Waking Lions

Last updated
"Waking Lions"
Single by Pop Evil
from the album Pop Evil
ReleasedOctober 30, 2017 (2017-10-30)
Recorded2017
Genre Hard rock [1]
Length3:52
Label Entertainment One
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Kato Khandwala
Pop Evil singles chronology
"Footsteps"
(2015)		"Waking Lions"
(2017)		"A Crime to Remember"
(2018)

"Waking Lions" is a song by American rock band Pop Evil. It was their lead single off of their album Pop Evil . It topped the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in March 2018.

Contents

Background

The song was first written by frontman Leigh Kakaty in March 2017 during his solo writing sessions for fifth studio album; fearing that he sometimes overwhelms the band's writing sessions, he had split off to do his own writing separate from the rest of the band while they concurrently worked on writing their own material. [2] Kakaty wrote both the song's music and lyrics. [2] Upon reconvening, Kakaty presented it to the rest of the band, who unanimously agreed that the song should be pursued for their upcoming album. [2] Initially having doubts with early recorded versions of the song, Kakaty felt better upon hearing the final mix provided from music producer Kato Khandwala, and presenting it to the band again in its finished form. [2] Kakaty also set up video recordings of band members, family, and friends first reaction to the song; their universal positive reaction reassured him that the song should be the album's first single. [2] Their satisfaction with the song left the band "rejunenated", and reassured that they were on the right track for recording the next album on a while. [2]

"Waking Lions" was released on October 30, 2017, as the lead single from Pop Evil's fifth studio album, Pop Evil . [3] The song is their first to feature new drummer Hayley Cramer. [4] A music video was released concurrently with the single, featuring alternating footage of the band performing the song, and a person trying to escape an unknown entity, eventually leading to the person confronting it at the end. [1] [2]

Themes and composition

Lyrically, the band mean to convey a message of positivity with the song. [3] The song was intended to be a source of empowerment to those struggling with life issues, and its music video specifically meant to be a source of female empowerment, in support of the reports of sexism in Hollywood that eventually spurred the MeToo movement. [2]

Loudwire described the song's as one of the band's heaviest singles, describing its sound as being "hard rock [that] interpolates a little bit of metalcore crunch into the riffing, giving their music a harder edge of texture." [1] The song's guitar and vocals are done in a Bb tuning, something the band hadn't previously done music in. [2]

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [10] Gold500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avenged Sevenfold</span> American heavy metal band

Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, bassist Johnny Christ, and drummer Brooks Wackerman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shinedown</span> American rock band

Shinedown is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed by singer Brent Smith in 2001 after the dissolution of his previous band, Dreve. Smith, still under contract with record label Atlantic Records, recruited the band's original lineup of Jasin Todd as guitarist, Brad Stewart on bass, and Barry Kerch on drums. Consistent for the first two album cycles, several lineup changes followed in the late 2000s, eventually stabilizing with Smith and Kerch alongside Zach Myers on guitar and Eric Bass on bass. The group has released seven studio albums: Leave a Whisper (2003), Us and Them (2005), The Sound of Madness (2008), Amaryllis (2012), Threat to Survival (2015), Attention Attention (2018), and Planet Zero (2022).

<i>Pride</i> (White Lion album) 1987 studio album by White Lion

Pride is the second studio album by the American-Danish glam-metal band White Lion, released on June 22, 1987, by Atlantic Records. The album featured the two top ten hits "Wait" and "When the Children Cry". It peaked at number 11 on the Billboard 200 and remained in the Billboard Top 200 for a full year, selling two million copies in the US alone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramore</span> American rock band

Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. Since 2017, the band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of the group, while York, a high school friend of the original lineup, joined in 2007. Williams is the only member to appear on all six of Paramore's studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pop Evil</span> American rock band

Pop Evil is an American rock band that was formed in North Muskegon, Michigan, in 2001 by Leigh Kakaty. The band's roots reside in TenFive, a group formed in the late-1990s by Kakaty and guitarist Jason Reed. Pop Evil has several songs that topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts, including "Trenches" and "Waking Lions".

<i>War of Angels</i> 2011 studio album by Pop Evil

War of Angels is the second studio album by rock band Pop Evil. The first single, "Last Man Standing", was released in September 2010. Their second song, "Save the World" was made available for download on their Facebook page on December 20, 2010. "Last Man Standing" is currently inside the Top 20 of the Active Rock Chart. On February 1, 2011, the band announced that the album would be delayed from its original February 8, 2011 date. "Monster You Made", the second single from the album, was released via the online music service iTunes on June 7, 2011. The music video for "Boss's Daughter", released on May 25, 2012, featured Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars, who co-wrote the song with the band.

"Boss's Daughter" is the eighth single from Pop Evil, and the third single from War of Angels. Directed by Nathan Cox, the video was released on May 25, 2012 with Jessa Hinton and Mick Mars starring in the shoot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood (In This Moment song)</span> 2012 single by In This Moment

"Blood" is a song by American rock band In This Moment. Released June 12, 2012, it is the first single released from their fourth studio album, Blood.

<i>Paramore</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Paramore

Paramore is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Paramore. It was released on April 5, 2013, through Fueled by Ramen as a follow-up to Brand New Eyes (2009). Recorded between April and November 2012, the album was described by the band as being a "statement" and a reintroduction of the band to the world and to themselves. It is the first album without guitarist Josh Farro, the only album without drummer Zac Farro and the final album with bassist Jeremy Davis before his departure in 2015.

<i>Onyx</i> (Pop Evil album) 2013 studio album by Pop Evil

Onyx is the third studio album by American rock band Pop Evil. It was released on May 14, 2013. The first single, "Trenches", was released February 28, 2013. The album was available for streaming a day before its official release date. It was produced by Johnny K, mixed by Jay Ruston, and mastered by Paul Logus. Additional vocal production was performed by Dave Bassett. Additional programming was done by Bassett and Matt Doughtery.

"100 in a 55" is a song by rock band Pop Evil. The song is the second single from the band from Lipstick on the Mirror, the debut studio album from the band.

"Trenches" is a single by American hard rock band Pop Evil, released as the first single from their third studio album Onyx and is the tenth single overall from the band. The song was posted by the band on February 28, 2013. In June of that same year, the composition became their first national number one single on Rock Radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pop Evil discography</span> American hard rock band

The discography of Pop Evil, an American hard rock band, consists of six studio albums, one extended play, twenty-three singles, two promotional singles and twenty-one music videos.

"Torn to Pieces" is the third single by American rock band Pop Evil from Onyx, the third studio album from the ensemble.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nothing More</span> American rock band

Nothing More is an American rock band from San Antonio, Texas. Formed in 2003, the band spent much of the 2000s recording independent albums and struggling to maintain a steady lineup or attract record label interest. Towards the end of the decade, the band's long-time drummer, Jonny Hawkins, decided to switch to being the band's frontman and lead vocalist, stabilizing the band's core lineup along with other long-time members Mark Vollelunga (guitar) and Daniel Oliver (bass). The band self-funded and recorded their fourth studio album, Nothing More, over the course of three years and used it to gain the attention of Eleven Seven Music record label, who signed the band to a five album record contract upon hearing it. The album became the band's breakthrough release in 2014, with multiple charting singles, including "This is the Time (Ballast)", which hit number 1 on the Mediabase Active Rock chart and number 2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and "Mr. MTV", "Jenny" and "Here's to the Heartache" all charting in the top 15 of both charts.

<i>Up</i> (Pop Evil album) 2015 studio album by Pop Evil

Up is the fourth studio album by American rock band Pop Evil. It was released on August 21, 2015 through eOne Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highly Suspect</span> American rock band

Highly Suspect is an American rock band from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The band consists of twin brothers Rich and Ryan Meyer, Johnny Stevens, and Matt Kofos. After starting as a bar cover band, they relocated to Brooklyn, New York, where they recorded The Worst Humans EP with producer Joel Hamilton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Badflower</span> American rock band

Badflower is an American rock band founded in Los Angeles, California. The band is composed of singer/guitarist Josh Katz, lead guitarist Joey Morrow, bass guitarist Alex Espiritu and drummer Anthony Sonetti. The band is signed to Big Machine / John Varvatos Records and was named Artist of the Week by Apple Music after the release of their EP Temper in 2016. Their debut studio album, OK, I'm Sick, was released on February 22, 2019. Their second album This Is How the World Ends was released on September 24, 2021.

<i>Pop Evil</i> (album) 2018 studio album by Pop Evil

Pop Evil is the fifth studio album by American rock band Pop Evil, released on February 16, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Messer (band)</span>

Messer is an American hard rock musical ensemble from Dallas, Texas. Started in 2009, the ensemble has released three singles, including "Simple Man", "Whiskey" and "Make This Life" in addition to their self-titled debut studio album.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Pop Evil Announce New Self-Titled Album, Release 'Waking Lions'". Loudwire.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Pop Evil's Leigh Kakaty: We're 'Rejuvenated' With 'Waking Lions'". Loudwire.
  3. 1 2 "Pop Evil announces new self-titled album; listen to single "Waking Lions" now - Music News - ABC News Radio". ABC News Radio.
  4. ↑ "POP EVIL To Release Self-Titled Album In February; 'Waking Lions' Video Now Available". 30 October 2017.
  5. ↑ "Pop Evil Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Radio No9 Charts — Month 12/2018" . Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Pop Evil Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Pop Evil Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  10. ↑ "American single certifications – Pop Evil – Waking Lions". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved April 13, 2024.
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.