beat, and it’s kind of jumpy.”

We get some rules to follow

That and this

These and those

No one knows

We get these pills to swallow

How they stick

In your throat

Tastes like gold

“No One Knows” alludes to drugs and desert trips. The interpretation depends on the experience, hallucinatory or otherwise. What’s clear is the song describes a journey. The metaphor can easily be used for how one navigates the uncertainties of everyday life.

I journey through the desert

Of the mind

With no hope

I follow

I drift along the ocean

Dead lifeboats in the sun

And come undone

Desert Rock Anthem

Homme co-wrote “No One Knows” with Mark Lanegan, who shares lead vocals on Songs for the Deaf with Homme and then-bassist Nick Oliveri. Lanegan rose to prominence fronting Screaming Trees. He also released 12 critically acclaimed solo albums.

When Homme’s previous band Kyuss disbanded, he moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington. He then joined Screaming Trees as a guitarist, where he and Lanegan became friends.

In 2022, Lanegan died at his home in Killarney, Ireland at age 57. Though no cause of death was given, in his book Devil in a Coma, Lanegan detailed his struggle with COVID that put him in a coma for three weeks.

Following the singer’s death, high-profile artists paid tribute, including Iggy Pop, Eddie Vedder, Nick Cave, John Cale, and Slash.

Deer Love

Dean Karr and Michel Gondry directed the music video for “No One Knows.” The video features the band driving on a dark road before they accidentally hit a deer. While inspecting the deer, it raises and attacks them, ties the band to the hood of the vehicle, and races through the town, crashing fences and terrorizing the locals.

Suddenly, the deer becomes smitten with a doe statue. After mounting the band members’ heads like trophies, the deer winds up in bed with the doe statue. MTV put “No One Knows” into heavy rotation, which helped propel the single to No. 5 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and No. 1 on the Alternative Airplay chart.

Dave Grohl

Dave Grohl played drums on “No One Knows” and most of the album. To control the tight sound, Grohl recorded his drum takes twice. First, he’d perform a take using electronic cymbal pads, capturing only the drums. Then perform the next take using real cymbals with pads covering the drums.

His involvement with the band raised their profile. Queens of the Stone Age toured with Foo Fighters, and Grohl and Homme had been friends since 1992, dating to Homme’s band Kyuss.

The Desert Sessions

On “No One Knows,” Homme reworked a guitar riff he’d previously used on a song called “Cold Sore Superstars.” It was part of Homme’s musical collective, The Desert Sessions, and if you’re hearing hints of psychedelia in the track, it’s not by accident.

Being a pioneer of stoner rock, Josh Homme’s unspecified meaning behind “No One Knows” might be better left elusive. Though under the right desert conditions, the meaning may just reveal itself to you. Who knows?

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Photo by Raymonds Press/Shutterstock