Monster (Paramore song)

"Monster"
Single by Paramore
from the album Transformers: Dark of the Moon – The Album
Released	June 7, 2011[1]
Format	Digital download
Recorded	March 2011
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	3:20
Label	Fueled by Ramen, Warner
Writer(s)	Hayley Williams, Taylor York
Producer	Rob Cavallo, Paramore
Paramore singles chronology
"Playing God" (2010) "Monster" (2011) "Renegade" (2011)

"Monster" is a song by American alternative rock band Paramore. It was released on June 7, 2011 for digital download. It is also the second single from the Transformers: Dark of the Moon OST, which was released on June 14, 2011. It is the first song to not feature former band members Josh and Zac Farro, who separated from the band in 2010.

A sneak peek of the song surfaced when lead singer Hayley Williams posted lyrics on the band's Official Fan Club. An audio video for the song was posted on YouTube on June 2, 2011. The video itself achieved over 1,000,000 views in the first three days of posting.^[2][3] The song won Best Rock Track at the 2011 Teen Choice Awards.

Composition and release

James Montgomery of MTV, noted the number of times that the word "you" is used in the lyrics of "Monster" because of its subjectivity. He suggested that the song is about the former members of the group Josh Farro, since he and his brother Zac Farro left the band in 2010 and is the first track without them.^[4] According to Jon Blistein editor of Billboard, the song has elements of grunge, such as loud-soft dynamics, big vocals, and loud, crunchy guitars.^[5]

Around the release of "Monster," Williams commented on: "We are fighting back and excited to be the album of Transformers. Tell your friends ... Paramore is back!" ^[6] A video companion to "Monster" was recorded in Los Angeles and was uploaded to YouTube on July 18th .^[7] The single cover was described by Becky Bain, as containing the three members of Paramore, Hayley Williams, Jeremy Davis and Taylor York, standing in a dark tunnel where a light at the end faces the band.^[8]

Music video

The music video was directed by Shane Drake, who has directed some of Paramore's previous music videos. On July 15, the band's official website posted a video via YouTube of a 19 second clip previewing the music video. It was premiered on MTV.com July 18 at 12:00 Midnight and at 6am on MTV 2. The video opens with Hayley, Taylor and Jeremy unconscious and floating on water. Hayley opens her eyes and begins to sing as the video cuts to the band performing in a concrete room while kicking and punching the wall. Another scene shows each of the band members alone and wandering through an abandoned hospital building. The kicking and punching from the band performing causes violent explosions around the members wandering around and all three proceed to run away. The three eventually meet up in a foyer and continue running away together before ducking into the concrete room in which they were performing earlier.

Chart performance

Its first appearance was week 24/2011 in the UK Singles Top 75 and New Zealand Top 40. Its peak position was number 21, on the UK Singles Top 75, it stayed there for 1 week, and 23 in New Zealand Top 40.^[9] "Monster" also debuted and peaked at #36 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[10]

Chart (2011)	Peak position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11]	55
New Zealand (RIANZ)[12]	23
Scotland (The Official Charts Company)[13]	13
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[14]	21
US Billboard Hot 100[15]	36
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[16]	23
US Billboard Rock Songs	38

References

1. ^ fueledbyadam (May 26, 2011). "Listen To A Clip Of 'Monster'". Paramore.net. Fueled by Ramen. http://www.paramore.net/blog/ad0640-listen-to-a-clip-of-monster/. Retrieved June 13, 2011. 
2. ^ Paramore (Music) (June 2, 2011). Paramore: Monster (Audio) (Music video). Fueled by Ramen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPoQBwuwE2A. Retrieved June 13, 2011. 
3. ^ "Transformers: Dark of the Moon Official Soundtrack & Score". Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Paramount Pictures. 2011. http://www.transformers3music.com/. Retrieved June 13, 2011. 
4. ^ Posted 1/7/11 (2011-06-03). "Paramore Roar Back With New Single, 'Monster' - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1665092/paramore-monster.jhtml. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
5. ^ Up for Discussion Jump to Forums (2009-09-14). "Paramore Drops New Single 'Monster': Listen". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/news/paramore-drops-new-single-monster-listen-1005215872.story. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
6. ^ "Paramore debut new track 'Monster' from 'Transformers' soundtrack - audio | News". Nme.Com. 2011-06-03. http://www.nme.com/news/paramore/57068. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
7. ^ Posted 1/7/11 (2011-05-24). "Paramore Return On 'Transformers' Soundtrack With New Song, Video - MTV Movie News". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1664455/paramore-transformers-dark-of-the-moon-soundtrack.jhtml. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
8. ^ "Paramore Lurk In The Shadows Of Their “Monster” Single Cover Art | Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on". Idolator.com. 2011-06-01. http://idolator.com/5884292/paramore-monster-single-cover-art. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
9. ^ "Paramore - Monster - Music Charts". Acharts.us. http://acharts.us/song/63809. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
10. ^ Up for Discussion Jump to Forums (2009-09-14). "Adele 'Rolling' Along Atop Hot 100, Jason Aldean & Nicki Minaj Reach Top 10". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/news/adele-rolling-along-atop-hot-100-jason-aldean-1005237392.story#/news/adele-rolling-along-atop-hot-100-jason-aldean-1005237392.story. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
11. ^ "Paramore Album & Song Chart History" Canadian Hot 100 for Paramore. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
12. ^ "Charts.org.nz – Paramore – Monster". Top 40 Singles. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
13. ^ "Archive Chart". Scottish Singles Top 40. The Official Charts Company.
14. ^ "Archive Chart" UK Singles Chart. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
15. ^ "Paramore Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Paramore. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
16. ^ "Paramore Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Alternative Songs for Paramore. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 26, 2011.