Long Face (song)

"Long Face"
Single by The Vampire Lestat
ReleasedFebruary 13, 2026 (2026-02-13)
Recorded2024
GenreGlam rock[1][2][3]
Length3:51
LabelLakeshore Records
SongwriterDaniel Hart
Producers

"Long Face" is a glam rock song by fictional character The Vampire Lestat, performed by Australian actor Sam Reid and written by American composer Daniel Hart for the upcoming third season of AMC's gothic horror series Interview with the Vampire, retitled The Vampire Lestat for the third season after Anne Rice's 1985 novel of same name and its lead character, a vampire rock star. It was released as The Vampire Lestat's first official single on February 13, 2026.

Background

Sam Reid plays French vampire Lestat de Lioncourt on AMC's gothic horror television series Interview with the Vampire (2022–present), based on Anne Rice's 1976 novel of the same name. The third season was retitled The Vampire Lestat and was adapted from the 1985 novel of same name, in which Lestat becomes a rock star with the stage name The Vampire Lestat.[4][3] Rice's inspiration for rock star Lestat was The Doors' lead vocalist Jim Morrison.[5][6]

In season 1, Lestat was portrayed as a fan of opera[7][8] and classically trained musician who sang and played the piano.[9] On season 1 episode 6, "Like Angels Put in Hell by God", Lestat composed the song "Come to Me" (in which he sings and plays the piano) as an apology gift for his partner, Louis de Pointe du Lac (portrayed by Jacob Anderson).[10][11][12] On season 2 episode 3, "No Pain", Lestat (in the form of a hallucination imagined by Louis) appears singing and playing the piano to a new rendition of the song with different lyrics, titled "Come to Me Again".[13] Both versions were written by Daniel Hart and were featured on the series' soundtrack albums for season 1 and season 2, respectively.[14][15]

In the last episode of season 2, "And That's the End of It. There's Nothing Else", which aired on July 30, 2024, Lestat appears playing a plank piano while listening to an instrumental song that was playing on an iPad; he then tells Louis that he was practicing because he was going on tour.[16][17] In an interview with the Los Angeles Times on June 30, 2024, Interview with The Vampire's creator and showrunner Rolin Jones teased the direction that season 3 is going:

Lestat becomes a rock star. Let's start there. We’re going to do a lot with that and are excited about potentially working with Daniel Hart who's done the music for the first two seasons. We're going to try to beat Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Rocky Horror. We're about to try to make a little pop masterpiece.[18]

Jones told TV Guide that the musical inspirations for rock star Lestat on the series were David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Björk, Freddie Mercury, Mark Sandman, Franz Liszt, Otis Redding, Moses Sumney, Douglas Dare, Redd Kross, Lang Lang, Iggy Pop, St. Vincent, Prince, Florence Welch, Jim Morrison, T-Rex, Gustav Mahler, Brandon Flowers, Fiona Apple, Serge Gainsbourg, Electric Light Orchestra, The Sweet, Nick Cave, Raleigh Ritchie, Benjamin Clementine, Chappell Roan, Gustavo Dudamel, David Lee Roth, Ryan Kattner, John Cale, Jeff Mangum, Paul Westerberg, and Daniel Hart.[19] Reid named Bowie, Kurt Cobain,[20] and Jim Morrison as his personal influences for Lestat's rock star persona.[21]

Hart and the series' writers developed the soundtrack for The Vampire Lestat together. Hart said they spent a lot of time discussing Rice's Lestat, rock music and trying to find a way to make the music work for modern viewers and listeners. "We talked about inspirations like Kurt Cobain, we talked about Otis Redding. Both of them have a vulnerable quality to their songwriting and their performance; a rawness that puts emotion at the forefront. That's what we wanted for Lestat, because that is what we already know to be true of him outside of singing. [We wanted] to bring that into his performance as a rockstar as well", Hart said.[22]

Writing and recording

The music and lyrics for "Long Face" were written by American composer Daniel Hart,[2] who also produced the song along with Danny Reisch.[23] The song was written and recorded in six weeks. Hart said the process happened "pretty fast" after showrunner Rolin Jones called him saying they needed a song for the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con, about a month before the event,[24] which premiered a teaser trailer for season 3 of Interview with The Vampire featuring the song on July 27, 2024.[25]

When asked if INXS lead vocalist Michael Hutchence was an inspiration for "Long Face" and rock star Lestat, Hart said:

Michael Hutchence spirit definitely hovering, though we were not intentionally trying to channel it. I listened to Kick obsessively in...junior high? My brother had the poster.[26]

In a press release issued in February 2026, Hart said of the song:

Long Face is the first song I wrote for The Vampire Lestat. We decided early on to make David Bowie a big influence for Lestat's musical style and persona, and there's certainly some Ziggy Stardust in this song. But we chose Bowie not only for his glam era, but because he was a chameleon. Expect Lestat to change his musical colors throughout the season as well, as he discovers how to remain true to himself, and how to express that truth on stage every night.[2]

The Vampire Lestat said of the song:

Long Face is the first song Daniel Hart "produced" for my album. He decided early on to steal where he could from Bowie because he hasn't had an original idea for five years now (is that his Green Knight score fading in the rear view?). As for Long Face, the bass should have walked down with the guitar at the end instead of pedaling on E. Predictable. Like everything Daniel Hart touches.[2]

Lyrics

The lyrics reference Lestat's hedonistic lifestyle.[18] When Daniel Hart was asked about the meaning of the lyrics "We're boléro, prostitué", he explained on his Twitter account in August 2024:

I think lyrics should be subjective, and so we can each take from them what they would mean to us, based on our own life experience. Getting into specifics, I think our Lestat would enjoy writing lyrics with double or even triple entendre, so I tried to do that. Boléro is a romantic Spanish dance. And the way he and Louis sometimes treat each other is more transactional and less loving i.e. "prostitué". But our Lestat is also a massive fan of Maurice Ravel, who wrote perhaps the most currently famous Boléro of all. So in saying "We're Boléro", he could be expressing a deep fondness for what they are together. Some who knew Ravel said he frequented brothels, and because he never married or had kids, rumors abounded that he was homosexual. So, "prostitué" then takes on more potential meanings.[27]

When asked if the lyrics "I get fatter when we break up" means that Lestat was going on a killing spree, Hart said:

That's a great interpretation. I was also thinking of Lestat actually gaining weight, as some people do with big life changes, added emotional stress, etc. AND Lestat just trolling him [Louis] a bit i.e. "what could I say that would get under his skin, make him feel bad?"[27]

About the lyrics "Give me some face", Hart said: "I think the "give me some face" line is a bit less open to multiple interpretations i.e. that's a very specific reference from the show, a specific dig."[28] On season 1 episode 3, "Is My Very Nature That of a Devil", Lestat admits that he was jealous of Louis with his childhood friend, Jonah, to which Louis tells Lestat: "He did me some face and I drove him home", referring to receiving oral sex from Jonah while he believed that Lestat was with his human lover, Antoinette, but Lestat was actually watching Louis and Jonah in the woods. Lestat then yells at Louis: "I heard your hearts dancing!".[29][30]

Release

An earlier version of "Long Face" was featured on a teaser trailer for season 3 of Interview with the Vampire released at the San Diego Comic-Con on July 27, 2024,[25][31] followed by a lyric video with the full song released on YouTube the next day.[32] As of March 2026, the lyric video has over 1 million views on YouTube.[33]

Artist profiles for The Vampire Lestat appeared online on streaming services on February 12, 2026, following AMC Networks's official social media accounts posting a video of static with the logo for The Vampire Lestat on it with a caption that read: "You might get lucky."[34][35]

Long Face was officially released as a single by AMC Networks and Lakeshore Records on streaming services on February 13, 2026.[35][36] A karaoke version of the song was released by AMC on YouTube the following day.[37]

Reception

Maggie Boccella of Fangoria wrote about the song: "The music echoes the early sounds of David Bowie — post "Space Oddity" and pre "Let's Dance" — with a guitar reminiscent of T. Rex's "20th Century Boy", evoking a very 1970s style and sound for the famous vamp going into the new season."[1]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[23][38]

Notes

  1. ^ Sam Reid was credited as "The Vampire Lestat" on streaming platforms.[23][39]

References

  1. ^ a b Boccella, Maggie (February 13, 2026). "Listen To The Vampire Lestat's Rockin' First Single Ahead Of INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE Season 3". Fangoria.
  2. ^ a b c d ""The Vampire Lestat" Drops First Official Rock Single "Long Face"". AMC Networks. February 13, 2026.
  3. ^ a b Chu, Jennifer (February 13, 2026). "AMC's The Vampire Lestat Releases First Ever Rock Single". Screen Rant.
  4. ^ O'Rourke, Ryan (February 13, 2026). "'The Vampire Lestat' Is a Blood-Sucking Rock Star With New David Bowie-Inspired Single". Collider.
  5. ^ Roce, Anne (May 2, 2010). "The Great Jim Morrison was my model for Lestat, the rock star. It was Morrison's voice I heard when I wrote the songs for Lestat. Here's the closest thing in the wide world to my hero". Facebook.
  6. ^ Roce, Anne (December 20, 2011). "One reason I like to write about immortals is that time doesn't mean much to me". Facebook. I didn't discover Jim Morrison till I was writing The Vampire Lestat.
  7. ^ Walsh, Kathleen (October 3, 2022). "Interview With the Vampire Series-Premiere Recap: Let the Story Seduce You". Vulture.
  8. ^ Netzley, Sara (October 9, 2022). "'Interview with the Vampire' recap: Louis embarks on a taste of New Orleans". EW.com.
  9. ^ Sokol, Tony (October 17, 2022). "Interview with the Vampire: The One Lestat Moment Sam Reid Can't Wait For". Den of Geek.
  10. ^ Danoff, Owen (November 11, 2022). "Daniel Hart Interview: AMC's Interview with the Vampire". ScreenRant.
  11. ^ "Interview with the Vampire (2022) S1E6 "Like Angels Put in Hell by God"". TV Tropes. November 6, 2022.
  12. ^ "'Interview with the Vampire' - S1E6 Recap". DIRECTV. November 9, 2022. Archived from the original on May 16, 2025. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  13. ^ "No Pain". Interview With The Vampire. Season 2. Episode 3. May 26, 2024. Event occurs at 35:00. AMC.
  14. ^ "Soundtrack Album for AMC's 'Interview with the Vampire' TV Series to Be Released". Film Music Reporter. October 20, 2022.
  15. ^ "'Interview with the Vampire' Season 2 Soundtrack Album Details". Film Music Reporter. May 15, 2024.
  16. ^ Alter, Rebecca (June 30, 2024). "Interview With the Vampire Season-Finale Recap: Paris Is Burning". Vulture.
  17. ^ Mattson, Kelcie (July 5, 2024). "'Interview with the Vampire' Finally Gives Us the Real Lestat". Collider.
  18. ^ a b Massoto, Erick (July 28, 2024). "Listen to Lestat's First Single From 'Interview With The Vampire' Season 3". Collider.
  19. ^ TV Guide (July 31, 2024). Interview with the Vampire Cast Breaks Down Claudia and Lestat's Love-Hate Dynamic – via YouTube.
  20. ^ The Hollywood Reporter (July 28, 2025). How Chappell Roan Influenced Lestat's Rockstar Persona in 'Interview with the Vampire' | SDCC 2025 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ Boccella, Maggie (July 28, 2025). "'Interview With the Vampire' Star Reveals the Out of This World Musician Who Influenced Lestat's Rockstar Persona". Collider.
  22. ^ Hullender, Tatiana; Hermanns, Grant (July 29, 2025). "How Lestat's Rockstar Transformation Brings A New Feel To Interview With The Vampire Season 3 Explained By Showrunner & Cast". ScreenRant.
  23. ^ a b c Long Face / The Vampire Lestat / Credits. February 13, 2026 – via Tidal.
  24. ^ O'Shaughnessy, Katie (January 5, 2025). Chatting with Daniel Hart! – via YouTube.
  25. ^ a b Boyle, Kelli (July 30, 2024). "What Sam Reid Hopes to Explore in 'Interview With the Vampire' Season 3". TV Insider.
  26. ^ Hart, Daniel (August 28, 2024). "Michael Hutchence spirit definitely hovering, though we were not intentionally trying to channel it. I listened to Kick obsessively in...junior high? My brother had the poster". Twitter.
  27. ^ a b Hart, Daniel (August 7, 2024). "Yes to all of this. I think lyrics should be subjective, and so we can each take from them what they would mean to us, based on our own life experience. Getting into specifics, I think our Lestat would enjoy writing lyrics w/ double or even triple entendre, so I tried to do that". Twitter.
  28. ^ Hart, Daniel (September 20, 2024). "I think the "give me some face" line is a bit less open to multiple interpretations i.e. that's a very specific reference from the show, a specific dig". Twitter.
  29. ^ "Is My Very Nature That of a Devil". Interview With The Vampire. Season 1. Episode 3. October 16, 2022. Event occurs at 31:00. AMC.
  30. ^ Bigelow, Topher (October 17, 2022). "'Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire' Season 1 Episode 3 Recap: When It Rains, It Pours". Collider.
  31. ^ Schimkowitz, Matt (July 28, 2014). "Vampire Lestat releases song of the summer entrant in season three teaser". AV Club.
  32. ^ Schimkowitz, Matt (February 13, 2026). "Immortal rocker The Vampire Lestat drops first single, "Long Face"". AV Club.
  33. ^ AMC+ (July 28, 2024). "Long Face" ft. Lestat de Lioncourt (Official Lyric Video) | Interview With The Vampire | AMC+ – via YouTube.
  34. ^ Leishman, Rachel (February 12, 2026). "'The Vampire Lestat' Has Kept Fans Waiting. And Now We're Getting Teased". The Mary Sue.
  35. ^ a b Boyle, Kelli (February 12, 2026). "'The Vampire Lestat' Releasing 'Long Face' Single on Streaming Services". TV Insider.
  36. ^ "Immortal rocker The Vampire Lestat drops first single, "Long Face"". Paste Magazine. February 13, 2026.
  37. ^ "The Vampire Lestat Is Giving You a Chance to Unleash Your Inner Lestat". Bleeding Cool. February 14, 2026.
  38. ^ "You CAN Stream THE VAMPIRE LESTAT's Hit Song 'Long Face'". Nerdist. February 13, 2026.
  39. ^ ""Long Face" - The Vampire Lestat (Song Credits)". Imgur. February 18, 2026.
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