Antichrist Superstar (song)

"Antichrist Superstar"
"Antichrist Superstar" cover
Promotional single by Marilyn Manson from the album Antichrist Superstar
Released	1996
Format	CD single
Length	5:24
Label	Nothing Records
Writer(s)	Manson, Ramirez, Gacy
Producer(s)	Trent Reznor, Dave Ogilvie, Marilyn Manson, Sean Beavan
Music sample "Antichrist Superstar"

"Antichrist Superstar" is a promotional-only single from Marilyn Manson's second studio album of the same name. The song itself is symbolic of the climax of the concept album's story, the point where the abused and wretched victim at the center of the tale takes on the identity of the nihilistic culture war iconoclast Antichrist Superstar, rampaging the world and destroying anything in his path. This image is conveyed by the song's triumphal and ominous tone; the guitar riffs are deliberately reminiscent of horns and trumpets in a totalitarian rally, in which Manson sings, and could be an allusion to how his critics see him as a threat to Christian morality and, therefore, the world.

In concert, Marilyn Manson usually sings the song atop a podium in a stage filled with banners embellished with the album's distinctive "lightning bolt/shock" symbol, much like the Nazi Nuremberg Rallies and sings the song with highly exaggerated body movements and postures meant to mock and parody dictators and televangelists.

Rover's Morning Glory uses this song's intro as the show's intro song and anthem.

The music video for the song, directed by E. Elias Merhige and co-directed by Manson, was filmed sometime during 1996, but remains officially unreleased. It was originally screened at the 1997 San Francisco Film Festival as part of a program titled "Newly Minted Memories". It won a Golden Gate Certificate of Merit in the "Music Video" category.

In 1996, Merhige was contacted by Manson to produce a music video for "Cryptorchid" the day after he saw Merhige's 1991 experimental horror film Begotten. Manson and Merhige met in Los Angeles, California, where they produced the video. Merhige then expressed interest in filming a video for "Antichrist Superstar", but wanted to use a bulk of footage outtake that he had already compiled. He shot excess material featuring Manson, then edited it together with the pre-existing scenes.