Shock the Monkey

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"Shock the Monkey"
Single by Peter Gabriel
from the album Peter Gabriel
B-side "Soft Dog"
Released September 1982
Format 7", 12" single
Recorded 1981–1982
Genre New Wave
Length 3:57 (7" single edit)
5:23 (Full-length version)
Label Geffen
Producer(s) David Lord, Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel singles chronology

"Biko"
(1980)		 "Shock the Monkey"
(1982)		 "Walk Through the Fire"
(1984)

"Shock the Monkey" is a 1982 song by Peter Gabriel. It was released as a single and peaked at number 29 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart.[1] The song was Gabriel's first Top 40 hit in the US. In the UK, the song charted at number 58. It was 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 capuchin monkey.

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 basic instincts; the monkey is not a literal monkey, but a metaphor for one's feelings of jealousy.[4]

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 seven-minute-long 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).

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".

Charts

Chart (1982/1983) Peak
Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[5] 29
Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks 1
Billboard Dance/Disco 26
Billboard Hot Black Singles 64
U.S. Cashbox Pop Singles[6] 33
UK Pop Singles[7] 58

Coal Chamber featuring Ozzy Osbourne version

"Shock the Monkey"
Single by Coal Chamber featuring Ozzy Osbourne
from the album Chamber Music
Released 1999
Format CD
Genre Alternative metal
Label Roadrunner
Coal Chamber featuring Ozzy Osbourne singles chronology

"Not Living"
(1999)		 "Shock the Monkey"
(1999)		 "Fiend"
(2002)

The alternative metal band Coal Chamber covered "Shock the Monkey" on their 1999 album Chamber Music. The cover featured guest vocals by Ozzy Osbourne.

Track listing

  1. "Shock the Monkey" (Album Version)
  2. "Shock the Monkey" (Gorilla Mix)
  3. "El Cu Cuy" (Man-To-Monster Mix)

Music video

The music video was directed by Dean Karr. It shows the band playing with Osbourne and it has shots of a monkey.

Other cover versions

  • Hawaiian recording artist Don Ho covered "Shock the Monkey" on the 2002 compilation album When Pigs Fly: Songs You Never Thought You'd Hear
  • Finnish metal band Suburban Tribe covered "Shock the Monkey" on their 2007 album Recollection.
  • The Vitamin String Quartet featured the song on their Peter Gabriel tribute album.
  • The italian acid jazz pioneers GAZZARA covered the song in a Motown 60's style for their forthcoming sixth album "The Bossa Lounge Experience" released in 2013 by Irma Records.

Use in other media

  • "Shock the Monkey" is included in the opening sequence to the film Project X.
  • The song is used in the South Park episode "Raisins." After Wendy breaks up with Stan, he asks Wendy's friend Bebe how to win her back. She tells Stan to "stand outside her window, and play Peter Gabriel" (a reference to Lloyd Dobler's playing "In Your Eyes" in the movie Say Anything), so he chooses this song to play on the boombox. However, Stan sees Token standing beside Wendy.
  • The song, along with the artist Peter Gabriel are mentioned in The Key of Awesome's parody of Walk off the Earth's Somebody That I Used to Know cover.

See also

  • List of number-one mainstream rock hits (United States)
  • Shock the Monkey, a Peter Gabriel tribute band from Sweden
Peter Gabriel
Studio albums
Live albums
Soundtracks
Compilations
Films
German-language albums
Other
Coal Chamber
Studio albums
Compilations
Singles
  • "Loco"
  • "Not Living"
  • "Shock the Monkey"
  • "Fiend"
Related articles

Notes

  1. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 246.
  2. ↑ Allmusic song review. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
  3. ↑ iFilm synopsis. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
  4. ↑ Chris Welch (1998). The Secret Life of Peter Gabriel: p.136
  5. ↑ Billboard.com. Retrieved June 22, 2008.
  6. ↑ Aol.com. Retrieved June 22, 2008.
  7. ↑ Polyhex.com. Retrieved June 22, 2008.

References

  • Martin C. Strong (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th Edition)

External links

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