Cult of Personality (song)

"Cult of Personality"
"Cult of Personality"
Single by Living Colour
from the album Vivid
Released	July 14, 1988
Recorded	1987–1988
Genre	Alternative metal; hard rock; funk metal;
Length	4:54
Label	Epic; CBS/Sony;
Songwriter(s)	Corey Glover; Vernon Reid; Muzz Skillings; Will Calhoun;
Producer(s)	Ed Stasium
Living Colour singles chronology

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Bravo	^[6]

"Cult of Personality" is a song by American rock band Living Colour, featured as the opening track and second single from their debut studio album Vivid (1988). The song was released on July 14, 1988, and reached No. 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 9 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. It won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards. Its music video won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video and MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist.

The band's guitarist and founder, Vernon Reid, described the song as very special for the band not just for its commercial success but because it was essentially written in just one rehearsal session. The riff was stumbled upon while practicing something else and by the end of the session they had written what was to become their best known song. The title comes from a psychological phenomenon called cult of personality, and the lyrics contain many political references.

The song was ranked No. 69 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs.^[3] The solo was ranked No. 87 in Guitar World's "100 Greatest Guitar Solos" list.^[7] It was selected for inclusion in the musical reference book, 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die: And 10,001 You Must Download.

^ Terich, Jeff; Blyweiss, Adam (October 3, 2012). "10 Essential Alternative Metal Singles". Treblezine. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
^ Grierson, Tim. "Top 10 Essential Alt-Metal Songs". About.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
^ ^a ^b Stosuy, Brandon (January 5, 2009). "VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Super Hits - Living Colour | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
^ Sendra, Tim. "Rockin' 80's [Sony] - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
^ Riemann, Hannsjörg (29 December 1988). "Review: Living Colour — "Cult of Personality" (Epic)". Bravo (in German). No. 1. Munich: Heinrich Bauer Zeitschriften Verlag KG. p. 55. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
^ Cross, Dan (May 24, 2019). "These Are Fifteen of the Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time". LiveAbout. Retrieved February 2, 2020.

[1] Terich, Jeff; Blyweiss, Adam (October 3, 2012). "10 Essential Alternative Metal Singles". Treblezine. Retrieved December 26, 2018.

[2] Grierson, Tim. "Top 10 Essential Alt-Metal Songs". About.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2018.

[Stereo-3] Stosuy, Brandon (January 5, 2009). "VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved October 15, 2019.

[4] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Super Hits - Living Colour | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved July 2, 2021.

[5] Sendra, Tim. "Rockin' 80's [Sony] - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved April 22, 2021.

[Bravo-6] Riemann, Hannsjörg (29 December 1988). "Review: Living Colour — "Cult of Personality" (Epic)". Bravo (in German). No. 1. Munich: Heinrich Bauer Zeitschriften Verlag KG. p. 55. Retrieved 23 November 2022.

[7] Cross, Dan (May 24, 2019). "These Are Fifteen of the Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time". LiveAbout. Retrieved February 2, 2020.

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