Incubus - Megalomaniac
(4:52)890,023 plays (162,800 listeners)
rock, alternative rock, alternative, incubus, indie rock… see all
Videos for this track
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Incubus - Megalomaniac
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Incubus - Megalomaniac(live)
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Incubus - Megalomaniac Bonn 2007
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Incubus Megalomaniac live
About this track
“Megalomaniac” is a song by American alternative rock band Incubus, from their 2004 album A Crow Left of the Murder. It was released as a single in December of 2003, and eventually reached the top of Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks, where it stayed for a six-week period.
Contents
Musical qualities
The song begins with a cyclic, scratchy warble that lasts about 30 seconds before fading into a more traditional build. The entire build lasts about one minute in all before climaxing into an electric bass riff, then leading into the first verse. The song is very low-pitched throughout and only up-tempo during the chorus and the intro.
Lyrical interpretations
Though the lead singer Brandon Boyd claims the song is not specifically targeting anybody [1], Megalomaniac has been called a “barely veiled condemnation of George W. Bush”[2]. The band maintains that the song’s meaning pertains to megalomaniacs in general.
Music video
The video for Megalomaniac, directed by Floria Sigismondi, features a bleak, dystopian view of the world portrayed using posterization and spriting (using 2D images in 3D settings). Much of the imagery was inspired by the anti-Nazi photocollages of German artist John Heartfield. Images of Adolf Hitler are interspersed with shots of the band and of many people who are either protesting or helpless and victimized. At the beginning of the 2nd verse, the video shows George W. Bush, then a man very similar to him in appearance, standing on a podium speaking to the revolutionaries. As the video progresses, the Bush look-alike sends officers to disperse the crowd. The speaker’s podium rises very high - then it is revealed that the podium is actually a gas pump.
Contents
Musical qualities
The song begins with a cyclic, scratchy warble that lasts about 30 seconds before fading into a more traditional build. The entire build lasts about one minute in all before climaxing into an electric bass riff, then leading into the first verse. The song is very low-pitched throughout and only up-tempo during the chorus and the intro.
Lyrical interpretations
Though the lead singer Brandon Boyd claims the song is not specifically targeting anybody [1], Megalomaniac has been called a “barely veiled condemnation of George W. Bush”[2]. The band maintains that the song’s meaning pertains to megalomaniacs in general.
Music video
The video for Megalomaniac, directed by Floria Sigismondi, features a bleak, dystopian view of the world portrayed using posterization and spriting (using 2D images in 3D settings). Much of the imagery was inspired by the anti-Nazi photocollages of German artist John Heartfield. Images of Adolf Hitler are interspersed with shots of the band and of many people who are either protesting or helpless and victimized. At the beginning of the 2nd verse, the video shows George W. Bush, then a man very similar to him in appearance, standing on a podium speaking to the revolutionaries. As the video progresses, the Bush look-alike sends officers to disperse the crowd. The speaker’s podium rises very high - then it is revealed that the podium is actually a gas pump.
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Shouts
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mr_zizzle2008 wrote:
Im on the radio?
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enlivenjoy311 wrote:
probably my favorite incubus song
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anguibev wrote:
so god damned powerfull!!
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mickrhcp wrote:
me too!!!!!
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shesthenewthing wrote:
this is one of my favorite incubus songs.
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anguibev wrote:
El mejor tema de una de las mejores bandas yankis...
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dangat wrote:
hellyeah!
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Pedr0Alexandre wrote:
Essa banda é foda!!!!!
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Zz_paola_zZ wrote:
aaahhhh <3
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Krowencja wrote:
Hey, megalomaniac, you're no Jesus, you're no fucking Elvis!
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Oppressotron wrote:
An open letter to you G.W.; we can’t wait for you to leave office.
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SomberRemedy wrote:
I could never get enough of incubus
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azwethinkweizz wrote:
Great song, great album, great band,
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jacardi wrote:
AHHH I loveee this song °-° its soo ....grrrr :>
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isasize wrote:
great memories accompany this song! Love it.
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kohzumi wrote:
oh yeah ' minha Primeira Música '' Digamos '' Influência '' =]'
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Elektrycznegita wrote:
Zajebiste.!!!
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MauricioBueno wrote:
Meu primeiro contato com Incubus!!! Essa letra é demais... deveria servir de inspiração para muitos idiotas que tem por aí!!!
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[deleted-user]
wrote:
♥
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hiob3DR wrote:
I love this song, video was great too.
Listeners
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Recent Activity
- emmium, dirtypretty_boy and beachbaby2010 loved Incubus – Megalomaniac. 2 hours ago
- TheOstability added Megalomaniac to TheOstability’s library. 4 hours ago
- Mayfar loved Megalomaniac. 6 hours ago
- deolianaa, mari_oliveira, Faktes and 1 other person added Incubus – Megalomaniac to their libraries. 9 hours ago
- crazy_bitch loved Megalomaniac. 11 hours ago
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- lahnalua added Megalomaniac to the playlist :P. 11 hours ago
- aga_va added Megalomaniac to aga_va’s library. 12 hours ago
- gollor loved Megalomaniac. yesterday afternoon
- Azazel141 added Megalomaniac to Azazel141’s library. yesterday afternoon
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