Gothic metal pioneers TYPE O NEGATIVE have scored the first gold single of their career. On June 15, the band's "I Don't Wanna Be Me" was certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for surpassing 500,000 certified units, where one unit equals a single sale or 150 on-demand streams.
The milestone is the band's first-ever RIAA single certification. TYPE O NEGATIVE had previously earned a platinum album for 1993's "Bloody Kisses" and a gold album for 1996's "October Rust". "I Don't Wanna Be Me" appears on the band's sixth studio album, 2003's "Life Is Killing Me", and was issued as a promotional single that year.
Guitarist Kenny Hickey has described the track's lyrics as autobiographical for frontman PETER STEELE. "At the time, Peter wasn't really doing too well, health-wise," Hickey said. "He was getting sick of addictions and sick of life, hence the title 'I Don't Wanna Be Me'. He didn't wanna be Pete anymore." The song's music video features actor Dan Fogler impersonating a string of celebrities, from Marilyn Monroe to Michael Jackson.
Formed in Brooklyn, New York in 1990 by STEELE alongside keyboardist Josh Silver, Hickey and drummer Sal Abruscato (later replaced by Johnny Kelly), TYPE O NEGATIVE built a devoted cult following on brooding, bass-heavy soundscapes and STEELE's unmistakable basso voice. After their 1991 debut "Slow, Deep And Hard" and the provocative "The Origin Of The Feces" (1992), the band broke through with "Bloody Kisses" and its signature single "Black No. 1", followed by "October Rust", "World Coming Down" (1999) and "Dead Again" (2007).
The band effectively ended with STEELE's death from heart failure in April 2010 at the age of 48, but its influence has only grown, with a new generation rediscovering the group in recent years. The gold certification arrives as a full-length concert recording is reportedly being prepared for a tentative late 2026 or early 2027 release.