" Midlife Crisis" is a song by American Rock music band Faith No More. It was released on May 25, 1992 by Slash Records and Reprise Records, as the first single from their fourth album, Angel Dust (1992). It became their only number-one hit on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
Music and lyrics
"Midlife Crisis" is an alternative metal song,
which incorporates
progressive rock and hip hop elements.
Mike Patton has denied that the song is about having a midlife crisis, as he did not know what one would feel like, but says that "it's more about creating false emotion, being emotional, dwelling on your emotions and in a sense inventing them"[ Q30 on the FAQ on the Faith No More website] and that:
Production
During production, the song was given the working title of "Madonna";
[The Making of Angel Dust. MTV. Retrieved February 26, 2008.] this title was later maintained as a setlist name during live performances.
The drum track for the song contains a sample of the first bar of the song "Cecilia", as performed by Simon and Garfunkel, repeated throughout.
[ Q40 on the FAQ on the Faith No More website] The bridge features a sample of "
Car Thief" by the
Beastie Boys.
Music video
The music video for "Midlife Crisis" was directed by
Kevin Kerslake, who also directed their shoestring video for the song "Everything's Ruined". The version on the
Who Cares a Lot? The Greatest Videos collection is uncensored and contains shots during the bridge which show a man being stretched by four horses (alluding to an old punishment for
regicide, known as "quartering") – the censored version uses additional shots of choirboys running to a large cross instead. Singer
Mike Patton can also be seen dancing around holding a
spade.
For the video, the sound mix of this song is slightly different than the album version (on certain promotional releases it is referred to as 'The Scream' mix). For the DVD re-release of Who Cares a Lot? The Greatest Videos, the album version of the song is used instead, with the accommodating edits made.
Cover versions
It was covered by American rock band Disturbed twice: the first time for a Faith No More tribute album, which was instead released through the Internet; the second time as a B-side to their fourth studio album
Indestructible. This re-recorded version was released on
Covered, A Revolution in Sound and remastered for a third release on their B-side compilation album
The Lost Children.
In 2021, ex-Korn drummer David Silveria's band Breaking in a Sequence included a cover of "Midlife Crisis" on their debut EP.
Track listings
Personnel
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
-
Number-one modern rock hits of 1992
External links
