mOBSCENE

This article is about the song

• for the single see mOBSCENE (single)
• for the bootleg see Mobscene (bootleg)

"mOBSCENE"
Song by Marilyn Manson
Album	The Golden Age of Grotesque
Released	May 5, 2003
Recorded	2002–2003 at the Doppelherz Studio in Hollywood, California; The Mix Room in Burbank, California
Genre	Industrial metal
Length	3:25
Label	Nothing, Interscope
Writer	Marilyn Manson
Composer	John 5, Marilyn Manson
Producer	Marilyn Manson, Tim Skold, Ben Grosse
External links	Search ISRC Search at Musicstax

"mOBSCENE" is the first single and the third track of the fifth album The Golden Age of Grotesque.

Appearances

Albums

• The Golden Age of Grotesque
• Lest We Forget – The Best Of

Singles

• "mOBSCENE"

Versions

• mOBSCENE — Appears on The Golden Age of Grotesque.
• mOBSCENE (Edit) — Appears on the "mOBSCENE" promo single.
• mOBSCENE (Sauerkraut Remix) — Appears on the "mOBSCENE" single and the Lest We Forget – The Best Of.
• mOBSCENE (Overnight Mix - Reworked by Flint & Youth) — Appears on the "mOBSCENE" UK single.
• mOBSCENE Replet (Mea Culpa Mix By Bitteren Ende) — Appears on the The Nobodies: 2005 Against All Gods Mix and the "Personal Jesus" UK single.
• mOBSCENE (Dead Sexy Inc. Remix) — Official remix that was commissioned by never officially released, though it was later leaked to the internet.

DVD and VHS release

A DVD single for "mOBSCENE" was released, including the audio track, plus three pieces of footage directed by Manson, one of them being a behind-the-scenes video for his role as Christina in Party Monster. A VHS tape of "mOBSCENE" was also released exclusively in Mexico which included an interview from the Holy Wood era and a making-of video of the "mOBSCENE" music video.

Music video

Manson performing in the video.

The music video, co-directed by Manson with Thomas Kloss, features a basic performance by the band in a Swing thirties-esque joint. The costumes/ makeup worn by the dancers in the video were designed by Manson and then-girlfriend Dita Von Teese. Manson explains, "We took our inspiration from Busby Berkeley, U.S.O. shows, WW2 Berlin and Gottfried Helnwein's 'Macbeth.'"

• Behind the scenes
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Lyrics

    "Ladies and Gentlemen"
    
    We are the thing of shapes to come
    Your freedom's not free and dumb
    This Depression is great
    The Deformation Age, they know my name
    Waltzing to scum and base and
    Married to the pain
    
    Bang we want it
    Bang we want it
    Bang bang bang bang bang
    You came to see the mobscene
    I know it isn't your scene
    It's better than a sex scene and it's
    So fucking obscene, obscene, yeah.
    
    You want commitment?
    Put on your best suit, get your arms around me
    Now we're going down down down
    You want commitment?
    Put on your best suit, get your arms around me
    Now we're going down down down
    
    GIRLS (In the spirit of Oscar Wilde):
    Be obscene, be, be obscene
    Be obscene, baby, and not heard.
    
    The day that love opened our eyes
    We watched the world end
    We have "high" places but we have no friends
    They told us sin's not good but we know it's great
    War-time full-frontal drugs, sex-tank armor plate
    
    Bang we want it
    Bang we want it
    Bang bang bang bang bang
    You came to see the mobscene
    I know it isn't your scene
    It's better than a sex scene and it's
    So fucking obscene, obscene, yeah.
    
    You want commitment?
    Put on your best suit, get your arms around me
    Now we're going down down down
    You want commitment?
    Put on your best suit, get your arms around me
    Now we're going down down down
    
    GIRLS (In the spirit of Oscar Wilde):
    Be obscene, be, be obscene
    Be obscene, baby, and not heard.
    
    You came to see the mobscene
    I know it isn't your scene
    It's better than a sex scene and it's
    So fucking obscene, obscene yeah.
    
    You want commitment?
    Put on your best suit, get your arms around me
    Now we're going down down down
    You want commitment?
    Put on your best suit, get your arms around me
    Now we're going down down down
    
    "Ladies and gentlemen, be obscene! Be obscene!"
    GIRLS (In the spirit of Oscar Wilde):
    Be obscene, be, be obscene
    Be obscene, baby, and not heard.
    
    Bang bang bang bang bang

Trivia

• The music video was filmed at The (Henry) Fonda Theater in Hollywood, CA throughout March 2003. The opening and closing desert scenes were filmed at the Vasquez Rocks in northern Los Angeles.
• The song was nominated for the Best Metal Performance Grammy in 2004, but lost to "St. Anger" by Metallica.
• The song references the phrase "Women should be obscene and not heard" by Oscar Wilde.
• It is a common assumption that the lines "Be obscene, be, be obscene..." are a reference to "Be Aggressive", a 1992 song by Faith No More that features the chorus "Be aggressive, B-E aggressive," but in fact the aforementioned "be aggressive" chant has been popular at sporting events for decades and was not invented by Faith No More.
• The "Be obscene, be, be obscene..." line could be a parallel to Requiem for a Dreams "Be excited, be, be excited..." as heard on the mother's TV.
• According to Manson, the red panties that were worn by the dancers in the music video cost only $1.99 USD each. Manson claims that he still has them in his possession.