"Personality Crisis" is the lead track from the New York Dolls' self-titled debut album. It was written by Dolls lead singer David Johansen and guitarist Johnny Thunders.[4] An early demo version of it appears on the 1981 collection Lipstick Killers – The Mercer Street Sessions 1972.
| "Personality Crisis" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by New York Dolls | ||||
| from the album New York Dolls | ||||
| A-side | "Trash" | |||
| Released | August 1973 | |||
| Recorded | The Record Plant, New York City | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:41 | |||
| Label | Mercury Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | David Johansen, Johnny Thunders | |||
| Producer(s) | Todd Rundgren | |||
| New York Dolls singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Personality Crisis" on YouTube | ||||
Release
editMercury Records originally released "Personality Crisis" in 1973 as a double A-side single with "Trash" to coincide with the album's release. Promo singles of "Personality Crisis" were also distributed to radio stations. Following the band's break-up, it was rereleased by Bellaphon Records as a double A-side with "Looking for a Kiss" in 1978. In 1982, a 12" single of "Personality Crisis" & "Looking For A Kiss" b/w "Subway Train" & "Bad Girl" was released by Kamera Records. The same track listing appeared on the See For Miles Records CD single released in 1990.[5]
Reception
editJack Douglas, who engineered New York Dolls, named "Personality Crisis" as his favorite song on the album.[6] Music journalist Tony Fletcher called it an "instant glitter rock anthem",[7] while writer and historian David Szatmary called it an anthemic and dynamic protopunk song.[8] In Rolling Stone magazine, Tony Glover wrote that "Personality Crisis" serves as "a jumping companion piece to classics" such as The Doors' "Twentieth Century Fox" and "Cool, Calm & Collected" by the Rolling Stones.[9] It is number 267 on Rolling Stone's 2004 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (#271 on the 2010 list).[10]
Covers
edit- "Personality Crisis" is the closing track on David Johansen's 1982 live album, Live It Up. It is the only New York Dolls original on the album.
- Sonic Youth recorded "Personality Crisis" with Kim Gordon on lead vocals in July 1990. It was first released as a write-in offer promo 7" single in the November 1990 issue of Sassy Magazine,[11] then included on the 1993 Whores Moaning e.p. and later added to the Deluxe Edition bonus disc of Dirty.
- Teenage Fanclub featuring Donna Matthews of Elastica cover the song for the soundtrack to the 1998 Todd Haynes ode to glam rock, Velvet Goldmine.
- Scott Weiland included it on his 2011 album A Compilation of Scott Weiland Cover Songs
- Todd Rundgren included "Personality Crisis" in a 2011 collection of covers of songs that he'd produced, entitled (re)Production
- Rockhead covers it on the various artist collection, Sin City: Dirty Rock Anthems inspired by the Sin City comic books.
References
edit- ^ Fontenot, Robert. "What is Glam Rock?". LiveAbout. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
- ^ a b Bradley, Larry (November 4, 2014). "The 1970s: New York Dolls - "Personality Crisis". The Alternative Jukebox. Cassell. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-84403-789-6.
- ^ Mason, Stewart. "Personality Crisis - New York Dolls | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- ^ "Personality Crisis – New York Dolls". Nightly Song: Musings on Songs that Strike a Chord Tonight. June 9, 2010.
- ^ "New York Dolls – Personality Crisis". Discogs®. 1982.
- ^ Buskin, Richard (December 2009). "New York Dolls 'Personality Crisis'/Classic Tracks". Sound on Sound.
- ^ Fletcher, Tony (2009). All Hopped Up and Ready to Go: Music from the Streets of New York 1927–77. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 319. ISBN 978-0393334838.
- ^ Szatmary, David (1996). A Time to Rock: A Social History of Rock and Roll (3rd ed.). Schirmer Books. ISBN 0028646703. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
Personality Crisis.
- ^ Glover, Tony (September 13, 1973). "New York Dolls (Review)". Rolling Stone.
- ^ "#271 New York Dolls, 'Personality Crisis'". Rolling Stone. April 7, 2011.
- ^ "Sonic Youth - Personality Crisis (Vinyl)". Discogs. November 1990. Retrieved October 8, 2016.