Possessed

Album: Possessed (1985)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Written by lead singer Conrad "Cronos" Lant and guitarist Jeff "Mantas" Dunn, this piece of British speed metal is about a man who is possessed by the Devil. Satanism is a common theme in Venom's oeuvre, but it's all in good fun. Cronos said in Kerrang!: "I don't preach Satanism, occultism, witchcraft or anything. Rock & roll is basically entertainment and that's as far as it goes."
  • This song landed on the "Filthy 15" list distributed by the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) to demonstrate particularly offensive songs and how they should be labeled (this one is "Occult"). A Senate hearing was held on the matter and eventually the music industry agreed to voluntarily label albums with explicit content. For Venom and other metal acts that were implicated, the controversy provided a nice boost in sales.

    Cronos shared his thoughts on the matter in an interview with Newsweek: "When I found out they were real, I couldn't understand how supposedly intelligent people could be so ignorant. Of course rock and roll has all of the subject matter they accused it of having. It's rock and roll! It's supposed to be hard-core and edgy"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

The Evolution of "Ophelia"

The Evolution of "Ophelia"Song Writing

How five songs portray Shakespeare's character Ophelia.

Eric Clapton

Eric ClaptonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really write "Cocaine" while on cocaine? This question and more in the Clapton edition of Fact or Fiction.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete BlondeSongwriter Interviews

The singer/bassist for Concrete Blonde talks about how her songs come from clairvoyance, and takes us through the making of their hit "Joey."

Colbie Caillat

Colbie CaillatSongwriter Interviews

Since emerging from MySpace with her hit "Bubbly," Colbie has become a top songwriter, even crafting a hit with Taylor Swift.

Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root

Michael Glabicki of Rusted RootSongwriter Interviews

Michael tells the story of "Send Me On My Way," and explains why some of the words in the song don't have a literal meaning.