Calling All the Monsters
Encyclopedia
"Calling All the Monsters" is a song performed by American pop recording artist China Anne McClain. It was produced by Niclas Molinder
and Joacim Persson
, who also co-wrote the song Johan Alkenas, and Charlie Mason, for A.N.T. Farm Soundtrack (2011), the soundtrack to the Disney Channel television series, A.N.T. Farm
. It was released as the album's second single on September 20, 2011 through Walt Disney Records
. Musically, the song is prominent electropop that runs through an club
oriented beat, and the lyrics are Halloween themed, speaking of dancing with monsters.
The song was met with generally positive reviews from critics, with the majority of them praising its playful nature and dance oriented sound. "Calling All the Monsters" enjoyed minor chart success in the United States, peaking at number eighty-six on the Billboard
Hot 100 chart, remaining as the highest peaking song from the soundtrack. It also reached number eight on the Billboard
Top Heatseekers
chart. The song achieved its highest national peak in Slovakia, where it reached number ninety-one. Elsewhere, the song missed the top 75 in the United Kingdom, peaking at number one hundred nineteen. It has topped the Radio Disney
Top 30 Countdown.
The accompanying music video portrays McClain in a haunted house dancing with different types of monsters. The dance movements and the overall theme of the video are said to have been inspired by the music video for Michael Jackson's 1984 single "Thriller
". The video features McClain's sisters, Lauryn and Sierra, in its beginning and end.
The song was also used in the second season Halloween themed episode of the Disney Channel series, Shake It Up
(2011).
song that runs through a club
beat. The song has been noted to be a modern version of Michael Jackson's Thriller
. The sound of "Calling All the Monsters" received comparisons to the musical stylings of American pop singer Michael Jackson
and dance
/pop
singer Britney Spears
. The theme of this song is center around magic and fantasy. The lyrics pertain to dancing with characters of a frightful nature.
"Calling All the Monsters" debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 100, moving 25,000 digital downloads during the week ending October 2, 2011. The release of the soundtrack prompted a sales increase for the song, reappearing on the chart at number eighty-six.
and Sierra Aylina McClain, guest star in the music video. They are talking to China at the beginning and at the end of the video. At first, China thinks that a haunted house appeared to be a party, so she goes inside since her sisters do not believe that there is a party in there. China takes out her hood and sees a tin man moving from webs and they dance. She comes to the second floor and dances with more monsters, like a mummy and Frankenstein, and sees a man moving and later dancing in a picture. She moves to the third floor, where a bunch of monsters dance with her in a court. In the end, she comes out with her hood, saying to her sisters that there wasn't anything in there.
A lyrics music video for the song was produced by Disney Channel.
Twin (production team)
Twin is a Swedish record production and songwriting team, consisting of Niclas Molinder and Joacim Persson, who are working in the genres of pop, R&B and rock.- Charlotte Perrelli - Miss Jealousy :* 02. "Miss Jealousy"...
and Joacim Persson
Twin (production team)
Twin is a Swedish record production and songwriting team, consisting of Niclas Molinder and Joacim Persson, who are working in the genres of pop, R&B and rock.- Charlotte Perrelli - Miss Jealousy :* 02. "Miss Jealousy"...
, who also co-wrote the song Johan Alkenas, and Charlie Mason, for A.N.T. Farm Soundtrack (2011), the soundtrack to the Disney Channel television series, A.N.T. Farm
A.N.T. Farm
A.N.T. Farm is a Disney Channel television sitcom that premiered on May 6, 2011 as a special preview and continued as a regular series on June 17, 2011. The pilot episode, "TransplANTed" aired after the series finale of The Suite Life on Deck...
. It was released as the album's second single on September 20, 2011 through Walt Disney Records
Walt Disney Records
Walt Disney Records is a family music record label owned by the Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Records was formed in 1956 as Disneyland Records. Before that time, Disney recordings were licensed out to a variety of other labels such as . It was Walt Disney’s brother Roy O...
. Musically, the song is prominent electropop that runs through an club
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
oriented beat, and the lyrics are Halloween themed, speaking of dancing with monsters.
The song was met with generally positive reviews from critics, with the majority of them praising its playful nature and dance oriented sound. "Calling All the Monsters" enjoyed minor chart success in the United States, peaking at number eighty-six on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100 chart, remaining as the highest peaking song from the soundtrack. It also reached number eight on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
chart. The song achieved its highest national peak in Slovakia, where it reached number ninety-one. Elsewhere, the song missed the top 75 in the United Kingdom, peaking at number one hundred nineteen. It has topped the Radio Disney
Radio Disney
Radio Disney is a radio network based in Burbank, California and headquartered out of the Disney Channel headquarters on West Alameda Ave., from where it has been based since November 2008. Prior to that, the network was based in Dallas, Texas...
Top 30 Countdown.
The accompanying music video portrays McClain in a haunted house dancing with different types of monsters. The dance movements and the overall theme of the video are said to have been inspired by the music video for Michael Jackson's 1984 single "Thriller
Thriller (song)
"Thriller" is a song recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, composed by Rod Temperton, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album Thriller. It was released on January 23, 1984 by Epic Records...
". The video features McClain's sisters, Lauryn and Sierra, in its beginning and end.
Background
"Calling All the Monsters" is the second single released from the soundtrack A.N.T. Farm Soundtrack (2011), for the television series of the same name on Disney Channel. It was first heard on the series's first season Halloween themed episode ,"MutANT Farm", which premiered on October 7, 2011 in North America, more than two weeks after the single's release. The song was performed by McClain in the episode. The episode featured an alternate universe where the A.N.T.s were monsters and controlled the school over the humans. After learning of the rule against humans attending the Halloween dance, which they helped set up, Chyna Parks (McClain), fantasized as Medusa, concocts a potion that changes the A.N.T.s into human form. Parks later gets up on the stage and performs the song as everyone in the audience is dancing, with the newly transformed A.N.T.s reversed backed to their ghoulish form.The song was also used in the second season Halloween themed episode of the Disney Channel series, Shake It Up
Shake It Up
Shake It Up is the fourth studio album by American Rock band The Cars, released in 1981. It was the last album by the Cars to be produced by Roy Thomas Baker...
(2011).
Composition
"Calling All the Monsters" is predominantly an electropop and dance-popDance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
song that runs through a club
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
beat. The song has been noted to be a modern version of Michael Jackson's Thriller
Thriller (song)
"Thriller" is a song recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, composed by Rod Temperton, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album Thriller. It was released on January 23, 1984 by Epic Records...
. The sound of "Calling All the Monsters" received comparisons to the musical stylings of American pop singer Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
and dance
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
/pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
. The theme of this song is center around magic and fantasy. The lyrics pertain to dancing with characters of a frightful nature.
Reception
Jessica Dawson of Commonsensemedia, the website that rates music for parents approval for children's listening, rated the song three out of five stars, praising its club-friendly nature, further commenting that "McClain does a good job channeling the King of Pop in her own version of a dance-off with mummies and zombies, but she does it with a smile and a pink-sequined top. "Calling All the Monsters" is an upbeat, contagious club beat that will have you and your kids ready to kick it on the dance floor on Halloween night. Kids will love it for any night of the year, of course, but it's sure to be a hit when the little vampires and witches come out in October.""Calling All the Monsters" debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 100, moving 25,000 digital downloads during the week ending October 2, 2011. The release of the soundtrack prompted a sales increase for the song, reappearing on the chart at number eighty-six.
Music video
The music video was released on September 21, 2011. China Anne McClain's older sisters, Lauryn Alisa McClainLauryn Alisa McClain
Lauryn Alisa McClain is an American actress, singer, and model.McClain has appeared in several films such as The Gospel , Daddy's Little Girls , and was the lead character in Six Blocks Wide portraying "Faye".McClain is also the theme music composer of Disney Channel's A.N.T...
and Sierra Aylina McClain, guest star in the music video. They are talking to China at the beginning and at the end of the video. At first, China thinks that a haunted house appeared to be a party, so she goes inside since her sisters do not believe that there is a party in there. China takes out her hood and sees a tin man moving from webs and they dance. She comes to the second floor and dances with more monsters, like a mummy and Frankenstein, and sees a man moving and later dancing in a picture. She moves to the third floor, where a bunch of monsters dance with her in a court. In the end, she comes out with her hood, saying to her sisters that there wasn't anything in there.
A lyrics music video for the song was produced by Disney Channel.
Chart performance
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... ) |
91 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
119 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
86 |
| US Billboard Heatseekers Songs Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
8 |