House of Pain (Faster Pussycat song)

"House of Pain" is a power ballad^[3][4] by American heavy metal band Faster Pussycat. The song was released as the third and final single from the album Wake Me When It's Over. It is the most popular song by the band, peaking at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[5]

"House of Pain"
Single by Faster Pussycat
from the album Wake Me When It's Over
B-side	"Slip of the Tongue"
Released	September 1989
Recorded	1988
Genre	Glam metal[1][2]
Length	5:47
Label	Elektra
Songwriter(s)	Taime Downe Greg Steele
Producer(s)	John Jansen
Faster Pussycat singles chronology
"You're So Vain" (1990) "House of Pain" (1989) "Nonstop to Nowhere" (1992)

Music video

A music video was filmed for the song, which was directed by Michael Bay.^[6]

Track listing

7" single

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"House of Pain"	5:47

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Slip of the Tongue"	4:27

US 12" single

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"House of Pain" (radio edit)	4:26

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"House of Pain" (album version)	5:47

Spain 12" single

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"House of Pain"	5:47

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Slip of the Tongue"	4:32
2.	"Pulling Weeds" (live)	4:32

UK 12" single

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"House of Pain" (radio edit)	4:26

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Little Dove" (live)	5:09

Cassette single

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"House of Pain"	5:47

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"You're So Vain" (Carly Simon cover)	4:08

EP single

No.	Title	Length
1.	"House of Pain" (album version)	5:47
2.	"Little Dove" (live)	5:09
3.	"Smash Alley" (live)	3:32
4.	"Pulling Weeds" (live)	4:32

Personnel

Faster Pussycat

• Taime Downe – lead vocals
• Greg Steele – guitar, piano, backing vocals
• Brent Muscat – guitar
• Eric Stacy – bass guitar
• Mark Michals – drums, percussion

Additional musicians

• Jimmy Zavala – harmonica

Charts

Chart (1990)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100[7]	28
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[8]	23

Use in other media

The song was featured in the Peacemaker episode "The Choad Less Traveled".^[9] Towards the end of the episode, the titular character listens to the song while reflecting on his childhood trauma and turning to drugs and alcohol for support.^[10]

See also

• List of glam metal albums and songs

References

1. Double Shot: Metal - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-01-27
2. Bowar, Chad. "Best 20 Hair Metal Ballads of the '80s and '90s". LiveAbout. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
3. Huey, Steve. "Wake Me When It's Over - Faster Pussycat". AllMusic. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
4. Smith 10/26/2014, Benjamin. "Power Ballads, Cult Bands And The Greatest One-Hit Wonders In Heavy Metal And Hard Rock". VH1 News. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved 2021-06-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
5. "Faster Pussycat - Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-05-31.
6. "Faster Pussycat-House of Pain (1989)". IMVDb. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
7. "Faster Pussycat Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
8. "Faster Pussycat Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
9. Collington, Faefyx (February 18, 2022). "Peacemaker Soundtrack Guide: Every Song In James Gunn's DC Show". Screen Rant. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
10. Doll, Katie (February 18, 2022). "Peacemakers Season 1's Best Songs So Far". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved February 24, 2022.