"Mobscene" (stylized as "mOBSCENE") is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...

. It was released in April 2003 as the lead single from their fifth studio album, ''

The Golden Age of Grotesque ''The Golden Age of Grotesque'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on May 7, 2003, by Nothing and Interscope Records, and was their first album to feature former KMFDM member Tim Sköld, who joined af ...

'' (2003). The song was nominated for a

Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works (songs or albums) containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre. The Grammy Awards is an annual ceremony, wher ...

, but lost out to

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instru ...

's "

St. Anger ''St. Anger'' is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on June 5, 2003. It was the last Metallica album released through Elektra Records and the final collaboration between Metallica and longtime producer Bob ...

". As of 2020, the song sold around 50,000 copies in the United Kingdom, where it has also been streamed almost 4 million times. In the US, the song reached number 18 on the ''Billboard''

Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched i ...

and number 26 on the ''Billboard''

Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

chart.

Composition

Manson has said that "Mobscene" was "pulled from the weirdest parts of my imagination." Prior to writing the song, Manson had seen several

Busby Berkeley Busby Berkeley (born Berkeley William Enos; November 29, 1895 – March 14, 1976) was an American film director and musical film, musical choreographer. Berkeley devised elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geometric p ...

films with all-female chorus lines. He then met with his band and told them that he wanted to create a song that evoked Berkeley's films, the writings of

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

, and an elephant stampede.

Critical reception

In ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, f ...

'', Lance Teegarden deemed "Mobscene" the best track on the band's

greatest hits album A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

'' Lest We Forget: The Best Of'' (2004), writing "Here Manson finds the little bit of irreverence he is looking for." Teegarden praised Sköld's production.

BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. ...

's Richard James opined that the song "proves nu metal is the greatest gift to music ever".

Track listings

*International CD single #"Mobscene" #"

Tainted Love "Tainted Love" is a song composed by Ed Cobb, formerly of American group the Four Preps, which was originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964. It attained worldwide fame after being covered and reworked by British synthpop duo Soft Cell in 1 ...

" (Re-Tainted Interpretation) #"Mobscene" (

Rammstein Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riede ...

's Sauerkraut Remix) #"Paranoiac" *US CD single #"Mobscene" #"Paranoiac"

Charts

References

External links

*
Semiotic Analysis of mOBSCENE
(in Czech) {{authority control 2003 singles 2003 songs Marilyn Manson (band) songs Interscope Records singles Nothing Records singles Nu metal songs Songs written by Marilyn Manson Songs written by Tim Sköld