Marilyn Manson is an American rock band formed by namesake lead singer Mari… Read Full Bio ↴Marilyn Manson is an American rock band formed by namesake lead singer Marilyn Manson and guitarist Daisy Berkowitz in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1989. Originally named Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids, they gained a local cult following in South Florida in the early 1990s with their theatrical live performances. In 1993, they were the first act signed to Trent Reznor's Nothing Records label. Until 1996, the name of each member was created by combining the first name of a female sex symbol and the last name of a serial killer, for example Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson. Their lineup has changed between many of their album releases; the eponymous lead singer is the only remaining original member.

In the past, band members dressed in outlandish makeup and costumes, and engaged in intentionally shocking behavior both onstage and off. Their lyrics often received criticism for their anti-religious sentiment and references to sex, violence and drugs, while their live performances were frequently called offensive and obscene. On several occasions, protests and petitions led to the group being blocked from performing, with at least three US states passing legislation banning the group from performing at state-owned venues. They released a number of platinum-selling albums, including Antichrist Superstar (1996) and Mechanical Animals (1998). These albums, along with their highly stylized music videos and worldwide touring, brought public recognition to Marilyn Manson. In 1999, news media, infamously, falsely blamed the band for influencing the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre.

As this controversy began to wane throughout the 2000s, so did the band's mainstream popularity. Despite this, Jon Wiederhorn of MTV, in June 2003, referred to Marilyn Manson as "the only true artist today". Marilyn Manson is widely regarded as being one of the most iconic and controversial figures in rock music, with the band and its lead singer influencing numerous other groups and musicians, both in metal-associated acts and also in wider popular culture. VH1 ranked Marilyn Manson as the seventy-eighth best rock band on their 100 Great Artists of Hard Rock. They were inducted into the Kerrang! Hall of Fame in 2000, and have been nominated for four Grammy Awards. In the U.S., the band has seen ten of its releases debut in the top ten, including two number-one albums. Marilyn Manson have sold in excess of 50 million records worldwide.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Manson_(band)

Studio albums
Portrait of an American Family (1994)
Antichrist Superstar (1996)
Mechanical Animals (1998)
Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) (2000)
The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003)
Eat Me, Drink Me (2007)
The High End of Low (2009)
Born Villain (2012)
The Pale Emperor (2015)
Heaven Upside Down (2017)
We Are Chaos (2020)

I don't like the drugs ...
Marilyn Manson Lyrics

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Norm life baby
"We're white and oh so hetero
And our sex is missionary."

Norm life baby
"We're quitters and we're sober
Our confessions will be televised."

You and I are under dosed and we're ready to fall
Raised to be stupid, taught to be nothing at all

I don't like the drugs but the drugs like me
I don't like the drugs, the drugs the drugs

Norm life baby
"Our god is white and unforgiving
We're piss tested and we're praying."

Norm life baby
"I'm just a sample of a soul
Made to look just like a human being."

Norm life baby
"We're rehabbed and we're ready
For our fifteen minutes of shame."

Norm life baby
"We're talk shown and we're pointing
Just like Christians at a suicide."

You and I are under dosed and we're ready to fall
Raised to be stupid, taught to be nothing at all

I don't like the drugs but the drugs like me
I don't like the drugs, the drugs the drugs

"There's a hole in our soul that we fill with dope
And we're feeling fine."

I don't like the drugs but the drugs like me
I don't like the drugs, the drugs the drugs

Overall Meaning

Manson's lyrics in "I Don't Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me)" are a commentary on identity, conformity, and the pitfalls of a "norm life" that is both unfulfilling and self-destructive. The song starts by sarcastically describing the "perfect" normative lifestyle: white and heterosexual, following a missionary lifestyle, sober, and obedient to a white and unforgiving God who tests with urine samples. This line is full of social commentary and almost borders on satire, criticizing social conformity in a unique and scathing way.

The chorus "I don't like the drugs but the drugs like me" is a clever play on words that suggests an addictive personality that is weighed down by societal expectations of perfection. The bridge also heavily contrasts with the opening verse. Lines like "raised to be stupid, taught to be nothing at all" suggest a sad contrast to the normative lifestyle highlighted earlier, which teaches a person to conform rather than express inner desires.

The lyrics also touch on the idea of filling a void with negativity or drugs, with the line "there's a hole in our soul that we fill with dope, and we're feeling fine." This phrase conveys a sense of emptiness and sadness that runs deeper than addiction. The song is a haunting and poignant exploration of the dark side of social norms and the personal struggles that result when individuals struggle to find their own identities.

Line by Line Meaning