We Are Chaos (song)

The band's eponymous vocalist said that although the song was written before the COVID-19 pandemic, its lyrical content "does feel as if it could have been written about [the pandemic], but it really wasn't necessarily about anything other than maybe my own mental health, trying to relate with other people about how the world is." He elaborated that the song's content could be conflated with the pandemic, arguing that lockdown can impact mental health while saying "being kept indoors for so long can really work at someone's emotions and their soul, and test their strength in a lot of ways."[6]

Kerrang! compared the track to the work of the Beatles – specifically their song "Across the Universe" – while saying that "it's [an] anthemic, celebratory, New Year's Eve feeling, dancing at the end of the world, that provides the energy on 'We Are Chaos'. The nihilism is pared back in favour of something more… romantic?" They went on to say that "As a signpost for the new album, [the song is] hard to get a total grip on. Heaven Upside Down was so striking, so definite, that divining [Manson's] next move was always going to be to presume a lot about him. And that's always been a fool's errand. For now, it's enough of a clue to know that what Marilyn Manson has in store is going to be something on a grand scale, and with a sense of class only he can unlock."[7] Idolator called the track "unexpectedly melodic, reflective and semi-accessible",[8] while Consequence of Sound wrote: "Musically, the track is powered by an acoustic guitar riff, as the song is both melodic and heavy at the same time. There's almost a pop quality to the song, but the macabre nature of the lyrics and vocals still make it very much a Marilyn Manson tune."[9]

DIY also compared the song to the Beatles, calling it "an anarchic listen, but perhaps not in the way you are expecting. Acoustically focused and indebted to the Beatles' brand of cathartic melancholia, it's a significant departure from his usual shock rock output. It feels like the crooning Manson is inviting you to join a dysfunctional family rather than a violent uprising. The song is an aptly chaotic investigation into introspection, resulting in the ultimate brooding power ballad."[10] BrooklynVegan described it as a "kind of a power ballad but in the brooding, creepy way that only Marilyn Manson would do a power ballad. Not bad at all."[11] USA Today said the song's lyrics were "signature Manson",[3] and American Songwriter said the chorus is "among the most visceral, primal expressions of inner turmoil since the unchained desperation of... 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. Manson's lyric, not unlike Cobain's, shows us a world in which reason, logic and hope have been abandoned and lost."[12]

The music video for the song was directed, photographed and edited by Matt Mahurin while in quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Using chroma key and computer-generated imagery technology, Mahurin inserted Manson's likeness into a series of surrealistic vignettes,[13] such as his head being used as a microscope, wading through blood,[3] and transforming himself into a "chaos pill" which is then placed on a disembodied tongue to create an army of clones rising from graves in a cemetery.[13]

The song debuted at number thirty on the US active rock radio format on August 10, as the highest new entry that week.[14] It went on to peak at number eight on the week ending October 24, a week when it was broadcast 1,208 times to over 2.35 million people.[15] On the mainstream rock format, the song peaked with 1,083 plays and a measured broadcast audience of 1.717 million on October 24.[16] The track peaked at number 8 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock, making it the band's third top ten hit on that chart.[17]

All tracks are written by Marilyn Manson and Shooter Jennings.

Credits adapted from Tidal[18]

• "We Are Chaos" at Discogs (list of releases)
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics