Mechanical Animals (song)

This article is about the song

• for the album see Mechanical Animals (album)
• for the tour see Mechanical Animals (tour)

"Mechanical Animals"
Song by Marilyn Manson
Album	Mechanical Animals
Released	September 14, 1998
Recorded	1997–1998 at the White Room, Westlake Recording Studios in West Hollywood, California and Conway Studios
Genre	Alternative rock, space rock, south rock
Length	4:33
Label	Nothing, Interscope
Writer	Marilyn Manson
Composer	Twiggy Ramirez, Zim Zum
Producer	Michael Beinhorn, Marilyn Manson
External links	Search ISRC Search at Musicstax

"Mechanical Animals" is the third track on the 1998 release Mechanical Animals. It was partially inspired by a North Dakota boy who killed himself. His father found him dead with Manson's Antichrist Superstar on repeat in his CD player. The father blamed Manson for his son's suicide and called Antichrist Superstar the "hand grenade" that led to the tragedy. The song is a concrete example of Manson's consistency with wordplay.

Appearances

Albums

• Mechanical Animals

Versions

• "Mechanical Animals" — Appears on Mechanical Animals.
• "Mechanical Animals" (Live) — Appears on the various artists compilation Return of the Rock Vol. 2 and the Japanese import of Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death).

Lyrics

    We were neurophobic
    And perfect
    The day that we lost our souls
    Maybe we weren't so human
    If we cry we will rust
    And I was a hand grenade
    That never stopped exploding
    You were automatic and
    As hollow as the 'o' in god
    
    I am never gonna be the one for you
    I am never gonna save the world from you
    But they'll never be good to you
    Or bad to you
    They'll never be anything
    Anything at all
    
    You were my mechanical bride
    You were phenobarbidoll
    A manniqueen of depression
    With the face of a dead star
    And I was a hand grenade
    That never stopped exploding
    You were automatic and
    As hollow as the 'o' in god
    
    I am never gonna be the one for you
    I am never gonna save the world from you
    But they'll never be good to you
    Or bad to you
    They'll never be anything
    Anything at all
    
    This isn't me I'm not mechanical
    I'm just a boy
    Playing the Suicide King

Personnel

• Marilyn Manson – vocals
• Twiggy Ramirez – acoustic and rhythm guitars, bass
• Zim Zum – rhythm and lead guitar
• Madonna Wayne Gacy – piano and other keyboards
• Ginger Fish – drums

Trivia

• The lyric "You were my mechanical bride" is a direct reference to Marshall McLuhan's critical study of popular culture The Mechanical Bride.
• The lyric "I'm just a boy playing the Suicide King" has often been misinterpreted as Manson advocating suicide. The lyric is actually colloquial slang (and used on the song as such) referring to playing card The King of Hearts, whose face always feature the King impaling his head with a sword. Such an action can be seen in a diagram underneath the Mechanical Animals lyrics in the album booklet.
• The guitar riff in the final musical phrases of the song was later reused as a lead synth reinterpretation in the final musical phrase of "Inauguration of the Mechanical Christ".