Heavy Metal Poisoning

Last updated
"Heavy Metal Poisoning"
Song by Styx
from the album Kilroy Was Here
A-side "Music Time"
Released1984
Recorded1982
Genre Hard rock
Length4:57
Label A&M
Songwriter(s) James Young
Music video
"Heavy Metal Poisoning" on YouTube

"Heavy Metal Poisoning" is a song by American rock band Styx. It was included as the fifth track on their 1983 studio album Kilroy Was Here .

Contents

The song in the story of Kilroy Was Here has the character of Dr. Righteous (portrayed by James "J.Y." Young) preaching the "evils" of rock and roll. Although the song got only minor airplay on FM rock radio, its music video received significant airplay on MTV.

AllMusic critic Mike DeGagne considered it to be "pretentious, weakly composed, and rhythmically anemic." [1]

It would be released as a B-side to the single "Music Time" (from the band's 1984 double live album Caught in the Act ) in 1984.

Backmasking

The song begins with the backmasked Latin words "annuit cœptis, novus ordo seclorum". [2] Translated from the Latin, these words mean "He/God has favored our undertakings, [3] a new order of the ages". [4] [5] These are the two mottoes on the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States. If listened closely enough, just after the second refrain and instrumental break, another backmasked message can be heard, saying "Rock & roll is evil", mocking the purported dangers of backmasking. The backmaskings are thought to have been a response to claims of secret messages in previous songs by Evangelical Christian Tipper Gore, Al Gore's wife.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Brian Gibson (alongside the videos for "Mr. Roboto" and "Don't Let It End"). The video has Dr. Righteous performing a sermon on The Dr. Righteous Show with his two henchmen (portrayed by the Panozzo twins) by his side. Interspersed is footage of people and members of The Majority for Musical Morality setting fire to guitars and records. On Righteous' TV show, Righteous brainwashes a youth who was inflicted with the "evils" of rock and roll which was almost thwarted when Jonathan Chance (played by Tommy Shaw) tried to save the youth only to escape from being arrested by the Majority of Musical Morality. While the Tommy Shaw character mimes the guitar solo, it is actually played by James "J.Y." Young. At the end of the clip, Righteous succeeds in "curing" a youth from the "evils" of rock and roll. Keyboardist and frontman Dennis DeYoung does not appear in the video—the only Styx video he does not appear in during his tenure with the group.

It is included on the Styx compilation album Rockers .

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Styx (band)</span> American rock band

Styx is an American rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1972. They are known for blending melodic hard rock guitar with acoustic guitar, synthesizers mixed with acoustic piano, upbeat tracks with power ballads, and incorporating elements of international musical theatre. The band established themselves with a progressive rock sound during the 1970s, and began to incorporate pop rock and soft rock elements in the 1980s.

<i>Pieces of Eight</i> 1978 studio album by Styx

Pieces of Eight is the eighth studio album by American progressive rock band Styx, released in September 1978.

<i>Equinox</i> (Styx album) 1975 studio album by Styx

Equinox is the fifth studio album by American rock band Styx, released in December 1975. The lead single "Lorelei" became Styx's second US Top 40 hit.

<i>Novus ordo seclorum</i> Mottos that appear on the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States

The phrase Novus ordo seclorum is one of two Latin mottos on the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States. The other motto is Annuit cœptis. The mottos were coined by Charles Thomson, the secretary of the Congress of the Confederation.

<i>E pluribus unum</i> Traditional motto of the United States

E pluribus unum – Latin for "Out of many, one" – is a traditional motto of the United States, appearing on the Great Seal along with Annuit cœptis and Novus ordo seclorum which appear on the reverse of the Great Seal; its inclusion on the seal was suggested by Pierre Eugene du Simitiere and approved in an act of the Congress of the Confederation in 1782. The first word of E pluribus unum is actually an abbreviation of the Latin preposition ex, meaning "out of." While its status as national motto was for many years unofficial, E pluribus unum was still considered the de facto motto of the United States from its early history. Eventually, the U.S. Congress passed an act in 1956, adopting "In God We Trust" as the official motto.

<i>Annuit cœptis</i> Motto on the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States

Annuit cœptis is one of two mottos on the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States. The literal translation is "[He] favors [our] undertakings", from Latin annuo, and coeptum. Because of its context as a caption above the Eye of Providence, the standard translations are "Providence favors our undertakings" and "Providence has favored our undertakings".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Roboto</span> 1983 single by Styx

"Mr. Roboto" is a song by American rock band Styx, released as the lead single from their eleventh studio album, Kilroy Was Here (1983). It was written by band member Dennis DeYoung. In Canada, it went to #1 on the RPM national singles chart. It entered the US Billboard Hot 100 on 12 February 1983, reaching No. 3 in April.

<i>Cornerstone</i> (Styx album) 1979 studio album by Styx

Cornerstone is the ninth studio album by the American rock band Styx, released in 1979. Styx's third straight multi-platinum selling album, Cornerstone was Styx's first album to earn a Grammy nomination, which was for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. Like the four previous Styx albums, the band produced the album themselves. Styx recorded the album at Pumpkin Studios in Oak Lawn, Illinois.

<i>Kilroy Was Here</i> (album) 1983 studio album by Styx

Kilroy Was Here is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band Styx, released on February 22, 1983. A concept album and rock opera about a world where rock music is outlawed, it is named after a famous World War II graffiti tag, "Kilroy was here." It was the last album of original material to be released by the "classic" lineup of Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw, James "J.Y." Young, John Panozzo, and Chuck Panozzo.

<i>Caught in the Act</i> (Styx album) 1984 live album by Styx

Caught in the Act is a live double album by Styx, released in 1984. It contains one new song, "Music Time," which was released as a single, reaching #40 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

<i>Big Bang Theory</i> (Styx album) 2005 studio album by Styx

Big Bang Theory is the fifteenth studio album and the first covers album by the band Styx, released in 2005. It consists of cover versions of classic rock songs.

John Anthony Panozzo was an American drummer best known for his work with rock band Styx.

Kilroy Was Here is a short film made to tie in with the Styx album of the same name. It was played at the beginning of each Styx show on their 1983 tour. It was written and directed by Brian Gibson of Still Crazy, What's Love Got to Do With It, The Josephine Baker Story and Poltergeist II fame. The VHS video release of the mini-film and live concert is also known as Caught in the Act in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Let It End</span> 1983 single by Styx

"Don't Let It End" is the third track and the second top 10 single on the 1983 album Kilroy Was Here, by Styx. The song is also reprised at the end of the album.

"Snowblind" is a song by Styx that appears on the Paradise Theatre album released in 1981. The song is about the helplessness of cocaine addiction, alternating between slow, brooding verses and a faster, harder-edged chorus, representing the addict's cycle of highs and lows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)</span> 1978 single by Styx

"Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" is a song by American rock band Styx, released as the first single from their eighth studio album, Pieces of Eight (1978). Released in 1978, the single came in two 7" vinyl formats: one with the b-side "Superstars" (a track from The Grand Illusion) and a second single with the instrumental album track "Aku-Aku" as the b-side. Some printings of the single were also issued in a translucent blue vinyl, which are now highly sought after collectors items.

"Music Time" is the sole studio track released on the live Styx album, Caught in the Act. It peaked at number 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of June 2, 1984.

<i>Rockers</i> (Styx album) 2003 compilation album by Styx

Rockers is a compilation of songs by the band Styx. It was released in 2003. The album is notable for deliberately omitting any songs for which former member Dennis DeYoung was the primary or sole writer; even DeYoung-penned signature ballad-to-rocker hits such as "Queen of Spades", "Suite Madame Blue", and "Rockin' the Paradise" are missing. It was an attempt by the remaining members of the band to reposition Styx as a hard rock band and move away from the DeYoungian ballads that had marked the last few albums of their career and most of their biggest hit singles.

Backmasking is a recording technique in which a message is recorded backward onto a track that is meant to be played forward. It is a deliberate process, whereas a message found through phonetic reversal may be unintentional.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boat on the River</span> 1980 single by Styx

"Boat on the River" is a 1979 song by Styx, from their album Cornerstone. It was released as a single in 1980 in various countries, but not in the band's native United States, where "Borrowed Time" was released instead.

References

  1. DeGagne, Mike. "Kilroy Was Here". AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  2. Holden, Stephen (1983-03-27). "Serious issues underlie a new album from Styx". The New York Times . New York City. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
  3. MacArthur, John D. (2016). "Annuit Coeptis - Origin and Meaning of the Motto Above the Eye of Providence on the Great Seal". Latin Mottoes. GreatSeal.com. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
  4. MacArthur, John D. (2016). "Novus Ordo Seclorum - Origin and Meaning of the Motto on the Foundation of the Unfinished Pyramid on the Great Seal". Latin Mottoes. GreatSeal.com. Retrieved 2016-05-21.
  5. "The Great Seal of the United States," U.S. Dept. of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, Washington, D.C., July 2003, p. 5. PDF of official brochure.