31 DAYS OF FAITH NO MORE: “CAFFEINE”
Spurred by a lazy crossword clue in The Onion (36 down, four letters: “Faith No More’s only hit”), MetalSucks contributor Anso DF dedicates every single day in August to celebration and exploration of the San Francisco alt-metal greats. Here we prove that history’s greatest band landed more than one commercial hit (crossword answer: “Epic” natch), we revel in FNM’s embarrassing wealth of winning album tracks (themselves often fit for chart topping), and we dip into the staggering best of the b-sides (ditto). Along the way, we survey the context of FNM’s big break (amid similarly seminal acts Jane’s Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, and Ween) to post-Nevermind, panic-based music commerce in which the brilliantly versatile, fearless powerhouse band operated until their 1998 demise. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it.
Song “Caffeine”
Written by Patton (L); Gould, Patton (M)
Released 1992
Appears on Angel Dust album
Produced by Matt Wallace
Guitars by Jim Martin
Key lyric “The world expects the pose/It’s perfectly natural/Loosen up”
Single? No.
The climate In 1989, The Real Thing‘s title track hinted at Faith No More’s capability for foreboding, violent songcraft; three years later on Angel Dust‘s second song, “Caffeine,” that hatched into full-bore bloodlust.
Awesome song elevated to supra-awesomeness by cinematic storytelling, found in large supply on Angel Dust. I don’t know what “Caffeine” is about (the aftermath of a murder?), but I know it would fit snugly over the end credits for Le Samurai (“Make contact/Up to my neck/I confess in quicksand”), Irreversible (“Do you have something to tell me?”), and Bad Lieutenant (“I’m warning you/I’m warning you/I’m fucking you/I’m warning you”).
Didja know? The lyrics to “Caffeine” are the product of a Mike Patton sleep deprivation experiment. Also, keyboardist Roddy Bottum stated at the time that Patton used no drugs except for caffeine. Wait really?
–ADF
METALSUCKS’ 31 DAYS OF FAITH NO MORE
5 “Caffeine”
4 “Falling To Pieces” (read)
3 “Stripsearch” (read)
2 ”Ricochet” (read)
1 ”Land Of Sunshine” (read)
