Scream! (song)
Encyclopedia
"Scream!" is the ninth single
by the horror punk
band the Misfits, and the only single released from their 1999 album Famous Monsters
. The music video
for the song was directed by George A. Romero
, famous for his Living Dead
series of zombie
films.
was interested in using Misfits songs for his film Wishmaster
, but instead they decided to submit a song for the upcoming Scream 2
. They recorded a demo
version of the song at a studio in Phoenix, Arizona
. Singer Michale Graves
described this early version as having a Peter Murphy
influence. The demo was submitted to Craven but was not used for the film.
"Scream!" was later re-recorded for the band's 1999 album Famous Monsters
. This version had a slightly different arrangement than the demo version. It was released as the album's only single at the choosing of Roadrunner Records
. The band later stated in the Cuts from the Crypt
liner notes that they "never felt it was the strongest choice for either the single nor the corresponding music video that followed."
was directed by George A. Romero
, famous for his Living Dead
film series. Bassist
Jerry Only
has expressed admiration for Romero, calling Night of the Living Dead
"still to this day one of the scariest movies ever made." At the time Romero was in Toronto
filming Bruiser
and needed a band to perform during the film's final murder scene. The Misfits agreed to perform in the film and to record two songs for the soundtrack in exchange for Romero directing their "Scream!" video. According to Only, "It was an even trade, we shook hands and the deal was done. Business complications soon followed and I became very unhappy with my record label and my publishing company." No soundtrack was issued for Bruiser. The Misfits' two songs, "Fiend Without a Face" and "Bruiser", along with the demo version of "Scream!", were released in 2001 on the compilation album
Cuts from the Crypt.
The "Scream!" music video consists of black-and-white footage of the band members as zombie
s terrorizing a hospital along with a number of Misfits fans, interspersed with color footage of the band performing live. A promtional VHS
version of the video was included for free with the purchase of a set of Misfits action figures from 21st Century toys in 1999 and 2000. The video was also included in an enhanced CD-ROM
portion of Cuts from the Crypt in 2001.
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
by the horror punk
Horror punk
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes Gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid imagery and lyrics, which are often influenced by horror films...
band the Misfits, and the only single released from their 1999 album Famous Monsters
Famous Monsters
-Chart positions:- Credits :* Michale Graves - vocals* Jerry Only - bass* Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein - guitar* Dr. Chud - drums...
. The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song was directed by George A. Romero
George A. Romero
George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
, famous for his Living Dead
Living Dead
Living Dead is a blanket term for various films, series, and other forms of media that all originated from, and includes, the seminal 1968 horror film Night of the Living Dead conceived by George A. Romero and John A. Russo...
series of zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
films.
Background
"Scream!" was written in a parking lot in Seattle while the Misfits were on tour. The band had learned that director Wes CravenWes Craven
Wesley Earl "Wes" Craven is an American actor, film director, writer, producer, perhaps best known as the director of many horror films, particularly slasher films, including the famed A Nightmare on Elm Street and Wes Craven's New Nightmare, featuring the iconic Freddy Krueger character, the...
was interested in using Misfits songs for his film Wishmaster
Wishmaster
Wishmaster may refer to:*Wishmaster , a 1997 American film*Wishmaster , an album by Nightwish, and a song on that album...
, but instead they decided to submit a song for the upcoming Scream 2
Scream 2
Scream 2 is a 1997 American slasher film created and written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven, starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy and Liev Schreiber, released on December 12, 1997 as the second installment in the Scream film series...
. They recorded a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
version of the song at a studio in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. Singer Michale Graves
Michale Graves
Michael Emanuel , better known by his stage name Michale Graves, is an American singer and songwriter, singing for the late 1990s re-incarnation of The Misfits from 1995 to 1998 and again from late 1998 until late 2000. Graves grew up in Dumont, New Jersey...
described this early version as having a Peter Murphy
Peter Murphy (musician)
Peter John Murphy is an English rock vocalist. He was the vocalist of the rock group Bauhaus, and later went on to release a number of solo albums, such as Deep and Love Hysteria...
influence. The demo was submitted to Craven but was not used for the film.
"Scream!" was later re-recorded for the band's 1999 album Famous Monsters
Famous Monsters
-Chart positions:- Credits :* Michale Graves - vocals* Jerry Only - bass* Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein - guitar* Dr. Chud - drums...
. This version had a slightly different arrangement than the demo version. It was released as the album's only single at the choosing of Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
. The band later stated in the Cuts from the Crypt
Cuts from the Crypt
- Band :* Michale Graves – vocals* Jerry Only – bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Monster Mash"* Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein – guitar* Dr. Chud – drums- Additional musicians :* John Cafiero – vocals on "I Wanna Be a NY Ranger"...
liner notes that they "never felt it was the strongest choice for either the single nor the corresponding music video that followed."
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was directed by George A. Romero
George A. Romero
George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
, famous for his Living Dead
Living Dead
Living Dead is a blanket term for various films, series, and other forms of media that all originated from, and includes, the seminal 1968 horror film Night of the Living Dead conceived by George A. Romero and John A. Russo...
film series. Bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Jerry Only
Jerry Only
Jerry Only is an American bassist. He is the current bassist and vocalist for the Misfits. He is credited with creating the infamous hair style known as the devilock.-Life and career:...
has expressed admiration for Romero, calling Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent black-and-white zombie film and cult film directed by George A. Romero, starring Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman. It premiered on October 1, 1968, and was completed on a USD$114,000 budget. After decades of cinematic re-releases, it...
"still to this day one of the scariest movies ever made." At the time Romero was in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
filming Bruiser
Bruiser (film)
Bruiser is a 2000 thriller film, which stars Jason Flemyng, it was written and directed by George A. Romero.-Synopsis:Henry Creedlow, a man who wakes up one morning to discover that his face has been replaced by a white featureless mask.-Plot:...
and needed a band to perform during the film's final murder scene. The Misfits agreed to perform in the film and to record two songs for the soundtrack in exchange for Romero directing their "Scream!" video. According to Only, "It was an even trade, we shook hands and the deal was done. Business complications soon followed and I became very unhappy with my record label and my publishing company." No soundtrack was issued for Bruiser. The Misfits' two songs, "Fiend Without a Face" and "Bruiser", along with the demo version of "Scream!", were released in 2001 on the compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
Cuts from the Crypt.
The "Scream!" music video consists of black-and-white footage of the band members as zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
s terrorizing a hospital along with a number of Misfits fans, interspersed with color footage of the band performing live. A promtional VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
version of the video was included for free with the purchase of a set of Misfits action figures from 21st Century toys in 1999 and 2000. The video was also included in an enhanced CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
portion of Cuts from the Crypt in 2001.
Track listing
Band
- Michale GravesMichale GravesMichael Emanuel , better known by his stage name Michale Graves, is an American singer and songwriter, singing for the late 1990s re-incarnation of The Misfits from 1995 to 1998 and again from late 1998 until late 2000. Graves grew up in Dumont, New Jersey...
- vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Jerry OnlyJerry OnlyJerry Only is an American bassist. He is the current bassist and vocalist for the Misfits. He is credited with creating the infamous hair style known as the devilock.-Life and career:...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Doyle Wolfgang von FrankensteinDoyle Wolfgang von FrankensteinDoyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein , is an American guitarist best known for his material with the horror punk band the Misfits.-Life and career:...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Dr. ChudDr. ChudDr. C.H.U.D. is an American rock drummer and singer.-Life and career:...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....