I Don't Wanna Be Me

"I Don't Wanna Be Me" is a song by American metal band Type O Negative. It is the second track on the band's sixth studio album, Life Is Killing Me (2003), and was released as a promo single the same year.

"I Don't Wanna Be Me"
Promotional single by Type O Negative
from the album Life Is Killing Me
Released2003 (2003)
Length5:09 (album version)
3:44 (edit)
LabelRoadrunner
Songwriter(s)Peter Steele

Content

Kerrang! described the song as "a highly-energised, sarcastic paean to self-hatred, waving a middle finger in their own faces as much as anyone else’s", noticing an influence of "old school catchy punk rock [...] At times, it even recalls the glorious heads down thrash attack of Peter’s previous band, the controversial Carnivore".[1]

On the song's lyrics, guitarist Kenny Hickey claims frontman Peter Steele's lyrics for the song were autobiographical: "At the time, Peter [...] wasn’t really doing too well, health-wise. He was getting sick of addictions and sick of life, hence the title, I Don't Wanna Be Me. He didn't wanna be Pete anymore."[2]

Music video

The music video for the song features actor Dan Fogler, who dresses up as numerous different celebrities, including Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, Eminem, as well as frontman Steele himself.

Release

"Life Is Killing Me" reached No. 38 on Billboard's Active Rock chart.[3]

Legacy

"I Don't Wanna Be Me" was covered by European death metal band Meridian Dawn for their debut 2014 release The Mixtape. The song was later covered by Trivium, and was released as a 7" split single with Type O Negative's original recording for Record Store Day 2018.[4]

In 2018 metal magazine Kerrang! ranked the song at No. 4 in its retrospective list of the band's top 13 songs, describing it as "probably the finest of all the fast-paced songs in their arsenal".[1]

The opening two seconds of guitar feedback and drum startup on "I Don't Wanna Be Me" is sampled and heard frequently on the Liberty Rock Radio station in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV.

gollark: That would be unethical.
gollark: But nobody is actually forced to work anywhere else, that would be unethical.
gollark: If one country sells 10 million employment, their unemployment goes up by 10 million and whoever buys it has a 10 million reduction in unemployment.
gollark: This wouldn't involve anyone actually working anywhere else...
gollark: Just sell "employment", in a totally abstract sense.

References
  1. "The 13 Least Worst Type O Negative Songs – Kerrang!". Kerrang!. November 23, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  2. Sanders, Naomi (November 15, 2019). "How We Wrote I Don't Wanna Be Me, By Type O Negative's Kenny Hickey – Kerrang!". Kerrang!.
  3. Titus, Christa (June 21, 2003). "Type O Negative's 'Life' Style". Billboard.
  4. Divita, Joe (April 26, 2019). "Trivium Faithfully Cover Type O Negative's 'I Don't Wanna Be Me'". Loudwire. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
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