Editing Blank and White

{{Song
| Name        = Blank and White
| Cover       = The-High-End-of-Low.jpg
| Artist      = [[Marilyn Manson (band)|Marilyn Manson]]
| Album       = [[The High End of Low]]
| Released    = May 20, 2009
| Recorded    = March 2008–January 2009 in Los Angeles and Hollywood, California
| Genre       = Hard rock, glam rock
| Length      = 4:27
| Label       = [[Interscope Records|Interscope]]
| Writer      = [[Marilyn Manson]]
| Composer    = [[Twiggy]], [[Chris Vrenna]]
| Producer    = Marilyn Manson, Chris Vrenna, Twiggy, [[Sean Beavan]]
}}
"'''Blank and White'''" is the sixth track from the 2009 release ''[[The High End of Low]]''. Its title was revealed on April 7, 2009, in a blog which described both it and eight other songs from the album.<ref name="Metal Hammer 04/07/09">[http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/uncategorized/marilyn-manson-high-end-of-low-album-track-by-track/ Marilyn Manson 'High End of Low' Album Track-By-Track]. ''Metal Hammer''. April 7, 2009.</ref> As there is no clean version of ''The High End of Low'', all explicit album pressings thus far seem to censor one line of the song. According to Hugh Platt of Thrash Hits, who reviewed the album weeks before its release, the words censored are 'or the President of whatever' in the lyric "Let's shoot up the mall, the school,/or the President of whatever/or whoever wants to fight."<ref name="Thrash Hits">[http://www.thrashhits.com/2009/05/album-marilyn-manson-the-high-end-of-low/ Album: Marilyn Manson - The High End Of Low]. Hugh Platt. Thrash Hits. May 25, 2009</ref> The words replaced by this censor are also absent from the album's booklet. On May 30, 2009, the uncensored version of the song was made available for streaming on the band's MySpace profile.

== Music details ==
A blog by ''Metal Hammer'' describes "Blank and White" as having "the foot-stomping tambourine-rattling swagger of any of the greats, and the guitar twangs it's riff like an Aerosmith oldie. The tempo is back a bit and the melodies and lyrics and rhythms all combine to awesome effect in the chorus. Again, while the subject matter isn't totally transparent it appears to be about "stupid teenage girls" and their appreciation of music/bands. It's interesting that Manson seems to have ditched much of the 'metal' base of his sound, only adding in distorted solos and walls of guitars to obviate the stripped nature of the rest of the tracks. The final chorus here is an album peak, with a signature aggressive sleazy solo, mounds of ugly guitars and Manson screaming his lungs out... finally finishing with a haunting and exhausted whisper. He may be all old and happy now, but he still knows where the anger lives deep down."<ref name="Metal Hammer 04/07/09"/>

Reviewing for Thrash Hits, Hugh Platt dubbed "Blank and White" a "God-Botherer [...] He's spitting more hate than he's been able to muster since ''[[Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)]]'', snarling out challenges to "Shoot up the mall, a school, or the president of whatever...or whoever wants to fight." Platt concluded the review citing "Blank and White" as one of the record's top tracks.<ref name="Thrash Hits"/>

The Quietus' John Robb described that "A twisted acoustic blues riff rides roughshod underneath," and that lyrically, "There's a world weariness to the song that might suggest it's about the inanity of being on the road, as the author sings about "stupid teenage girls" and "sell your hate" in a great sing-along chorus that underlines the song's cynicism."<ref>[http://thequietus.com/articles/01639-marilyn-manson-high-end-of-low-album-review Marilyn Manson's High End Of Low Reviewed Track-By-Track]. John Robb. The Quietus. May 12, 2009</ref>

In his review for Allmusic, Phil Freeman, who was unsatisfied by the album, noted "Blank and White" as one of the highlights of ''The High End of Low''.<ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wcfoxzy0ldde The High End of Low]. Phil Freeman. Allmusic. May 16, 2009.</ref>

== Appearances ==
=== Albums ===
* ''[[The High End of Low]]''

== Versions ==
* "Blank and White" <small>— Appears on ''The High End of Low''</small>
* "Blank and White" (unedited) <small>— Appears on promotional copies of ''The High End of Low''</small>

{{Videos
| 8IzMwUpenIo = Uncensored
| aAnjlOo-Hvk = Live
}}

== Lyrics ==
     as if we need a 'why' I'll be it,
     and I'll be the 'who' for an 
     apocalypse 'how'.
     if the world had one neck, my hands would be the 'where',
     and I would choke all of you down,
     I will choke all of you down
     
     give me a picket sign 
     and make it blank and white
     like all those stupid teenage girls
     we are gonna to need them where we're going tonight.
     
     all you fuckers vote beep beep beep
     in drunk karaoke cars
     if it's too dumb to see, or say, you still sing it.
     I'll just cue the applause
     
     lets make sure the music is loud enough we won't even hear it end
     lets make sure the music is loud enough we won't even hear it end
     
     give me a picket sign 
     and make it blank and white
     like all those stupid teenage girls
     we are gonna to need them where we're going tonight.
     
     i want to celebrate
     i want to sell you hate
     today's the day you're gonna fucking die
     i want to celebrate
     i want to sell you hate
     your demons want to give you a proper goodbye
     
     all you fuckers vote beep beep beep
     in drunk karaoke cars
     if it's too dumb to see, or say, you still sing it.
     I'll just cue the applause
     if it's too dumb to see or say you still sing it
     I just cue the applause
     
     give me a picket sign 
     and make it blank and white
     like all those stupid teenage girls
     we are gonna to need them where we're going tonight.
     
     I want to celebrate
     I want to sell you hate
     today's the day you're gonna fucking die
     I want to celebrate
     I want to sell you hate
     your demons want to give you a proper goodbye
     
     I want to celebrate
     I want to sell you hate
     today's the day you're gonna fucking die
     I want to celebrate
     I want to sell you hate
     your demons want to give you a proper goodbye
     
     give me a picket sign
     "god is dead but god is still white" 
     let's shoot up the mall
     the school
     or the president of whatever(which is beeped out) 
     or whoever wants to fight
    
     yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
     yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
     
     lets make sure the music is loud enough
     lets make sure the music is loud enough
     lets make sure the music is loud enough
     lets make sure the music is loud enough
     we won't hear it end end end end.
     lets make sure the music's loud enough we won't hear it end

In the unedited version extra lyrics are sang after "let's shoot up the mall the school." These lyrics are:

     or the president of whatever

== Trivia ==
* "As if we need a 'why' I'll be it, and I'll be the 'who' for an apocalypse 'how'." is a reference to the 1979 film ''Apocalypse Now''.
* Blank and White is an antagonistic song about censorship. Ironically one of the lines is completely bleeped out, hence the line ''"all you fuckers vote, beep, beep, beep"''.
* The song has only been played live once in [[2009/10/22 Tokyo, Japan|Tokyo, Japan]]
* The line "if the world had one neck, my hands would be the 'where', and I would choke all of you down" may be alluding to the attributed quote of Caligula, "Utinam populus Romanus unam cervicem haberet!" - roughly translated "I wish that the Roman people had but one neck!" [to strangle/choke] In the 1979 film ''Caligula'', starring Malcolm McDowell as Caligula, the quote is rendered as "if only all of Rome had but one neck."

== References ==
<references/>

[[Category:Marilyn Manson songs]]
[[Category:Songs from The High End of Low]]
[[Category:The High End of Low era]]