Epic (Faith No More song)

"Epic" is a song by the American rock band Faith No More. It was released as the second single from their third album, The Real Thing, in 1990 in US, UK and Europe. The song was the band's breakthrough hit, peaking at number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100, number two in New Zealand, and number one in Australia for three weeks. It is among the band's most popular songs and a staple in their concerts.

"Epic"
Artwork for North American commercial cassette single; the US CD single was the promo-only release
Single by Faith No More
from the album The Real Thing
ReleasedJanuary 29, 1990[1][2]
RecordedDecember 1988 – January 1989, Studio D, Sausalito, California
Genre
Length4:54
LabelSlash
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Matt Wallace
Faith No More singles chronology
"From Out of Nowhere"
(1989)		 "Epic"
(1990)		 "Falling to Pieces"
(1990)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help

"Epic" was ranked number 30 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs.[8] In 2009 it was ranked the 54th best hard-rock song of all time by VH1[9] and appeared at number 46 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time, an Australian music poll.

Music video

Directed by Ralph Ziman, the music video for "Epic" features surreal images, which are combined with performance footage of the band soaked by an artificial rainstorm on a sound stage.

Guitarist Jim Martin was a schoolmate, close friend and fan of the late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton. In the video, he can be seen wearing a T-shirt with a photo of Cliff with the words "A Tribute to Cliff Burton". In addition, Mike Patton can be seen wearing a Mr. Bungle shirt[10] that reads "There's A Tractor In My Balls Again".[11]

Controversy

The video gained controversy due to a scene at the end where a fish is out of water and appears to be dying on camera.

During an interview, the band joked that the fish seen flopping around in the music video belonged to Icelandic singer Björk, who at the time was the singer for the band The Sugarcubes, and they claimed to have stolen it from her at a party. There are also stories of Björk giving the fish to the keyboardist Roddy Bottum after a poetry reading in San Francisco.[12] This was confirmed by the singer who defended the group, saying that "I know those guys, I know they wouldn't do anything to harm [him]. But I know, if I had gone home with MY fish, which was given to ME, none of this would have ever happened."[13]

Reception

"Epic" was the band's most successful single in the US and was generally well-received. According to Rolling Stone, it set a standard that Faith No More did not match with its later albums.[14] Both the Philadelphia Daily News and Los Angeles Times praised the song, citing the song as "radio-ready" and "radical," respectively.[15][16] However, The New York Times also cited Faith No More as "style-crunching," using "Epic" as their example.[17] The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop annual year-end critics' poll ranked "Epic" at number five on their poll of the best singles of 1990, tying with Lisa Stansfield's "All Around the World".[18] Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers would later accuse Patton of stealing his style in the form of this video and numerous performances.

Track listing

American release

This version was released in the US as a "Slash sticker" labelled 7" and as a cassette with a "Burning Splash" sleeve.[19]

No.TitleLength
1."Epic" (Radio remix)3:59
2."Edge of the World"4:09

Australian release

The 7" and cassette versions of this release only had tracks 1 and 2, unlike the 12" which featured all 3.[19]

No.TitleLength
1."Epic"4:51
2."The Morning After"3:44
3."We Care a Lot" (Live at Brixton)3:50

UK and international release

The initial release of "Epic", released in the UK, Germany, Japan and internationally. The 7" editions only had tracks one, two, and occasionally three. Track five was exclusive to Japanese issues.[19]

No.TitleLength
1."Epic"4:54
2."War Pigs" (Live in Berlin on November 9, 1989)8:02
3."Surprise! You're Dead!" (Live at Octagon Center, Sheffield, UK, January 1, 1990)2:52
4."Chinese Arithmetic"[A]" ((Live at Sheffield))4:16
5."Epic" ((Live)[B] (Japanese bonus track))4:28

UK and international reissue

Reissue version of the single "Epic". The 7" vinyl and cassette versions only had the first two tracks.[19]

No.TitleLength
1."Epic"4:51
2."Falling to Pieces" (Live at Brixton)4:45
3."Epic" (Live at Brixton)4:55
4."As the Worm Turns" (Live at Brixton)2:46

Official versions
  • "Epic" (Edit) – 4:18 – "Epic (What Is It)" promotional CD, PRO-CD-3913 (1989)
  • "Epic" (LP version) – 4:51 – "Epic (What Is It)" promotional CD, PRO-CD-3913 (1989)
  • "Epic" – 4:54 – The Real Thing (1989)
  • "Epic" (Radio Remix Edit) – 3:59 – "Epic" promotional CD, PRO-CD-4071 (1990)
  • "Epic" (Live at the Brixton Academy) – 4:55 – Live at the Brixton Academy 1990 (1991)
  • "Epic" (Live at the Forum 1995) – 4:48 – "Ricochet" CD single, LACDP 53 / 850 105-2 (1995)
  • "Epic" (Remaster) – 4:51 – The Real Thing remastered edition (2009)

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[28] Platinum 70,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[31] Gold 5,000*
United States (RIAA)[32] Gold 500,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Covers

"Epic" has been covered both in concerts and on the Kerrang! Higher Voltage CD, a compilation of artists covering other songs. Such artists include the Welsh rock band The Automatic; the CD was released on June 20, 2007.[33] The metalcore band Atreyu also covered the song on their album Lead Sails Paper Anchor,[34] and the Swedish indie pop band Love Is All covered the song on the B-side to their What's Your Rupture? 7" "Wishing Well."[35] An arrangement by Mateo Messina was featured in the 2011 film Young Adult. Additionally, Canadian band The Veer Union released a cover of "Epic" in late October 2017.

Notes
  • ^[A] Includes ad-lib from "It Takes Two" by Rob Base and DJ EZ-Rock.
  • ^[B] Recorded in Norwich, 1990. Broadcast by The BBC Radio 1 "Rockshow", March 2, 1990. The profanity is obscured and the songs fade out.
gollark: I'm going to be absent for this briefly while I investigate the mysterious nonexistence of one of my """servers""".
gollark: Oh, the long now clock thing, it's neat.
gollark: I mean, they have use, barely, but mostly use which just reduces to funlolz.
gollark: Yachts and vast mansions and such are *somewhat* wasteful.
gollark: They waste money in other ways and nobody cares much.

References
  1. Chirazi, Steffan (1994). The Real Story. London: Castle Publications. pp. 138–142. ISBN 9781898141150.
  2. Sounds Magazine. January 20, 1990. p. 48. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. Considine, J.D. (September 14, 1990). "Faith No More's eclectic sound". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  4. "Top 10 Essential Rap-Rock Songs". About.com. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  5. Haire, Chris (August 12, 2009). "Psychostick returns funk metal to its silly roots". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  6. Ramirez, AJ (August 3, 2011). "The 10 Best Alternative Metal Singles of the 1990s". PopMatters. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  7. "VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  8. "VH1 40 Greatest Metal Songs", May 1–4, 2006, VH1 Channel, reported by VH1.com; last accessed September 10, 2006.
  9. "Spreadit.org". Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2009.
  10. Cee, Gary (November 30, 1990). "Faith No More: Inside the insatiable Mike Patton". Circus Magazine. No. #369. pp. 62–64. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
  11. "Faith No More music video". YouTube.
  12. "Epic by Faith No More Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  13. "about: Linear Soul Child". bjork.com. Note: user has to select 'about : Björk about other people' from the drop down menu and select 'Linear Soul Child' on the menu. Archived from the original on June 20, 2011. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  14. Weisel, Al (June 1, 1995). "Faith No More: King For a Day/Fool for a Lifetime". Rolling Stone. RealNetworks, Inc. Archived from the original on January 15, 2009. Retrieved September 20, 2008.
  15. Takiff, Jonathan (September 14, 1990). "Whaddya Get When Ya Rap on Metal? Faith No More Crosses Over & Under". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 40.
  16. Hilburn, Robert (December 31, 1990). "Counting Out Most of the Year's Top Records Pop music: no more than four of 1990's No. 1 songs will be considered significant a decade from now. Here are some that might". Los Angeles Times. p. 12.
  17. Pareles, Jon (December 30, 1990). "The Best Show? In the Court, not the Concert Hall". The New York Times.
  18. "Pazz & Jop critics' poll--1990". Robert Christgau. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  19. The Faith No More Discography
  20. "Australian-charts.com – Faith No More – Epic". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  21. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1286." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  22. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Faith No More". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  23. "Dutchcharts.nl – Faith No More – Epic" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  24. "Charts.nz – Faith No More – Epic". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  25. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  26. "Faith No More Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  27. "Faith No More Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  28. "1990 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  29. "End of Year Charts 1990". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  30. "Billboard Top 100 – 1990". Archived from the original on July 6, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
  31. "New Zealand single certifications – Faith No More – Epic". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  32. "American single certifications – Faith No More – Epic". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 28, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  33. Kerrang! issue 1164 June 20, 2007
  34. "Smartpunk.com". Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  35. "Love Is All Cover Faith No More, Add Dates". Archived from the original on September 18, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
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