Funky, freaky alt-metal troublemakers Faith No More changed rock music forever, and while many bands followed in their heavy footsteps (we're looking at you, Korn), no one has ever come close to duplicating their bizarro world formula.
In eternal fandom and befuddlement, we asked you, our readers, to take a look back at the group's eclectic catalog and try to select their single finest song. You came up with a wide array of choices — all of them deserving. Below are the top five vote-getters.
5. "Epic"
Faith No More's breakthrough hit, "Epic" peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990. With its instantly recognizable riff, pulsating beat and Mike Patton's infectious rap, "Epic" is still a staple of concert set changeovers and sporting events. Memorable, too, is the song's bizarre music video — complete with goo rainstorm, sick dance moves, a wild-eyed, rainbow-outfitted Patton, exploding pianos and one very sad (and controversial) fish.
4. "Caffeine"
"Relax, it's just a phase." Not really. This standout cut off '92's Angel Dust — FNM's beautifully misunderstood masterpiece is about as close to perfect as any rock album — is not something that any of you, who voted for it here, plan to grow out of. As a deep groove bass line travels over four and a half minutes between screams and murmurs, "Caffeine" takes you on a ride that feels both classic and timeless.
3. "We Care a Lot"
From Faith No More's debut album of the same name, this hit college-radio single features the band's OG frontman, the late, great Chuck Mosley. What makes "We Care a Lot" so particularly delightful is its blatantly middle-finger-flying lyrics — which take on not just shit they don't care about, but also place Eighties pop culture and those fake celebrity-based bullshit worries in the crosshairs, too.
2. "Midlife Crisis"
Some of you might know and love this song via the soundtrack to Tony Hawk's Underground 2, or Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' factional radio station or from playing Rock Band 3. However, you discovered it, "Midlife Crisis" is an infectious sing-along anthem bar none, with Patton singing some of his hookiest hooks while the band bumps and grinds behind him.
1. "The Real Thing"
What else could be No. 1? Well, a lot of fucking songs, but "The Real Thing" is certainly a fine choice. The title track of Faith No More's platinum-selling smash album clocks in at over eight minutes and it contains all the elements of the band's kaleidoscopic sound — from that Patton falsetto to jarring tempo shifts to swaggering synths. Decades later, it still sounds just as uniquely FNM as the day it was released.
