A Charles Manson Song Is Appearing in Cozy Fall Videos on TikTok
By Alex Hudson
Published Oct 21, 2022
TikTok has a tendency to make old songs go viral: Mother Mother went stratospheric with some 13-year-old music, and we just spoke with Alex Turner about the sudden success of Arctic Monkeys deep cut "505." Now, another old song is trending, but here's the unfortunate twist: it's by Charles Manson.
The murderous cult leader was an aspiring musician in the '60s, and his 1968 song "Home Is Where You're Happy" has started spreading on TikTok. Most people posting it don't seem to know what the song is; rather, the ramshackle acoustic ditty is being used to soundtrack various #fallvibes videos and clips about domesticity and DIY crafts.
"I liked how it sounded a little bit older and I liked the lyrics," a TikTok user named Rose Adele told Rolling Stone. "It sounded like he was talking about home, and going into fall, we're at home more."
In other words: Charles Manson is considered hygge. The title of "Home Is Where You're Happy" undoubtedly evokes coziness, although some of the lines about retreating from society scan as a bit more sinister when considered within the context of a cult leader: "So burn your bridges / Leave your whole life behind."
Below, see some of the cozy videos using "Home Is Where You're Happy." Other TikTok users most definitely know who Charles Manson is — see this video about Manson's childhood home.
Original article with various video clips using the song.
Lyrics
Home Is Where You're Happy
Charles Manson
Your home is where you're happy
It's not where you're not free
Your home is where you can be what you are
'Cause you were just born free
Now they'll show you their castles
An' diamonds for all to see
But they'll never show you that peace of mind
'Cause they don't know how to be free
So burn all your bridges
Leave your whole life behind
You can do what you want to do
'Cause your strong in your mind
And anywhere you might wander
You could make that your home
And as long as you got love in your heart
You'll never be alone
Just as long as you got love in your heart
You'll never be alone no no no
You'll never be alone no no no no
9 comments:
Interesting but not surprising really. Even though it's always been the standard wisdom on the various Manson discussion sites to put his music down and say how incredibly untalented he was, that certainly wasn't the case before the murders. He was good enough at that time to command the interest of various established & commercially successful artists. The Beach Boys & Neil Young are a couple of good cases in point. Young people on tiktok who don't have the Helter Skelter backstory as a preconception probably hear his songs for what they are- catchy & quite well-written though somewhat corny. The perfect fodder for tiktok.
Hi. I'm looking for the prison recordings done by Steve Clem Grogan. Many thanks.
Also are there any more rare family jams out takes or music from them circa 1979?
1978.01.27 Tracy Prison, California
https://www.last.fm/music/Steve+%22Clem%22+Grogan/1978.01.27+Tracy+Prison,+California
Mystic, we did a post on prison recorded album that Grogan was involved with, he played guitar, sang and helped produce it. You can find the post here:
https://www.mansonblog.com/2015/06/steve-grogan-plays-on-prison-recorded.html
The links to the whole album might not work, if not, go to YouTube and search for "Vern McKee".
Grogan also played with Bobby in a prison band while at Tracy. The name of the band was "The Freedom Orchestra Band". I did a quick search at YouTube but didn't see a video with that band's name. You might have to search the web.
I think this might be a different recording?
It has a very specific date.1978.01.27 ?
I've got The Freedom Orchestra recordings and have ripped the above Mp3's. I just wondered if there was any more Family Jams
tracks? I've got the two CD issue. I guess there's really not much more available.
Many thanks
It'll be amazing if tiktok gives Charlie the stardom he craved all those years ago.
DebS typed:
Mystic, we did a post on prison recorded album that Grogan was involved with, he played guitar, sang and helped produce it. You can find the post here:
https://www.mansonblog.com/2015/06/steve-grogan-plays-on-prison-recorded.html
The links to the whole album might not work, if not, go to YouTube and search for "Vern McKee".
I was checking out this old post about Steve Grogan playing in Vern McKee's prison band in 1978, when I noticed in the band's lineup, under "Background Vocals", the name of Rick Stevens, Tenor Harmony. This was undoubtedly the Rick Stevens, the early lead singer from the band Tower of Power. He was the lead singer on their 1972 hit "You're Still A Young Man", and sang on their first two albums. Stevens, from Beaumont, TX, was the nephew of blues singer Ivory Joe Hunter, and Janis Joplin was a childhood acquaintance. He was booted from the group in 1972 for drug use, just as they were gaining in fame. In 1976, on a two day drug-fueled rampage, he murdered 3 people. He was supposed to be sentenced to death, but was saved when California once again tossed out the death penalty in 1976. He found religion in prison, and was paroled in 2012 after 36 years in prisons. He died of liver cancer in 2017, aged 77.
Looks like Steve/Clem kept some decent musical company in the slammer.
Well, that's interesting, Gorodish. I looked up Stevens and he sang with his old band, Tower of Power for one night in Oakland CA after his release from prison.
https://vimeo.com/58759362
"it's always been the standard wisdom on the various Manson discussion sites to put his music down and say how incredibly untalented he was..."
Those with casual or disdainful interest in these matters may suggest this, but I think the reality was that Manson was more undisciplined than untalented. There was definitely a spark of some kind there, but Charlie was either unable or unwilling to harness whatever talent he had in any kind of professional manner. The excellent Epix series does a lengthy deep dive into this very topic, it's pretty fascinating.
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