With drummer Stephen George, Ministry debuted with the Wax Trax! single Cold Life, which -- typical of their early output -- was in the synthpop dance style of new wavers like the Human League and Thompson Twins. The album With Sympathy, on the major label Arista in 1983, followed a similar musical direction -- one that Jourgensen was dissatisfied with. He returned to Wax Trax! and recorded several singles while rethinking the band's style and forming his notorious side project, the Revolting Cocks.
In 1986, with Jourgensen the only official member of Ministry, the Adrian Sherwood-produced Twitch was released by Sire Records. While not as aggressive as the group's later material, it took definite steps in that direction with a more industrial / ebm sound.
Following a 1987 single with Skinny Puppy's Kevin Ogilvie (aka Nivek Ogre) as PTP, Jourgensen once again revamped Ministry, with former Blackouts bassist Paul Barker officially joining the lineup to complement Jourgensen's rediscovery of the guitar. Fellow ex-Blackouts William Rieflin (drums) and Mike Scaccia (guitar), as well as vocalist Chris Connelly, were heavily showcased as collaborators for the first of several times on 1988's The Land of Rape and Honey. With Jourgensen and Barker credited as Hypo Luxa and Hermes Pan, respectively, this album proved to be Ministry's stylistic breakthrough, a taut, explosive fusion of heavy metal, industrial dance beats, samples and punk aggression.
1989's The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste built on its predecessor's artistic success, and In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up was recorded on its supporting tour, introducing collaborators like drummer Martin Atkins (ex-Public Image Ltd., later of Pigface), guitarist William Tucker, and Jello Biafra). Jourgensen embarked on a flurry of side projects, including the Revolting Cocks (with Barker, Barker's brother Roland, Front 242 members Luc Van Acker and Richard 23, and many more), 1000 Homo DJs (with Biafra, Rieflin, and Trent Reznor), Acid Horse (with Cabaret Voltaire), Pailhead (with Ian MacKaye), and Lard (with Biafra, Barker and Rieflin).
In late 1991, Ministry issued the single Jesus Built My Hotrod, a driving rocker featuring manic nonsense vocals by co-writer Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers; its exposure on MTV helped build anticipation for the following year's full-length Psalm 69 (subtitled The Way to Succeed & the Way to Suck Eggs, although the only title that appears on the album consists of a few Greek letters and symbols). The record reached the Top 30 and went platinum, producing two further MTV hits, N.W.O. and Just One Fix. Ministry consolidated its following with a spot on the second Lollapalooza tour that summer, joined by guitarist Louis Svitek. However, drug and legal problems sidelined the band in the wake of its newfound popularity, resulting in the clouded Filth Pig being released in 1995, too late to capitalize on their prior success.
More problems with drugs and arrests followed, and Jourgensen returned to some of his side projects, recording a new album with Lard, among others. In 1999, the single Bad Blood was featured prominently in the sci-fi blockbuster The Matrix, setting the stage for the release of Dark Side of the Spoon (the title a reference to the band's heroin problems) later that summer.
Guitarist William Tucker committed suicide in May 1999.
The band was nominated for a Grammy in 2000 for "Bad Blood," but they lost to Black Sabbath, and were dropped from Warner Bros. around the same time. They were also added to the Ozzfest tour but were kicked off before it began because of a management change. To compound their sorrows, Ipecac Records announced three live albums to be released, with material from the Psalm 69 tour being the main focus, but when Warner Bros. caught wind of the project they stamped it out, despite the CDs already being ready for printing.
In 2001, the band filmed a scene for Steven Spielberg's A.I. and released the song from the film on a greatest-hits album, appropriately titled Greatest Fits. The group signed to Sanctuary Records later in the year. They released the Sphinctour album and DVD in the spring of 2002 to satisfy fans who were disappointed by the Ipecac situation. The next spring, Animositisomina was released, advertised as a return to the Psalm 69 style of songwriting, and featuring a cover of Magazine's The Light Pours Out of Me.
Barker left the Ministry camp in 2003. He stated that the trigger was his father dying while the band was wrapping up a summer tour in Europe, and also stated in early 2004 that his family life was his main focus at that particular time. Jourgensen continued Ministry with Mike Scaccia and various other musicians.
Houses of the Molรฉ followed in June 2004. It was the first part in a trilogy of "anti-Bush" albums (Rio Grande Blood in 2006 and The Last Sucker in 2007).
In September 2005 Ministry celebrated their 25th anniversary with Rantology. Jourgensen remixed such hits as Jesus Built My Hotrod and N.W.O. for the set, which also included live material, rarities, and the new track The Great Satan. An extensive tour with the newly reformed Revolting Cocks followed.
In 2007, after nearly three decades, nearly a dozen studio albums, and four Grammy nominations, Ministry announced that the album The Last Sucker would be its last. The album completed an uber-critical trilogy aimed at exposing the foils, failures and fabrications of the George W. Bush administration. Ministry embarked on its "final" world tour in the spring of 2008 โ the โC U LaTour.โ
Jourgenson then concentrated on running his label, 13th Planet Records. Three post-break-up Ministry albums were released: The Last Dubber, a remix album of The Last Sucker; Cover Up, a compilation of new and old cover versions by Ministry; and Adios, a live album documenting the "C U LaTour".
On August 7, 2011, it was announced that Ministry was reforming and would play at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 2-4, 2012. The reunion lineup featured Jourgensen on vocals, Scaccia and Tommy Victor both on guitar, Aaron Rossi on drums, John Bechdel on keyboards and Tony Campos on bass.
Jourgensen told Metal Hammer in August 2011 that Ministry had been working on a new album called Relapse. "Bush is gone, so it's time for something new," he said. "I think this is actually gonna wind up being the fastest and heaviest record I've ever done."
Ministry announced on their website that they entered the studio on September 1, 2011 with engineer Sammy D'Ambruoso to begin recording their new album. On December 23, 2011, Ministry released "99%", the first single from Relapse. The album was released on March 23, 2012.
On December 23, 2012, guitarist Mike Scaccia died following an on-stage heart attack, while playing with his other band, Rigor Mortis.
In an interview with Noisey in March 2013, Jourgensen announced that Ministry would break up again, explaining that he does not want to carry on without Scaccia. "Mikey was my best friend in the world and there's no Ministry without him", he said. "But I know the music we recorded together during the last weeks of his life had to be released to honor him. So after his funeral, I locked myself in my studio and turned the songs we had recorded into the best and last Ministry record anyone will ever hear. I can't do it without Mikey and I don't want to. So yes, this will be Ministry's last album."
The album, titled From Beer to Eternity, was released on September 6, 2013. Jourgensen has stated that Ministry plans to tour in support of From Beer to Eternity, but will not record any more albums.
Current Members:
Al Jourgensen โ vocals, keyboards, synths, guitar, bass, drums, and various others (1981โpresent)
John Bechdel โ keyboards (2006โ2008, 2011โpresent)
Sin Quirin โ guitars, bass (2007โ2008, 2012โpresent)
Aaron Rossi โ drums (2007โ2008, 2011โpresent)
Casey Orr โ bass, keyboards (2012โpresent)
Former Members:
John Davis โ keyboards (1981โ1982)
Stephen George โ drums (1981โ1985)
Robert Roberts โ keyboards (1981โ1984)
Marty Sorenson โ bass (1981โ1982)
Shay Jones โ vocals (1982โ1983)
Brad Hallen โ bass (1983โ1985)
John Soroka โ keyboards/collaboration (1984โ1986)
Paul Barker โ bass, keyboards, programming, vocals (1986โ2003)
Bill Rieflin โ drums, keyboards, programming, guitar (1986โ1995)
Chris Connelly โ vocals, keyboards & various songwriting credits (1987โ1993)
Nivek Ogre โ vocals, guitar, keyboards (1988โ1990)
Mike Scaccia โ guitars, bass (1989โ1995, 2003โ2006, 2011โ2012)
Howie Beno โ programming, editing (1990โ1993)
Michael Balch โ keyboards, programming (1991โ1992)
Louis Svitek โ guitar (1992โ1999, 2003)
Duane Buford โ keyboards (1995โ1999)
Zlatko Hukic โ electronics, guitar (1995โ1999)
Rey Washam โ drums, percussion, programming (1995โ1999, 2003)
Max Brody โ drums, percussion, programming, saxophone (1999โ2004)
Mark Baker โ drums (2004โ2005)
John Monte โ bass (2004)
Paul Raven โ bass, keyboards, guitar, drums (2005โ2007)
Tommy Victor โ guitars, bass (2005โ2008, 2011โ2012)
Tony Campos โ bass (2007โ2008, 2011โ2012)
Discography (Studio albums):
1983 - With Sympathy
1986 - Twitch
1988 - The Land of Rape and Honey
1989 - The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste
1992 - ฮฮฮฆฮฮฮฮฮ (Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs)
1996 - Filth Pig
1999 - Dark Side of the Spoon
2003 - Animositisomina
2004 - Houses of the Molรฉ
2006 - Rio Grande Blood
2007 - The Last Sucker
2012 - Relapse
2013 - From Beer to Eternity
2018 - AmeriKKKant
2021 - Moral Hygiene
2024 - HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES
I'm Falling
Ministry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
First last night we're riding home
With friends in a big blue car
For this man fed us rubbish
As if it were caviar
We told him 'sir, please go away
We're innocent of crimes
And all I heard were cries
I'm falling
I asked her for a date one night
She thought it'd be a laugh
I'd take her to a restaurant
And then up to her pad
I waited at my house that night
For her phone call to come
She'd gone off with a ruffian
And he came by with a gun
I'm falling
I'm falling
Yes I'm falling
The lyrics to Ministry's song "I'm Falling" tell the story of two unfortunate events that result in the singer falling. The first verse describes a night when the singer and their friends were driving home with a man who fed them bad food and treated it like it was an expensive delicacy. When they tried to tell him to leave them alone, he became violent and hit the singer with his nightstick, causing them to cry out in pain. This event is symbolic of the injustices and mistreatment that can occur in society, particularly towards those who are innocent and vulnerable.
The second verse describes the singer asking a girl out on a date, only to be stood up for a more dangerous man who comes to the singer's house with a gun. This verse touches on themes of betrayal and violence, and how one's trust can easily be broken by the people around them. The repetition of the phrase "I'm falling" throughout the song emphasizes the feeling of helplessness and despair that the singer is experiencing as they fall into these unfortunate situations.
Overall, "I'm Falling" is a bleak picture of the harsh reality that people can face in life. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of violence, betrayal, and despair, highlighting the need for compassion and understanding in society.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm falling
The singer is in a state of emotional or physical decline.
First last night we're riding home
The night before last, the singer was traveling with friends in a car.
With friends in a big blue car
The car in which the singer was traveling was big and blue, and there were other people there.
For this man fed us rubbish
A man with whom the singer and their friends were riding was lying to them.
As if it were caviar
The lies the man told them were presented in a way that made them seem valuable or desirable.
We told him 'sir, please go away
The singer and their friends asked the man to leave them alone.
We're innocent of crimes
The singer and their friends did nothing wrong to provoke the man's behavior.
He hit me with his black nightstick
The man with whom the singer and their friends were riding attacked the singer with a weapon.
And all I heard were cries
The singer was in pain and heard the sounds of their own suffering.
I asked her for a date one night
The singer requested to go on a romantic outing with someone.
She thought it'd be a laugh
The person the singer asked out did not take their request seriously.
I'd take her to a restaurant
The singer planned to take their date to a dining establishment.
And then up to her pad
After dinner, the singer intended to go to their date's home.
I waited at my house that night
The singer stayed at home, expecting their date to call them.
For her phone call to come
The singer was waiting for their date to contact them.
She'd gone off with a ruffian
The person the singer had asked out went with someone else.
And he came by with a gun
The person who went out with the singer's date was armed with a weapon.
Yes I'm falling
The singer is emphasizing that they are truly in a state of decline.
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AL JOURGENSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@extramedium3920
Chrome meets The Cure. Dig it.
@kevinsturges6957
I bought this record back in the day at Wax Trax in Chicago. Really made a lasting impression on me!
@kendavid891
Yes wax Trax, wasn't kmfdm on wax Trax?
@hypolyxa7207
@@kendavid891 Yeah. Wax distributed some of their stuff in the 80s and then they were signed directly to them in the 90s, as far as I know.
@lisazoria2709
So there's post punk Ministry, synthpop Ministry, industrial Ministry, and thrash metal Ministry, (sometimes mixed and matched and thrown together in stew of mad genius, lol.) I love how they went through so many styles, even though I'm not much a fan of where they are now, I think it's cool and interesting to see a band evolve so much.
@sinskinner
Ministry now is a former shell of itself. Well Al is because he can never keep a constant band together. I mean anything before the year 2000 I enjoy alot. Anything after 2004 their music starting "falling" into utter "let's see how fast we can play thrash music". I'm a Ministry fan, but not much of their newer albums after 2004.
@piotrb8434
There is also sludge Ministry (Filth Pig).
@soulminer
Good call dude. I agree with what you're saying. Filth Pig was probably his most lame album.
@aminmalik4086
@Alan Hicks ๐๐๐
@lakenote4631
Twitch "EBM" Ministry