Best Hits - Faith No More - Epic

Faith No More - Epic - About the song

This was Faith No More's breakthrough hit single. Billy Gould told us that the record label, Slash, was ready to give up on the band, and, ironically, released "Epic" as a last resort: "At the time it was our favorite song on the album, but no one from the record label seemed too interested in it. In fact, we had done a video for 'From Out Of Nowhere' which didn't get much traction, and the label told us, 'Hey guys, the album didn't work. We'll do one more video for whatever song you want.' So we picked 'Epic' because it just felt the most natural at the time. We had very little expectations of it becoming a commercial hit."

Mike Patton joined Faith No More in 1989 and wrote the song's enigmatic lyrics, which constantly allude to "it," without ever explaining what "it" is. The bridge simply consists of the band shouting, "It's it," while Patton responds with, "What is it?" (The word "epic" is never mentioned in the lyrics. Patton gave some insight on the song's meaning when he told Circus magazine in 1990: "It was about sexual frustration. Sex and lack of sex." Epic - Lyrics

Can you feel it, see it, hear it today?

If you can't, then it doesn't matter anyway

You will never understand it, 'cause it happens too fast

And it feels so good, it's like walking on glass

It's so cool, it's so hip, it's alright

It's so groovy, it's outta sight

You can touch it, smell it, taste it, so sweet

But it makes no difference 'cause it knocks you off your feet