Revision as of 01:01, 25 March 2010

This article is about the song. For the single, see Dope Hat (single).

"Dope Hat" is the third and final single and the sixth track of the first album Portrait of an American Family. The earliest recording of this song dates back to the band's The Family Jams cassette, released in 1992. While Madonna Wayne Gacy was given a music credit for the song on Portrait of an American Family, curiously his name is absent from the credits of The Family Jams and Refrigerator, two cassettes a demo of "Dope Hat" had appeared on beforehand.

Appearances

Cassettes

• The Family Jams
• Refrigerator

Albums

• Portrait of an American Family

Singles

• Dope Hat

Versions

• "Dope Hat" — Appears on The Family Jams.
• "Dope Hat" — Appears on Refrigerator.
• "Dope Hat" — Appears on Portrait of an American Family.
• "Diary of a Dope Fiend" (Remix) — Appears on Smells Like Children and the "Dope Hat" single.
• "Dance of the Dope Hats" (Remix) — Appears on Smells Like Children and the "Dope Hat" and "Sweet Dreams" singles.

Music video

Manson performing on the Wonka-inspired boat.

The music video, directed by Tom Stern, features the band riding a boat through a psychedelic tunnel directly inspired by the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, which happens to be one of Manson's favorite films. In the video, the band members perform with many children and people resembling the "Oompa-Loompas" from Willy Wonka aboard the boat.

Lyrics

    I peek into the hole
    I struggle for control
    The children love the show
    But they fail to see the anguish in my eyes
    Fail to see the anguish in my eyes
    
    I scratch around the brim
    I let my mind give in, yeah yeah
    The crowd begins to grin
    But they seem to scream when darkness fills my eyes
    Seem to scream when darkness fills my eyes
    It's no surprise
    
    Fail to see the tragic
    Turn it into magic
    My big top tricks will always make you happy
    But we all know the hat is wearing me
    
    My bag is in the hat
    It's filled with this and that
    My vision's getting fat
    The rabbit's just a monkey in disguise
    Stars and pills and needles dance before our eyes
    They will bite the hand
    If it is slower than
    The quickness of their scrutinizing eyes
    
    Fail to see the tragic
    Turn it into magic
    My big top tricks will always make you happy
    But we all know the hat is wearing me
    Chicanery will always make you happy
    But we all know the hat is wearing me

Theme

This is about a drug addiction in the media.

"I peek into the hole, I struggle for control" - trying to overcome the addiction

"The children love the show, but they fail to see the anguish in my eyes" - "Children" being fans or people supporting the user's habit, but they can't see that the its hurting him.

"My bag of tricks will always make you happy, but we all know the hat is wearing me." - the user denies being addicted so the fans will love him, but on the inside everyone knows he's addicted.

"My bag is in the hat, its filled with this and that, my vision's getting fat, the rabbit's just a monkey in disguise." - vision getting fat would be describing the drug trip & the rabbit being a monkey in disguise is the user faking a certain image, (reference to rabbit in hat trick), and that he's tricking everyone into thinking hes something he isn't. (Making them think he isn't addicted)

Trivia

The guitar used to record the "Dope Hat" solos heard on Portrait of an American Family.

• According to photos on his MySpace profile, former Marilyn Manson guitarist Scott Putesky, better known as Daisy Berkowitz, used a 1965 Tiesco DelRey to record the solos heard on the album version of "Dope Hat".^[1]

References

1. ↑ 1965 Tiesco DelRey - heard in the solos on Dope Hat. MySpace Music. Scott Putesky.