Monster (The Automatic song)

Last updated

"Monster"
TheAutomaticMonster-cover.jpg
Single by the Automatic
from the album Not Accepted Anywhere
B-side
  • "Night Drive"
  • "High Tide on Caroline Street"
Released5 June 2006
Recorded Stir (Cardiff, Wales)
Genre
Length3:41
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Richard Jackson
The Automatic singles chronology
"Raoul"
(2006)		"Monster"
(2006)		"Recover (re-release)"
(2006)
US/Canada chronologysingles chronology
"Monster"
(2007)		"Steve McQueen"
(2008)

"Monster" is the third UK single by Cardiff-based Welsh band the Automatic, taken from their debut album, Not Accepted Anywhere . The track was released on 5 June 2006 in the UK and subsequently reached No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. It was released in the United States under the alias of the Automatic Automatic on 14 May 2007. It is the Automatic's highest charting single to date in the United Kingdom. [3] [4]

Contents

Composition

The track's music was composed by James Frost and Robin Hawkins, with the original incarnation featuring a different chorus, both musically and lyrically. However the band decided first to change the music before deciding to rewrite the chorus's lyrics. The chorus was planned to have a fairytale-esque theme to it, with keyboardist and vocalist Alex Pennie penning the idea which would become the track's famous lyric "What's that coming over the hill? Is it a monster? Is it a monster?". Originally however, the lyric was used just to fill the chorus until a more suitable lyric was found, but over time the lyric stuck and so was eventually used when the band recorded a demo of it in 2005. [5]

Many of the lyrics used in "Monster" are metaphors for drug and drink intoxication; "brain fried tonight through misuse" and "without these pills you're let loose", with the chorus 'monster' lyric being a metaphor for the monster that comes out when people are intoxicated. [6]

The original demo of "Monster" featured more prominent synthesizers, with some different vocals, including more gang vocals during the chorus and distorted backing vocals during the verses and bridge. The guitar, bass and drums however stayed relatively the same when in late 2005 they rerecorded the track for their album Not Accepted Anywhere . With the line-up change in 2007, seeing Paul Mullen join, "Monster" was reworked, with Paul providing a second guitar part, with almost all synthesizer parts removed. In addition, a new section was added to the bridge of "Monster", featuring a riff from Paul Mullen's band Yourcodenameis:milo track "All Roads to Fault".

Release

A demo of the track was released in early 2005. The single release of "Monster" was announced in April 2006; the single would precede the band's debut album, which was also announced Not Accepted Anywhere . The single was released on 5 June 2006 [7] as vinyl, CD, and digital formats featuring various remixes of "Monster" and the B-side from recording Not Accepted Anywhere, "Night Drive", which has rarely been performed live. The release of "Monster" was celebrated by a performance in Cardiff HMV on 5 June, with a series of HMV and Fopp instore performances over the following days. The American release of Monster came almost a year later on 14 May 2007; it was the band's only American single to-date, with their at the time American distributor Columbia Records not picking the band up in 2008 with Steve McQueen due to the record agreement between the band's main at-the-time label B-Unique Records, Polydor Records and subsequently Columbia Records. Universal Music Polska released "Monster" on 29 March 2011. [8]

Critical reception

"We wrote a song, it did really well, I don't really see what there is to be upset about. You get labelled "one hit wonders", but that's more hits than most people have. And it's not like we've disappeared without a trace. We've got a second album coming out, which in my opinion is full of much better songs. We wouldn't have been in a position to fly to LA to make a record if it wasn't for 'Monster'."

— Robin Hawkins

The band have not had a bigger hit from either Not Accepted Anywhere or This Is A Fix , the closest to reaching "Monster" was 2008 single "Steve McQueen" which charted at No. 16 on the UK charts, considerably lower than predicted; however, this was due to several mistakes made by the band's label, who took an extra week to digitally release the track "Steve McQueen". Half of the band in 2005 believed that Not Accepted Anywhere track "Rats" would end up being a bigger hit than "Monster". [5]

The track has received fairly mixed reviews, Dom Gourlay of Contact Music slated the pop track calling it "daft, irresponsible and unforgettably irritating" [9] whilst Stephen Ackroyd of Click Music rated the track music higher, giving it 4/5. [10] Drowned in Sound's Rachel Cawley gave the track 0 out of 10, attacking fans of the track saying; "If it was you who requested this to be played on the radio, you have my sympathy. Are you so stupefied that you find this ditchwater enthralling?" [11] MusicOHM's Ryan Thomas reacted to the track far more positively, saying "Monster is an electrifying 3 minutes and 44 seconds of pop music at its finest" [12] NME also praised the track "it's the catchiest indie hit of the summer, boasting a hook that could disembowel a whale" [13] Gigwise.com however was not as positive, referring to previous singles "Recover" and "Raoul" saying "The Automatic's releases are getting progressively worse each time. Are they running out of good songs?" [14]

Chart performance

The track spent 16 weeks on the UK Singles Chart originally, with its highest charting position at No. 4. In 2007, when digital tracks began being counted in the UK Singles Chart, Monster re-entered the singles chart once more, at No. 34. With the self-release of third album Tear the Signs Down in 2010, the band revealed that Monster's success brought in a constant revenue to the band. [15]

Music video

The music video was produced and directed by Dominic Thompson-Talbot [16] of production company Up the Resolution, who would go on to work with the band on their next singles "Raoul" and "Recover". The shoot took place in Black Park, London in 2006 and features Hadleigh Lomasney as 'big-foot'. [17]

The video features the band playing monster hunters in false beards and hiking gear. They travel in an old ambulance draped with camouflage and newspaper articles that refer to monsters, UFOs and Nessie, and James Frost plays his guitar solo standing on top of the ambulance. The characters encounter Nessie and Big Foot but remain oblivious to their finds; when they return to the ambulance they are surrounded by monsters who are destroyed by a UFO, which then zaps the band as they exit the ambulance. [18] [19]

Track listings

UK limited-edition 7-inch single [20]
No.TitleLength
1."Monster"3:38
2."Monster" (Trey Prefontaine Mmix) 
UK CD single [21]
No.TitleLength
1."Monster"3:38
2."Night Drive" 
UK and Australian CD single [22] [23]
No.TitleLength
1."Monster"3:38
2."High Tide on Caroline Street" 
3."Monster" (Culprit One remix) 
4."Monster" (video) 

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [33] Gold400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What's the Frequency, Kenneth?</span> 1994 single by R.E.M.

"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M. from their ninth studio album, Monster (1994). The song's title refers to an incident in New York City in 1986 in which two then-unknown assailants attacked journalist Dan Rather while repeating "Kenneth, what is the frequency?"

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Man on the Moon (song)</span> 1992 single by R.E.M.

"Man on the Moon" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M., released in November 1992 as the second single from their eighth album, Automatic for the People (1992). The lyrics were written by lead singer Michael Stipe, and the music by drummer Bill Berry and guitarist Peter Buck. The song was well received by critics and reached number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 17 on the US Cash Box Top 100, number 18 on the UK Singles Chart, and number one in Iceland. It remains one of R.E.M.'s most popular songs and was included on the compilations In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003 and Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982–2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holiday (Green Day song)</span> 2005 single by Green Day

"Holiday" is an anti-war protest song by American rock band Green Day. It was released as the third single from the group's seventh studio album American Idiot, and is also the third track. The song is in the key of F minor. Though the song is a prelude to "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", "Holiday" was released as a single later on, on March 14, 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strange Currencies</span> 1995 single by R.E.M.

"Strange Currencies" is a song by American rock band R.E.M. It was included on their ninth studio album, Monster (1994), and was released as the album's fourth single on April 18, 1995, by Warner Bros. Records. The song reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number 47 in the United States. Like "Everybody Hurts" on R.E.M.'s previous album, it has a time signature of 6
8. The song's music video was directed by Mark Romanek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tongue (song)</span> 1995 R.E.M. song

"Tongue" is a song by American rock band R.E.M., released on July 17, 1995 by Warner Bros. Records, as the fifth and final single from their ninth studio album, Monster (1994). The song was only released in the US, UK, and Ireland. In the song, lead singer Michael Stipe performs in falsetto; he has stated on several occasions that the narrator of the song is female. Stipe has also said the track is "all about cunnilingus".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite</span> 1993 single by R.E.M.

"The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" is a song by American alternative rock band R.E.M. It was influenced by the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", both in the title of the song and through the song's opening refrain. The band used "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" as the B-side to this song in the U.S. The song was released on R.E.M.'s 1992 album, Automatic for the People, and was later released as a single in February 1993, reaching number one in Iceland, number 13 in Ireland, number 17 in the United Kingdom, and number 29 in New Zealand. Its music video was directed by Kevin Kerslake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let There Be Love (Oasis song)</span> 2005 single by Oasis

"Let There Be Love" is a song by English rock band Oasis from their sixth studio album, Don't Believe the Truth (2005). Written by Noel Gallagher, it is the third and the last Oasis song to feature Liam and Noel on lead vocals, the first being "Acquiesce" and the second being "Put Yer Money Where Yer Mouth Is". It was released on 28 November 2005 as the third and final single from the album in the United Kingdom and as the second single in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Automatic</span> Welsh rock band

The Automatic were a Welsh rock band. The band's last-known lineup was composed of Robin Hawkins on vocals, bass and synthesisers, James Frost on guitar, synthesisers, backing vocals and occasional bass, Iwan Griffiths on drums and Paul Mullen on vocals, guitar and synthesiser. Mullen joined after the departure of Alex Pennie, who provided synthesiser, percussion and vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everyday I Love You Less and Less</span> 2005 single by Kaiser Chiefs

"Everyday I Love You Less and Less" is a song by English indie rock band Kaiser Chiefs. It is the opening track on their first album, Employment (2005), and was released on the B-Unique label as the album's third single on 16 May 2005. The song peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, their second top-10 single of the year. Outside the UK, the song peaked at number 52 in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JCB (song)</span> 2005 single by Nizlopi

"JCB" is a song by English folk music duo Nizlopi, written by members Luke Concannon and John Parker. Concannon wrote the lyric at his parents' house, drawing inspiration from his father, Kieron Concannon, and later composed the song with Parker. The theme of the song's lyric stems from a moment in Concannon's childhood when his father picked him up from school in a JCB digger and his reflections on how his peers bullied him for having dyslexia. The song tells the story of a similar boy who is fascinated with both his father and the vehicle on which they ride. He imagines his father as a hero, comparing him to several famous figures such as Bruce Lee and B. A. Baracus, and pretends to torment bullying on the playground as a Tyrannosaurus rex. Nizlopi recorded the song at FDM Records' studio and included it on their debut album, Half These Songs Are About You, released in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E-Bow the Letter</span> 1996 single by R.E.M.

"E-Bow the Letter" is the first single from American rock band R.E.M.'s 10th studio album, New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996). It was released on August 19, 1996, several weeks before the album's release. During the same month, R.E.M. signed a then record-breaking five-album contract with Warner Bros. Records. The song features American singer-songwriter and "Godmother of Punk" Patti Smith performing backing vocals. Smith was cited as a major influence by band members Michael Stipe and Peter Buck, and she also provided backing vocals for "Blue", the closing track on the band's final studio album, Collapse into Now, in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smile Like You Mean It</span> 2005 single by The Killers

"Smile Like You Mean It" is a song by American rock band the Killers, written by lead vocalist Brandon Flowers and bassist Mark Stoermer. Originally released as a B-side of "Mr. Brightside" in September 2003, it is featured on their debut studio album Hot Fuss (2004). It was the third single from the album released in the United States and the fourth in the United Kingdom, reaching number 15 on the Billboard U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. It also received substantial radio airplay in Australia, where it was ranked number 39 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chorus (Erasure song)</span> 1991 single by Erasure

"Chorus" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in June 1991 as the first single from their fifth studio album of the same name (1991). Produced by Martyn Phillips and written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, the song features Clarke's electronic soundscapes and Phillips' computerised production. The single was released by Mute Records in the United Kingdom and Sire Records in the United States. It peaked at number three in both Denmark and the UK while reaching number four in Ireland. In the US, it peaked at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

<i>Not Accepted Anywhere</i> 2006 studio album by The Automatic

Not Accepted Anywhere is the debut album from Welsh rock band The Automatic, originally released in the United Kingdom on 19 June 2006 and in the United States on 22 June 2007. Working with producers Stephen Harris, Richard Jackson and Ian Broudie on different tracks at a variety of studios around the United Kingdom the album was released through a joint deal between B-Unique Records and Polydor Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raoul (song)</span> 2006 single by The Automatic

"Raoul" is both the second and the fifth single from Not Accepted Anywhere, the first album by the Welsh band The Automatic. The single was released twice, first on 27 March 2006 and again on 8 January 2007 at the decision of the band's record labels Polydor and B-Unique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amazed</span> 1999 single by Lonestar

"Amazed" is a song by American country music group Lonestar, released on March 22, 1999, to country radio as the second single from their third studio album Lonely Grill (1999). The power ballad is the band's longest-lasting number one single and biggest hit, spending eight weeks at the top of the Billboard country chart. The song was written by Marv Green, Aimee Mayo, and Chris Lindsey. A pop remix of the song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts in 2000. The song has sold over 1,650,000 digital copies in the US as of February 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recover (song)</span> 2005 single by The Automatic

"Recover" is the debut and fourth single by Welsh rock band The Automatic, taken from their debut album Not Accepted Anywhere. Originally released on 21 November 2005 as a limited 7" vinyl, CD single and digital download, it was re-released on 18 September 2006 as the band's record labels, B-Unique & Polydor, believed it could perform better and reach a larger audience after the band's success with previous single "Monster".

This is a complete list of releases from Welsh rock band The Automatic, including albums, extended plays, singles and music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve McQueen (The Automatic song)</span> 2008 single by The Automatic

"Steve McQueen" is the first and ultimately only single from Welsh rock band The Automatic's second album This Is A Fix. It is their fifth single overall. The track began radio and video play as of 7 July 2008 and was released on 18 August 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountains (Biffy Clyro song)</span> 2008 single by Biffy Clyro

"Mountains" is a song by Scottish band Biffy Clyro, released as a single on 18 August 2008. Originally released as a non-album single, it would later be included on the band's fifth studio album, Only Revolutions, in 2009. It was originally entitled "Teeth or Mountains" and was first played live at the Electric Festival in Getafe, Spain, on 30 May 2008.

References

  1. ↑ "b*unique recordings – Artists – The Automatic". B-Unique Records Wales. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
  2. ↑ "Polydor – Artists – The Automatic". Polydor Records . Retrieved 31 May 2008.
  3. ↑ "Columbia Records Announces the Stateside Release of 'Not Accepted Anywhere,' the Acclaimed Debut Album From Emerging UK Band, The Automatic Automatic". prnewswire.com. 20 July 2006. Archived from the original on 19 July 2006. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
  4. ↑ "The Automatic Automatic - Monster". iTunes USA Store. 24 April 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2008.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. 1 2 The Automatic in session on BBC Radio Wales, 10 December 2009, Alan Thompson - The Evening Show Automatic - Run And Hide BBC, The Evening Show
  6. ↑ The Automatic Rob Hawkins, James Frost, Alex Pennie, Iwan Griffiths music-news.com, 20 July 2006
  7. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . 3 June 2006. p. 27.
  8. ↑ The Automatic - Monster [ permanent dead link ] deezer.com, 29 March 2011
  9. ↑ "The Automatic - Monster". Contact Music (Don Gourlay). June 2006. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
  10. ↑ "The Automatic - Monster". clickmusic (Stephen Ackroyd). June 2006. Archived from the original on 19 November 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
  11. ↑ "The Automatic - Monster". Drowned in Sound (Rachel Cawley). June 2006. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
  12. ↑ "The Automatic - Monster (B-Unique)". musicOHM. June 2006. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
  13. ↑ "The Automatic - Not Accepted Anywhere". NME (Dan Martin). June 2006. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
  14. ↑ "The Automatic - Monster". Gigwise. June 2006. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
  15. ↑ "Wales Music, The Automatic, Monster, B-Unique". BBC Wales. 5 June 2006. Archived from the original on 19 July 2006. Retrieved 22 October 2007.
  16. ↑ The Automatic "Monster" Directed by Dom Thompson-Talbot Archived 9 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine Dominic Thompson-Talbot, vimeo, 15 April 2009
  17. ↑ "Up The Resolution - Monster". Up The Resolution. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
  18. ↑ "The Automatic - Making of Monster". Youtube/Popworld . 16 May 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2008.[ dead YouTube link ]
  19. ↑ "The Automatic - Music Video - Monster". The Automatic/interoutemediaservices.com. 4 June 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2008.[ permanent dead link ]
  20. ↑ Monster (UK limited 7-inch single sleeve). The Automatic. B-Unique Records. 2006. BUN106-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ↑ Monster (UK CD single liner notes). The Automatic. B-Unique Records. 2006. BUN106-CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ↑ Monster (UK CD single liner notes). The Automatic. B-Unique Records. 2006. BUN106-CDX.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ↑ Monster (Australian CD single liner notes). The Automatic. Universal Music Australia. 2006. 985 957-6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ↑ David Kent (2010). Australian Chart Book 1993 – 2009. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN   978-0-646-52995-0.
  25. ↑ "ARIA Report: Issue 875" (PDF). ARIA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 February 2008. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  26. ↑ "The Automatic – Monster" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  27. ↑ "Hits of the World – Eurocharts" (PDF). Billboard . Vol. 118, no. 25. 24 June 2006. p. 77. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  28. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography The Automatic". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  29. ↑ "The Automatic – Monster" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  30. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  31. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  32. ↑ "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2006". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  33. ↑ "British single certifications – Automatic – Monster". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 26 July 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.