Monster (Paramore song)

"Monster" is a song by American 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 million views in the first three days of posting.^[4][5] The song won Choice Rock Track at the 2011 Teen Choice Awards. On March 24, 2016, the song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for sales exceeding 500,000.^[6]

"Monster"
Single by Paramore
from the album Transformers: Dark of the Moon – The Album and Singles Club EP
Released	June 7, 2011[1]
Recorded	March 2011
Genre	Alternative rock[2][3] post-grunge[3]
Length	3:18
Label	Fueled by Ramen Warner
Songwriter(s)	Hayley Williams Taylor York
Producer(s)	Rob Cavallo
Paramore singles chronology
"Playing God" (2010) "Monster" (2011) "Now" (2013)
Transformers singles chronology
"Iridescent" (2011) "Monster" (2011) "All That You Are" (2011)
Music video
"Monster" on YouTube

Taylor York performed the drum parts for the track.^[7]

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 former members of the group Josh and Zac Farro, since they left the band in 2010 and it is the first track without them.^[8] According to Jon Blistein of Billboard, the song has elements of grunge, such as loud-soft dynamics, big vocals, and loud, crunchy guitars.^[9]

Around the release of "Monster", Williams commented on the track: "We're back for the attack! And we are so excited to be a part of the Transformers album. Tell your friends… Paramore is still a band."^[10] The song impacted radio on June 21, 2011.^[11] A video companion to "Monster" was recorded in Los Angeles and was uploaded to YouTube on July 18 .^[12] 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.^[13]

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 walls. Other scenes show 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 in the hospital 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.

The video was shot in an abandoned hospital called "Linda Vista" in Los Angeles, California. Linda Vista Hospital is known for its many appearances on ghost-hunting television shows. According to Hayley Williams "It was not just good acting, it was fear. Genuine fear."^[14]

As of May 2021, the song has 75 million views on YouTube.

Commercial 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.^[15] "Monster" also debuted and peaked at #36 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[16]

Charts

Chart (2011–12)	Peak positions
Australia (ARIA)[17]	56
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[18]	55
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19]	23
Scotland (OCC)[20]	13
UK Singles (OCC)[21]	21
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[22]	22
US Billboard Hot 100[23]	36
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[24]	38
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[25]	23

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[26]	Gold	500,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. fueledbyadam (May 26, 2011). "Listen To A Clip Of 'Monster'". Paramore.net. Fueled by Ramen. Archived from the original on June 27, 2013. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
2. Lynch, Joseph (June 3, 2011). "Paramore releases 'Monster' for 'Transformers' movie: Is the now-trio dissing their departed bandmates?". EW. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
3. "Paramore "Monster"". Musictrajectory.com. 2011-09-19. Archived from the original on 2012-08-27. Retrieved 2013-01-05.
4. Paramore (Music) (June 2, 2011). Paramore: Monster (Audio) (Music video). Fueled by Ramen. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
5. "Transformers: Dark of the Moon Official Soundtrack & Score". Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Paramount Pictures. 2011. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
6. "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - April 2, 2016". RIAA.com. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
7. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Taylor York Recording Drums For "Monster"". YouTube. 22 March 2011.
8. "Paramore Roar Back With New Single, 'Monster'". MTV. 2011-06-03. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
9. "Paramore Drops New Single 'Monster': Listen". Billboard.com. 2009-09-14. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
10. "Paramore debut new track 'Monster' from 'Transformers' soundtrack - audio | News". Nme.Com. 2011-06-03. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
11. "AllAccess.com Alternative eWeekly". AllAccess. June 14, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
12. "Paramore Return On 'Transformers' Soundtrack With New Song, Video". MTV. 2011-05-24. Archived from the original on May 27, 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
13. "Paramore Lurk In The Shadows Of Their "Monster" Single Cover Art | Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on". Idolator.com. 2011-06-01. Retrieved 2011-09-12.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
14. "Paramore: Monster (Beyond the Video)". YouTube. 25 July 2011.
15. "Paramore - Monster - Music Charts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
16. "Adele 'Rolling' Along Atop Hot 100, Jason Aldean & Nicki Minaj Reach Top 10". Billboard.com. 2009-09-14. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
17. "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 20 June 2011" (PDF). The ARIA Report (1112). Australian Web Archive: 4. June 30, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-29. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
18. "Paramore Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
19. "Paramore – Monster". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
20. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
21. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
22. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. January 1, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
23. "Paramore Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
24. "Paramore Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
25. "Paramore Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
26. "American single certifications – Paramore – Monster". Recording Industry Association of America.