You Can't Bring Me Down
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
You Can't Bring Me Down is a song by Suicidal Tendencies, released in 1990 on the Lights...Camera...Revolution! album. It went on moderate commercial success and aided in Suicidal's transition from a hardcore punk band to a thrash metal one. The song was a successful single, becoming arguably the band's best-known song.
The song begins with a hypnotic whammy bar solo, then goes into a clean, almost acoustic sounding rhythm guitar part, and then a guitar solo is added over it. The solo continues for a while, featuring 8-finger tapping and shredding, then the tempo speeds up and the song breaks into the main riff, and the first verse of lyrics, and finally the chorus.
This continues until around 3:40, when suddenly the rhythm guitar is clean again, the tempo slows down, and another solo comes in. Then finally towards the end of the song it goes back to the main riff, only this time with lead vocalist Mike Muir ranting and almost talking instead of singing. Then the song goes back to the chorus, the chorus extends (with yet another guitar solo), and finally ends (Muir's last lyrics being "Suicidal!" and then cackling).
The song was written by Muir and lead guitarist Rocky George. The lyrics of the song are about music censorship, which, due to their band name and controversial song topics, the band had been prone to. Especially during Muir's rant towards the end of the song ("And if I offended you.../oh I'm sorry/but maybe you need to be offended") this becomes even more apparent. In addition, the song "Lovely" on the same album referenced the PMRC's Tipper Gore by name.
It also featured a music video which was a major hit on MTV's Headbangers Ball. The video seemed mostly to be about the band's ban from appearances in Los Angeles; in the beginning of the video a newspaper pops up with the head line "Suicidal Tendencies Banned In L.A." It showed Mike Muir being taken prisoner by a few unnamed authorities, who eventually executed him on the electric chair, despite heavy revolt from Muir's "gang" (perhaps representative of S.T.'s fans), who try to help him escape.
It should also be noted that when Muir is executed in the video you can see the United States Constitution flashing in the background, which is perhaps taking another stab at the PMRC, which the band believed limited the American constitutional right to freedom of speech.
The song was also used in Danny Way's part in the skate video, The DC Video.
|
|
| Mike Muir |
| Mike Clark | Dean Pleasants | Ron Brunner, Jr. | Steve Brunner |
| Former members: Mike Dunnigan | Mike Ball | Grant Estes | Jon Nelson | Rocky George | Andrew Evans | Louiche Mayorga | Bob Heathcote | Robert Trujillo | Josh Paul | Sean Dunnigan | Amery Smith | R. J. Herrera | Jimmy DeGrasso | Brooks Wackerman |
| Discography |
|---|
| Albums and EPs: Suicidal Tendencies | Join the Army | How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today | Controlled by Hatred/Feel Like Shit...Déjà Vu | Lights...Camera...Revolution! | Art of Rebellion | Still Cyco After All These Years | Suicidal for Life | Six the Hard Way (EP) | Freedumb | Free Your Soul and Save My Mind |
| Compilations: F.N.G. | Prime Cuts |
| Related articles |
| Infectious Grooves | Cyco Miko | No Mercy | Beowülf | Excel | Uncle Slam |
