Smells Like Children
Encyclopedia
Smells Like Children is a EP by American rock band Marilyn Manson
. It was released on October 24, 1995 in the US through Nothing
and Interscope Records
. It was produced by the band's frontman
and Trent Reznor
of Nine Inch Nails
. The release represents an era of the band full of drugs, abuses, tours, sound experiments, and is also a reference to the 1968 musical film
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
.
The release was initially proposed to strictly be a remix single for "Dope Hat
", but various contributions by engineer and Skinny Puppy
producer Dave Ogilvie
, Nine Inch Nails live keyboardist Charlie Clouser
and new material by the band resulted in an eclectic and unusual combination of material. All the ideas and tracks for this EP were created and composed throughout the touring cycle in support of Portrait of an American Family
, and is the first Marilyn Manson work that features longtime member Ginger Fish
on drums.
The EP was certified Platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) for shipments of over 1.3 million copies in the United States. Spearheaded by its sole single, a cover of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)", originally written and performed by Eurythmics
in 1983, the song became a staple on MTV
and helped to establish the band in the mainstream.
's 4p Tour from March 24, 1995 until May 14, 1995. During their tenure, Danzig/Pantera
tour bus driver Tony F. Wiggins befriended Marilyn Manson, bassist Twiggy Ramirez and keyboardist Madonna Wayne Gacy
and went on backstage drug binges, perverse acts and other unusual escapades with them.
The most well-known and notorious of Wiggins-related events was a series of backstage makeshift torture, interviews and confessions administered by himself, Manson, Ramirez and Gacy to disturbed, emotionally unstable and otherwise strange individuals who were both strangers and Marilyn Manson fans alike.
After the tour ended, mention of Wiggins or any affiliation of with him was unknown. Manson later described him as "a vacuum cleaner for sin," and claims him to be indirectly responsible for his own disappearing innocence and human emotions on the road. The current condition of their relationship is at best, a crucial part of Marilyn Manson history.
, circa 1998:
Manson has considered the release to be "An album that looks like an album for children that is not for children"; in fact, on the outer rim of the CD label the printed words "Keep this and all drugs away from small children" are visible.
' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
", which helped to skyrocket the band into the mainstream
. The other covers on the EP are the Patti Smith
song "Rock N Roll Nigger
" and Screamin' Jay Hawkins
' "I Put a Spell on You
", with the latter later featured on the soundtrack for David Lynch
's 1997 psychological thriller
film Lost Highway.
A recorded telephone conversation between Manson's mother and grandmother, titled "May Cause Discoloration of the Urine or Feces", is sometimes included on early bootlegs under the title "Procardia", in a heavily modified version which is actually a fan-made track, and not an actual track from either pressing—this version contains the original track in the left channel, and an extract from Raggedy Ann
in the right. The Smells Like Children version was previously featured as part of the sound scape "Revelation #9", released on the single for "Get Your Gunn
". Some of these bootlegs may also contain bonus tracks, including a demo for the song "My Monkey" from Portrait of an American Family, and another track called "Choklit Factory" taken from the bands' Spooky Kids-era.
The EP alludes to famous occult author Aleister Crowley
, particularly in the "Dope Hat" re-recording "Diary of a Dope Fiend" after the Crowley novel Diary of a Drug Fiend
. The "Frankie" referred to in "Fuck Frankie" is Frankie Proia, Manson's tour manager at the time who embezzled
$20,000 from the band during their tour for their previous release, Portrait of an American Family
. Wiggins recorded an acoustic rendition of the song "Cake and Sodomy" under the title "White Trash". Manson stated the irony of having Wiggins "strum and twang a redneck version" of the song was "perfect for its message, since [it] critiques southern Christian white trash".
The "One-Legged..." referred to in "Dancing with the One-Legged..." was "a battered doll of Huggy Bear, the pimp from the 1970s cop thriller television series, Starsky and Hutch
, which was missing a leg". Manson explains, "Inside that empty plastic socket was where we hid our drugs throughout the Tony Wiggins tour. Whenever we ingested the contents of that extra orifice, we referred to it in code as 'dancing with the one-legged pimp'". The untitled sixteenth track contains a slower, more ominous remix of "Shitty Chicken Gang Bang" and, approximately 6 minutes in, an unusual audio experiment sometimes referred to as "Poop Games."
and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, as well as other sound bites considered "too extreme", therefore resulting in the tracklisting to be re-edited accordingly for public release, much to Manson's chagrin. Interscope was not interested in buying licenses to use the film samples and demanded written affidavits from the participants in the sound bites, certifying their consent to be recorded. The removed clips were the original opening track, "Abuse, Part 1 (There is Pain Involved)", featuring the voices of Manson and Wiggins as they attempted to calm down a masochistic girl when things got rather out-of-hand, and "Abuse, Part 2 (Confessions)", featuring an interview with a teenage girl who confesses to molesting her 7 year-old male cousin. These were replaced by "The Hands of Small Children" and "May Cause Discoloration of the Urine or Feces", respectively.
The tracks "Sympathy for the Parents" and "Dancing with the One-Legged..." are distorted sound clips taken from an appearance by Manson, Ramirez and Gacy on The Phil Donahue Show
. The episode discussed the dangers of moshing
at concerts. The excerpt used in "Sympathy for the Parents" features Ramirez responding to a question about the attire worn by the band members by playing a cassette tape recording of "Scabs, Guns and Peanut Butter," before Manson's answer to the same question.
of Eurythmics
1983 hit "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)".
Manson often drew musical inspiration from his dreams, but the idea to cover this song came from his first experimentation with LSD at a house party, according to his autobiography. He says that he hallucinated a "slower, meaner" version of the dance hit playing, sung in his voice. He also stated that Nothing did not want to release this as a single. They wanted to release their cover of Screamin' Jay Hawkins
' "I Put a Spell on You
", which, according to Manson, "was far too dark, sprawling and esoteric, even for some of our fans."
The music video for Manson's cover was a gateway to popularity for the band, eventually being nominated at the MTV Video Music Awards for Best Rock Video
, and contains several clips of Manson and band members in what appears to be an old, decrepit asylum whilst wearing a variety of strange costumes. The overall video was shot with unusual filters: this was one of the first videos shot with director Dean Karr
's initial vision intact, not based solely on whatever ideas the band had come up with prior. In between these clips are a number of surreal shots of Manson wearing a wedding gown, Manson wandering around an abandoned street in a tutu, birds fluttering around him and leaving dropping on his body, and footage of him riding a pig wearing a cowboy hat whilst covered with mud which Manson rides during the song's climax.
," "Lunchbox," and "Cake and Sodomy" trilogy that distinguished the debut—but as a sonic sculpture, as an objet d'art, it's effective and wickedly fascinating. It's exactly what Brian Warner needed to do to establish Marilyn Manson as America's bogeyman for the late '90s."
Music critic Robert Christgau
defined Smells Like Children as an "Unmitigated consumer fraud—a mess of instrumentals, covers, and remixes designed to exploit its well-publicized tour, genderfuck
cover art, titillating titles, and parental warning label
. The lyrics to "Shitty Chicken Gang Bang" are nonexistent, those to "Everlasting Cocksucker" incomprehensible. Only "Fuck Frankie," a spoken-word number in which a female feigning sexual ecstasy
reveals that it isn't "Fool Frankie" or "Fire Frankie" or "Fast Frankie" or for that matter "Fist Frankie," delivers what it promises. It's easily the best thing on the record." Tony Scherman of Entertainment Weekly
also gave the release a negative review and called it "an artlessly assembled excuse for an album, these minor-league White Zombie
wannabes throw together pointless remixes, irritating skits, and lame covers of songs by Eurythmics
, Screamin' Jay Hawkins
, and Patti Smith
. Co-producer Trent Reznor
should hang his head in shame."
which read "Marilyn Manson" on the center. Another feature to the show was the addition of giant trees on each side of the stage from which hung ventriloquist dummies from the branches. The stage was usually set up to accommodate small audiences, as most of the shows took place in clubs, rather than arenas.
This was the first tour in which Manson began using stilts. The band also began their signature bizarre looks during these concerts as well, by shaving their eyebrows, and donning makeup and sexually suggestive clothes (with Manson wearing jock straps to pulling his pants down and tucking his penis between his legs, and with Ramirez beginning his traditional kinderwhore
cross-dressing gimmick).
Once an occasional sight on the band's previous tours, Manson was now regularly seen cutting himself on stage most nights—particularly during performances of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)". He got his main chest scarring from this tour as he got into a heated argument with a crowd member and broke a glass bottle and ran it across his chest.
Production
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 was released on October 24, 1995 in the US through Nothing
Nothing Records
Nothing Records was an American record label, specializing in industrial rock and electronic music, founded by John Malm Jr. and Trent Reznor in 1992...
and Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
. It was produced by the band's frontman
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...
and Trent Reznor
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...
of Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
. The release represents an era of the band full of drugs, abuses, tours, sound experiments, and is also a reference to the 1968 musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (film)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a 1968 musical film with a script by Roald Dahl and Ken Hughes, and songs by the Sherman Brothers, loosely based on Ian Fleming's novel Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car. It starred Dick Van Dyke as Caractacus Potts and Sally Ann Howes as Truly Scrumptious. The...
.
The release was initially proposed to strictly be a remix single for "Dope Hat
Dope Hat
"Dope Hat" is a promotional single from Marilyn Manson's debut album, Portrait of an American Family. It was first recorded for a demo tape that they released in 1993, entitled The Family Jams....
", but various contributions by engineer and Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial musical group, formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1982. The group is widely considered to be the founders of the electro-industrial genre....
producer Dave Ogilvie
Dave Ogilvie
Dave "Rave" Ogilvie is a Canadian record producer and musician. He is a producer of industrial music and has been associated with bands such as Skinny Puppy , Doughboys, The Birthday Massacre , Marilyn Manson, Jakalope , Killing Joke, Queensrÿche, Alexz Johnson, Fake Shark...
, Nine Inch Nails live keyboardist Charlie Clouser
Charlie Clouser
Charles Alexander "Charlie" Clouser is an American musician whose activities include playing keyboard, synth, theremin, and drums. He is known for his abilities in music programming, engineering, mixing, and remixing. He was a member of the band Nine Inch Nails 1994–2000. Before he was in Nine...
and new material by the band resulted in an eclectic and unusual combination of material. All the ideas and tracks for this EP were created and composed throughout the touring cycle in support of Portrait of an American Family
Portrait of an American Family
Portrait of an American Family is the debut full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on July 19, 1994 in the US through Nothing and Interscope Records. It was produced by the band's frontman and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails...
, and is the first Marilyn Manson work that features longtime member Ginger Fish
Ginger Fish
Kenneth Robert Wilson , better known by his stage name Ginger Fish, is an American drummer primarily known for playing drums for Marilyn Manson 1995-2011...
on drums.
The EP was certified Platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) for shipments of over 1.3 million copies in the United States. Spearheaded by its sole single, a cover of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)", originally written and performed by Eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
in 1983, the song became a staple 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....
and helped to establish the band in the mainstream.
Background and development
After the conclusion of the Portrait of an American Family Tour, the band undertook the opening slot position for DanzigDanzig (band)
Danzig is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1987 in Lodi, New Jersey. The band serves as a musical outlet for the singer/songwriter Glenn Danzig. Danzig can be seen as the third stage in Glenn Danzig's musical career, preceded by the horror punk bands The Misfits and Samhain...
's 4p Tour from March 24, 1995 until May 14, 1995. During their tenure, Danzig/Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
tour bus driver Tony F. Wiggins befriended Marilyn Manson, bassist Twiggy Ramirez and keyboardist Madonna Wayne Gacy
Madonna Wayne Gacy
Stephen Gregory Bier Jr., formerly known by his stage name Madonna Wayne Gacy is the former keyboard player for Marilyn Manson, 1989-2007. His stage name came from the names of the singer Madonna and the serial killer John Wayne Gacy...
and went on backstage drug binges, perverse acts and other unusual escapades with them.
The most well-known and notorious of Wiggins-related events was a series of backstage makeshift torture, interviews and confessions administered by himself, Manson, Ramirez and Gacy to disturbed, emotionally unstable and otherwise strange individuals who were both strangers and Marilyn Manson fans alike.
After the tour ended, mention of Wiggins or any affiliation of with him was unknown. Manson later described him as "a vacuum cleaner for sin," and claims him to be indirectly responsible for his own disappearing innocence and human emotions on the road. The current condition of their relationship is at best, a crucial part of Marilyn Manson history.
Themes
The band's frontman has discussed his thoughts in retrospect on Smells Like Children within his autobiography The Long Hard Road Out of HellThe Long Hard Road Out of Hell
The Long Hard Road Out of Hell is the autobiography of Marilyn Manson, leader of the American rock band Marilyn Manson. The book was released on February 14, 1998 and written with the help of Neil Strauss as a ghost writer....
, circa 1998:
Manson has considered the release to be "An album that looks like an album for children that is not for children"; in fact, on the outer rim of the CD label the printed words "Keep this and all drugs away from small children" are visible.
Songs
A number of cover songs are included in the track listing, most famous of which is the band's cover of EurythmicsEurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
-Personnel:*Annie Lennox – vocals, keyboards, synthesisers, flute*David A. Stewart – guitar, keyboards, synthesisers, programming, backing vocals-Additional personnel:*Robert Crash - Guitar/ E-Drums/ Synth/ Robotic vocals...
", which helped to skyrocket the band into the mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
. The other covers on the EP are the Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
song "Rock N Roll Nigger
Rock N Roll Nigger
"Rock N Roll Nigger" is a rock song written by Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye, and released on the Patti Smith Group's 1978 album Easter. The song has since been covered by several artists, and was included on the soundtrack of the 1994 film Natural Born Killers.- Liner notes :The following is quoted...
" and Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Jalacy Hawkins , best known as Screamin' Jay Hawkins was an American musician, singer, and actor...
' "I Put a Spell on You
I Put a Spell on You
"I Put a Spell on You" is a 1956 song written by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, whose recording was selected as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It was also ranked #320 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.Although Hawkins'...
", with the latter later featured on the soundtrack for David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
's 1997 psychological thriller
Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...
film Lost Highway.
A recorded telephone conversation between Manson's mother and grandmother, titled "May Cause Discoloration of the Urine or Feces", is sometimes included on early bootlegs under the title "Procardia", in a heavily modified version which is actually a fan-made track, and not an actual track from either pressing—this version contains the original track in the left channel, and an extract from Raggedy Ann
Raggedy Ann
Raggedy Ann is a fictional character created by American writer Johnny Gruelle in a series of books he wrote and illustrated for young children. Raggedy Ann is a rag doll with red yarn for hair and has a triangle nose...
in the right. The Smells Like Children version was previously featured as part of the sound scape "Revelation #9", released on the single for "Get Your Gunn
Get Your Gunn
Released in 1994, "Get Your Gunn" is the first official single by alternative metal band Marilyn Manson. "Snake Eyes and Sissies" was originally planned as the lead single but never released; "Get Your Gunn" was released instead. The track was released to support the album Portrait of an American...
". Some of these bootlegs may also contain bonus tracks, including a demo for the song "My Monkey" from Portrait of an American Family, and another track called "Choklit Factory" taken from the bands' Spooky Kids-era.
The EP alludes to famous occult author Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
, particularly in the "Dope Hat" re-recording "Diary of a Dope Fiend" after the Crowley novel Diary of a Drug Fiend
Diary of a Drug Fiend
Diary of a Drug Fiend, published in 1922, was occult writer and mystic Aleister Crowley's first published novel, and is also reportedly the earliest known reference to the Abbey of Thelema in Sicily.-Plot introduction:...
. The "Frankie" referred to in "Fuck Frankie" is Frankie Proia, Manson's tour manager at the time who embezzled
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
$20,000 from the band during their tour for their previous release, Portrait of an American Family
Portrait of an American Family
Portrait of an American Family is the debut full-length studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on July 19, 1994 in the US through Nothing and Interscope Records. It was produced by the band's frontman and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails...
. Wiggins recorded an acoustic rendition of the song "Cake and Sodomy" under the title "White Trash". Manson stated the irony of having Wiggins "strum and twang a redneck version" of the song was "perfect for its message, since [it] critiques southern Christian white trash".
The "One-Legged..." referred to in "Dancing with the One-Legged..." was "a battered doll of Huggy Bear, the pimp from the 1970s cop thriller television series, Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...
, which was missing a leg". Manson explains, "Inside that empty plastic socket was where we hid our drugs throughout the Tony Wiggins tour. Whenever we ingested the contents of that extra orifice, we referred to it in code as 'dancing with the one-legged pimp'". The untitled sixteenth track contains a slower, more ominous remix of "Shitty Chicken Gang Bang" and, approximately 6 minutes in, an unusual audio experiment sometimes referred to as "Poop Games."
Samples
Early promotional copies of Smells Like Children featured unauthorized samples from the films Willy Wonka & the Chocolate FactoryWilly Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a 1971 musical film adaptation of the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, directed by Mel Stuart, and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. The film tells the story of Charlie Bucket as he receives a golden ticket and visits Willy...
and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, as well as other sound bites considered "too extreme", therefore resulting in the tracklisting to be re-edited accordingly for public release, much to Manson's chagrin. Interscope was not interested in buying licenses to use the film samples and demanded written affidavits from the participants in the sound bites, certifying their consent to be recorded. The removed clips were the original opening track, "Abuse, Part 1 (There is Pain Involved)", featuring the voices of Manson and Wiggins as they attempted to calm down a masochistic girl when things got rather out-of-hand, and "Abuse, Part 2 (Confessions)", featuring an interview with a teenage girl who confesses to molesting her 7 year-old male cousin. These were replaced by "The Hands of Small Children" and "May Cause Discoloration of the Urine or Feces", respectively.
The tracks "Sympathy for the Parents" and "Dancing with the One-Legged..." are distorted sound clips taken from an appearance by Manson, Ramirez and Gacy on The Phil Donahue Show
The Phil Donahue Show
The Phil Donahue Show, also known as Donahue, is an American television talk show that ran for 26 years on national television. Its run was preceded by three years of local broadcast in Dayton, Ohio, and it was broadcast nationwide between 1967 and 1996.In 2002, Donahue was ranked #29 on TV Guide's...
. The episode discussed the dangers of moshing
Moshing
Moshing is a dance in which participants push or slam into each other. They also flail their limbs to breakdowns of hardcore punk and its sub-genres. It is most associated with aggressive music genres, such as hardcore punk and heavy metal...
at concerts. The excerpt used in "Sympathy for the Parents" features Ramirez responding to a question about the attire worn by the band members by playing a cassette tape recording of "Scabs, Guns and Peanut Butter," before Manson's answer to the same question.
Singles
Smells Like Children was anchored by only one single, a cover versionCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
1983 hit "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)".
Manson often drew musical inspiration from his dreams, but the idea to cover this song came from his first experimentation with LSD at a house party, according to his autobiography. He says that he hallucinated a "slower, meaner" version of the dance hit playing, sung in his voice. He also stated that Nothing did not want to release this as a single. They wanted to release their cover of Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Jalacy Hawkins , best known as Screamin' Jay Hawkins was an American musician, singer, and actor...
' "I Put a Spell on You
I Put a Spell on You
"I Put a Spell on You" is a 1956 song written by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, whose recording was selected as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It was also ranked #320 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.Although Hawkins'...
", which, according to Manson, "was far too dark, sprawling and esoteric, even for some of our fans."
The music video for Manson's cover was a gateway to popularity for the band, eventually being nominated at the MTV Video Music Awards for Best Rock Video
MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video was first given out in , and it was one of the four original genre categories added to the VMAs that year. That year, though, the award was called the Best Heavy Metal Video. From 1990 to 1995, the award was called the Best Metal/Hard Rock Video, and...
, and contains several clips of Manson and band members in what appears to be an old, decrepit asylum whilst wearing a variety of strange costumes. The overall video was shot with unusual filters: this was one of the first videos shot with director Dean Karr
Dean Karr
Dean Karr is an American photographer and music video, commercial, and film director.-Official biography:Director/Photographer Dean Karr's signature style, often copied but never...
's initial vision intact, not based solely on whatever ideas the band had come up with prior. In between these clips are a number of surreal shots of Manson wearing a wedding gown, Manson wandering around an abandoned street in a tutu, birds fluttering around him and leaving dropping on his body, and footage of him riding a pig wearing a cowboy hat whilst covered with mud which Manson rides during the song's climax.
Critical reception
Upon its release, the EP met with mixed reviews from music critics. allmusic gave it a favorable review and said: "Where the full-length debut showed sparks of character and invention beneath industrial metal sludge, Smells Like Children is a smartly crafted horror show, filled with vulgarity, ugliness, goth freaks, and sideshow scares. Manson wisely chose to heighten his cartoonish personality with the EP. Most of the record is devoted to spoken words and samples, all designed to push the outrage buttons of middle America. Musically, it may not amount to much—it's goth-metal-industrial, as good as the "Dope HatDope Hat
"Dope Hat" is a promotional single from Marilyn Manson's debut album, Portrait of an American Family. It was first recorded for a demo tape that they released in 1993, entitled The Family Jams....
," "Lunchbox," and "Cake and Sodomy" trilogy that distinguished the debut—but as a sonic sculpture, as an objet d'art, it's effective and wickedly fascinating. It's exactly what Brian Warner needed to do to establish Marilyn Manson as America's bogeyman for the late '90s."
Music critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
defined Smells Like Children as an "Unmitigated consumer fraud—a mess of instrumentals, covers, and remixes designed to exploit its well-publicized tour, genderfuck
Genderfuck
Genderfuck refers to the conscious effort to mock or "fuck with" traditional notions of gender identity, gender roles, and gender presentation. It falls under the umbrella of the transgender spectrum.-Genderfucking:...
cover art, titillating titles, and parental warning label
Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory is a message affixed by the Recording Industry Association of America to audio and recordings in the United States containing excessive use of profane language and/or sexual references. Albums began to be labeled for "explicit lyrics" in 1985, after pressure from the Parents...
. The lyrics to "Shitty Chicken Gang Bang" are nonexistent, those to "Everlasting Cocksucker" incomprehensible. Only "Fuck Frankie," a spoken-word number in which a female feigning sexual ecstasy
Orgasm
Orgasm is the peak of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, characterized by an intense sensation of pleasure...
reveals that it isn't "Fool Frankie" or "Fire Frankie" or "Fast Frankie" or for that matter "Fist Frankie," delivers what it promises. It's easily the best thing on the record." Tony Scherman of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
also gave the release a negative review and called it "an artlessly assembled excuse for an album, these minor-league White Zombie
White Zombie
White Zombie was a Grammy Award-nominated American heavy metal band. Based in New York City, White Zombie was originally a noise rock band. White Zombie are better-known for their later heavy metal-oriented sound...
wannabes throw together pointless remixes, irritating skits, and lame covers of songs by Eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
, Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Jalacy Hawkins , best known as Screamin' Jay Hawkins was an American musician, singer, and actor...
, and Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
. Co-producer Trent Reznor
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...
should hang his head in shame."
Smells Like Children Tour
The Smells Like Children Tour was the fourth tour Marilyn Manson embarked on. The band was on the tour from June 1, 1995 until February 4, 1996. During these performances, the background scrim was a parody of a ouija boardOuija Board
Ouija Board is a Thoroughbred mare racehorse owned by Edward Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby and trained by Ed Dunlop. In a career spanning four seasons, she won 10 of her 22 races, 7 of them Group 1s, including the Epsom Oaks in 2004 and the Hong Kong Vase in 2005...
which read "Marilyn Manson" on the center. Another feature to the show was the addition of giant trees on each side of the stage from which hung ventriloquist dummies from the branches. The stage was usually set up to accommodate small audiences, as most of the shows took place in clubs, rather than arenas.
This was the first tour in which Manson began using stilts. The band also began their signature bizarre looks during these concerts as well, by shaving their eyebrows, and donning makeup and sexually suggestive clothes (with Manson wearing jock straps to pulling his pants down and tucking his penis between his legs, and with Ramirez beginning his traditional kinderwhore
Kinderwhore
Kinderwhore was an image used by a handful of mostly female punk rock bands in the US during the early to mid 1990s.The kinderwhore look consisted of torn, ripped tight or low-cut babydoll dresses or nighties, heavy makeup, and leather boots or Mary–Jane shoes of various colors...
cross-dressing gimmick).
Once an occasional sight on the band's previous tours, Manson was now regularly seen cutting himself on stage most nights—particularly during performances of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)". He got his main chest scarring from this tour as he got into a heated argument with a crowd member and broke a glass bottle and ran it across his chest.
Track listing
Original version
Album charts
| Charts (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... 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... 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
31 |
Certifications
| Region | Provider | Certification | Shipment | Actual Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | CRIA Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... |
Platinum | 100,000+ | — |
| United States | RIAA Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
Platinum | 1,000,000+ | — |
Singles
| Single | Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" | Hungary Hungary Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The... (Mahasz Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... ) |
7 |
| 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... Modern Rock Tracks |
26 | |
| U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... 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... Mainstream Rock Tracks |
31 |
Credits and personnel
Marilyn Manson- Reverend Marilyn MansonMarilyn Manson (person)Marilyn Manson is an American musician, artist and former music journalist known for his controversial stage persona and image as the lead singer of the eponymous band Marilyn Manson...
– vocals, percussion - Twiggy RamirezJeordie WhiteJeordie Osbourne White , better known by his pseudonym Twiggy Ramirez , is an American musician, who is best known for being the bassist and guitarist for Marilyn Manson. He was also the bassist for A Perfect Circle, and Nine Inch Nails...
– bass, rhythm guitar, keyboards - Daisy Berkowitz – lead guitar, keyboards, violin
- Madonna Wayne GacyMadonna Wayne GacyStephen Gregory Bier Jr., formerly known by his stage name Madonna Wayne Gacy is the former keyboard player for Marilyn Manson, 1989-2007. His stage name came from the names of the singer Madonna and the serial killer John Wayne Gacy...
– sound effects, piano - Ginger FishGinger FishKenneth Robert Wilson , better known by his stage name Ginger Fish, is an American drummer primarily known for playing drums for Marilyn Manson 1995-2011...
– piano, drum machine
Production
- Trent ReznorTrent ReznorMichael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...
– executive producer - Chris Vrenna – programming, digital editing
- Sean BeavanSean BeavanSean Beavan is a musician, record producer, and audio engineer best known for his work with Guns N Roses, Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, God Lives Underwater, and Slayer...
– engineer, mixing - Charlie ClouserCharlie ClouserCharles Alexander "Charlie" Clouser is an American musician whose activities include playing keyboard, synth, theremin, and drums. He is known for his abilities in music programming, engineering, mixing, and remixing. He was a member of the band Nine Inch Nails 1994–2000. Before he was in Nine...
– remixing - Dave "Rave" Ogilvie – remixing
- Joseph Bishara – remixing
- Anthony Valcic – remixing
- Tony F. Wiggins – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Jim Janick – assistant
- Frankie Proia – back vocals
- Joseph CulticeJoseph CulticeJoseph Cultice began his photography career in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was inspired by his love of rock'n roll and pop icons like KISS and David Bowie. He moved to New York City in 1990....
– photography - Gary TalpasGary TalpasGary Talpas is an American art director and photographer. Talpas worked as designer and art director for Nine Inch Nails on Pretty Hate Machine, "Head Like A Hole", The Downward Spiral and Further Down the Spiral. Talpas also worked on Smells Like Children for Marilyn Manson.-References:...
– art direction, package design, logo