Shock the Monkey
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| “Shock the Monkey” | |||||
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| Single by Peter Gabriel from the album Peter Gabriel (IV) |
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| B-side | "Soft Dog (Instrumental)" | ||||
| Released | September 1982 | ||||
| Format | 7", 12" single | ||||
| Recorded | 1981-1982 | ||||
| Genre | New wave, Art rock | ||||
| Length | 3:57 (7" single edit) 5:23 (Full-length version) |
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| Label | Geffen | ||||
| Producer | David Lord, Peter Gabriel | ||||
| Peter Gabriel singles chronology | |||||
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"Shock the Monkey" is a 1982 song by Peter Gabriel. It was released as a single and peaked at #29 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.[1] It was also included on Gabriel's fourth self-titled album, issued in the U.S. as Security. As well as its "relentlessly repeated hook" that "sounded nothing like anything else on the radio at the time",[2] the track is known for its popular and somewhat disturbing music video featuring Gabriel in white face paint and a frightened-looking macaque.
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[edit] Interpretation
Due to its title and the content of the video, the song is frequently assumed to be either an animal rights song or a reference to the famous experiments by Stanley Milgram described in his book Obedience to Authority.[3] It is neither, although another Gabriel song, "We Do What We're Told (Milgram's 37)", from his 1986 album So, does deal directly with Milgram. Gabriel himself has described "Shock the Monkey" as "a love song" that examines how jealousy can release one's baser instincts; the monkey is not a literal monkey, but a metaphor for one's feelings of jealousy.[4]
[edit] Releases
"Shock the Monkey" was released as a 7" picture disc in addition to the 7" and 12" black vinyl singles. Club DJ remix service Hot Tracks crafted an 8:12 version that intersperses verses and choruses sung by Gabriel in German with the more familiar English lyrics. A concert version of the song appears on Gabriel's album Plays Live (1983). It is also included on the compilation albums Shaking the Tree (1990) and Hit (2003). The music video appears on the DVD compilation Play (2004).
[edit] Remix contest
An online contest was held in September 2006 by Realworld Remixed in which musicians and engineers were invited to submit a remix of the song. The original tracks were made available for download, offering a rare opportunity to work with the raw material from a hit song. The winner was Multiman's "Simian Surprise".
[edit] Cover versions
- The alternative metal band Coal Chamber covered the song on their 1999 album Chamber Music. The cover featured guest vocals by Ozzy Osbourne.
- Hawaiian recording artist Don Ho also covered the song for the 2002 compilation album When Pigs Fly: Songs You Never Thought You'd Hear.
- Finnish metal band Suburban Tribe covered the song on their 2007 album Recollection.
[edit] Appearances in popular culture
- The track was featured in the 2003 South Park episode "Raisins". To regain his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Wendy, Stan approaches her best friend for advice. She suggests playing Peter Gabriel from a boom box outside her window, a reference to the famous use of Gabriel’s romantic hit "In Your Eyes" in the film Say Anything. Stan assumes any Gabriel song would be appropriate and blasts the distinctly non-romantic "Shock the Monkey."
- Radio DJs Walton and Johnson use the song as an intro for their "Taser Report".
- The song was featured in the opening of the 1987 film Project X which dealt with military experiments on chimpanzees.
- The song was featured on the second episode of Knights of Prosperity.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Billboard.com. Retrieved on 7 June 2008.
- ^ All Music Guide song review. Retrieved on 7 June 2008.
- ^ iFilm synopsis. Retrieved on 7 June 2008.
- ^ Chris Welch (1998). The Secret Life of Peter Gabriel: p.136
[edit] References
- Martin C. Strong (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th Edition)
