Personality Crisis (song)

"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.[3] 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	Glam rock[1] proto-punk[2]
Length	3:41
Label	Mercury Records
Songwriter(s)	David Johansen, Johnny Thunders
Producer(s)	Todd Rundgren
New York Dolls singles chronology
"Trash" / "Personality Crisis" (1973) "Jet Boy" / "Vietnamese Baby" (1973)
Music video
"Personality Crisis" on YouTube

Release

Mercury 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.[4]

Reception

Jack Douglas, who engineered New York Dolls, named "Personality Crisis" as his favorite song on the album.[5] Music journalist Tony Fletcher called it an "instant glitter rock anthem",[6] while writer and historian David Szatmary called it an anthemic and dynamic protopunk song.[7] 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.[8] It is number 267 on Rolling Stone's 2004 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (#271 on the 2010 list).[9]

Covers

• "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,[10] 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

1. Fontenot, Robert. "What is Glam Rock?". LiveAbout. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
2. Mason, Stewart. "Personality Crisis - New York Dolls | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
3. "Personality Crisis – New York Dolls". Nightly Song: Musings on Songs that Strike a Chord Tonight.
4. "New York Dolls – Personality Crisis". Discogs®.
5. Richard Buskin (December 2009). "New York Dolls 'Personality Crisis'/Classic Tracks". Sound on Sound.
6. 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
7. 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.
8. Tony Glover (September 13, 1973). "New York Dolls (Review)". Rolling Stone.
9. "#271 New York Dolls, 'Personality Crisis'". Rolling Stone. April 7, 2011.
10. "Sonic Youth - Personality Crisis (Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved October 8, 2016.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics