Psycho (song)
Encyclopedia
"Psycho" is the second single by post-grunge
group Puddle of Mudd
from their album Famous
. It was officially released on October 2, 2007, but was available for digital download on iTunes
on September 18, 2007.
The song is about wondering if oneself has schizophrenia
and is a "psycho," as lead singer Wes Scantlin
sings "maybe I'm the one who is the schizophrenic psycho'."
(from the movie of the same name
), and premiered on Google
music on October 8, 2007. The video is an homage to various "classic" horror movies, and incorporates several characters and elements from those movies.
The video starts with a full moon, while lead singer Wes Scantlin is driving a car at night with a group of cheerleaders and jocks, parodying the typical teenage victims in horror movies. As they are driving a man jumps out of the woods onto the road, and they hit him. Upon further inspection it is seen that the man is Michael Myers
from the Halloween
movies played by local actor Mike Watkins. As the group gathers around him to see if he's all right, Leatherface
(also played by Mike Watkins) from the The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies jumps out and grabs two of the girls, taking them back into the woods without the rest of them knowing. Michael Myers then proceeds to get up, revealing he was only pretending to be hurt, and begins chasing the group with a razor sharp machete. The remaining members of the group runs from the killers until they come to The Bates Motel from the movie Psycho
. They run to one of the rooms, taking refuge in it, while in the process disrupting a couple who happen to be Kid Rock
and Pamela Anderson
making cameos in the video.
In the room, Wes picks up a note on the bedside table that says, "I know what you did last album," referencing I Know What You Did Last Summer
. Then one of the girls decides to take a shower. The silhouette of a man is seen through the shower curtain with a knife, he opens the curtain to the shower, with the girl proceeding to scream, mimicking the famous shower scene from the movie Psycho. It is then shown that it is just one of the jocks with a banana
, playing a prank on the girl. Wes and the jock (played by Doug Ardito
) laugh, and throw a banana peel into the shower. The girl does not see it, and slips on it, banging her head against the wall and killing her in the process. The group seeing this, flees the room, except for one who is shown being sucked into a static television, parodying Poltergeist. Wes and his girlfriend run in a different direction than the others, but both groups make their way towards the famous Bates house. An imitation of Kanye West
is seen outside the house banging on the window in an angry fashion. The group of remaining jocks and cheerleaders climb the stairs to the house featured in Blink-182
's video for I Miss You
, but are met by a girl portraying Paris Hilton
at the top, who kicks them down the stairs. Wes and his girlfriend enter the Bates house, only to see an old woman sitting in a chair. The woman is revealed to be Wes himself, dressed up as an old lady, again referencing the ending to Psycho. Wes is then shown realizing "maybe I'm the one who is/the schizophrenic psycho."
at #32 and reached #1, remaining there for 9 weeks. It is their fifth single to top the chart and their first in 5 years. It also debuted on Modern Rock Tracks
at #38, where it has also reached #1, becoming their second song to do so on the chart. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100
at #100 and has risen to #67, becoming their first song to chart on the Hot 100 since "Away From Me" in 2003. It debuted on the Canadian Hot 100
at #90 and has since peaked at #56, beating the band's previous single, "Famous
," which debuted and peaked at #97. It also charted on the Billboard
Pop 100
; it peaked at #75. Despite being released as a single in 2007, Fuse rated this song as the best Modern Rock song of 2008. As of 2010, "Psycho" is the band's second best-selling single in the U.S., behind only the 2002 mega-hit "Blurry
", with 700,000 copies sold.
Post-grunge
Post-grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1990s as a derivative of grunge, using the sounds and aesthetic of grunge, but with a more commercially acceptable tone...
group Puddle of Mudd
Puddle of Mudd
Puddle Of Mudd is an American rock band from Kansas City, Missouri, USA. To date the band has sold over 7 million albums, and have had a string of #1 mainstream rock singles in the United States. Their major-label debut Come Clean has sold over 5 million copies...
from their album Famous
Famous (album)
Famous is the third major label studio album from U.S. alternative rock band Puddle of Mudd. It was released on October 9, 2007 on Flawless Records. Famous was originally set to be released in May, but was pushed back to add more songs to the album...
. It was officially released on October 2, 2007, but was available for digital download on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on September 18, 2007.
The song is about wondering if oneself has schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
and is a "psycho," as lead singer Wes Scantlin
Wes Scantlin
Wesley Reid Scantlin is a songwriter, lead singer, guitarist and the only remaining founding member of the American post-grunge band Puddle of Mudd....
sings "maybe I'm the one who is the schizophrenic psycho'."
Music video
The music video was shot at the famed Psycho section of the Studio tour in Universal Studios HollywoodUniversal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood is a movie studio and theme park in the unincorporated Universal City community of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood movie studios still in use...
(from the movie of the same name
Psycho (1960 film)
Psycho is a 1960 American suspense/psychological horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. The film is based on the screenplay by Joseph Stefano, who adapted it from the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch...
), and premiered on Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
music on October 8, 2007. The video is an homage to various "classic" horror movies, and incorporates several characters and elements from those movies.
The video starts with a full moon, while lead singer Wes Scantlin is driving a car at night with a group of cheerleaders and jocks, parodying the typical teenage victims in horror movies. As they are driving a man jumps out of the woods onto the road, and they hit him. Upon further inspection it is seen that the man is Michael Myers
Michael Myers (Halloween)
Michael Myers is a fictional character from the Halloween series of slasher films. He first appears in John Carpenter's Halloween as a young boy who murders his older sister, then fifteen years later returns home to murder more teenagers...
from the Halloween
Halloween (franchise)
Halloween is an American horror franchise that consists of ten slasher films, novels, and comic books. The franchise focuses on the fictional character of Michael Myers who was committed to a sanitarium as a child for the murder of his older sister, Judith Myers...
movies played by local actor Mike Watkins. As the group gathers around him to see if he's all right, Leatherface
Leatherface
Leatherface is the main antagonist in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre horror-film series and its spin-offs. He wears masks made of human skin and engages in murder and cannibalism alongside his inbred family. He is considered by many to be one of the first major slasher film villains alongside Michael...
(also played by Mike Watkins) from the The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies jumps out and grabs two of the girls, taking them back into the woods without the rest of them knowing. Michael Myers then proceeds to get up, revealing he was only pretending to be hurt, and begins chasing the group with a razor sharp machete. The remaining members of the group runs from the killers until they come to The Bates Motel from the movie Psycho
Psycho (1960 film)
Psycho is a 1960 American suspense/psychological horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. The film is based on the screenplay by Joseph Stefano, who adapted it from the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch...
. They run to one of the rooms, taking refuge in it, while in the process disrupting a couple who happen to be Kid Rock
Kid Rock
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
and Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...
making cameos in the video.
In the room, Wes picks up a note on the bedside table that says, "I know what you did last album," referencing I Know What You Did Last Summer
I Know What You Did Last Summer
I Know What You Did Last Summer is a 1997 American horror film. The film stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. The screenplay was written by Kevin Williamson, writer of Scream, and very loosely based on Lois Duncan's popular novel of the same title...
. Then one of the girls decides to take a shower. The silhouette of a man is seen through the shower curtain with a knife, he opens the curtain to the shower, with the girl proceeding to scream, mimicking the famous shower scene from the movie Psycho. It is then shown that it is just one of the jocks with a banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
, playing a prank on the girl. Wes and the jock (played by Doug Ardito
Doug Ardito
Douglas John Ardito is a bassist, guitarist, and keyboard player from Bedford, Massachusetts.- Biography :Doug Ardito is the bassist/guitarist for Puddle of Mudd which he joined in 1999. That same year, Ardito also recorded two songs with the short-lived supergroup The Wondergirls. Ardito co-wrote...
) laugh, and throw a banana peel into the shower. The girl does not see it, and slips on it, banging her head against the wall and killing her in the process. The group seeing this, flees the room, except for one who is shown being sucked into a static television, parodying Poltergeist. Wes and his girlfriend run in a different direction than the others, but both groups make their way towards the famous Bates house. An imitation of Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
is seen outside the house banging on the window in an angry fashion. The group of remaining jocks and cheerleaders climb the stairs to the house featured in Blink-182
Blink-182
Blink-182 is an American rock band consisting of vocalist and bass guitarist Mark Hoppus, vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. They have sold over 27 million albums worldwide since forming in Poway, California in 1992...
's video for I Miss You
I Miss You (blink-182 song)
"I Miss You" is the second single from Blink-182's 2003 self titled album. It was released in February 2004. The song signals a drastic departure from Blink-182's usual upbeat, crudely humorous style, presenting a somber theme and a slower pace. In the music video , the band plays at a haunted...
, but are met by a girl portraying Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
at the top, who kicks them down the stairs. Wes and his girlfriend enter the Bates house, only to see an old woman sitting in a chair. The woman is revealed to be Wes himself, dressed up as an old lady, again referencing the ending to Psycho. Wes is then shown realizing "maybe I'm the one who is/the schizophrenic psycho."
Chart performance
The song debuted on the Billboard Mainstream Rock TracksMainstream Rock Tracks
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
at #32 and reached #1, remaining there for 9 weeks. It is their fifth single to top the chart and their first in 5 years. It also debuted on Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
at #38, where it has also reached #1, becoming their second song to do so on the chart. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
at #100 and has risen to #67, becoming their first song to chart on the Hot 100 since "Away From Me" in 2003. It debuted on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
at #90 and has since peaked at #56, beating the band's previous single, "Famous
Famous (Puddle of Mudd song)
"Famous" is the title track and first single on the third studio album by post-grunge band Puddle of Mudd. The song was sent out to rock radio on May 11, 2007 and was officially released on May 21....
," which debuted and peaked at #97. It also charted on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Pop 100
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...
; it peaked at #75. Despite being released as a single in 2007, Fuse rated this song as the best Modern Rock song of 2008. As of 2010, "Psycho" is the band's second best-selling single in the U.S., behind only the 2002 mega-hit "Blurry
Blurry
"Blurry" is a 2001 song by Puddle of Mudd. It is the band's first successful single released as their second single from the album Come Clean....
", with 700,000 copies sold.
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
67 |
| Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
75 |
| Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 |
| Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 1 |
| Billboard Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
56 |