Midlife Crisis


"Midlife Crisis" is a song by American rock band Faith No More. It was released on May 25, 1992 by Slash and Reprise Records, 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.

Music and lyrics

"Midlife Crisis" is an alternative metal song, which incorporates progressive rock and hip hop elements.
Mike Patton has denied that the song is about having a midlife crisis, as he did not know what one would feel like, but says that "it's more about creating false emotion, being emotional, dwelling on your emotions and in a sense inventing them" and that:

Production

During production, the song was given the working title of "Madonna"; this title was later maintained as a setlist name during live performances. The drum track for the song contains a sample of the first bar of the song "Cecilia", as performed by Simon and Garfunkel, repeated throughout. The bridge features a sample of "Car Thief" by the Beastie Boys.

Music video

The music video for "Midlife Crisis" was directed by Kevin Kerslake, who also directed their shoestring video for the song "Everything's Ruined". The version on the Who Cares a Lot? [The Greatest Videos] collection is uncensored and contains shots during the bridge which show a man being stretched by four horses – the censored version uses additional shots of choirboys running to a large cross instead. Singer Mike Patton can also be seen dancing around holding a spade.
For the video, the sound mix of this song is slightly different than the album version. For the DVD re-release of Who Cares a Lot? The Greatest Videos, the album version of the song is used instead, with the accommodating edits made.

Cover versions

It was covered by American rock band Disturbed twice: the first time for a Faith No More tribute album, which was instead released through the Internet; the second time as a B-side to their fourth studio album Indestructible. This re-recorded version was released on Covered, A Revolution in Sound and remastered for a third release on their B-side compilation album The [Lost Children (album)|The Lost Children].
In 2021, ex-Korn drummer David Silveria's band Breaking in a Sequence included a cover of "Midlife Crisis" on their debut EP.

Personnel