Originally, "Spit It Out" was recorded as the leading track in the 1998 demo of the band's self-titled album. They initially intended to re-record it for the final release, resulting in the faster "over-caffinated" remix, and the slower "Stamp You Out" remix. Unsatisfied with their later attempts, they decided that they "could not capture the magic of [the original] recording" and opted to use the original demo recording in the final release.[9]
There was a dispute over the release of this song as the band and album's first single. While deciding which track to release, guitarist Mick Thomson and percussionist Shawn Crahan were reportedly very enthusiastic about releasing "Surfacing" as the next single. "Spit It Out" was chosen to be released. The song reached number 28 in the UK Singles Chart.[10] In 2020, Kerrang and Louder Sound both ranked the song number eight on their lists of the greatest Slipknot songs.[11][12]
A music video was made for "Spit It Out" the video was directed by Thomas Mignone and consists of cuts between a live performance of the song and a band homage of the 1980 horror film The Shining, with Joey Jordison as Danny Torrance; Shawn Crahan and Chris Fehn as the Grady twins; Corey Taylor as Jack Torrance; Mick Thomson as Lloyd the Bartender; Paul Gray as Harry Derwent; Anthony Stevens as Roger; Craig Jones as Dick Hallorann; James Root as Wendy Torrance; and Sid Wilson as Lorraine Massey. The Shining sequences for the video were shot at the Villa Carlotta, in Hollywood, California, and were art directed by Chris Jordan and Robert Piser. This music video was banned from MTV, for various violent depictions, including Corey Taylor's smashing through a door with an axe (a spoof of the "Here's Johnny!" scene) and the scene wherein James Root viciously assaults Corey Taylor with a bat. A re-edited, less violent version was subsequently aired on MTV. At one point during Slipknot's live performance, a fan can be seen wearing a Soulfly shirt - Taylor would later collaborate with the band for their track "Jumpdafuckup" on their 2000 album Primitive.
"Spit It Out" came out in MTV's return of the rock compilation.[13]
As of December 2023, the music video for "Spit It Out" has over 77 million views on YouTube.[14]
