With Charles Manson passing away recently a lot of things are being looked at in a different light now. Famous songs that mention Manson are being given as much attention as movies and TV shows since they tend to reference the man and his past deeds in many different ways. In an earlier article I alluded to the fact that the media and pop culture jumped on the idea of Manson and his insane ways, and in some ways glamorized what he and his followers had done. The idea that anyone would bother to remember this man’s name seems bad enough, but to give him even more attention by spreading his name throughout pop culture in such a way isn’t a lack of being ashamed of the past or trying to hide it, but instead seems like a way to stick it in the face of the public under the protection of freedom of expression. The fact is that many people actually argued the matter that Manson wasn’t the real killer, that his followers had done his bidding and that he’d never had to lay a hand on anyone. That anyone would seek to defend such an individual seems a little odd.
Here are some of the most famous songs that make mention of Manson in some way.
5. N.W.A.-Straight Outta Compton
This one doesn’t have a whole lot to do with Charles Manson except for one line. It alludes to having the same type of murder rap like Charles Manson, which is is basically the only time he gets mentioned. This shows however that Charles Manson has become such an integral part of American culture.
4. Ozzy Osbourne-Bloodbath in Paradise
Spouting off a line that Charlie and his family might come get you is something that might seem a bit controversial if people didn’t think it was just another artist spouting a bit of American history to sell an album. Honestly it makes Manson sound more like the boogeyman than anything and kind of helps to cement his legacy in our culture even more.
3. System of a Down-ATWA
Using acronyms that were once used by Charles Manson does count but it seems like something a lot of people wouldn’t really know unless they looked it up. At this point a lot of the current generation only know what they’ve been told about Manson and that seems like more than enough. His level of crazy doesn’t register with a lot of youngsters today for a good reason.
2. Nine Inch Nails-Gave Up
This video and a lot of the album it belongs to was shot at the scene of the Tate murders. That should say it all right there that Nine Inch Nails was trying to channel some seriously crazy vibes in order to lay down their new tracks in 1993. I’ve heard about artists being out there and over the top morbid but even as a writer I’m not sure I’d go quite that far unless there was good cause.
1. Marilyn Manson-Beautiful People
This song alludes to the message “How does it feel to be one of the beautiful people?” that was found written in blood when the police arrived to the scene of the Tate murders. Did you really expect anything less from a guy that took the name Marilyn Manson?
As a writer I live crazy and embrace it daily, but this is a level I don’t travel to often.
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