"From Out of Nowhere" was the first track off Faith No More's third studio album The Real Thing. It was also the first single to be released off it and to feature Mike Patton on vocals. It was first released on August 30, 1989 and reached #23 on the UK singles chart. However, it never became as popular as "Epic", which peaked at #25 in the same charts. The band has been quoted saying regarding the video that "[They] didn't know what we were doing".

Music video

The music video was purposely tongue-in-cheek. It seems to be a subtle parody of glam metal bands at the time.

There are two very different versions of this video. When you play both versions next to each other you will find that some shots are different. Some of the videos found on the internet are the 'second version' videos.

The first version features Mike Patton in camouflage shorts, a black undershirt, and sunglasses. Words come across a few times during the video on the screen. And there are a few shots of exteriors at the beginning and end.

In the second version Patton is wearing spandex shorts and a black and blue coat. Billy Gould is using a different bass, and there are many more exterior shots, as well as more words going across the screen. Only a few shots are kept from the first version, being some of the shots of Mike Bordin. This latter version was used on the video releases.

Track lists

Rising Sun

1. "From Out of Nowhere" – 3:23
2. "Edge of the World" – 4:10
3. "From Out of Nowhere" (Live at Brixton) – 3:24

Burning Splashes

1. "From Out of Nowhere" – 3:23
2. "The Cowboy Song" – 5:12
3. "The Grade" – 2:03

Reissue

1. "From Out of Nowhere" (Extended Remix)
2. "Woodpecker from Mars" (Live †)
3. "The Real Thing" (Live †)
4. "Epic" (Live †)

† Recorded in Norwich, 1990. Broadcast by The BBC Radio 1 "Rockshow", march 2, 1990. The profanity is obscured and the songs fade out.

Release history

Country	Date	Version
United Kingdom		Original
Japan	September 30, 1990
Europe	May 2, 1990	Reissue

Uses

• The song was used in the games Madden NFL 2005 and NHL 2005.

Covers

• The Finnish band Apocalyptica covered this song on their second album, Inquisition Symphony.
• It was also covered by German power metal band Helloween in 1998 for their cover album Metal Jukebox, and was featured in the single for their cover of ABBA's "Lay All Your Love On Me".
• The Danish metal band, Raunchy covered this song on their 2007 album Velvet Noise Extended.
• Californian thrash metal band Five Finger Death Punch covered the song for the European Special Edition of their debut album, The Way of the Fist.

Chart performance

• UK Singles Chart – 23
• Australia ARIA Charts – 83

Footnotes