Released July 14, 1988 Recorded 1988, 2007 Length 4:54 | Format CD
Vinyl
Cassette Genre Alternative metal Label Epic
CBS/Sony | |
"Cult of Personality" is a song by rock band Living Colour. It was their second single off their debut album, Vivid, released on July 14, 1988. "Cult of Personality" reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 9 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. It also won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1990. Its music video earned the MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video and MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist. The song was ranked No. 69 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs. The solo was ranked No. 87 in Guitar World's "100 Greatest Guitar Solos" list. It was also selected for inclusion in the musical reference book, 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die: And 10,001 You Must Download. The sections before the bridge are similar to a hook in Black Sabbath's "Wheels Of Confusion". In 2007, the song was re-recorded and released for the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. The re-recording later appeared in Guitar Hero Smash Hits. It also appeared in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the radio station "Radio X". The song is also the entrance music for former ROH and WWE wrestler turned UFC fighter, CM Punk, and Living Colour performed the song live for his entrance at WrestleMania 29. The song also appeared on the soundtrack for the 2015 video game NBA 2K16.
The band's founder, Vernon Reid described the song as very special for the band not just for its commercial success but because it was essentially written in just one rehearsal session. The riff was stumbled upon while practicing something else and by the end of the session they had written what was to become Living Colour's best known song.
The song contains many political references, and shares its name with a phenomenon involving psychology and politics.