The Fight Song
"The Fight Song" | ||
---|---|---|
Song by Marilyn Manson | ||
Album | Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) | |
Released | November 13, 2000 | |
Recorded | 1999–2000 at the Mansion in Death Valley, California | |
Genre | Alternative metal | |
Length | 2:55 | |
Label | Nothing, Interscope | |
Writer | Marilyn Manson | |
Composer | John 5 | |
Producer | Marilyn Manson, Dave Sardy |
"The Fight Song" is the second single of the fourth album Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death). It is a Nietzsche inspired song that is often seen as reminiscent of Blur's "Song 2". The line, "the death of one is a tragedy but the death of millions is just a statistic" is a quote from Josef Stalin.
Contents
Analysis
"I'm not a slave to a god who doesn't exist/and I'm not a slave to a world that doesn't give a shit." Classic MM themes of defiance and independence here, throwing back in its face the words of a world that said you'd never grow up to be a big rock star. But the rousing "fight! fight! fight!" chorus shows that this defiance is intended to inspire the kids, to combat the isolation and indifference they struggle with --"isolation is the oxygen mask you make your children breathe in to survive" --and give them something to reach for in a world where death goes on sale daily.
Appearances
Albums
Singles
- "The Fight Song" Pt. 1 and 2
Versions
- The Fight Song — Appears on Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) and Lost & Found.
- The Fight Song (Slipknot Remix) — Appears on the Resident Evil soundtrack and "The Fight Song" Pt. 1 single.
- The Fight Song (Live) — Appears on the "The Fight Song" Pt. 2 single.
- The Fight Song (Live) — Appears on the Guns, God and Government World Tour DVD.
Track listings
UK CD1
- 1. "The Fight Song"
- 2. "The Fight Song" (Slipknot Remix)
- "Disposable Teens" (Video)
UK CD2
- 1. "The Fight Song"
- 2. "Disposable Teens" (Bon Harris Remix)
- 3. "The Love Song" (Bon Harris Remix)
UK Vinyl Picture Disk
- A1. "The Fight Song"
- B1. "The Love Song" (Bon Harris Remix)
- B2. "The Fight Song" (Slipknot Remix)
EU CD1
- 1. "The Fight Song"
- 2. "Disposable Teens" (Bon Harris Remix)
- 3. "The Fight Song" (Live)
EU CD2
- 1. "The Fight Song"
- 2. "The Love Song" (Bon Harris Remix)
- 3. "The Fight Song" (Slipknot Remix)
- "Disposable Teens" (Video)
Japan
- 1. "The Fight Song" (Live)
- 2. "The Love Song" (Bon Harris Remix)
- 3. "Disposable Teens" (Bon Harris Remix)
- 4. "The Fight Song" (Slipknot Remix)
- 5. "Diamonds & Pollen"
- 6. "Working Class Hero"
- 7. "Five to One"
- 8. "Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes"
Tarot cards
The UK versions of "The Fight Song" included Tarot cards featured in the Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) booklet. Each card had a description written on its back.
Music Video
The music video, directed by Wiz, features the band performing on stage at a football game. The teams playing are typical "jocks" facing against "goths", and, according to the scoreboard, are representative of "Holy Wood" and "Death Valley" (a reference to the album featuring the track, Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death). Though it begins as a standard football game, it takes a destructive turn when a player throws a ball at the scoreboard, causing a small explosion, leading to more havoc as a Death Valley player begins cutting down the goal post and setting it ablaze as the music video ends.
As a side note, the billboard behind the band performing reads "We're all HAPPY To live in America", and all the Death Valley players have the numbers "00" on their uniforms (including Manson, having the numbers painted to his back).
Analysis
The video can be seen as a representation of the concept behind Holy Wood. The two teams of the video (Holy Wood and Death Valley) share the names with the two dueling regions in the world of Holy Wood. Holy Wood is the home of "the beautiful people", who are wealthy and adored, and Death Valley is the host of the lesser, undesirable "ugly" people. In the story, the people of Death Valley revolt against, what they see as a fascist, Holy Wood. The football game is a metaphor for this struggle, and Death Valley's sudden turn to violence acts as the beginning of the revolution. The fact that all Death Valley players have "00" as their uniform number emphasizes their role as "zeroes" or "nobodies". It is assumed that the scene of a football game intertwines with the themes of Holy Wood, as football is both one of the most violent sports and one of America's greatest obsessions.
Lyrics
Nothing suffocates you more than the passing of everyday human events Isolation is the oxygen mask you make your children breath into survive But I'm not a slave to a god that doesn't exist I'm not a slave to a world that doesn't give a shit And when we were good you just closed your eyes So when we are bad we'll scar your minds fight, fight, fight, fight You'll never grow up to be a big-rock-star-celebrated-victim-of-your-fame They'll just cut our wrists like cheap coupons and say that death was on sale today And when we were good you just closed your eyes So when we are bad we'll scar your minds But I'm not a slave to a god that doesn't exist I'm not a slave to a world that doesn't give a shit the death of one is a tragedy but the death of millions is just a statistic. But I'm not a slave to a god that doesn't exist I'm not a slave to a world that doesn't give a shit fight, fight, fight, fight
Trivia
- Clips of the music video appear in the Micheal Moore movie Bowling for Columbine.