| "Shock the Monkey" | ||||
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| Single byPeter Gabriel | ||||
| from the albumPeter Gabriel (Security) | ||||
| B-side | "Soft Dog" | |||
| Released | September 1982 (1982-09)[1] | |||
| Recorded | 23 June 1981 – 10 July 1982 | |||
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| Label | Geffen | |||
| Songwriter | Peter Gabriel | |||
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| Peter Gabriel singles chronology | ||||
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| "Shock the Monkey" onYouTube | ||||
"Shock the Monkey" is a song by the Englishrock musicianPeter Gabriel. It was released in September 1982 as the first single[3] from his fourth self-titled studio album, issued in the US under the titleSecurity.
The song peaked at number 29 on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart and number one on theBillboardHot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[4] The song was Gabriel's first Top 40 hit in the US. In the UK, the song charted at number 58. According toAllMusic, the song has a "relentlessly repeated hook" that "sounded nothing like anything else on the radio at the time".[5]
Due to its title and the content of themusic video, the song is frequently assumed to be either an animal rights song or a reference to the famous experiments byStanley Milgram described in his bookObedience to Authority (1974).[original research?] It is neither, but the Gabriel song "We Do What We're Told (Milgram's 37)" from his fifth studio albumSo (1986) does deal directly with Milgram. Gabriel has characterised "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.[6]
Gabriel stated in an interview withSounds magazine that "Shock the Monkey" presented him with the most difficulties lyrically.[7] He mentioned that the song's lyrical motif was inspired byKing Kong's lightning powers in the filmKing Kong vs. Godzilla (1962).[8] For the song's musical arrangement, Gabriel intended to emulate influences of 1960sMotown music, but he believed that the final product was stylistically more modern.[7]
"Shock the Monkey" was released as a 7-inchpicture disc in addition to the 7-inch and 12-inch 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 albumPlays Live (1983). It is also included on the compilation albumsGreenpeace (1985),Shaking the Tree: Sixteen Golden Greats (1990) andHit (2003). The music video appears on the DVD compilationPlay (2004).
Robin Smith ofRecord Mirror felt that Gabriel sang "Shock the Monkey" "with passion" and expressed their belief that it lacked the same impact as Gabriel's "Games Without Frontiers" single.[9] Writing forSounds magazine, Sandy Robertson said the song capitalised on repetition and Gabriel's "shrieking vocals".[10]Billboard called it a "mysterious but infectious track...which melds synthesizers, distinctive vocal and dance rhythms to fresh effect."[11]
The track is known for its bizarre and disturbing music video, written and directed byBrian Grant of MGMM Studios, and produced by Scott Millaney.[12][3] The video was played heavily in the early days ofMTV. It features Gabriel (in whiteface paint) and a frightened-lookingcapuchin monkey. Gabriel appears in two guises; one is as a businessman/CIA-MK-Ultra-type in a dark suit, and the other as a "modern primitive" shaman painted and dressed in white with geometric markings in black on his face.[13] The video cuts between two rooms, each vaguely resembling an office. A movie projector plays zoo footage of agibbon (technically, a lesser ape, not a monkey) in both rooms. As the video proceeds, events in the 'normal' (black suit) office become increasingly irregular and disturbing with objects in the room in increasing disarray. Gabriel displays increasing pressure, anger, and fear as the chaos occurs, at one point being restrained by three little people. The office footage is increasingly interspersed with black-and-white footage of Gabriel fleeing from something unknown in a wilderness, and a disoriented Gabriel in different settings includingcentral London in what looks to be the office of a hospital. At the end of the video, the two Gabriels merge and the gibbon's face is superimposed over theirs.
On 22 April 2022, a previously unreleased alternate mix of "Shock the Monkey" was exclusively released for download onBandcamp under the title "Shock the Monkey (EarthPercent x Earth Day Mix)". Put out as a tribute toEarth Day 2022, proceeds from the download were donated to the environmentalist organization EarthPercent, as part of a project where Gabriel and several other artists donated exclusive and rare material.[14][15] This version reached number eight onBillboard's Rock Digital Song Sales chart.[16]
An online contest was held in September 2006 by Realworld Remixed in which musicians and engineers were invited to submit aremix of the song. The original tracks were made available for download, offering an opportunity to work with the raw material from a hit song. The winner wasMultiman's "Simian Surprise".[17]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shock the Monkey" | 3:58 |
| 2. | "Soft Dog" (instrumental) | 4:10 |
| Chart (1982–1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[20] | 25 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[21] | 10 |
| Italy (Musica e dischi)[22] | 2 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[23] | 58 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[24] | 29 |
| USMainstream Rock (Billboard)[25] | 1 |
| USBillboardDance/Disco | 26 |
| USBillboardHot Black Singles[26] | 64 |
| "Shock the Monkey" | ||||
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| Single byCoal Chamber featuringOzzy Osbourne | ||||
| from the albumChamber Music | ||||
| B-side | "El Cu Cuy" | |||
| Released | 1999 | |||
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| Label | Roadrunner | |||
| Songwriter | Peter Gabriel | |||
| Producer | Josh Abraham | |||
| Coal Chamber singles chronology | ||||
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| Ozzy Osbourne singles chronology | ||||
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Thenu metal bandCoal Chamber recorded a cover version of "Shock the Monkey" on their second studio albumChamber Music (1999). The cover featured guest vocals byOzzy Osbourne. The music video was directed by Dean Karr. It shows the band playing with Osbourne and features footage of a monkey.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shock the Monkey" | 3:45 |
| 2. | "Shock the Monkey" (Gorilla mix) | 3:35 |
| 3. | "El Cu Cuy" (alternate mix) | 4:20 |
| 4. | "Shock the Monkey" (music video) | 3:33 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shock the Monkey" (LP version) | 3:45 |
| Chart (1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Main[29] | 26 |
| UK[30] | 83 |
Coal Chamber
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