Megalomaniac (Incubus song)

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"Megalomaniac"
Single by Incubus
from the album A Crow Left of the Murder...
B-side"Monuments and Melodies"
Released23 December 2003
RecordedOctober 2003
GenreAlternative rock[1]
Length4:24 (radio edit)
4:54 (album version)
LabelEpic/Immortal
Songwriter(s)Brandon Boyd, Mike Einziger, Ben Kenney, Chris Kilmore, José Pasillas
Producer(s)Brendan O'Brien
Incubus singles chronology
"Are You In?"
(2002) 		"Megalomaniac"
(2003) 		"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. Outside the United States, the song reached the top 30 in Italy, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

Composition[edit]

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 interpretation[edit]

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.[2]

Music video[edit]

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[edit]

US/EU CD single

  1. "Megalomaniac" (Radio Edit)
  2. "Monuments and Melodies"
  3. "Pistola" (Live at Lollapalooza 2003)

Charts[edit]

Chart (2004) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[3] 36
Canada Rock Top 30 (Radio & Records)[4] 9
Germany (Official German Charts)[5] 70
Ireland (IRMA)[6] 37
Italy (FIMI)[7] 21
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[8] 98
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9] 30
Scotland (OCC)[10] 21
UK Singles (OCC)[11] 23
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[12] 8
US Billboard Hot 100[13] 55
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[14] 2
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[15] 1

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hostert, Alyssa (October 17, 2016). "20 Alt-Rock Songs For Your 2016 Election Playlist". Odyssey. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
  2. ^ "Think You Know Who Incubus' 'Megalomaniac' is About? Think Again". MTV.
  3. ^ "Incubus – Megalomaniac". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  4. ^ "RR Canada Rock Top 30" (PDF). p. 59. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  5. ^ "Incubus – Megalomaniac" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  6. ^ "Chart Track: Week 5, 2004". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  7. ^ "Incubus – Megalomaniac". Top Digital Download. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  8. ^ "Incubus – Megalomaniac" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  9. ^ "Incubus – Megalomaniac". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  10. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  11. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  12. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  13. ^ "Incubus Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  14. ^ "Incubus Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  15. ^ "Incubus Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2021.

External links[edit]

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