N.W.O. (song)

"N.W.O."
Single by Ministry
from the album Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs
ReleasedJuly 1992
Recorded1991
GenreIndustrial metal[1]
Length5:31
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Hypo Luxa
  • Hermes Pan
Ministry singles chronology
"Jesus Built My Hotrod"
(1991) 		"N.W.O."
(1992) 		"Just One Fix"
(1993)
Music video
“N.W.O.” on Vimeo

"N.W.O." (New World Order) is a song by American industrial metal band Ministry, released as the opening track and second single from their fifth studio album Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs (1992). An industrial metal song, it was co-written and co-produced by the band’s frontman Al Jourgensen and bassist Paul Barker, and is widely regarded as a protest against then-President George H. W. Bush, featuring samples from his speeches.[2] The song was nominated for a Grammy Award under the Best Metal Performance category in 1993,[3] and was featured in the soundtrack album of Ralph Bakshi’s 1992 film Cool World.[4] In 1994, the song was used in a Spin Magazine commercial which featured Jourgensen, among others.[5] In 2015, "N.W.O." was ranked #10 in the VH1 "Top 10 Hardest Hitting Heavy Metal Political Anthems" list.[6]

The promotional single, featuring two mixes of "N.W.O." and a non-album instrumental track "Fucked", was released around the same time as its parent album[7] and topped out on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart Alternative Airplay chart at no. 11.[8]

The music video for “N.W.O.” was directed by Peter Christopherson. The majority of the video is a mix of police beatings, riots, and gunfights. It also includes a scene in which a woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty is beaten by police in a manner similar to the famous amateur video of Rodney King being beaten by police.[9][10] The video was featured on Beavis and Butt-Head along with another track from Psalm 69, "Just One Fix".

The song was featured in the video game Need for Speed: The Run.[11]

The song was featured in the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops 6; it can be heard playing from one of the Rovers parked in the SAS Layup during the campaign mission "Hunting Season", as well as in the Chopper Gunner killstreak.[12]

  1. ^ Rammstein on Fire: New Perspectives on the Music and Performances. McFarland. 2013. p. 61. ISBN 978-1476613055.
  2. ^ Dimartino, Dave (July 31, 1992). "Music Review: 'Psalm 69'". Entertainment Weekly. No. 129. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  3. ^ "Ministry Mainman Comments On Fifth Grammy Nomination". Blabbermouth.net. December 4, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  4. ^ Mills, Ted. "Cool World [Original Soundtrack]". AllMusic. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  5. ^ Serota, Maggie (March 28, 2018). "Here's a 1994 Commercial for Spin That Features Beck, the Breeders, and…Tony Bennett". Spin. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  6. ^ McPadden, Mike (November 6, 2015). "The Top 10 Hardest Hitting Heavy Metal Political Anthems". VH1. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  7. ^ Greene, Jo-Ann (April 2, 1993). "Ministry". Goldmine. Vol. 19, no. 7 (331). p. 40. ISSN 1055-2685 – via Prongs.org archive.
  8. ^ "Ministry Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  9. ^ Mühlmann, Wolf-Rüdiger (1999). Letzte Ausfahrt, Germania: ein Phänomen namens Neue Deutsche Härte (in German). I.P. Verlag. p. 47. ISBN 3-931624-12-9.
  10. ^ Welker, Holly (2007). "The Rodney King Beating Trial: A Landmark for Reform". Crimes and Trials of the Century [2 volumes]. Vol. 2. ABC-Clio. p. 155. ISBN 978-1573569736.
  11. ^ "Need for Speed Soundtrack Announced!". needforspeed.com. Electronic Arts. November 7, 2011. Archived from the original on November 12, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  12. ^ "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 - Hunting Season: Speak To Gladney at Layup - Reach The Palace Cutscene". YouTube. Retrieved 26 October 2024.