Fu Manchu's first album, No One Rides for Free (1994), was released by Bong Load Custom Records, an independent label. No One Rides for Free marked the beginning of the band's heavy focus on muscle cars and drag racing, common themes in the stoner rock genre.
Abshire left Fu Manchu before they recorded their second album, Daredevil, in 1995. He was replaced by Brad Davis. The band promoted Daredevil with extensive touring throughout the US and Canada, and reached a wider audience thanks to an opening slot with Monster Magnet, who at the time were the commercial darlings of the stoner rock genre.
Romano and Glass left shortly after the release of Fu Manchu's third album, In Search Of... (1996), citing personal and musical differences with Hill. They were replaced by Brant Bjork and Bob Balch, respectively. Glass, Romano and Abshire soon regrouped to form Nebula, a power trio that took the jam-influenced side of Fu Manchu and expanded on it. Members of Nebula have commented that "we're all family" to fans wearing Fu Manchu shirts at their concerts.
Fu Manchu went on to release several successful albums and reinforce their reputation as a powerful live act. The band had gained this reputation over the years due to their performance when touring with notable bands such as Kyuss, Monster Magnet, Marilyn Manson, Clutch, Corrosion of Conformity, White Zombie, Sevendust, and P.O.D., among others.
In 2001, the band released an album, California Crossing. Brant Bjork left the band soon after to pursue a solo career and was replaced by former Sunshine and Smile drummer Scott Reeder (often confused with bassist Scott Reeder, of Kyuss, Unida, and Goatsnake fame). In 2004, Fu Manchu released their eighth album, Start the Machine.
Fu Manchu's ninth album is called We Must Obey which was released on February 19, 2007. The band spent most of 2007 and 2008 on tour, playing several shows in North America and Europe.
In February 2008, the track "Mongoose" (from the California Crossing album) was featured in a Super Bowl ad for the Toyota Sequoia.
Their tenth album Signs of Infinite Power was released on October 19, 2009, in Europe and October 20 in North America.
On March 10, 2010, it was announced that Scott Reeder would play drums for Social Distortion for the South American tour dates in April. In June 2012, the band stated they had begun writing for a new record. In 2014, the band released its eleventh album, Gigantoid.
In December 2017, they announced their twelfth album, Clone of the Universe, which released on February 9, 2018.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu_Manchu_(band)
Studio albums
No One Rides for Free (1994)
Daredevil (1995)
In Search Of... (1996)
The Action Is Go (1997)
Godzilla's/Eatin' Dust (1999)
King of the Road (2000)
California Crossing (2001)
Start the Machine (2004)
We Must Obey (2007)
Signs of Infinite Power (2009)
Gigantoid (2014)
Clone of the Universe (2018)
Make Them Believe
Fu Manchu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now you can see
I slowly move around
They're staring right at me
I look far and wide as they ride(?) me two's and three's
I try ro signal someone to make them believe
End of the line
But still i try to -
Make them believe
Everything I see
Make them believe
Everything I need to be
Make them believe
Everything I see
Make them believe
Make them believe
I fail but i try
See what there is to see
Our reaper will damn
Crowling up our knees
I hear a familiar sound
It now makes sense to me
The last chance i get to make them believe
End of the line
For the last time
But still i try to -
Make them believe
Everything I see
Make them believe
Everything I need to be
Make them believe
Everything I see
Make them believe
Make them believe
End of the light
End of the light
End of the light
End of the light
End of the line
For the last time
But still i try to -
Make them believe
Everything I see
Make them believe
Everything I need to be
Make them believe
Everything I see
Make them believe
Make them believe
In Fu Manchu's song "Make Them Believe," the singer struggles to convince those around them of the truth they see. The opening lines suggest that the singer's ability to perceive reality is somehow hindered, and they need to "turn off" their mind to truly see. The people around the singer are "staring right at" them, but the singer can't seem to make a connection with anyone. The repetition of the phrase "make them believe" throughout the song suggests that the singer is trying to convince others of some important truth, but they are not succeeding.
As the song progresses, the singer reaches the "end of the line" for what seems to be the final attempt to make their point. The line "Our reaper will damn crawling up our knees" presents a picture of inevitable consequences catching up to the people who refuse to believe the singer's message. In the end, the singer remains committed to convincing others, even in the face of their own failure.
Line by Line Meaning
You turn off your mind
Disengage your critical thinking
Now you can see
Without your preconceived notions, you can observe the truth
I slowly move around
I maneuver cautiously in this situation
They're staring right at me
The people are scrutinizing my actions
I look far and wide as they ride(?) me two's and three's
I scan my surroundings as they encircle me
I try ro signal someone to make them believe
I attempt to get someone's attention to convince them of the truth
End of the line
This is the final obstacle
For the last time
This is the last opportunity
But still I try to - Make them believe
I refuse to give up hope and persist in convincing them of the truth
Everything I see
All the evidence before me supports the truth
Everything I need to be
Convincing them is crucial for me to achieve my goals
End of the light
The end of hope or clarity
Contributed by Logan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.