Disposable Teens
Encyclopedia
"Disposable Teens" is a song by American rock band
Marilyn Manson
. It is the first single
from their fourth full-length studio album
, Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
, released in 2001.
It was released in two standalone physical formats. The first, titled "Disposable Teens Pt.1", was released on November 6, 2000 in the UK. It features Manson's cover of John Lennon
's "Working Class Hero
". The second, titled "Disposable Teens Pt.2", followed on November 14, 2000 and features a cover of The Doors
' "Five to One
". "Disposable Teens Pt.2" was also released as a 12" picture disc vinyl LP.
It is considered a teenage anthem of sorts, echoing what Manson see as teenagers who act violently in retaliation against parental and social authority. The chorus borrows lyrically from The Beatles
' song, "Revolution
." The song also paraphrases George Orwell's book Nineteen Eighty-Four
, "Rebel from the waist down", the original line being "You're only a rebel from the waist down'. Here, it has been given new meaning as a pop culture reference to Elvis Presley
's infamous swiveling hips, satirizing the assertion that they, and by extension rock 'n' roll, had caused the "decline of Western Civilization" and given rise to 'disposable teens'.
The song is featured in Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
during the opening credits. Professional wrestler Christopher Daniels
has used the song as his theme in Ring of Honor
and several independent promotions, as well as an instrumental remix for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
made by TNA's official music composer Dale Oliver
. The song is also featured as downloadable content for Rock Band as part of the "Mayhem Tour Pack."
and Twiggy Ramirez. The lyrics were written by the band's frontman Marilyn Manson
. During pre-release interviews, Manson described it as a "signature Marilyn Manson song." Its bouncing guitar riff and teutonic staccato
had its roots in former glam rock
er and convicted pedophile
Gary Glitter
's song "Rock and Roll, Pt.2
". Its lyrical themes tackled the disenfranchisement of contemporary youth, "particularly those that have been [brought up] to feel like accidents", with the revolutionary idealism of their parent's generation. The influence of The Beatles was critical in this song. The chorus echoed the Liverpool
quartet's own disillusionment with the 1960s counterculture movement in the opening lines of their White Album song "Revolution 1
". Here the sentiment was re-appropriated as a rallying cry for "disposable teens" against the shortcomings of "this so-called generation of revolutionaries", whom the song indicted: "You said you wanted evolution, the ape was a great big hit. You say want a revolution, man, and I say that you're full of shit."
and premiered on MTV
's Total Request Live
on October 25, 2000 (3:30-4:30pm EST). Manson asked Los Angeles
radio station KROQ-FM
to help spread the word that the band is looking for 200 to 250 fans to dress in black and participate in the shoot. The clip was filmed in Los Angeles.
The video starts out with Manson rising slowly from what appears to be a lake (symbolic of the third and final beast). The video cuts between Manson in several different environments and outfits including a Pope outfit, as the food in a Last Supper reenactment and Manson himself performing to a crowd, surrounded by fascist looking police with crucifix shaped batons. As the video climaxes the crowd is seen overthrowing the guards.
Two versions of the video were released; one with the content mentioned above and another composing entirely of the stage performance footage from the original.
" due to its correlation with Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)'s thematic preoccupations. The cover was recorded in the interim leading up to the November 7, 2000, launch of the single. In describing Lennon's idealism and influence on him Manson said that, "some of Lennon's Communist sentiments in his music later in his life were very dangerous. I think he died because of it. I don't think his death was any sort of accident. Aside from that, I think he's one of my favorite songwriters of all time." Band members Manson, Ramirez, and John 5 later performed the song as part of a special invitation-only acoustic set at the Saci nightclub in New York City to celebrate the album's November 14, 2000, release.
ranked "Disposable Teens" 73rd in their 100 Greatest Singles of All Time.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson (band)
Marilyn Manson is an American metal band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Formed in 1989 by Brian Warner and Scott Putesky, the group was originally named Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids with their uniquely theatrical performances gathering a local cult following in the early '90s. This attention...
. It is the first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from their fourth full-length studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
Holy Wood is the fourth studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson, released in November 2000 through Nothing and Interscope Records. The album marked a return to the industrial and alternative metal style of the band's earlier efforts, after the modernized glam rock sound of Mechanical...
, released in 2001.
It was released in two standalone physical formats. The first, titled "Disposable Teens Pt.1", was released on November 6, 2000 in the UK. It features Manson's cover of John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's "Working Class Hero
Working Class Hero
"Working Class Hero" is a song from John Lennon's first post-Beatles solo album, 1970's John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.-Theme:The song is a take on the class split of the 1940s and 1950s, and of the 1960s in which he was famous. The song appears to tell the story of someone growing up in the working...
". The second, titled "Disposable Teens Pt.2", followed on November 14, 2000 and features a cover of The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
' "Five to One
Five To One
"Five to One" is a song by The Doors, from their 1968 album Waiting for the Sun.-Origin:"Five to one" is rumored to be the approximate ratio of whites to blacks, old to young, or non-pot smokers to pot smokers in the US in 1967, depending on whom you ask. A further urban legend has it as the ratio...
". "Disposable Teens Pt.2" was also released as a 12" picture disc vinyl LP.
It is considered a teenage anthem of sorts, echoing what Manson see as teenagers who act violently in retaliation against parental and social authority. The chorus borrows lyrically from The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' song, "Revolution
Revolution (song)
"Revolution" is a song by The Beatles written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The Beatles released two distinct arrangements of the song in 1968: a hard rock version as the B-side of the single "Hey Jude", and a slower version titled "Revolution 1" on the eponymous album The Beatles...
." The song also paraphrases George Orwell's book Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
, "Rebel from the waist down", the original line being "You're only a rebel from the waist down'. Here, it has been given new meaning as a pop culture reference to Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's infamous swiveling hips, satirizing the assertion that they, and by extension rock 'n' roll, had caused the "decline of Western Civilization" and given rise to 'disposable teens'.
The song is featured in Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 is the 2000 American horror film and the sequel to the film The Blair Witch Project, directed by Joe Berlinger...
during the opening credits. Professional wrestler Christopher Daniels
Christopher Daniels
Daniel Christopher Covell is an American professional wrestler, best known in the United States by his ring name "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels. He is also known for performing under the ring name Curry Man. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , while also...
has used the song as his theme in Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
and several independent promotions, as well as an instrumental remix for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
made by TNA's official music composer Dale Oliver
Dale Oliver
Dale Byron Oliver is an American music composer who works for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Formerly a guitarist in BackHawk , Oliver serves mainly as a composer of theme music used in professional wrestling.-Music composer for TNA:Since 2003, Oliver writes, records, and produces music under...
. The song is also featured as downloadable content for Rock Band as part of the "Mayhem Tour Pack."
Single
"Disposable Teens" was composed by John 5John 5
John 5 is the fifth chapter of the Gospel of John of the New Testament of the Christian Bible.- Healing at Bethesda :Jesus goes to Jerusalem for a feast. At the Pool of Bethesda he heals a paralyzed man. Jesus tells him to "Pick up your mat and walk!" This takes place on the sabbath, and many...
and Twiggy Ramirez. The lyrics were written by the band's frontman Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
. During pre-release interviews, Manson described it as a "signature Marilyn Manson song." Its bouncing guitar riff and teutonic staccato
Staccato
Staccato is a form of musical articulation. In modern notation it signifies a note of shortened duration and separated from the note that may follow by silence...
had its roots in former glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
er and convicted pedophile
Pedophilia
As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children...
Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter is an English former glam rock singer-songwriter and musician.Glitter first came to prominence in the glam rock era of the early 1970s...
's song "Rock and Roll, Pt.2
Rock and Roll (Gary Glitter song)
"Rock and Roll", also known as "The Hey Song", is a song performed by British glam rocker Gary Glitter that was released in 1972 as a single and on the album Glitter. Co-written by Glitter and Mike Leander, the song is in two parts: Part 1 is a vocal track reflecting on the history of the genre,...
". Its lyrical themes tackled the disenfranchisement of contemporary youth, "particularly those that have been [brought up] to feel like accidents", with the revolutionary idealism of their parent's generation. The influence of The Beatles was critical in this song. The chorus echoed the Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
quartet's own disillusionment with the 1960s counterculture movement in the opening lines of their White Album song "Revolution 1
Revolution (song)
"Revolution" is a song by The Beatles written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The Beatles released two distinct arrangements of the song in 1968: a hard rock version as the B-side of the single "Hey Jude", and a slower version titled "Revolution 1" on the eponymous album The Beatles...
". Here the sentiment was re-appropriated as a rallying cry for "disposable teens" against the shortcomings of "this so-called generation of revolutionaries", whom the song indicted: "You said you wanted evolution, the ape was a great big hit. You say want a revolution, man, and I say that you're full of shit."
Music video
The music video was directed by Samuel BayerSamuel Bayer
Samuel David Bayer is an American commercial, music video and film director, and cinematographer.-Early life:Bayer was born in Syracuse, New York...
and premiered on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
on October 25, 2000 (3:30-4:30pm EST). Manson asked Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
radio station KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
to help spread the word that the band is looking for 200 to 250 fans to dress in black and participate in the shoot. The clip was filmed in Los Angeles.
The video starts out with Manson rising slowly from what appears to be a lake (symbolic of the third and final beast). The video cuts between Manson in several different environments and outfits including a Pope outfit, as the food in a Last Supper reenactment and Manson himself performing to a crowd, surrounded by fascist looking police with crucifix shaped batons. As the video climaxes the crowd is seen overthrowing the guards.
Two versions of the video were released; one with the content mentioned above and another composing entirely of the stage performance footage from the original.
Cover songs
As early as the band's August 30, 2000, appearance at the Kerrang! Awards, Marilyn Manson expressed interest in covering Lennon's "Working Class HeroWorking Class Hero
"Working Class Hero" is a song from John Lennon's first post-Beatles solo album, 1970's John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.-Theme:The song is a take on the class split of the 1940s and 1950s, and of the 1960s in which he was famous. The song appears to tell the story of someone growing up in the working...
" due to its correlation with Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)'s thematic preoccupations. The cover was recorded in the interim leading up to the November 7, 2000, launch of the single. In describing Lennon's idealism and influence on him Manson said that, "some of Lennon's Communist sentiments in his music later in his life were very dangerous. I think he died because of it. I don't think his death was any sort of accident. Aside from that, I think he's one of my favorite songwriters of all time." Band members Manson, Ramirez, and John 5 later performed the song as part of a special invitation-only acoustic set at the Saci nightclub in New York City to celebrate the album's November 14, 2000, release.
Track listing
Chart success
| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
46 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
99 |
| French Singles Chart | 67 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 7 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 52 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 73 |
| US Mainstream Rock Chart | 22 |
| US Modern Rock Chart | 24 |
Accolades
In 2002, Kerrang!Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
ranked "Disposable Teens" 73rd in their 100 Greatest Singles of All Time.