Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes (song)

This article is about the song

• for the single see Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes (single)

"Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes"
Song by Marilyn Manson
Album	The Last Tour on Earth
Released	November 16, 1999
Recorded	1998–1999
Genre	Alternative metal
Length	3:59
Label	Nothing, Interscope
Writer	Marilyn Manson
Composer	Twiggy Ramirez, John 5
Producer	Marilyn Manson
External links	Search ISRC Search at Musicstax

"Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes" is a b-side of the 1996 album Antichrist Superstar. It was released officially on The Last Tour on Earth in 1999, and became a single and music video, the latter which featured the band as MTV Celebrity Deathmatch characters performing.

This is also the first song with a writing credit for John 5, who did not initially write the guitar parts but re-worked them to become the current version of the song.

Appearances

Albums

• The Last Tour on Earth (1999)

Singles

• Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes (1999)
• Disposable Teens (2000)
• The Fight Song (2001)

Soundtracks

• Celebrity Deathmatch (1999)

Versions

• Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes — Appears on The Last Tour on Earth, the Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes, Disposable Teens and The Fight Song singles and the Celebrity Deathmatch soundtrack.
• Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes (Clean Version) — Appears on the Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes single.
• Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes (Live) — Appears on the Guns, God and Government World Tour DVD.
• Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes (Demo) — Recorded in 1996 and appears on Antichrist Final Songs. Never officially released but made available online by Daisy Berkowitz.

Music video

A clay version of Marilyn Manson in the music video.

The music video was directed by Eric Fogel, showing the band performing as clay figures akin to the style of Celebrity Deathmatch. Manson is dressed in the same outfit as he wore in the "Rock Is Dead" music video. The video begins as a standard performance by the band, but a pair of conjoined monkeys watching a TV with mechanical legs is then seen. The monkeys begin to run after the TV as it runs away from them, but later the TV runs after them, and eventually the monkeys' heads are replaced by a large television screen. The music video ends with the walking TV lying broken.

The first part of the video was used in the episode "Fandemonium II" right before a fight between Manson and Ricky Martin, of which, Manson is the victor.

Lyrics

    the boy's got a head like an atom bomb
    hang him from a cross like the number one son
    and he's been waiting so long
    to get it on
    the boy's 15 but he's 16 gauge
    wants to break out from his Jesus cage
    he's already torn out the last page
    it's the "latest rage"
    violence for the people
    they always eat the hand that bleeds
    violence for the people
    give the kids what they need
    kill your god, kill your god
    kill your t.v.
    the boy's purified by the quitter gods
    burning up his cross like a revelation
    and his glass jaw opens
    like a puppet head
    this is what you should fear
    you are what you should fear

Demo version

Though Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes was officially released in 1999, the song was originally worked on some time during the Antichrist Superstar sessions. This version's lead composer was Daisy Berkowitz and is musically quite different from the final version, being more in line with Daisy's signature style rather than the industrial metal style John 5 would eventually bring to the song. It is also interesting to note that the lyrics in this version are significantly different from the 1999 version. This version of the song remained unheard until 2011 when Scott released it online through his Facebook account.

Demo lyrics

    Would our Gods have left our grubsteaks cold 
    As advertised in Revelation?
    Glass jaw opens like a puppet head

    Sing the lullabies of iconography
    Sipping napalm, watching Jackie-O
    Scoop Johnny’s memories in her bony hands
    
    Violence for the people
    They always eat the hand that bleeds
    Fascism for the people
    Kill the king and break his wings
    
    We stuck our snouts in stagnant troughs
    In love with Auschwitz 
    We applauded performance art at Helter Skelter
    
    Violence for the people
    They always eat the hand that bleeds
    Fascism for the people
    Kill the king and break his wings
    
    This is what you should fear
    You are what you should fear
    
    Violence for the people
    They always eat the hand that bleeds
    Fascism for the people
    Kill the king and break his wings 
    
    Where are all the puritans come to wash our hands?
    Cute boys cry and shit their pants
    Saturday morning suicide
    
    Kill the king and break his wings
    
    Violence for the people
    They always eat the hand that bleeds
    Fascism for the people
    Kill the king and break his wings

Trivia

• The beginning of the song includes a reversal of the sample "And to die with dignity, sing to the", from the film "1984" based on the book by George Orwell.
• During his appearance on BBC Radio's 6 Music on June 1, 2009, Marilyn Manson jokingly exclaimed that he likes Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee because "he likes [...] Astonishing Pamela Anderson Endtimes."
• The song was nominated for the Best Metal Performance Grammy in 2001, but lost to "Elite" by Deftones.
• The line "This is what you should fear / You are what you should fear" first appeared in the song "Kinderfeld".
• The song features many stylistic similarities (including vocal delivery and guitar riffs) to the classic Ministry song "Burning Inside", released 10 years earlier.