Released 1994 Genre Hard rock, power pop Label Warner Bros. Records | Format CD single Length 3:58 | |
Writer(s) Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander, Tom Petersson | ||
"Woke Up with a Monster" is a single by American rock band Cheap Trick, released as the leading single from their 1994 album Woke up with a Monster. The song was written by Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander and Tom Petersson.
Contents
The single was released as a CD only promotional single, in order to promote the same-titled album. This single used an edit that lasted a duration of 3:58 instead of the album version that lasted for a duration of 4:52.
The track was produced by Ted Templeman who had produced the entire "Woke Up with a Monster" album.
Background
The single was the first single release under Warner Bros. Records, as well as being the band's first single since 1991. The single marked a change of direction, as did the same-titled album, following a "grunge" sound, due to producer Ted Templeman's much criticized heavy-handed production. Unlike several albums that preceded it, it lacked the electronic instruments and commercial sound. As a result of the single's and the album's commercial failure, the band were soon dropped from the Warner Bros. Records label.
The band later released a CD only 'cutout' that also featured a live performance of the title track.
A live version was recorded for the 2001 live set "Silver".
The single peaked at #16 on the American Mainstream Rock chart.
In a September 1994 interview with Petersson for Prime Choice magazine, Petersson spoke about the song's creation: "We get a lot of reaction to that; people just find it irritating... some people just love it. That was one of the songs that came kind of naturally to us. We thought it was a good groove — we were kind of fucking around with it at soundcheck and stuff — we didn't try to be weird or try to do anything. It was one of the easier songs that came together. It sort of evolved naturally." When speaking of the label's decision to release the song as the album's lead single, Petersson commented: "I'm glad that they will do things like that, release that song as opposed to something a little more obvious, or a safer song. I like this idea."
Promotion
A music video was released to promote the single, showing the band performing the song whilst special effects show a copy of Nielsen's head on the tip of the guitar, two copies of Carlos' head on the drumkit and at the end, a copy of Zander's head on the microphone. The video was later added to a bonus DVD which came with certain editions of the band's 2003 album "Special One".
In the April 9, 1994, issue of the Billboard Magazine, "Woke Up With a Monster" was listed in 'The Clip List'. The music video was airing on the JBTV WWOR network, whilst it had also recently been added to The Box network.
On April 4, 1994, the band appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman to promote the album and the single, where the band performed the title track live. The Woke up with a Monster album only peaked at #123 in America and the boost in sales is often accredited to the group's appearance on the show.
Track listing
- "Woke Up with a Monster" - 3:58
Critical reception
In the review for the album "Woke Up with a Monster", allmusic.com wrote "Sometimes the elaborate production complements the melodies ("Woke up with a Monster"); sometimes it masks the lack of one ("Ride the Pony")."
Allmusic.com picks the track as an AMG recommended track.
Rolling Stone magazine spoke of the song in a review of the album "Most distressing is the paucity of humor, once a Cheap Trick hallmark. Are we really supposed to wring our hands over the title track's melodramatic portrait of a marriage on the rocks? Monster leaves you wondering who stole the fun from Cheap Trick's music."
In the 2003 book The Encyclöpedia öf Heavy Metal by Daniel Bukszpan, the author spoke of the song, stating "Despite a hit single in 1988 with "The Flame" and another in 1994 with the unbelievably irritating "Woke Up with a Monster," they were never able to climb to the same heights they had achieved in the 1970s."