Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs

ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ
Studio album by Ministry
Released	July 14, 1992
Recorded	1991–1992 at Chicago Trax Studios
Genre	Industrial metal
Length	44:38
Label	Sire/Warner Bros. (26727)
Producer	Hypo Luxa, Hermes Pan
Ministry chronology
In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up (1990) Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs (1992) Box (1993)

Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs is the common title for the fifth studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, released in 1992 on Sire Records. The actual title of the album is ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ (a Greek word meaning "head", and the number 69 in Greek numerals), though Psalm 69 is used for simplicity's sake. The album led them into a more mainstream audience, with the track "Jesus Built My Hotrod" receiving major airplay on MTV and various other music stations. Psalm 69 also marked Ministry's first release with guitarist Mike Scaccia, who had joined the band in 1989.

The song "N.W.O." (New World Order) features samples of George H. W. Bush and was used in the Ralph Bakshi half-live action/half-animated film Cool World. It is front man Al Jourgensen's critical take on the state of world affairs after the Gulf War and the end of the Cold War and an uncertain future. "Jesus Built My Hotrod" features guest vocals by Gibby Haynes from the Butthole Surfers.

Etymology

The title of the album is directly linked to chapter 69 of The Book of Lies, a written work of Aleister Crowley, where he uses the expression "The way to succeed and the way to suck eggs" as a pun for the 69 sex position ("suck seed" and "suck eggs"). Moreover, Crowley titled the chapter ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ, Greek κεφαλη or "head" and ΞΘ or "69" (both slang in English for oral sex - but not the original ancient Greek words) and is used often in the New Testament. There is no direct link to the Old Testament passage Psalm 69.

Since the album's release, Ministry had put multiple references to the number 69 in future albums. For example, the albums Dark Side of the Spoon and Houses of the Molé both had hidden tracks with a track number of 69.

Reception and awards

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Rolling Stone
Entertainment Weekly	(A-)
Q
Robert Christgau	A−
Piero Scaruffi
Kerrang!
This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information.

"N.W.O." was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance at the Grammy Awards of 1993, but lost to Nine Inch Nails' "Wish".

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"N.W.O."	Jourgensen, Barker	5:31
2.	"Just One Fix"	Jourgensen, Barker, Rieflin, Balch	5:11
3.	"TV II"	Jourgensen, Barker, Scaccia, Rieflin, Connelly	3:04
4.	"Hero"	Jourgensen, Barker, Rieflin	4:13
5.	"Jesus Built My Hotrod"	Jourgensen, Barker, Balch, Rieflin, Haynes	4:51
6.	"Scare Crow"	Jourgensen, Barker, Scaccia, Rieflin, Balch	8:21
7.	"Psalm 69"	Jourgensen, Barker	5:29
8.	"Corrosion"	Jourgensen, Barker	4:56
9.	"Grace"	Jourgensen, Barker, Beno	3:05

Samples

Samples.

N.W.O.

• "All right! It's all right!" - Apocalypse Now
• "What we are looking at is good and evil, right and wrong." "A new world order!" "We're not about to make that same mistake twice." "God bless America! [crowd cheering]" "Wait...watch and learn." "I believe in freedom." - President George H. W. Bush
• "I'm not setting myself above any law." - Senator Joseph McCarthy
• Also worth noting, towards the end of the song, there is a guitar riff which is a looped sample from a transistor radio in the film Apocalypse Now.

Just One Fix

• "Give me that thorazine, man... " - The Trip
• "Jesus Wept." - Hellraiser
• "Noooooooo!" - Hellbound: Hellraiser II
• "Never trust a junkie." - Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb) from Sid and Nancy
• "I wanna fix! Gimme a fix!" "Just one fix!" - Frankie Machine (Frank Sinatra) from The Man with the Golden Arm

Hero

• Contains many samples from the cartoon G.I. Joe

"Jesus Built My Hotrod"

• "Let's hit... the fuc'...kin' road!" - Blue Velvet
• [Tires squealing] - Blue Velvet
• "Nobody with a good car needs to worry about nothin', do you understand?" - Wise Blood
• "Nobody with a good car needs to be justified." - Wise Blood
• "I come a long way since I believed in anything, and I come halfway around the world." - Wise Blood
• "What are you talking about? Where you came from is gone, where you thought you were going to weren't never there, and where you are ain't no good unless you can can get away from it...." - Wise Blood

Psalm 69

• "I feel like my heart is being touched by Christ" - Altered States
• "Liar! Blasphemer!" - The Pit and the Pendulum
• "STOP IT!" - Suspiria

Singles

• "Jesus Built My Hotrod" was released in 1991 on 12" and CD, featuring "Jesus Built My Hotrod (Redline/Whiteline Version)", "Jesus Built My Hotrod (Short, Pussillanimous, So-They-Can-Fit-More-Commercials-On-The-Radio Edit)", and "TV Song", and on 7", omitting "Jesus Built My Hotrod (Redline/Whiteline Version)"
• "N.W.O." was released in 1992 on 12" and CD, featuring "N.W.O. (Extended Dance Mix)", "Fucked", and "N.W.O."
• "Just One Fix" was released in 1993 on 12" and CD, featuring "Just One Fix (12" Edit)", "Quick Fix" (a remix of "Just One Fix") and "Just one Fix (Video Edit)"

Chart positions and certifications

Album

Chart (1992)	Peak position
Top Heatseekers	1
The Billboard 200	27
German Albums Chart	69
New Zealand Albums Chart	24
UK Albums Chart	33

Singles

Song (1992)	US Alt.	US Dance	UK
"Jesus Built My Hotrod"	19	34	—
"N.W.O."	11	—	49

Music certifications

Year	Country	Award	Copies sold
1992	Canada	Gold	50,000
1993	United States	Gold	500,000
1995		Platinum	1,000,000
2006	Australia	Gold	35,000

Personnel

Ministry

• Al Jourgensen – vocals (1-4, 6, 7), guitars, keyboards, production
• Paul Barker – bass, programming, vocals, production

Additional personnel

• William Rieflin – drums (1-7)
• Mike Scaccia – guitar
• Michael Balch – keyboards, programming
• Howie Beno – programming
• Louis Svitek – guitar
• Gibby Haynes – vocals (5)
• Jeff "Critter" Newell – engineer
• Paul Manno – engineer
• Paul Elledge – art & design