B-side "Revelation #9" Format CD single Length 3:19 | Released June 9, 1994 Genre Hard rock | |
Recorded Nothing Studios, New Orleans, Louisiana | ||
Released in 1994, "Get Your Gunn" is the first official single by alternative metal band Marilyn Manson. "Snake Eyes and Sissies" was originally planned as the lead single but never released; "Get Your Gunn" was released instead. The track was released to support the album Portrait of an American Family, and was the first release from Nothing Records. A video was also released, but did not receive significant airplay. The boy on the single's cover is Wes Brown, half-brother of bassist Twiggy Ramirez. The song charted in Canada.
Contents
Background and history
The song was inspired by the 1993 murder of OB/GYN doctor David Gunn (hence the spelling) who was killed in Florida by self-proclaimed pro-life activist Michael Frederic Griffin. Vocalist Marilyn Manson later described his murder as "the ultimate hypocrisy I witnessed growing up: that these people killed someone in the name of being 'pro-life'." The bridge of "Get Your Gunn" includes audio from the press conference at which American politician Budd Dwyer shot himself, as well as the gunshot that killed him. Additional saxophone playing is provided by Sugarsmack vocalist Hope Nicholls.
During the Columbine High School massacres aftermath, several news outlets reported that the two shooters were fans of Marilyn Manson, and the song was blamed for inspiring the massacre. Marilyn Manson replied in a letter published in Rolling Stone. A PRS for Music survey conducted in 2010 revealed that the British public considered "Get Your Gunn" the 8th most controversial song of all time. The song is also featured as downloadable content for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock as part of the "February Mega Pack."
The song is also included on Portrait Sessions (a bootleg tape), as well as the The Manson Family Album (a prior version of Portrait of an American Family, before Trent Reznor got involved), the compilation album Lest We Forget: The Best Of and the live album The Last Tour on Earth. The song was featured in the movie S.F.W. and also in the movie Strange Days, although it does not appear on the soundtrack.
"Misery Machine" is listed as the album version but does not include the hidden track on Portrait of an American Family. The version on the single is cross-faded into "Mother Inferior Got Her Gunn".
Music video
The music video, directed by Rod Chong, features Manson performing in a damp "attic-like" scene, intertwined by footage of band members and two feisty teenage girls. It received little video play. It is one of the four music videos featuring Manson without the white face makeup, mismatched contacts, and lip stick that would become his trademark. The video came out in 1994.
Track listings
CD single
- "Get Your Gunn" (Album Version) - 3:18
- "Misery Machine" (Album Version) - 4:44
- "Mother Inferior Got Her Gunn" - 5:39
- "Revelation #9" - 12:57