The Beautiful People

Infobox Single
Name = The Beautiful People


Artist = Marilyn Manson
from Album = Antichrist Superstar
B-side =
Released = September 8, 1996
Format = 10" / CD single
Recorded = New Orleans, Louisiana, 1996
Genre = Alternative metal
Industrial metal
Length = 3:45 (single version)
3:38 (album version)
Label = Nothing/Interscope
Writer = Marilyn Manson (lyrics)
Twiggy Ramirez (music)
Producer = Trent Reznor
Dave Ogilvie
Marilyn Manson
Certification =
Last single = "Sweet Dreams (are made of this)"
(1995)
This single = "The Beautiful People"
(1996)
Next single = "Tourniquet"
(1997)

"The Beautiful People" is a song from Marilyn Manson's second full length album, "Antichrist Superstar", released as a single in September, 1996. An alternative metal hit written by Marilyn Manson and Twiggy Ramirez, and produced by Trent Reznor, Dave Ogilvie and Manson, its lyrics discuss two major themes: what Manson refers to as "the culture of beauty",Marilyn Manson, "How I Wrote "The Beautiful People", May 2005, "Kerrang!", reported by [http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=37436 Blabbermouth.net] ; last accessed September 24, 2006.] and that culture's connection to Friedrich Nietzsche's theory of master-slave morality — the song's "weak ones", who are "always wrong", are oppressed by and exist solely to "justify [the existence of] the strong" (the so-called "beautiful" people).

The single peaked at number 26 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and remains known as one of Marilyn Manson's most famous and most successful original songs; in a 2004 review, Richard Banks of the BBC called the track "still the most impressive" [Richard Banks, "Rock & Alt Review", 2004, at [http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/rockandalt/reviews/marilynmanson_bestof.shtml BBC.co.uk] ; last accessed September 15, 2006.] in the band's catalogue, and it was ranked in 2006 at number 28 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs. ["VH1 40 Greatest Metal Songs", May 1-4, 2006, "VH1" Channel, reported by [http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_greatest/103446/episode_this_list.jhtml VH1.com] ; last accessed September 10, 2006.]

ong information

Origins

"The Beautiful People" was written in 1994; the lyrics are by Marilyn Manson and the music by Twiggy Ramirez. The original four-track demo version was recorded, in a hotel room while on tour, by Manson, Ramirez, and drummer Ginger Fish. Manson recalled to "Kerrang!" magazine in May 2005: "It was somewhere in the South, which is ironic. I remember playing the drum beat on the floor and then having my drummer duplicate that on the drum machine. It happened in one day pretty much".Marilyn Manson, "How I Wrote "The Beautiful People", May 2005, "Kerrang!", reported by [http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=37436 Blabbermouth.net] ; last accessed September 24, 2006]

The title of the song comes from Marylin Bender's 1967 book "The Beautiful People",Marilyn Manson, "How I Wrote "The Beautiful People", May 2005, "Kerrang!", reported by [http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=37436 Blabbermouth.net] ; last accessed September 24, 2006.] which exposed the world of scandal within the "jet-set" lifestyle of the 1960s, and the culture of beauty as it pertained to fashion and politics. The phrase itself was popularized by "Vogue" magazine in the early 1960s and was particularly used to describe the Kennedy family, a frequent source of inspiration in Marilyn Manson's work.

Composition and lyrical content

The track begins, after a few seconds of backwards-guitar feedback and electronic noise, with an extremely heavily-distorted spoken sample; it is Tex Watson declaring " [We would] swoop down on the town. . . [and] kill everyone that wasn't beautiful". D. Damon, "The Beautiful People". Retrieved from [http://www.resnet.trinity.edu/ddamon/hierophant/lexicon/acs-2.htm "The Marilyn Manson Lexicon" (section)] , last accessed October 11, 2006.] This is also said in the beginning of Manson's demo song, "Dune Buggy," except it is not distorted.

The song is written in drop D tuning, and is built primarily out of the notes of a diminished triad, each made into a power chord. It also incorporates extensive use of guitar distortion, and the use of palm muting creates a highly rhythmic, driving style which is amplified by a heavy percussion track. The song's characteristic element is its repetitive drum track, a five-beat common time pattern played on floor toms, in which swung notes create a jazzy, triplet feel.

Hard rock producer Sean Beavan, a musician with a close connection to jazz guitar, also appears on the track. Beavan, credited with "descending horn guitar", can be heard playing a repeated descending figure using a guitar effect which produces a brass instrument-like tone.

Lyrically, it is intertwined with the "Antichrist Superstar" album's overarching theme, a semi-narrative examination of the Nietzschean Übermensch.Marilyn Manson (interview). "College Music Journal", October, 1997.] Within this context, "The Beautiful People" deals explicitly with the destructive manifestation of the Will to Power: "There's no time to discriminate", sings Manson, "hate every motherfucker that's in your way". A strong anti-capitalism sentiment stems from exploration of Nietzsche's view of master-slave morality ("It's not your fault that you're always wrong / The weak ones are there to justify the strong") along with its connection to Social Darwinism.D. Damon, "The Beautiful People". Retrieved from [http://www.resnet.trinity.edu/ddamon/hierophant/lexicon/acs-2.htm "The Marilyn Manson Lexicon" (section), last accessed October 11, 2006.]

Notable performances

"The Beautiful People" was performed sporadically during the 1995–1996 Smells Like Children tour, frequently in abbreviated form as part of the "Portrait of an American Family" song "My Monkey". It was "officially" premiered on October 3, 1996, at the State Theatre in Kalamazoo — the second show of the band's Dead to the World Tour.

On September 4, 1997, Marilyn Manson performed the song as the grand finale of the MTV Video Music Awards. Preceded by a marching band playing "Hail to the Chief", Manson entered the stage flanked by mock United States Secret Service agents and, from a microphone-covered podium, delivered a speech"MTV Video Music Awards", MTV (television broadcast). Originally broadcast September 4, 1997.] to the audience:cquotetxt|My fellow Americans:

We will no longer be oppressed by the fascism of Christianity! We will no longer be oppressed by the police-state mentality. And we will no longer be oppressed by the fascism of beauty. As I see you all out there trying your hardest not to be ugly, trying your hardest to fit in, trying your hardest to earn your way into Heaven, let me ask you: Do you want to be in a place that's filled with a bunch of "assholes"?Manson then threw off his costume, revealing "a leather corset, leather G-string and fishnet stockings", and the band delivered a performance of "The Beautiful People" that "Rolling Stone" called "riveting" ["Virtual Inanity", October 1997, "Rolling Stone" № 748, reported by [http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5924661/virtual_inanity RollingStone.com] ; last accessed September 10, 2006.] , in spite of the magazine's extremely negative review of the program as a whole. As the show closed, host Chris Rock teasingly yelled for the audience to "Run to church right now! Get your asses to church, or you're going to Hell!"."MTV Video Music Awards", MTV (television broadcast). Originally broadcast September 4, 1997.]

Marilyn Manson and Twiggy Ramirez joined The Smashing Pumpkins at Mountain View, California's Shoreline Amphitheatre for an acoustic performance of "The Beautiful People" during the venue's annual Bridge School Benefit on October 18, 1997. [Neil Strauss, "POP REVIEW: Neil Young and Friends Gather to Have Fun For a Serious Purpose", October 20, 1997, "The New York Times", reported by [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A03E0DC1F3FF933A15753C1A961958260 NYTimes.com] ; last accessed September 10, 2006] Nine Inch Nails also performed "The Beautiful People", with frontman Trent Reznor on bass guitar and Marilyn Manson on lead vocals, on May 9, 2000 at Madison Square Garden. Manson had been a surprise guest at the concert, appearing unannounced on stage during Nine Inch Nails' "Starfuckers, Inc." [Richard Skanse, "Manson Joins NIN Onstage in NYC", May 10, 2000, at [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/marilynmanson/articles/story/5925826/manson_joins_nin_onstage_in_nyc RollingStone.com] ; last accessed September 10, 2006.] Recording of this performance can be found on Nine Inch Nails' live DVD "And All That Could Have Been" released in 2002.

In live performance, Manson frequently introduces the song with the lyric "How does it feel to be one of the beautiful people?" (originally from The Beatles' "Baby You're a Rich Man") over its instrumental break. It is also the former theme of WWE Smackdown!

Versions and releases

In addition to the version on the "Antichrist Superstar" album and the version on the single (which differ only in the length of the introductory noise) a radio edit also exists, which removes the profanity. The phrase "hate every motherfucker" has been replaced by the alternate lyric "hate every other hater", and the word "shit" has been excised. This radio edit is the version used in the music video for "The Beautiful People".

Three official remixes of "The Beautiful People" have been released.Marilyn Manson discography. As reported by [http://www.mansonusa.com/discography/?by=sl&view=tbp The Heirophant] . Last accessed November 8, 2006.] The first, "The Horrible People", was created by Danny Saber and appears on the 1997 "Remix & Repent" EP; the remix features a fast-tempo drum n bass backing track, and accents the original song's swing jazz-inflected rhythm with brass and piano samples. J. G. Thirlwell's "The Not-So-Beautiful People" is a straight industrial reworking of the track, with rhythmic vocal samples and churning, filtered synthesizers. A different remix of the track was used as the opening theme for "WWE SmackDown!" from 2001 to 2003 and is only available on "WWF Forceable Entry".

Marilyn Manson's 2004 greatest hits compilation, "Lest We Forget", contains a slightly reworked version of the track. The longer introduction from the single version has been restored, and certain musical elements (most notably, an organ-like sound not noticeable in the previously-released versions) have been made more pronounced.

In 1997, MTV News reported that Manson had expressed interest in collaborating with Snoop Dogg to produce a rap version of "The Beautiful People". It is unknown if the collaboration ever actually occurred, although in his September 4, 1997 keynote address at the CMJ Music Marathon, the singer referred to the project as "something I would still love to do" [Manson, Marilyn. Keynote address, CMJ Music Marathon, September 4, 1997 [speech] . As reported by [http://www.spookhouse.net/angelynx/manson/mmcmj.html spookhouse.net] , last accessed September 22, 2006.] and blamed the hectic touring schedules of both his own band and the rapper for the delay.

Music video

.

The video premiered on MTV on September 22, 1996 and was nominated for two 1997 MTV Video Music Awards: Best Rock Video and Best Special Effects.

Critical response

Coming highly anticipated, the single was generally praised on its release. "With its mock menace and pummeling metal triplets", wrote Stephen Thomas Erlewine of "Allmusic", "it was the first Manson song with an oversized hook — the kind of song that even the group's detractors couldn't get out of their heads". [Stephen Thomas Erlewine, "The Beautiful People", at [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:9wm8b5z4msqf~T00 All Music Guide] ; last accessed September 10, 2006.] In its 1996 review of "Antichrist Superstar", "Rolling Stone" magazine described "The Beautiful People" as "suspense-filled", with "a zombielike, repetitive quality [and] ghostly electronic sounds. . .", adding that in his vocal delivery, "Manson hisses his lines, punctuating certain words with a shrill, insane pitch, others with a retching scream". [Lorraine Ali, "Antichrist Superstar" (starred review) , October 29, 1996, "Rolling Stone" № 748, reported by [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/870/albums/album/306030 RollingStone.com] ; last accessed September 10, 2006.]

In the United States, the single reached number 29 on the "Billboard" Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 26 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. ["Billboard". As reported by [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=36874&model.vnuAlbumId=627740 Billboard.com] . Last accessed November 8, 2006.] In the U.K., it reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart, peaking on June 7, 1997. [U.K. Singles Chart. As reported by [http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_M1.HTM Chart Log U.K.] . Last accessed November 8, 2006.] The song is also used as plate appearance music for Jim Thome of the Chicago White Sox.

Formats and track listings

;UK CD single 1
#"The Beautiful People" (single version)
#"The Horrible People"
#"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
#"Cryptorchid"

;UK CD single 2
#"The Beautiful People" (album version)
#"The Not-So-Beautiful People"
#"Snake Eyes and Sissies"
#"Deformography"

;UK Enhanced CD single
#"The Beautiful People" (single version)
#"The Horrible People"
#"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
#"Cryptorchid"
#"The Beautiful People" (video)
#"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (video);10" vinyl single (remixes)
#"The Horrible People"
#"The Not-So-Beautiful People"

;Australian CD single
#"The Beautiful People" (album version)
#"Cryptorchid"
#"Snake Eyes and Sissies"

;Japanese CD single
#"The Beautiful People" (single version)
#"The Horrible People"
#"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (LP version)
#"Cryptorchid"
#"The Not-So-Beautiful People"

;U.S. promotional CD single
#"The Horrible People" (radio edit)
#"The Tourniquet Prosthetic Dance Mix" (radio edit)
#"The Horrible People"
#"The Tourniquet Prosthetic Dance Mix"

;U.S. demo CD single
#"The Beautiful People"
#"Sweet Dreams"
#"Brown Bag (Remix)"

Marilyn Manson discography. As reported by [http://www.mansonusa.com/discography/?by=sl&view=tbp The Heirophant] . Last accessed November 8, 2006.]

Production credits

Musicians:
*Marilyn Manson — vocals, lyrics
*Twiggy Ramirez — guitar, bass guitar, music
*Sean Beavan — descending horn guitarProduction:
*Trent Reznor — producer
*Dave "Rave" Ogilvie — producer
*Marilyn Manson — co-producer
*Sean Beavan — mixing
*Chris Vrenna — editing and programming
*Charlie Clouser — editing and programming

"The Horrible People"

As original version, with
*Damian Savage — additional bass
*John X — "sonic rape and pillage"
*Danny Saber — remix
*Gabe and Jim — engineers

"The Not-So-Beautiful People"

As original version, with
*J. G. Thirlwell — remix

Marilyn Manson discography. As reported by [http://www.mansonusa.com/discography/?by=sl&view=tbp The Heirophant] . Last accessed November 8, 2006.]

Cover versions

The song has been covered by various artists including:

* jazz trumpeter Lester Bowie, on his Brass Fantasy's 1999 "Odyssey of Funk & Popular Music, Volume 1"
* Aleister Einstein and by Alex Xenophon, on two Marilyn Manson tribute albums;
* metalcore band Eighteen Visions, on the 2006 compilation "Punk Goes 90s"
* the Scala & Kolacny Brothers girls' choir on their 2007 album "One Winged Angel"
* Soulfly on a compilation for "Kerrang! and on album Conquer ". ["Allmusic", available at [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=17:132259 allmusic.com] . Last accessed October 11, 2006.] .

ee also

*Marilyn Manson discography

References

External links

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY0536g_6Wc Watch "The Beautiful People": Version 1 on Youtube]