Antichrist Superstar (song)
This article is about the song
- for the album see Antichrist Superstar (album)
- for the unreleased single see Antichrist Superstar (single)
| "Antichrist Superstar" | ||
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| Song by Marilyn Manson | ||
| Album | Antichrist Superstar | |
| Released | October 8, 1996 | |
| Recorded | 1996 at Nothing Studios in New Orleans, Louisiana | |
| Genre | Alternative metal, Industrial metal | |
| Length | 5:14 | |
| Label | Nothing, Interscope | |
| Writer | Marilyn Manson | |
| Composer | Twiggy Ramirez, Madonna Wayne Gacy | |
| Producer | Trent Reznor, Dave Ogilvie, Marilyn Manson | |
| External links | Search ISRC Search at Musicstax |
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"Antichrist Superstar" is the twelfth track on the 1996 release Antichrist Superstar. A video (see below) and a promotional version of the single were made for the track, but the single was never commercially released. Like on the album's ninety-ninth track, "Antichrist Superstar" ends with the phrase "When you are suffering, know that I had betrayed you" sampled repeatedly. The original version of the song however ended with a different phrase, "You might as well kill yourself, you are already dead." This alternate sample can be heard on the live album The Last Tour on Earth.
Contents
Appearances
Albums
Singles
Versions
- Antichrist Superstar — Appears on Antichrist Superstar.
- Antichrist Superstar (Alternate Ending) — Appears on Antichrist Superstar (single) promotional sampler.
- Antichrist Superstar (Live in Hartford, CT) — Appears on Remix & Repent.
- Antichrist Superstar (Live) — Appears on Dead to the World.
- Antichrist Superstar (Live) — Appears on The Last Tour on Earth.
- Antichrist Superstar (Live) — Appears on the Guns, God and Government World Tour DVD.
- Repent (Live) — Performed during the Grotesk Burlesk and Against All Gods tours, and officially released on The Section Quartet's The String Quartet Tribute to Marilyn Manson.
- Antichrist Superstar (Demo) — Recorded in 1994. Never officially released but put online by Scott Putesky in 2012.
- Antichrist Superstar (Demo) — Recorded in 1996. Appears on Antichrist Final Songs.
Demo versions
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Demo (1994)
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Demo (Antichrist Final Songs)
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1994 demo lyrics
I threw my money in the wishing well I guess I couldn't tell you I threw my money in the wishing well I guess I couldn't tell you Repent, that's what I'm talking about I guess I couldn't tell you Repent, that's what I'm talking about I guess I couldn't tell you You're dead You're dead You're dead You'll sleep for long
I threw my money in the wishing well I guess I couldn't tell you I threw my money in the wishing well I guess I couldn't tell you Repent, that's what I'm talking about I guess I couldn't tell you Repent, that's what I'm talking about I guess I couldn't tell you You're dead You're dead (now) You're dead You'll never know ... I threw my money in the wishing well I guess I couldn't tell you I threw my money in the wishing well I guess I couldn't tell you You're dead You're dead You're dead You'll sleep for long
Music video
The music video for the song, entitled "Anti-Christ Superstar", directed by E. Elias Merhige and co-directed by Manson, was filmed sometime during 1996, but remain officially unreleased. It was originally screened at the 1997 San Francisco Film Festival as part of a program titled "Newly Minted Memories". It won a Golden Gate Certificate of Merit in the "Music Video" category.
In 1996, Merhige was contacted by Marilyn Manson to produce a music video for "Cryptorchid" the day after he saw Merhige's 1991 experimental horror film Begotten. Manson and Merhige met in Los Angeles, California where they would produced the video. Merhige then expressed interest in filming a video for "Antichrist Superstar", but wanted to use a bulk of footage outtake that he had already compiled. He shot excess material featuring Manson, then edited it together with the pre-existing scenes as divulged in the interview Dramatic New Scenes for Celebritarian Needs.
Merhige used military footage from different countries and different wars that depicted the fascist aspect of the song. However, Manson was not quite sure that it represented the criticism that the subject matter deserved. Ultimately, release of the video was vetoed by Interscope, who was appalled by the quality of the cinematography. The frontman, for his part, expressed interest in seeing its release someday, quipping: "that's not to say it won't be seen but I'm not sure if [Merhige] ever had a fair chance of finishing it because of the record company."
For over 14 years the film was shelved by Interscope.[1] Despite this, on June 19, 2010, the music video was leaked in its entirety on Youtube.[1] The leaked video is 5 minutes and 43 seconds in length although, according to the title card, its total run time is 5 minutes and 23 seconds.[1] It was filmed by Merhige in black and white, incorporating footage from Begotten as well as the military warfare footage.[1] Original scenes including Manson were also filmed where he is seen playing a demagogue in a business suit tearing pages out of a bible from the top of a podium similar to his live performance of the song.[1] Henry S. Rosenthal of San Francisco-based film company Complex Corporation mentioned his involvement in the production of the video and he is indeed credited in the film's intertitle.[1]
On July 21, 2011, the video was officially released on Marilyn Manson's website.
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Lyrics
you built me up with your wishing hell I didn't have to sell you you threw your money in the pissing well you do just what they tell you REPENT, that's what I'm talking about i shed the skin to feed the fake REPENT, that's what I'm talking about whose mistake am i anyway? Cut the head off Grows back hard I am the hydra now you'll see your star prick your finger it is done the moon has now eclipsed the sun the angel has spread its wings the time has come for bitter things REPENT, that's what he's talking about i shed the skin to feed the fake REPENT, that's what he's talking about whose mistake am i anyway? prick your finger it is done... the moon has now eclipsed the sun... the angel has spread its wings... the time has come for bitter things... Cut the head off Grows back hard I am the hydra now you'll see your star the time has come it is quite clear our antichrist is almost here... it is done (when you are suffering, know that I have betrayed you)
Trivia
- According to photos on his MySpace profile, former Marilyn Manson guitarist Scott Putesky, better known as Daisy Berkowitz, used an Ibanez Iceman to record "Antichrist Superstar".[2] The song is written and played in a noticeably low guitar tuning, most probably B Standard or Drop B. On the Twins of Evil Tour, Twiggy and Fred Sablan seemed to use the drop-B tuning in order to be able to play the song right after "King Kill 33°" without having to switch instruments[3] (despite "King Kill 33°" being played in a slightly different key in its album version).
- The song itself is composed of 27 rhythm guitar tracks and five lead guitar tracks.
- The song features a passage containing the same lyrics as heard in "Cryptorchid": "prick your finger it is done/the moon has now eclipsed the sun/the angel has spread its wings/the time has come for bitter things."
- When performed live, Manson almost always sings from a podium bearing the symbol of Manson's current "era" (eg. the shock symbol or Gun Cross) and rips or burns a bible book during the repeat of the second verse. He didn't use this however during the first leg of the Hey, Cruel World... tour.
- The term "antichrist" is used in the Christian Bible to denote one who would deny Jesus Christ and deceive others into believing likewise. See I John 2:18,22; 4:3 and 2 John 1:7.
- The song barely shares the main riff similarity to a PJ Harvey song "I Think I'm a Mother" released a year earlier on their album To Bring You My Love.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar Official Music Video". NME. IPC Media. https://www.nme.com/nme-video/youtube/id/C1gaD5eFzbw. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
- ↑ House of Guitars anniversary Ibanez Iceman - heard on Wormboy/ACS. MySpace Music. Scott Putesky.
- ↑ [1]
