As Cruel as School Children

As Cruel As School Children
Studio album by Gym Class Heroes
Released July 25, 2006
(See release history)
Genre Alternative rock, alternative hip hop, rap rock
Length 49:19
Label Fueled by Ramen, Atlantic
Producer Patrick Stump
Gym Class Heroes chronology

The Papercut Chronicles
(2005)
As Cruel as School Children
(2006)
The Quilt
(2008)
Singles from As Cruel as School Children
  1. "The Queen and I"
    Released: August 28, 2006
  2. "New Friend Request"
    Released: October 28, 2006
  3. "Cupid's Chokehold"
    Released: November 7, 2006
  4. "Shoot Down the Stars"
    Released: May 11, 2007
  5. "Clothes Off!!"
    Released: July 27, 2007
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AbsolutePunk.net (79%)[1]
Allmusic [2]
Entertainment.ie [3]
RapReviews [4]

As Cruel as School Children is the third Gym Class Heroes album released by Fueled by Ramen. It was released on July 25, 2006. It was produced by Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump. A second version of the album, released on November 4, 2006 additionally contains the single "Cupid's Chokehold" (a different recording of the song was featured on their previous album The Papercut Chronicles). Both versions of these albums have the Parental Advisory sticker on them. As Cruel as School Children shows a significant departure from the style of their previous work such as the use of drum machine, Acoustic Guitar, Synthesizers and the band dabbling in many genres such as Electronica, Funk and Soul. Since its release, it has been certified gold by the RIAA.[5] The name of the album is a lyric from "Scandalous Scholastics", which is a track on the album. The band re-released this album, which includes the new remix of "Cupid's Chokehold".

Appearances and influences

A number of notable musicians appear on this album. "Clothes Off!" features Fall Out Boy vocalist Patrick Stump. The hook for the song is from Jermaine Stewart's 1986 song "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off". "Biter's Block" features Speech of Arrested Development. The chorus for "Cupid's Chokehold" comes from the single "Breakfast in America" by Supertramp and is sung by Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy.

A number of tracks have been used in other media. Track 3, "New Friend Request" and track 8, "It's OK, but Just this Once!" were used in the film Snakes On A Plane. Travis McCoy also guest stars on the films theme tune, "Bring It (Snakes on a Plane)", whilst the song "It's OK, But Just This Once" was briefly featured on HBO's hit series Entourage in episode 319 - "The Prince's Bride". The chorus of "Shoot Down The Stars" is briefly heard in Never Back Down.

Track listing

All songs written by Gym Class Heroes

  1. 1st Period: "The Queen and I" 3:15
  2. 2nd Period: "Shoot Down the Stars" 3:38
  3. 3rd Period: "New Friend Request" 4:14
  4. 4th Period: "Clothes Off!!" (featuring Patrick Stump) 3:55
  5. Lunch: "Sloppy Love Jingle, Pt. 1" 1:52
  6. 6th Period: "Viva la White Girl" 3:53
  7. 7th Period: "7 Weeks" (featuring William Beckett) 3:51
  8. 8th Period: "It's OK, but Just This Once!" 3:10
  9. Study Hall: "Sloppy Love Jingle, Pt. 2" 1:01
  10. 10th Period: "Biters Block" 3:48
  11. Yearbook Club: "Boys in Bands" (Interlude) 0:59
  12. 12th Period: "Scandalous Scholastics" 4:17
  13. 13th Period: "On My Own Time (Write On!)" 4:42
  14. Intramurals: "Cupid's Chokehold" (featuring Patrick Stump) 3:58
  15. Detention: "Sloppy Love Jingle, Pt. 3" 2:15

Limited Edition Bonus Disc

  1. "Clothes Off!!" (Stress Remix) (featuring Ghostface Killah, Tyga and Patrick Stump) 4:32
  2. "Viva la White Girl" (Remix) (featuring Lil Wayne) 4:46
  3. "The Machine and I" (featuring Keith Buckley) 4:22
  4. "New Friend Request" (SK1 Ferrer Remix) (featuring Papoose) 4:15

Chart positions

Chart (2007) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[6] 40
French (SNEP)[7] 191
Netherlands (MegaCharts)[8] 68
UK Albums Chart (The Official Charts Company)[9] 19
US Billboard 200[10] 35
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[11] 8

Personnel

Release history

Region Date
United States July 25, 2006
United Kingdom May 7, 2007

References

  1. AbsolutePunk.net review
  2. allmusic review
  3. Entertainment.ie review
  4. RapReviews review
  5. RIAA Certifications
  6. "Australian-charts.com – Gym Class Heroes – As Cruel As School Children". ARIA Top 50 Albums. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  7. "Lescharts.com – Gym Class Heroes – As Cruel As School Children". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  8. "Dutchcharts.nl – Gym Class Heroes – As Cruel As School Children". Mega Album Top 100 (in Dutch). Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  9. "Chart Stats – Gym Class Heroes – As Cruel As School Children". UK Albums Chart. Chart Stats. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  10. "Gym Class Heroes Album & Song Chart History". Billboard 200 for Gym Class Heroes. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  11. "Gym Class Heroes Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Top Rap Albums for Gym Class Heroes. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2011.