| When Worlds Collide | |
| Cover: | powerman_5000_when_worlds_collide.png |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Powerman 5000 |
| Album: | Tonight the Stars Revolt! |
| Released: | July 1999 |
| Length: | 2:58 |
| Label: | DreamWorks |
| Prev Title: | Organized |
| Prev Year: | 1998 |
| Next Title: | Nobody's Real |
| Next Year: | 1999 |
"When Worlds Collide" is a song by the band Powerman 5000 from their album Tonight the Stars Revolt!. It is one of the band's most well-known songs and has been used in the video games Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 in addition to the 2000 film Little Nicky. The song had been nominated by the Boston Music Awards in 2000 for "Single Of The Year".[1] Spider One has stated that the song is about social classes. In 2016, the band accused Square Enix of stealing the song for use in their popular MMO Final Fantasy XIV.[2]
In 2020, Powerman 5000 re-recorded the song. It was initially exclusively available on the CD version of their album The Noble Rot. On October 15, 2020 it was released as a digital single and on streaming platforms.
The song talks about social classes according to frontman Spider One. The song begins and concludes with heavier segments with screamed vocals, while its middle section is more atmospheric and melodic. The song’s title shares the name of the 1951 science-fiction film, When Worlds Collide, and the 1933 novel upon which the film was based.
The sample "You are a robot" comes from the 1962 film The Creation of the Humanoids.
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 16 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 18 |