N.W.O. (song)

{{short description|Song by Ministry}}

{{Infobox song

| name = N.W.O.

| cover = Nwoministry.JPG

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Ministry

| album = Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs

| released = July 1992

| format =

| recorded = 1991

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Industrial metal{{Cite book |title=Rammstein on Fire: New Perspectives on the Music and Performances|page=61|publisher= McFarland|year=2013|isbn= 978-1476613055}}

| length = 5:31

| label = {{hlist|Sire|Warner Bros.}}

| writer = {{hlist|Al Jourgensen|Paul Barker}}

| producer = {{hlist|{{abbr|Hypo Luxa|Al Jourgensen}}|{{abbr|Hermes Pan|Paul Barker}}}}

| prev_title = Jesus Built My Hotrod

| prev_year = 1991

| next_title = Just One Fix

| next_year = 1993

| misc = {{External music video|{{Vimeo|44568228|“N.W.O.”}}|type=single}}

}}

"N.W.O." (New World Order) is a song by American industrial metal band Ministry, released as the opening track and second single from their fifth studio album Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs (1992). An industrial metal song, it was co-written and co-produced by the band’s frontman Al Jourgensen and bassist Paul Barker, and is widely regarded as a protest against then-President George H. W. Bush, featuring samples from his speeches.{{Cite magazine |last=Dimartino |first=Dave |date=1992-07-31 |title=Music Review: 'Psalm 69' |url=http://ew.com/article/1992/07/31/music-review-psalm-69/ |df=mdy-all |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |issue=129 |access-date=2017-12-01}} The song was nominated for a Grammy Award under the Best Metal Performance category in 1993,{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/ministry-mainman-comments-on-fifth-grammy-nomination|title=Ministry Mainman Comments On Fifth Grammy Nomination|date=December 4, 2008|access-date=June 13, 2018|work=Blabbermouth.net}} and was featured in the soundtrack album of Ralph Bakshi’s 1992 film Cool World.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/cool-world-original-soundtrack-mw0000081550|title=Cool World [Original Soundtrack]|last=Mills|first=Ted|website=AllMusic|access-date=July 13, 2018}} In 1994, the song was used in a Spin Magazine commercial which featured Jourgensen, among others.{{Cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/2018/03/spin-commercial-1994/|title=Here's a 1994 Commercial for Spin That Features Beck, the Breeders, and…Tony Bennett|last=Serota|first=Maggie|date=March 28, 2018|website=Spin|access-date=March 10, 2020}} In 2015, "N.W.O." was ranked #10 in the VH1 "Top 10 Hardest Hitting Heavy Metal Political Anthems" list.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vh1.com/news/bt6ln6/heavy-metal-political-anthems|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809140501/https://www.vh1.com/news/bt6ln6/heavy-metal-political-anthems|url-status=live|archive-date=August 9, 2022|title=The Top 10 Hardest Hitting Heavy Metal Political Anthems|last=McPadden|first=Mike|date=November 6, 2015|website=VH1|access-date=October 21, 2018}}

The promotional single, featuring two mixes of "N.W.O." and a non-album instrumental track "Fucked", was released around the same time as its parent album{{Cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Jo-Ann |date=April 2, 1993 |title=Ministry|url=http://www.prongs.org/~bisquitodoom/Interviews/1993-04_Goldmine/1993-04-02_Goldmine_pg5.jpg |magazine=Goldmine |volume=19 |issue=7 (331)|page=40|issn=1055-2685|via=Prongs.org archive}} and topped out on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart Alternative Airplay chart at no. 11.{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/ministry/chart-history/mrt/|title=Ministry Chart History (Alternative Airplay)|publisher=Billboard|access-date=October 31, 2021}}

The music video for “N.W.O.” was directed by Peter Christopherson. The majority of the video is a mix of police beatings, riots, and gunfights. It also includes a scene in which a woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty is beaten by police in a manner similar to the famous amateur video of Rodney King being beaten by police.{{cite book|title=Letzte Ausfahrt, Germania: ein Phänomen namens Neue Deutsche Härte|language=de|last=Mühlmann|first=Wolf-Rüdiger|publisher=I.P. Verlag|year=1999|isbn=3-931624-12-9|page=47}}{{Cite book|title=Crimes and Trials of the Century [2 volumes]|last=Welker|first=Holly|publisher=ABC-Clio|year=2007|isbn=978-1573569736|volume=2|page=155|chapter=The Rodney King Beating Trial: A Landmark for Reform}} The video was featured on Beavis and Butt-Head along with another track from Psalm 69, "Just One Fix".

The song was featured in the video game Need for Speed: The Run.{{cite web |url=http://www.needforspeed.com/en_GB/post/need-speed-soundtrack-announced?source=therun |title=Need for Speed Soundtrack Announced!|work=needforspeed.com|publisher=Electronic Arts|date=November 7, 2011 |access-date=July 13, 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112214002/http://www.needforspeed.com/en_GB/post/need-speed-soundtrack-announced?source=therun|archive-date=November 12, 2011}}

The song was featured in the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops 6; it can be heard playing from one of the Rovers parked in the SAS Layup during the campaign mission "Hunting Season", as well as in the Chopper Gunner killstreak.{{cite web |title=Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 - Hunting Season: Speak To Gladney at Layup - Reach The Palace Cutscene |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNV1jxoQAPI |website=YouTube |access-date=26 October 2024}}