The two main influences on the band are the Beatles and Black Sabbath, and keyboardist Josh Silver has expressed a love of Pink Floyd--evidence of which can be heard in the atmospherics of his production techniques.
The band arose from the ashes of the band Carnivore and gained popularity with their songs "Black No. 1" and "Christian Woman" from the Bloody Kisses album. The album was the first in Roadrunner Records' catalog to go both gold and platinum. They have successfully toured with Pantera, Life of Agony, and dozens of other established and up-and-coming bands, as well as taking part in Ozzfest. The band had VHS and DVD documentary releases in addition to their CD releases and contributions to movie soundtracks and compilations.
Steele died of sepsis caused by diverticulitis (initially reported as heart failure) on April 14 2010 at the age of 48.
Singles and video-featured songs
Black No. 1 - 1993
Christian Woman - 1993
Cinnamon Girl - 1996
Everyone I Love Is Dead - 1999
Everything Dies - 1999
I Don't Wanna Be Me - 2003
Love You to Death - 1996
My Girlfriend's Girlfriend - 1996
Profits of Doom - 2007
September Sun - 2007
Summer Breeze - 1993
Discography
Slow, Deep and Hard - 1991
Origin of The Feces - 1992
Bloody Kisses - 1993
October Rust- 1996
World Coming Down - 1999
Life Is Killing Me - 2003
Dead Again - 2007
Members
Peter Steele - Vocals, bass guitar and songwriting (1990-2010)
Josh Silver - Keyboards (1990-2010)
Kenny Hickey - Guitar and backing vocals (1990-2010)
Johnny Kelly - Drums (1994-2010)
Sal Abruscato - Drums (1990-1993)
Christian Woman (Butt-Kissing
Type O Negative Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For she knows not what she does...
A cross upon her bedroom wall
From grace she will fall
An image burning in her mind
And between her thighs
When will you come again?
Before him, beg to serve or please
On your back or knees
There's no forgiveness for her sins
Prefers punishment?
Would you suffer eternally
Or internally?
For her lust
She'll burn in Hell
Her soul done medium well
All through mass manual stimulation
Salvation
Body of Christ
She needs
Body of Christ
The body of Christ
She'd like to know God
Ooh, love God
Feel her god
Inside of her - deep inside of her
Jesus Christ looks like me
At a first glance, Type O Negative's song "Christian Woman" can be interpreted as extremely vulgar and sacrilegious. However, the song is in reality an introspection of human sexuality and the relationship between sex and religion. The song starts with the singer asking for forgiveness for the woman he's describing, which immediately sets an apologetic and remorseful tone. The cross on her bedroom wall, a symbol of purity and godliness, is ironically juxtaposed with her sinful thoughts and desires. The woman is depicted as being controlled by her lustful thoughts and trying to find salvation through manual stimulation during Mass. The line "Body of Christ" can be interpreted both as the eucharistic bread and as a sexual reference, further emphasizing the connection between sexuality and religion.
The song then poses a rhetorical question: would you rather suffer eternally or internally? This line is a metaphor for the woman's internal struggle with her own desires and beliefs. The chorus seemingly condemns her to burning in Hell, but the line "her soul done medium well" is actually a reference to how meat is cooked, implying that her sins are not too great and that there is still hope for her.
In the end, the song is a commentary on the taboo nature of sex and how it intersects with religion. It challenges the idea that sexuality and spirituality are mutually exclusive and suggests that they can coexist.
Line by Line Meaning
Forgive her...
This song is a hypothetical dialogue between a person who is trying to convert a woman to Christianity and the woman who has erotic fantasies about Jesus Christ. The opening words, 'Forgive her...' are spoken by the person, pleading with God to forgive the woman's thoughts and desires.
A cross upon her bedroom wall
The woman has a cross hanging on her bedroom wall, which implies that she is a Christian.
From grace she will fall
Despite the cross on her wall, the woman is not following the Christian faith correctly, and her actions will cause her to lose God's grace.
An image burning in her mind
The woman has a vivid image of Jesus Christ, which she finds sexually arousing.
And between her thighs
The woman's desire for Jesus Christ is so intense that it physically affects her genitalia.
A dying God-man full of pain
This line is referring to Jesus Christ's death on the cross. The woman is aroused by his suffering.
When will you come again?
The woman is eagerly anticipating Jesus Christ's return so that she can experience him sexually.
Before him, beg to serve or please
The woman is willing to submit herself to Jesus Christ in any way that he desires, even if it means begging and pleasing him.
On your back or knees
The woman is willing to engage in sexual acts with Jesus Christ in any position he desires, even if it requires her to be on her back or knees.
There's no forgiveness for her sins
This line implies that the woman has committed several sins, including her lust for Jesus Christ. The song suggests that she cannot seek forgiveness from God, as her actions are too immoral.
Prefers punishment?
The song questions whether the woman purposely seeks punishment for her sinful desires, rather than seeking forgiveness for them.
Would you suffer eternally
The song asks the woman if she would be willing to suffer eternal damnation for her lust for Jesus Christ.
Or internally?
Alternatively, the song asks if the woman is willing to suppress her own desires and suffer inwardly.
For her lust, she'll burn in Hell
This line confirms the idea that the woman's desires for Jesus Christ are considered sinful and immoral, and will result in her eternal damnation.
Her soul done medium well
This line is a play on words; it suggests that the woman's soul is not in a good state, as she is neither fully committed to Christianity nor fully committed to her sexual desires. Therefore, she is described as being 'medium well'.
All through mass manual stimulation
This line suggests that the woman masturbates during church services, which further implies that she is not truly devout in her religion.
Salvation
The song questions whether the woman truly desires salvation, or if she is only interested in satisfying her sexual desires.
Body of Christ, she needs
The woman desires the physical presence of Jesus Christ, even to the extent of wanting to consume him in the form of the holy sacrament.
The body of Christ
This line is repeated, emphasizing the woman's desire for Jesus Christ's body.
She'd like to know God
The song acknowledges that the woman may genuinely desire to have a closer relationship with God, but her sexual desires are getting in the way of that.
Ooh, love God
This line is the woman's response to the person trying to convert her to Christianity. She expresses a desire to love God, but it is immediately followed by the line 'Feel her god', which suggests that she is still thinking about Jesus Christ in a sexual way.
Inside of her - deep inside of her
The woman desires Jesus Christ to be inside of her, both physically and sexually. This line emphasizes the extent of her impure thoughts and desires.
Jesus Christ looks like me
The song ends with the woman claiming that Jesus Christ resembles her. This line is significant because it suggests that the woman sees Jesus Christ as someone who shares her impure desires and behaves in a similarly immoral way. It is a shocking revelation that further highlights the woman's descent into depravity.
Contributed by Sophia I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.