Living Colour - 'Cult of Personality' REACTION! Never Elevate Your Leaders to Godlike Status!
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- Опубліковано 28 лют 2024
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"Cult of Personality" is a song by the American rock band Living Colour, released in 1988 as the lead single from their debut album, "Vivid." The song was written by the band's guitarist, Vernon Reid, and addresses the phenomenon of charismatic political figures and the impact of their personas on society.
Here are some key points about the song:
Lyrics: The lyrics of "Cult of Personality" explore the theme of leadership and the influence of powerful individuals on the masses. It references several historical and political figures, including Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, and Mahatma Gandhi, among others. The chorus highlights the concept of a "cult of personality," wherein leaders are elevated to almost godlike status by their followers.
Music Video: The music video for "Cult of Personality" gained significant attention upon its release. Directed by Joshua White, it features a mix of performance footage of the band and images of various political leaders and events, including footage of Adolf Hitler, John F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. The video won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video in 1989.
Commercial Success: "Cult of Personality" was a commercial success, reaching the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. It also received critical acclaim for its innovative blend of hard rock, funk, and metal elements, as well as its socially conscious lyrics.
Legacy: The song has endured as one of Living Colour's signature tracks and remains a staple of rock radio playlists. It has been featured in various films, television shows, and video games over the years, cementing its status as a classic of 1980s rock music.
Impact: "Cult of Personality" is often cited as a powerful commentary on the nature of fame, power, and propaganda. Its message about the dangers of blindly following charismatic leaders continues to resonate with audiences, making it a timeless anthem of resistance and critical thinking.
Overall, "Cult of Personality" remains one of Living Colour's most iconic songs, known for its catchy riff, memorable lyrics, and thought-provoking message.
We don't talk enough about Vernon Reid.
💯🔥🔥🔥🔥
He's a force,genre bustin / blendin, creating unique viruoso- solo work - "mysterious power" - ua-cam.com/video/nUUFQX0LybM/v-deo.htmlsi=kGRoY0jhSInMMfld
❤️
Outstanding guitarist.
TRUE!!
Besides being a hard rocker, it's a really intelligent song that still applies today.
"You gave me power in your gods name" remind you of anyone?
"I exploit you. Still you love me." Damn.. its like they were predicting the future.
It definitely reminds me of someone. If I say the name then someone will say it’s the other guy yo. Lol
true@@jessepinkman7349
One of the most intelligent, wise songs ever written: "Only you can set you free" ♥️
Brilliant musicians! Lead singer Cory Glover also had a big role in Platoon. Lead guitar genius is Vernon Reid.
The speaker at the beginning is Malcolm X. ❤
They still perform!
I suggested this masterpiece. Their albums are amazing.
Another great song by them is Letter to A Landlord.
Glamour Boys is another good one. Vivid is the album in which all these songs are on. It is a great album. Funny Vibe is a very groovy song too. Great band.
Will never lose its appeal.. total musical package.
Thank you so much for this suggestion. You never disappoint. 😊👍🏿
Good choice and I also recommend Letter To A Landlord!! Also I recall they covered Talking Heads 'Memories Can't Wait' and Bad Brains 'Sailin' On'
@@carlpeterson8182Love Rears Its Ugly Head is a great one too.
This song is still relevant and fresh today in 2024
More relevant now imo
I saw these guys one week ago and they're as tight and ferocious as they were the first time I saw them in '89. Corey sounds like no time has passed and Vernon is a beast. Criminally overlooked band.
wow! thought Corey had a new group.
Are they still touring with Extreme?
@@waynecanning4122Not the show I saw but I think maybe later in the year.
Dig their bassist to the great Doug Wimbish !!!!!!!!!!!!
It was me that suggested this song, as in America NOW, THIS SONG IS STILL SO RELATIVE !!
Corey Glover started out trying to be an actor and even landed a part in “Platoon.” In a documentary, some of the cast said when shooting days were finished, Corey and Johnny Depp, an avid guitar player, would do jam sessions in the bar at the hotel.
The lyrics to this are deep and timeless...
The fact that they were Black surprised a lot of people back in the day, but NO ONE was turned off by that. Their music was legit.
This band is so overlooked, man. This song is in my top 10 of greatest songs ever written.
Vernon Reid played guitar on Public Enemy's first 2 albums, Yo Bum Rush The Show and It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back. One song from this album called "Funny Vibe" features Chuck D and Flavor Flav helping on vocals.
Living Colour Is One of The Best Hard Rock Bands Ever!!!
Living Colour is definitely a rabbit hole worth going down. “Open Letter To A Landlord”, “Glamour Boys”, “Elvis Is Dead”, “Type”, “Under Cover of Darkness”…….so many tunes worth pursuing!
2024 still on tour , the great Doug Wimbish on bass
One of the greatest rock songs ever!
Living Colour changed this white kid's perspective and worldview. A life-changing experience. Grew up in a small, Wonder Bread white town, surrounded by racists and saw that I was turning into one myself. 35 years later and I'm still a huge fan. Met the guys back in '09 and they're genuinely nice guys. Humble, friendly, and Vernon asked me for my autograph. I could've talked to him for hours, never feeling starstruck.
I had the pleasure of seeing this amazing band in concert in 1989. They were the featured band playing before the Rolling Stones! This was the second time in a big concert venue that the "warm up" band stole the show from the Stones! I waa already a fan of Living Colour but to see them live was a very great experience for me! They ROCKED that show!!
That was the Stones" Steel Wheels reunion tour. I bought 16 tickets and scalped them for huge cash. I only wanted to go to the show to see Living Colour. I did see them at the original Lalapalooza festival and loved them
@@pridehunter2507 Excellent, Man! Yes, it was Steel Wheels!
I saw them on that tour in DC, at the old RFK Stadium. Amazing show.
@@michlkwitz Excellent! Glad we both got to enjoy them. Great music memories to have!!
Same! I saw them in Atlanta when they opened for the Stones & they totally stole the show.
One of the most powerful songs and videos still to this day.
I've loved them from jump, and even though they are not the first Black rock band they are one of the most important. AND I'm excited that they are on tour NOW and I'm going to see them this coming Monday night!
''Vivid'' is a masterpiece...
I saw Living Colour live in 1989 when they opened up for the Rolling Stones on their Steel Wheels tour. They ROCKED it!
Same here.
You guys should check out the Bad Brains. They are 4 black dudes from DC that played Jazz together. They noticed this gowing Punk thing happening and they decided to get on the Punk train. That was the late 70's by 82 or about that time they were the most influential and most innovative Hardcore Punk Band around.
Still considered one of the most important Hardcore Bands today. They played a mix of Hardcore Punk and Reggae and they had a stage presence that was out of this world. The singer H. R. (Human Rights) was a wild doing flips on stage. Check them out. Any song on youtube from this live concert film "bad brains live cbgb 1982" maybe Banned in DC or The Big Takeover or Pay to Cum or Attitude its about having a positive mental attitude. the songs are real short you could mix in one of their reggae joints like I and I Rasta. It;s amazing footage of downtown NYC in the early 80's where Hardcore Punk and Hip Hop were freely mixing a lot of special art came from that time and place.
YES YES YES...Bad Brains are essential, critical, indispensable. Just make sure you it's NOT the album Rise...gotta react to the HRA era.
One of the best live bands I’ve ever seen. Vernon Reid played guitar on the first Public Enemy record & their eventual bass player Doug Wimbish was a studio musician for Sugarhill records & played on a bunch of classic hip hop songs. Vernon Reid’s solo albums are criminally underrated as well.
These guys are amazing! Corey Glover is so well respected in the metal/hard rock community. Vernon Reid (lead guitar) can play any genre at an incredibly high level and produces, etc - a true genius. A much loved band!
Two of the things that made them really stand out from most hard rock bands was their wardrobe and their stage movement. Most metal bands were in that pre-glam look: lots of denim and black leather. On stage, they either stood stock still, headbanged, or did that power stance. These guys wore really bright colors, neon, athletic wear, almost a psychedelic look. Their movements on stage, especially guitarist Reid, were much more anarchic and punk rock. They were a real breath of fresh air...
Three things. Their social commentary.
@@spongo Yes. Good mention...
Visually they owe a lot to 70s era funk bands. It's that style merged with the glam metal style a bit. Think George Clinton.
Saw them in Fall 2023. They were fantastic! Corey’s voice is still great. Vernon shreds! Great band. Great show. Will see them again when possible
One of my favorite songs. The meaning is good too.
Someone enjoyed it so much that he rubbed his beard on the microphone. 😂
When the mirror speaks the reflection lies...100%
This song was used on a "soundpage" in an issue of Guitar Player magazine- Vernon Reid was on the cover and this was my introduction to Living Colour.
It tore my head off. I went to school the very next day (I was 16 and guitar obsessed) and told EVERYONE who'd listen that this was a song that needed to be heard. Still resonates to this day. Timeless.
I love love love Living Colour. My brother introduced me to them in 1986. The lead singer was in the movie Platoon the same year this song was released ❤️❤️❤️ Great channel. Love you guys 🥰🥰🥰❤️❤️❤️
Reid really shreds it on this AND Glovers voice is still this powerful today. It’s a crime that this song didn’t make it to #1 in 88’/89’. It’s timeless and better than anything else on the charts at this time.
This song even more relevant in 2024 after Cm Punk’s wwe comeback.
The minute I heard this song I spent weeks practicing the guitar licks. The chorus melodic playing opens it up and elevates the entire song. Just awesome.
That song has my favorite guitar solos ever. Great song to this day.
So Lucky I Grew Up On This, Thee Most Underrated Guitar Solo Ever!!! They Were Added To The Bowie Tribute Last Year!! 🔥
When this song came out, it completely changed my life. I was 9 years old Dominican New Yorker it fucked me up in a great way. ✌🏽🇩🇴🔥🔥🔥🔥
“You don’t have to follow me. Only you can set you free.” One of my favorite lines in rock. Way too relevant all these years later.
Man what a song..when it came out we were all shook.
Vernon Reid shreds it OMFG 😮
I saw them open for The Rolling Stones in Atlanta in 1989. Fantastic!!
I bought the album (Vivid - Mick Jagger was a producer, I think)) - still one of my favorites. I used this song in my history class to teach the concept of “cult of personality.” It not only provided an excellent lesson, it also gave me some unexpected cool points with the students when they discovered I owned the album.
Also see by them:
Open Letter (To a Landlord)
Glamour Boys
1988 Debut album "VIVID" they had a heavy rotation on MTV and BET. The Band: Cory Glover - Lead Vocals, Vernon Reid - Guitar, Muz Skillings - Bass, and Will Calhoun - Drums.
I loved this song the first time I heard it as a teenager. The symbolism in the video was powerful, too. These guys and RATM opened my eyes to a lot of issues when I was a young kid. I lost my way for a bit, but the ideals that these guys put into a lot of their music resonates with me even more strongly today.
Death was one of the first American punk bands and they were black.
The Urge’s singer is black and they were early ska.
But yeah I remember when this album dropped. It was one of the first CDs I ever bought. I used to listen to it and read the liner notes. “An Open Letter (to a landlord)” was a slow sad song. Whole album was good, but this one is so iconic.
Death is a great band!
The speech in the beginning of this song is from Malcom X's "Message To The Grassroots" speech in 1963 in Detroit, Michigan.
always great to see more people discover this amazing song.
hard to believe its now 36 years old. i was a junior in High School when it came out. i played the cassingle in my car!
35 years late but well worth the wait
Vernon Reid was/is a guitar legend. The man could shred
Living Colour was just on tour here in Albuquerque. They played a small but strong venue on a weeknight, only about 250 capacity. But remember New Mexico is low population so I'm sure it's one of their smallest gigs. I missed it because I'm broke, but I wanted to go. Shout out to black rock bands Zulu and Soul Glo etc
Talk about an underrated guitar player, he almost melted the strings of his ax on this song.
I met Vernon Reid after a show at Baltimore’s “Hammerjacks” in the early 90s. I was so gobsmacked at what I had just seen and heard that I couldn’t form sentences. I just said, “WOW”! He probably thought I was an idiot.
Even though people consider rock and metal to be "white" music, hard rock fans have ALWAYS welcomed and appreciated any black artists who wanted to jump in into the game! Hendrix, Phil Lynot (thin lizzy), Living Color.... we love it! One big fam.
I think I wore out TWO copies of this album on cassette. I used to air drum the shit out of this song while wearing my walkman ---people would notice and ask "what are you listening to?" Me: LIVING COLOUR
Lead singer Cory Glover's dad is actor Danny Glover's brother. That makes the singer Danny's real life nephew.
One of the most underrated guirarist
I feel like the reason this has such lasting power and is still so vital is they didn't have to do professionally (all had various career success), they needed to do it artistically and emotionally! They needed to spit but they aren't rappers, they're rockers! So they killed it. But couldn't sustain with the pressures of so many opportunities to do other things.
Living Colour. I've been a fan since they first came out. They are incredible musicians. Great music all around. You guys should listen to their albums. You are going to be blown away by their music.
Saw them OPEN for The ROLLING STONES, November 1989, VANCOUVER 🇨🇦!!
My wife and I saw them on our 1st date in 1988 and the saw them again.on out 35th wedding anniversary 🎉great band!
Saw them in the late 80's with another band you should check out - Kings X - and they were among the top 3 or 4 bands I have ever seen live. They are remarkable. I saw them last year 30 years later and they are just as great today. Check out Kings X's song Pray. You won't be disappointed. Cheers.
This song was everywhere when it came out. I always loved it for both the music and the meaning. Great song!
Vernon Reid is a genius guitarist whose roots go back to avant jazz and fusion. His influences are wide. And the next Living Colour track you should check out is "Open Letter To A Landlord". It's also off Vivid, their first album.
I agree with barrydiller542, Vernon Reid was a brutal guitar monster! I f**cking love that guy!
Hey guys, the lyrics fit what's happening NOW in our country. Just like the lyrics fit from Marvin Gaye's what's going on album back in 1971, I was stationed in ft. Bragg N.C., ( renamed ft. Liberty) , I'm 75 years old...but I still crank up the volume 😊👍
African Americans started rock music in the 50's, by combining and birthing dance pop with the blues (Little Richard/Chuck Berry). Then in the 60's, we got Jimi Hendrix and The Chambers Brothers to fuse hard rock,/R&B with psychedelia. Then the 80's, added metal/pop Living Colour, and other pop rock artists Lenny Kravitz and Prince continued. Can anyone name some other black rock music artists since? There are many music reaction channels on YT and black reactors have been exploring and enjoying the old classic rock music (sadly, rock or guitar music, appears to be dying on radio, over the last 20 years). Maybe, African Americans can find these old 'roots' and not only revive rock and roll, but give it new life. I'd love to see and hear that. Hip Hop guitar riff sampling doesn't really count as new rock music. LOL
Should Hear their VERSION of " LOVE REARS UP ITS UGLY HEAD ! ( LIVE at the APOLLO ) ✅️👌👍🤜🏻🤛🏽🎸🥁🎶🎵🎼
I was in the Army when this came out. I introduced it to my buddy Myron, who at the time was listening to Millie Vannili, Salt N Pepper etc. Of course he loved it. We went out and purchased the cassette.
Have you ever listened to the all black DC punk band Bad Brains? If not do yourself a favor and listen. You want to talk about breaking barriers. They were shredding it from early 80’s in a genre that was all White
So one needs to resurrect Vernon Reid’s (guitarist) awesome suit. Man! ❤
This song got LOTS of radio play. What a jam!
Funkadelic - black rock band for 6 decades. Yes its more complicated than that but start at the beginning and go, funky but absolutely rock. Eddie Hazel was a guitar god. Funky fabulous - know you know.
In the early 90s the rock clubs I went to in the UK suddenly started playing a lot of funk/rock fusion music. Living Colour, Faith No More, Rage Against the Machine. Interesting hybrid genre.
I was 17 when it came out, I've had this since then. They are incredible. The whole disc is great.
It is ALL our music! These are my musical HEROES!! As a young, black guitarist, I was tired of only being associated with Jimi Hendrix (who made me start playing).
This was sooooo big when it came out. Riding in the car windows down radio cranks up.
Still completely relevant for our time. Cult of personality is so detrimental to our society.
The song Broken Hearts on this album is simply amazing. It was never a single though so listen on your own time and you won't be disappointed.
Awesome song. Awesome singer. Incredibly awesome guitarist. Awesome band. Heard they put on a great show but never got a chance to see them.
Back in the Dayz of MTV late Night. I was hooked. Didn't care about color. This Band has some great songs.🤘
Vernon Ried and Doug Wimbish...so good...
I remember asking my mom if I could go see them as a teen and she said yes as soon as she heard it was the rolling stones headlining (wanted to go myself but it was hrs away and I wanted to see them regardless). Fortunately i liked them as well growing up. Was tough to hear them from here we had to sit but it was still fun none the less. Had no idea they had to bring their own sound system but that made sense when I got older. Crazy thing is they sound the same
Man this hasn't aged a bit!!!
Musically I agree with ya... Those threads though 🤣🤣🤣
I would highly recommend you look at their song called Nothingness released in 1993.
It's a haunting mellow song. Beautiful. Great fretless bass.
Never get the credit they deserve. Amazing band!
Another side of them is reflected in their song " Open letter to a landlord" ✌️
One of my favorite rock songs of all time both for the music as well as message...
Great reaction! I’ve been into Living Colour since they dropped their first album. I’m a drummer and Will Calhoun’s playing really grabbed me first, but then I started listening to the other players and couldn’t stop my body from moving to this blast of raw power and deep message. Every member of this band is talented beyond words. Thank you!
Always loved this performance. Great reaction guys!!!
Vernon (my Grandpa's name 😊) is a beast 💪🏼 he shreds 🎸
Since I was a teen I’ve tried to live by this song.
The first two albums are fantastic. They were the real deal.
Such, an awesome song. My brother saw their concert in SLC, and said it was great.
THREE YEARS before the grunge takeover ...THIS happened!! And it came from NY, not Seattle. Monster of a song.
would have loved to hear ollie’s opinion of this .vernon reid is a great guitar player .the band are still going always playing loads of shows.there excellent live🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
This song is totally prophetic and where we are now with our politics.
I'm 55 years old I saw this when it 1st came out I saw them in concert ... I never thought about The little girl was of mixed race a blend of all good things coming together
Great band !!
They are actually touring again !
This song was too good, the band too talented for it to fail! A headbanger from the 80s, I loved it the first time I heard it.
Corey was an awesome Front Man with amazing pipes . But Vernon was something else man !
It was awesome seeing y'all watch this for the first time. Vernon Reid (who is British) is such a fabulous guitarist. This is one of my favorite solos, and what a great song. The message is certainly still pertinent.
Trump and Maga prime example.
@@donthomas7090 yeah, because anti war trump is the problem.
Their tribute to a Chris Cornell of blow up the outside world was great & sad at the same time!!!