Land of Sunshine

Last updated
"Land of Sunshine"
Faith No More Land Of Sunshine.jpg
Promotional single by Faith No More
from the album Angel Dust
Released1992
RecordedJanuary–March 1992 [1]
Studio Coast Recorders & Brilliant Studios, San Francisco, California
Genre Funk metal [2]
Length3:43
Label Slash
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
Producer(s) Matt Wallace

"Land of Sunshine" is the opening track to Angel Dust , the fourth studio album by the American rock band Faith No More. It was released as a promotional single in 1992 along with "Midlife Crisis" and has been compared in its opening style to "From out of Nowhere", the opening track and first single from the band's previous studio album, The Real Thing . [3] The song's lyrics contain, amongst other things, questions from Scientology personality tests, with one of them, the question "Does emotional music have quite an effect on you?", being described by Tom Sinclair of Rolling Stone as "the perfect tag line for Angel Dust". [4] The song was one of the three key songs picked out by Robert Christgau from the album in his review, the two others being "Midlife Crisis" and "Midnight Cowboy". [5]

Contents

Lyrical content

The lyrics for "Land of Sunshine" were written by Mike Patton alongside "Caffeine" during a sleep deprivation experiment and included lines taken almost directly from fortune cookies [6] and the Oxford Capacity Analysis personality test offered by the Church of Scientology. He also watched much late-night television to get into the right frame of mind. [6]

There are three lines taken from the personality test, although a fourth appears in the lyric booklet with Angel Dust; question 179 "Do others push you around?". [7] Two of the questions used were shortened slightly for their use in the song; question 27, "Do you often sing or whistle just for the fun of it?" [8] had its end changed to "just for fun", and question 196, "Do you sometimes feel that your age is against you (too young or too old)?" [7] was shortened to "Do you feel sometimes that age is against you?". The unchanged question 69, "Does emotional music have quite an effect on you?" [9] is featured during the choruses along with the phrase "Here's how to order."

The lines taken from the fortunes in Chinese fortune cookies were virtually unchanged and appear throughout the first and second verses of the song. They are as follows, as they appeared on the fortunes:

"Life to you is a dashing bold adventure"
"Sing and rejoice, fortune is smiling upon you"
"You have a winning way, so keep it"
"You are an angel heading for a land of sunshine"
"Pat yourself on the back and give yourself a handshake"

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Land of Sunshine"PattonGould, Bottum3:43
2."Caffeine"PattonGould, Patton4:28
3."Kindergarten"Patton, BottumGould, Martin4:29

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faith No More</span> American rock band

Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before September 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/rhythm guitarist Roddy Bottum and drummer Mike Bordin are the longest-remaining members of the band, having been involved since its inception. The band underwent several early lineup changes, and some major changes later. The lineup of Faith No More consists of Gould, Bordin, Bottum, lead guitarist Jon Hudson, and vocalist/lyricist Mike Patton.

<i>The Real Thing</i> (Faith No More album) 1989 studio album by Faith No More

The Real Thing is the third studio album by American rock band Faith No More, released on June 20, 1989, by Slash and Reprise Records. It was the first album by the band not to feature vocalist Chuck Mosley, instead, the album featured Mike Patton from the experimental/funk band Mr. Bungle. On this album, Faith No More continued to advance their sound range, combining funk metal, rap metal and alternative rock.

<i>Angel Dust</i> (Faith No More album) 1992 studio album by Faith No More

Angel Dust is the fourth studio album by American rock band Faith No More, released on June 8, 1992, by Slash and Reprise Records. It is the follow-up to 1989's highly successful The Real Thing, and was the band's final album to feature guitarist Jim Martin. It was also the first album where vocalist Mike Patton had any substantial influence on the band's music, having been hired after the other band members had written and recorded everything for The Real Thing except vocals and most of the lyrics. The band stated that they wanted to move away from the funk metal style of their prior releases, towards a more "theatrical" sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Gould</span> American musician

William David Gould is an American musician and producer. He is best known as the bassist of Faith No More.

James Blanco Martin is an American guitarist best known for his membership in the rock band Faith No More from 1983 to late 1993. Martin was known for his long hair, bushy beard, and trademark red-rimmed glasses that he wore alone or over another, darker pair of glasses.

<i>Introduce Yourself</i> 1987 studio album by Faith No More

Introduce Yourself is Faith No More's second studio album, released in 1987. Due to the limited availability of the first album, We Care a Lot, many, including the band, once considered this Faith No More's true debut album. Being the group's major label debut, this album features better production than its predecessor, which is most evident on this album's version of the song "We Care a Lot," which also features updated, more topical, lyrics. It was the last album Chuck Mosley appeared on with the band.

<i>Album of the Year</i> (Faith No More album) 1997 studio album by Faith No More

Album of the Year is the sixth studio album by American rock band Faith No More, released on June 3, 1997, by Slash and Reprise Records. It is the first album to feature the band's current guitarist Jon Hudson, and was their last studio album before their eleven-year hiatus from 1998 to 2009. The album has been described by AllMusic as being "more straightforward musically than past releases." It spawned three singles: "Ashes to Ashes", "Last Cup of Sorrow", and "Stripsearch".

<i>We Care a Lot</i> 1985 studio album by Faith No More

We Care a Lot is the debut studio album by American rock band Faith No More, originally released in 1985 and distributed through Mordam Records. On the original vinyl release, the band is credited as Faith. No More. on the album's liner notes, back cover, and on the record itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxford Capacity Analysis</span> Test administered by the Church of Scientology

The Oxford Capacity Analysis (OCA), also known as the American Personality Analysis, is a list of questions which is advertised as being a personality test and that is administered for free by the Church of Scientology as part of its recruitment process. The organization offers the test online, at its local sites, and sometimes at local fairs, carnivals, and in other public settings. It has no relation to the University of Oxford, although the name may have been chosen to imply a link.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midlife Crisis</span> 1992 single by Faith No More

"Midlife Crisis" is a song by American rock band Faith No More. It was released on May 25, 1992, as the first single from their fourth album, Angel Dust. It became their only number-one hit on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We Care a Lot (song)</span> Single by Faith No More

"We Care a Lot" is a song by Faith No More. There are three versions of the song, all of which have been officially released over three different albums. The original was recorded for and released on the band's first studio album, We Care a Lot. A re-recorded version, with new lyrics, was included on the album Introduce Yourself and was the lead single, reaching number 53 on the UK Singles Chart. The live version, without original singer Chuck Mosley, was included on the live album and video Live at the Brixton Academy and was also released as a single in 1991. It was the second most frequently-played song during the band's live performances, behind "Epic". "We Care a Lot" featured different lyrics and ad-libs when performed by Mike Patton, much like performances of "Chinese Arithmetic".

<i>Who Cares a Lot?: The Greatest Videos</i> 1999 video by Faith No More

Who Cares a Lot? The Greatest Videos is the VHS version of Faith No More greatest hits album Who Cares a Lot?. It contains almost all of the band's music videos, a new live video, and behind-the-scenes interviews and footage, most of which was taken from a previous video release, Video Croissant. It is the most complete Faith No More video release to date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everything's Ruined</span> 1992 single by Faith No More

"Everything's Ruined" is a song from American rock band Faith No More's fourth studio album, Angel Dust (1992), and the final single to be released from the album's original track listing. The single was released on November 9, 1992, and charted at number 28 in the United Kingdom.

<i>Epic and Other Hits</i> 2005 compilation album by Faith No More

Epic And Other Hits is a compilation album released by Faith No More in 2005. Despite the album's title, only a handful of songs on it are actual hits, even though the band had other hits which do not appear here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Small Victory</span> 1992 single by Faith No More

"A Small Victory" is the 10th track and the second single from American rock band Faith No More's fourth studio album Angel Dust, released as a single on August 3, 1992. The song was later remixed by Youth of Killing Joke and released later the same month. It was their last single to chart on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, peaking at number 11, and reached the top 30 in Finland and the United Kingdom. When asked about the song's meaning, Mike Patton said:

It's kind of about, well my dad was a coach, so I grew up and I always wanted to win. And well, I found out that I just can't win every game… darn it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faith No More discography</span>

The discography of Faith No More, an American rock group, consists of seven studio albums, nineteen singles, one live album, five compilations, four video albums.

<i>The Works</i> (Faith No More album) 2008 compilation album by Faith No More

The Works is a 3-disc compilation of Faith No More songs ranging from their second album Introduce Yourself to their sixth album Album of the Year. Virtually every song from The Real Thing is represented, as well as every song from the 1992 album Angel Dust, and every song from the CD release of Live At Brixton Academy, which had not been officially released in the US until this point. It also includes the soundtrack contribution "The Perfect Crime" and "Easy" which had only been included on non-US pressings of Angel Dust. This compilation does not, however contain many rarities and is not presented in chronological order and as such is viewed as disappointing by many fans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Album of the Year Tour</span> 1997–98 concert tour by Faith No More

The Album of the Year Tour was a concert tour by San Francisco band Faith No More, in support of their 1997 release Album of the Year. It was Faith No More's final tour before their original breakup in April 1998. Only 32 of the dates were in their native North America, due to the band's greater popularity overseas at the time.

References

  1. The Making of Angel Dust, Mike Bordin interview. MTV. Retrieved December 22, 2007
  2. "10 Essential San Francisco albums". Treble. May 21, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  3. Moses, Peter (December 1992). "Interview with Mike Bordin". negele.org. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
    - Raggett, Ned. "Angel Dust - Overview". allmusic . Retrieved December 17, 2008.
  4. Sinclair, Tom (September 3, 1992). "Faith No More: Angel Dust : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on March 16, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
  5. Christgau, Robert. "CG: Artist 449". Robert Christgau . Retrieved December 17, 2008.
  6. 1 2 Aswad, Jem (June 1992). "Faith No More: Angel Dust in the wind". Reflex (25). Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2008.
  7. 1 2 "Operation Clambake presents: Oxford Capacity Analysis". Xenu.net . Retrieved August 17, 2008.
  8. Theisen, Tiffany. "Do You Have Any Children? - What Is Your Religion? - How Old Are You? - And The Answer Is: - It's None of the Interviewer's Business", The Orlando Sentinel , May 8, 2002.
  9. Corrigan, John (2008). The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Emotion. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 128. ISBN   978-0-19-517021-4.