Gillsaw's Cover of Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People" – A Journey Behind the Music

gillsawband
Apr 17
2 min read

Updated: Jun 26

Alright folks, it's finally here!

Gillsaw's cover of the absolute monster track, Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People," has been unleashed upon the world. I wanted to share a bit about how it came together.

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The Challenge of Covering an Iconic Track

I know tackling such an iconic song is a big move. I wanted to give you a peek behind the curtain. How did this beast actually come together in the studio?

I tracked this one at JG BeatsLab. The goal was to capture that menacing, cynical, and confrontational vibe from the original while injecting my own flavor of haunting uneasiness to it.

Getting all of the parts from the original just right was crucial. I ended up isolating and splitting out each track from the original, and then redoing each track individually. This process ensured that the bones of this cover did not take away anything from the original.

Crafting the Unique Gillsaw Sound

Then, I layered on many elements that make the song uniquely Gillsaw, from the haunting background vocals to the eerie synth sounds. I incorporated multiple layers of different drum elements and sounds. It took some experimenting, but when I heard that sound, I knew I was onto something.

Lots of tracks used in Reaper to get this one right!

Overcoming Challenges in the Studio

Of course, it wasn't all smooth sailing. I definitely had moments where I struggled to ensure that the sound effects from the original were captured correctly. Adjusting these effects to fit the Gillsaw sound is never easy. There might have been some “fuck its” yelled along the way, but I pushed through!

Gillsaw's 'The Beautiful People' is OUT NOW!

The Triumph of Completing the Cover

That being said, when the song was finished, and I was satisfied that it paid respectable homage to the original while giving it something new, that was an amazing moment. This was not an easy project to undertake. Doing a cover of such a heavy classic took some guts, to say the least. But I’m so glad I did, and I’m thrilled with how it turned out.

So, that's a little glimpse into how this version of "The Beautiful People" came screaming into existence. I poured a lot of “grit” into this one. It's essential to stay true to the original's power while making it undeniably Gillsaw.