Named after the 1932 Bela Lugosi film, White Zombie's musical style was sample-heavy, based around groovy riffs and Rob Zombie's snarling vocals. The samples that filled their records were mostly from obscure horror films, but used creatively to create a kind of carnival freak-show vibe.
Rob Zombie, still known at this time as Rob Cummings, supported himself through multiple jobs, including working as a cycle courier. Most famously, he was a production assistant on Pee-Wee's Playhouse, but he also worked as a designer on pornographic magazines. At this time, he became involved with Shauna Reynolds, another up-and-coming designer. Together they shared a love of classic horror and sci-fi, heavy music, and the weirder corners of American underground culture. They decided to form a band that would draw upon all these influences and White Zombie was formed. Rob took vocals and the name Rob Straker (later changed to Rob Zombie), while Reynolds became the bassist and assumed the name of Sean Yseult. They became the only constants in the often-fluctuating band line-up.
White Zombie best showed their signature style on their final two studio albums. La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1 and Astro-Creep: 2000 Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head were impressive displays of their sample/riff style, thanks to higher production values.
In 1998, Rob Zombie founded his own label, Zombie-A-Go-Go, signing surf and horror acts like The Bomboras and The Ghastly Ones, as well as compiling the mix album Halloween Hootenany. He was managing the new band of his brother Michael, now known as Spider One, the punk-tinged Powerman 5000, but also looked to his own solo career.
After huge opening week sales of his first solo album, Hellbilly Deluxe that dwarfed those of any White Zombie release, it was announced that the band had split up. Bassist Sean Yseult left to form female horror-rockers Famous Monsters and, later, Rock City Morgue. Rob Zombie went on to continued success with his solo music project, and new acclaim as a successful film director.
Future Shock
White Zombie Lyrics
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The lyrics to White Zombie's song "Future Shock" speak to the urgency and unpredictability of time, as the singer reflects on the passing of years and the need to move forward. The opening lines suggest a sense of personal growth and development: "Years have come and gone. Now I stand forward. More than I ever was." However, this progress is not without struggle, as the song further explores themes of paranoia ("Mr. Paranoid. A real backseat driver.") and the frustration of feeling trapped ("I had to move out of there. Yea as fast as I can.").
As the song continues, the lyrics become increasingly surreal and enigmatic, touching on themes of beauty and corruption. The singer's face is described as having "lines of amusement cracked," which may suggest a sense of weariness or cynicism. The ambiguous phrase "some appalling beauty coming up out of the floor" further conveys a sense of the strange and inexplicable.
The song's final lines take on a more aggressive tone, as the singer commands someone to "shut up and get in the fuckin' car!" This abrupt shift in tone suggests a desire to take action and move forward, even if it means leaving others behind.
Overall, the lyrics to "Future Shock" paint a picture of a restless and haunted mind, grappling with the passage of time and the complexities of human emotion.
Line by Line Meaning
Years have come and gone.
It has been a long time since I started my journey.
Now I stand forward.
I am now more confident and ready to face the future.
More than I ever was.
I have evolved and grown stronger over time.
Assault and reassemble.
I have faced many challenges and overcome them by reconstructing myself.
Mr. Paranoid.
I am constantly on edge, anticipating potential threats.
A real backseat driver.
I am hesitant to take control and prefer to let others lead.
But, I had to move out of there.
Despite my reluctance, I knew it was necessary to leave my comfort zone.
Yea as fast as I can.
I wanted to make a quick escape and start a new chapter in my life.
Time waits for no one.
I realized that time is constantly moving forward and I needed to keep up.
When its crawling up the walls.
I felt a sense of urgency and pressure to make progress.
But I never wanted this.
Despite my determination, I never wanted to face such difficult challenges.
I never wanted this.
I never imagined my journey would be this challenging.
Lines of amusement cracked on my face.
I laughed at the absurdity of the situation I found myself in.
Like some appalling beauty coming up out of the floor.
The strange and unexpected events in my life were both terrifying and captivating.
But you had to admit there was no explaining this.
The situations I found myself in were difficult to comprehend and explain to others.
There was no explaining this.
I struggled to make sense of my own experiences and emotions.
No clumsy moral corruption substituting the conscience.
I refused to compromise my morals or values for personal gain.
Like some ape ancestor, ape-incestor grinning under his pompous robot rack overboard.
I saw others who were willing to compromise their values as primitive beings controlled by their own greed and arrogance.
"Hey, buster" Just how you doing.
I encountered others who were eager to take advantage of me and my situation.
An uneasy alliance leaving more dirt than before.
I formed alliances with others, but these relationships often caused more harm than good.
Before they ever knew what hit 'em.
I caught my enemies off guard and defeated them before they realized what was happening.
Yea what hit 'em.
My enemies were surprised and overwhelmed by my strength and determination.
What can I do for you? Just shut up and get in the fuckin' car!
I refused to take orders from others and instead took control of my own fate.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROB ZOMBIE, SHAUNA YSEULT REYNOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind