The Misfits disbanded in 1983, and Glenn Danzig went on to form Samhain and then Danzig. Several albums of reissued and previously unreleased material were issued after the group's dissolution, and their music later became influential to punk rock, heavy metal, and alternative rock. After a series of legal battles with Danzig, Only and Doyle regained the rights to record and perform as the Misfits. They formed a new version of the band in 1995 with singer Michale Graves and drummer Dr. Chud. This incarnation of Misfits had more of a heavy metal sound, and released the albums American Psycho (1997) and Famous Monsters (1999) before dissolving in 2000. Jerry Only then took over lead vocals and recruited former Black Flag guitarist Dez Cadena and former Ramones drummer Marky Ramone for a Misfits 25th anniversary tour.
This lineup released an album of cover songs titled Project 1950 and toured for several years. In 2005, Marky was replaced by Robo, who had played with Black Flag in the early 1980s and had also previously been Misfits' drummer from 1982 to 1983. This lineup released a single titled "Land of the Dead" in 2009. The Misfits' lineup of Only, Cadena, and drummer Eric "Chupacabra" Arce released a new album titled The Devil's Rain in October 2011. In 2015, it was announced that Cadena would be taking a break from music after receiving a cancer diagnosis, and was replaced by Only's son Jerry Caiafa II, presented as Jerry Other. That same year Soulfly's Marc Rizzo joined the band, also playing guitar. He filled in for Cadena, before Caiafa would move on to become the sole guitarist for the band.
In September 2016, for the first time in 33 years, Danzig, Only, and Doyle reunited for two headlining shows as the Original Misfits at that year's edition of Riot Fest, along with drummer Dave Lombardo and second guitarist Acey Slade. The Original Misfits lineup continued performing sporadically through 2019.
Each incarnation of the Misfits has made use of horror film and science fiction film-inspired themes and imagery, with makeup, clothing, artwork, and lyrics drawn from B movies and television serials, many from the 1950s through 1970s. Musically the band are often recognized as progenitors of the horror punk and psychobilly subgenres and have drawn from punk rock, heavy metal, and 1950s rock and roll and rockabilly to inform their style. Rolling Stone describes them as "the archetypal horror-punk band of the late 1970s and early '80s", and they are considered icons in punk music and culture.
American Psycho
Misfits Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh-Oh-Oh,
whoa
Go
Inside a Wall Street mind a psycho lurks
Lines of cocaine cut in Hell
Obsessive hands gently grab your neck
I hate people
Whoa-oh, whoa-oh, Oh-Oh-Oh, whoa-oh
Struggling to breathe, go
The sweet asphyxiation and dismemberment
Sex puts me in the mood to make you die
Obsessive hands gently grab your neck
Look into sick eyes
I hate people
Whoa-oh, whoa-oh, Oh-Oh-Oh, whoa-oh
Struggling to breathe
Go
A machine of penalty
Go
The sweet insanity
Go
Fade to black tranquility
Go
You're looking through the eyes of a psycho, whoa-oh
An American Psycho, whoa-oh
An American Psycho, whoa-oh
An American Psycho
Psycho
Inside a Wall Street mind a psycho lurks
Lines of cocaine cut in Hell
Obsessive hands gently grab your neck
Compulsively you'll die... I hate people
Whoa-oh, whoa-oh, Oh-Oh-Oh, whoa-oh
Struggling to breathe
Go
A machine of penalty
Go
The sweet insanity
Go
Fade to black tranquility
Go
You're looking through the eyes of a psycho, whoa-oh
An American Psycho, whoa-oh
An American Psycho, whoa-oh
An American Psycho
Psycho, psycho, psycho, psycho
The song "American Psycho" by Misfits is a portrayal of a psychopath who resides in a Wall Street corporate mind. Lines of cocaine are cut in Hell, which increases the high and fuels his insane thirst for blood. This psycho is a sexual predator who gets aroused by asphyxiation and dismemberment. The lyrics signify the sociopathic tendencies of this character who enjoys the sensations of unhealthy practices such as choking and hurting others. The obsessive hands that gently grab the neck of others eventually lead to the compulsive death of the victim. The chorus "I hate people" intensifies the character's motives--it reveals how this person only feels a burst of energy and orgasmic satisfaction when they are in the act of hurting or killing someone.
The song is a manifestation of the human psyche that is often veiled by societal norms and behaviors. It is a depiction of the pleasure many people gain in violence and norms that are unacceptable to society. The lyrics make us realize the gory secrets that human nature possesses and the potential residing in each individual to commit psychopathic murders.
Line by Line Meaning
Inside a Wall Street mind a psycho lurks
A disturbed individual can exist within the mentality of a successful businessman.
Lines of cocaine cut in Hell
Narcotics with extreme potency, suggesting that they were constructed in a demonic location.
Obsessive hands gently grab your neck
The hands of an unstable individual may have a compulsive need to cause pain to others.
Compulsively you'll die. I hate people
The compulsion to kill others is so strong that the murderer disdains humanity in general.
The sweet asphyxiation and dismemberment
The murderer derives pleasure from suffocation and then mutilation.
Sex puts me in the mood to make you die
The murderer's arousal can lead him to perform acts of extreme violence.
Look into sick eyes
The individual's disturbed and paranoid nature is perceivable through the eyes.
A machine of penalty
The murderer is viewed as a walking instrument of punishment.
The sweet insanity
The motive behind the murderer's actions is considered insane, but to him/her it's enjoyable.
Fade to black tranquility
A peaceful state into which one sinks after committing a heinous act.
You're looking through the eyes of a psycho, whoa-oh
The song is a representation of the perspective of a crazed killer.
An American Psycho, whoa-oh
The setting is the United States of America, with an emphasis on the critical aspects of US culture.
Psycho, psycho, psycho, psycho
A chant of the term for a murderous individual.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID CALABRESE, JERRY CAIAFA, MICHAEL C. EMANUEL, PAUL CAIAFA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind