As Cruel as School Children | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 25, 2006 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 49:19 | |||
Label | Fueled by Ramen, Atlantic | |||
Producer |
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Gym Class Heroes chronology | ||||
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Singles from As Cruel as School Children | ||||
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As Cruel as School Children is the third studio album by American rap rock band Gym Class Heroes, released by Fueled by Ramen/Atlantic Records 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 a drum machine, acoustic guitar, synthesizers and the band dabbling in many genres such as electronica, funk and soul.
The album received generally favorable reviews, and it has since been certified gold by the RIAA. [1] The title of the album is a lyric from "Scandalous Scholastics", one of the album's tracks. The band later re-released this album, with the inclusion of a new remix of "Cupid's Chokehold". [2]
The lead singer of the band, Travie McCoy, talked about working on the album during a 2021 interview with HotNewHipHop :
When we did As Cruel as School Children, we had signed to Fueled by Ramen and we got upstreamed to Atlantic Records so we had a bigger budget. The goal for me with that record was to show how much the 80s had an effect on me musically. We were four kids from four different walks of life who had all kinds of different musical inspirations and heroes, and all that shit came into play. The main goal was to throw the 80s love in there and I feel like it definitely fucked a lot of people's heads up but it was also conducive to how we didn't give a fuck about fitting into a box or chasing a lane. We built one. [3]
A number of notable musicians appear on this album. "Clothes Off!" features Fall Out Boy vocalist Patrick Stump, who was also the album's producer. The hook for the song is from Jermaine Stewart's 1986 song "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off". "Biters 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.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AbsolutePunk | 79% [4] |
AllMusic | [5] |
Alternative Press | (positive) [6] |
Drowned in Sound | 6/10 [7] |
Entertainment.ie | [8] |
God Is in the TV | 3.5/5 [9] |
RapReviews | [10] |
Spin | (favorable) [11] |
Sputnikmusic | 3.5/5 [12] |
As Cruel as School Children debuted at number 93 on the US Billboard 200 chart, becoming the group's first album to reach the chart, it then peaked number 35. [13] [14] On August 9, 2007, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies in the United States. [15]
Since its release, As Cruel as School Children has received generally positive reviews. Alternative Press called the album "nothing short of a classic", also heavily praising the use of live instrumentation. In a less enthusiastic review, Victoria Durham of Drowned in Sound stated that the band needed to "get rid of the filler" in order to be more successful. Though, she also noted the group's potential, referring to their creative rhyming as what could set them up to be "the OutKast of the rock world".
All songs written by Gym Class Heroes , Sam Hollander and Dave Katz, except Clothes Off, written by Gym Class Heroes , Sam Hollander, Dave Katz, Preston Glass and Narada Walden and Cupid's Chokehold/Breakfast In America , written by Travis McCoy, Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies.
Gym Class Heroes
Additional musicians
Technical personnel
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI) [27] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [28] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date |
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United States | July 25, 2006 |
United Kingdom | May 7, 2007 |
Gym Class Heroes is an American rap rock band from Geneva, New York. The group formed in 1997 when Travie McCoy met drummer Matt McGinley during their high school gym class. The band's music displays a wide variety of influences, including hip hop, rock, funk, and reggae. After the addition of guitarist Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo and bassist Eric Roberts in 2003, the group was signed to Fueled by Ramen and Decaydance Records, on which they released their debut album, The Papercut Chronicles. The group gained a strong fanbase while promoting the album, appearing at festivals such as The Bamboozle and Vans Warped Tour.
Patrick Martin Stumph, known professionally as Patrick Vaughn Stump, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Fall Out Boy, originally from Wilmette, Illinois.
The Papercut Chronicles is the second studio album by Gym Class Heroes released in 2005 by Fueled by Ramen/Decaydance. A sequel, The Papercut Chronicles II, was released in 2011. The album has sold over 32,000 copies in US.
Cobra Starship was an American dance-rock band from New York City, New York, formed in 2005 by Gabe Saporta. He recorded the first album as a solo project, While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets. Saporta later enlisted guitarist Ryland Blackinton, bassist Alex Suarez, drummer Nate Novarro, and keytarist Victoria Asher, all of whom provide backing vocals.
Infinity on High is the third studio album by American rock band Fall Out Boy, released on February 6, 2007, by Island Records. Recorded from July to October 2006 at Pass Studios in Los Angeles, California, its music was composed by lead singer and guitarist Patrick Stump and the lyrics were penned by bassist Pete Wentz. The album features collaborations with new producers and guest artists, such as Babyface and Jay-Z, and sees the band experimenting with genres including R&B, soul, and flamenco. Fall Out Boy also utilized instruments such as horns, violins, and pianos, which had not been used on previous releases.
"Cupid's Chokehold" is a song by American rap rock band Gym Class Heroes, featuring the vocals of Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy. The song relies heavily on the music and chorus from Supertramp's hit song "Breakfast in America" written by Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies. It peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, number one on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 radio chart, number three on the UK Singles Chart, and number three on the Canadian Hot 100.
"The Queen and I" is a song by American rap rock band Gym Class Heroes, released as the first single from their third studio album, As Cruel as School Children (2006).
"Shoot Down the Stars" is the third single from the album As Cruel As School Children by hip-hop/rock band Gym Class Heroes. The video was uploaded on May 11, 2007, to Fueled by Ramen's YouTube channel.
This is the complete discography of hip hop band Gym Class Heroes.
"Clothes Off!!" is the fifth single from Gym Class Heroes' third album, As Cruel as School Children. It features vocalist Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy. It was released in June 2007, and peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Clothes Off" peaked within the top ten of the charts in Finland, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
¡Viva la Cobra! is the second studio album by American dance-rock band Cobra Starship. The album was released on October 23, 2007. It was produced by Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump, whose vocals also feature throughout the album. The album peaked at No. 80 on Billboard 200.
Sam Hollander is an American songwriter. He has collaborated with Panic! at the Disco, One Direction, Fitz and the Tantrums, Weezer, blink-182, Train, Ringo Starr, Carole King, Katy Perry, Boys Like Girls, Metro Station, Billy Idol, Def Leppard, Daughtry, Gym Class Heroes, Tom Morello, among others.
The Quilt is the fourth studio album by the American rap rock band Gym Class Heroes, released by Fueled By Ramen/Decaydance on September 9, 2008.
Whisper War is the debut studio album by American rock band the Cab. It was released on April 29, 2008, by Fueled by Ramen/Decaydance Records. The album was produced by Patrick Stump, who also provides vocals on "Bounce", "One of Those Nights", "I'm a Wonder" and sings backing vocals on other songs. Lead singer Alexander DeLeon's younger sister, Sophia, is the little girl on the album cover.
"Cookie Jar" is the second single from the Gym Class Heroes album, The Quilt. The song features The-Dream singing the chorus with Travis McCoy. It was released on July 8, 2008, on the Patches from the Quilt - EP. "Cookie Jar" peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Cookie Jar" peaked within the top ten of the charts in the United Kingdom, and the top 20 of the charts in the Netherlands.
David Katz is an American songwriter and record producer. He has written and/or produced for artists including Train, Boys Like Girls, Gym Class Heroes, Good Charlotte, Mandy Moore, Neon Trees, Cobra Starship, 3OH!3, Coheed and Cambria, All Time Low, Metro Station, We The Kings, Uncle Kracker, Sugar Ray, Matisyahu, Blues Traveler, Tom Jones, Hot Chelle Rae, David Cook, Big Time Rush, Chiddy Bang, Kelly Rowland, Arrested Development, and Hollywood Undead, among others.
Lazarus is the debut studio album by American rapper Travie McCoy released on June 8, 2010. McCoy announced his plans to pursue a solo career in early 2010, although he insisted that Gym Class Heroes had not broken up. After creating demos of melancholy and low-tempo songs, McCoy decided to abandon his early material and start over, as he claimed the songs were "too personal". He began to write more uptempo "party anthems" with lyrical themes of overcoming grief. Musically, McCoy draws from various influences on the record, including hip hop, reggae, and rock.
Travis Lazarus "Travie" McCoy is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the rap rock band Gym Class Heroes, which he formed in 1997 with then-fellow teenager Matt McGinley, after the two became acquainted with the East Coast punk rock scene. After releasing their debut album independently, the group signed with Fueled by Ramen, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, to release their second album, The Papercut Chronicles (2005).
The Papercut Chronicles II is the fifth studio album by American rap rock band Gym Class Heroes. It was released through Decaydance Records, Warner Bros. Records and Fueled by Ramen on November 15, 2011. It serves as a sequel to the group's second album, The Papercut Chronicles (2005). The album has sold 88,000 copies in the United States.
"Ass Back Home" is a song by American group Gym Class Heroes featuring British singer-songwriter Neon Hitch. The song was first released on October 31, 2011, as the second single from the group's fifth studio album, The Papercut Chronicles II. The track was co-written and produced by Benny Blanco, who also produced previous hit "Stereo Hearts". "Ass Back Home" became the group's third biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when it peaked at number 12, also reaching number one in Australia, 11 in New Zealand, number 10 in Ireland, and 9 in The United Kingdom.