Megalomaniac (Incubus song)

"Megalomaniac"
Single by Incubus
from the album
A Crow Left of the Murder...
B-side "Monuments and Melodies"
Released 23 December 2003
Format Enhanced CD
Recorded October 2003
Genre
Length 4:24 (radio edit)
4:54 (album version)
Label Epic/Immortal
Songwriter(s) Brandon Boyd, Mike Einziger, Ben Kenney, Chris Kilmore, José Pasillas
Producer(s) Brendan O'Brien
Incubus singles chronology
"Circles"
(2002)		 "Megalomaniac"
(2003)		 "Talk Shows on Mute"
(2004)

"Circles"
(2002)		 "Megalomaniac"
(2004)		 "Talk Shows on Mute"
(2004)

"Megalomaniac" is a song by the American rock band Incubus, from their 2004 album A Crow Left of the Murder... It was released as a single in December 2003, and eventually reached the top of Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks, where it stayed for a six-week period.

Composition

The song begins with a cyclic, scratchy warble that lasts about 30 seconds (not present in the radio edit) before fading into a more conventional introduction. The entire buildup lasts about one minute in all before climaxing into a heavy rock riff, with distorted electric guitars and bass, before going into the first verse. The song alternates between more mellow mood of the verses and the driving rock feel of the chorus, also managing to incorporate a bridge in the key of Dm, in contrast to the rest of the song, which is in Gm.

Lyrical interpretations

Lead singer Brandon Boyd says the song is not specifically targeting anybody - the song's meaning pertains to megalomaniacs in general with a particular emphasis on El Guapo from the American comedy film Three Amigos.[1]

Music video

The video shows images of Adolf Hitler interspersed with shots of the band and of many people who are protesting. As the video progresses, officers are sent to disperse the crowd. The speaker's podium rises very high - then it is revealed that the podium is actually a gas pump. The gas pump spurts oil over the crowd, while the main figure's head is consumed by a bald eagle and starts eating people that turned into fish.

Track listing

US/EU CD single
  1. "Megalomaniac" (Radio Edit)
  2. "Monuments and Melodies"
  3. "Pistola" (Live at Lollapalooza 2003)

Billboard chart positions

Chart (2003) Peak
position
Brazilian Singles Chart (ABPD)[2] 33
Billboard Hot 100 55
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks 1
Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks 2

References

  1. ↑ http://www.mtv.com/news/1485594/think-you-know-who-incubus-megalomaniac-is-about-think-again/
  2. ↑ "Brazil" (PDF). ABPD. October 6, 2001. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
Preceded by
"Hit That" by The Offspring		 Billboard Modern Rock Tracks number-one single
February 21, 2004 - March 27, 2004 		Succeeded by
"I Miss You" by Blink-182


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