TYPE O NEGATIVE Lands First-Ever Gold Single In U.S. With 'I Don't Wanna Be Me'

On June 15, TYPE O NEGATIVE's "I Don't Wanna Be Me" single was certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) for accumulating 500,000 certified units.

According to the RIAA, one equivalent song unit is equal to a single digital song sale, or 150 on-demand audio and/or video streams.

"I Don't Wanna Be Me" is the first RIAA single certification for TYPE O NEGATIVE, which previously landed a platinum album for 1993's "Bloody Kisses" and a gold album for 1996's "October Rust".

"I Don't Wanna Be Me" is the second track on TYPE O NEGATIVE's sixth studio album, 2003's "Life Is Killing Me", and was released as a promotional single that same year.

Kerrang! magazine described "I Don't Wanna Be Me" as "a highly-energized, sarcastic paean to self-hatred, waving a middle finger in their own faces as much as anyone else's", featuring an influence of "old-school, catchy punk rock. At times, it even recalls the glorious heads down thrash attack" of TYPE O NEGATIVE frontman Peter Steele's" previous band, the controversial CARNIVORE". Loudwire described the song as "goth-punk-power-pop".

Regarding the inspiration for "I Don't Wanna Be Me", TYPE O NEGATIVE guitarist Kenny Hickey said Steele's lyrics for the song were autobiographical. "At the time, Peter wasn't really doing too well, health-wise," Kenny 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 music video for "I Don't Wanna Be Me", which can be seen below, features actor Dan Fogler, who dresses up as numerous different celebrities, including Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears and Eminem, as well as Steele himself.

TYPE O NEGATIVE effectively broke up after the passing of Steele in April 2010 from heart failure at the age of 48. Born Petrus T. Ratajczyk on January 4, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York, he stood 6' 7" (201 cm) tall, and had a low, bass-heavy voice, which was one of the most recognizable features in TYPE O NEGATIVE's music.

Before forming TYPE O NEGATIVE, Steele played for the metal group FALLOUT and the thrash band CARNIVORE.

TYPE O NEGATIVE, known for its brooding soundscapes and cult status in the 1990s and early 2000s, has recently seen a cultural resurgence as new generations discover the band's genre-defining music.

TYPE O NEGATIVE was a New York–based goth metal band formed in 1990 by Steele, alongside keyboardist Josh Silver, Hickey and drummer Sal Abruscato — later replaced by Johnny Kelly. Their 1991 debut, "Slow, Deep And Hard", introduced their brooding style, followed by the provocative "The Origin Of The Feces" (1992). TYPE O NEGATIVE achieved breakthrough success with "Bloody Kisses" (1993),which earned a cult following and featured the single "Black No. 1". The band continued to evolve with albums such as "October Rust" (1996),"World Coming Down" (1999),"Life Is Killing Me" (2003) and "Dead Again" (2007).

Revered for their distinctive blend of goth and metal, as well as Steele's deep, iconic vocals, TYPE O NEGATIVE left a lasting legacy in heavy music. The band concluded in 2010 following Steele's death, but their influence endures across the alternative and metal landscape.

A full-length concert recording from TYPE O NEGATIVE is currently being prepared for a tentative late 2026 or early 2027 release.