The Metro (song)
Encyclopedia
"The Metro" is a new wave
song written by John Crawford for his band, Berlin
. The song has been covered by a number of artists, including System of a Down
, Alkaline Trio
, John Frusciante
and Hannah Fury
The song first appeared on Berlin's breakthrough album Pleasure Victim
, released on the independent label Enigma in 1982 and re-released on Geffen
in 1983. "The Metro" became the third single from the album, and the second to appear on the Geffen label. It was produced and engineered (as was most of the album) by the band's then-drummer and drum programmer, Daniel Van Patten.
The Berlin recording is known as epitomizing the new wave genre, for showing the genre for what it essentially was: a blending of punk rock
and pop
, with heavy use of the Sequential Circuits
Prophet-5 synthesizer
. Terri Nunn
said the song, which was a breakthrough hit for Berlin, "defined us and defined that period of music."
The song's music video was their first MTV
hit, in heavy rotation
on the young channel in its second and third years. Directed by Dominic Orlando, it was filmed at GMT Studios in West Los Angeles, California (1983). Terri Nunn only sang two lyrics on camera: "I remember hating you for loving me" and "Sorry." The video became a part of the "Berlin Video 45" Geffen-VHS home video, released in 1984.
The single surpassed the Hot 100
peak of their previous cult hit, "Sex (I'm A...)
", going to #58, and it remains their third-highest charting single in the U.S. A dance remix of the song received club play in 1983.
Subsequent remixes have been done of Berlin's song, including one by Sigue Sigue Sputnik
. A revamped Berlin lineup, led by the original group's Teri Nunn, re-recorded the song around 2000, this version receiving several remixes as well. An acoustic version was made available exclusively on iTunes
. One of their signature songs, it was among those performed by a reunion of the original line-up for a live show at The Roxy
in Los Angeles
which was the culmination of an episode of VH-1's Bands Reunited
.
lent his vocals in parts, appearing on System of a Down's "Lonely Day
" maxi single as "Metro". That version also appears on the soundtracks for Dracula 2000
and Not Another Teen Movie. An unofficial video was available on the band's website. Malakian has said on many occasions that his band could have done the song better, but the chances of a new version were low as the band was on "indefinite hiatus" at the time. They have since reformed.
A cover of the song by Alkaline Trio
keeps the pace of Berlin's original while altering the melody.
An I Am Spoonbender
version of this song exactly replicates the sounds and production style of the original, but completely changes the words and title to become "Where Do Words Go?" IAS leader Dustin Donaldson states their intention: "By changing only the words and by musically rendering an exact replica, it forces notions of illusion/reality. It is an alternate-reality experience of the song. Therefore it isn't really a 'cover', so to speak—it is a 'Teletwin' of the original." It was released on the 1999 EP Teletwin.
Gridlock
covered this song on their 1995 demo, Sickness, and it reappeared on their album 5.25 in 1999.
Other covers include versions by John Frusciante
, Sleepthief
, Bella Morte
, Res (of Idle Warship
) and Finnish band I Walk the Line. +44 have covered this song during their US tour.
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
song written by John Crawford for his band, Berlin
Berlin (band)
Berlin is an American New Wave/Synthpop band. The group was formed in Los Angeles in 1978 by John Crawford . The band contained Crawford, Terri Nunn , David Diamond , Ric Olsen , Matt Reid and Rod Learned . Learned left during the first EU tour and was replaced by Rob Brill...
. The song has been covered by a number of artists, including System of a Down
System of a Down
System of a Down, also known by the acronym SOAD and often shortened to System, is a rock band from Southern California. The band was formed in 1994. It consists of Serj Tankian , Daron Malakian , Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan...
, Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band that formed in McHenry, Illinois, in 1996. The band's line-up consists of Matt Skiba , Dan Andriano , and Derek Grant...
, John Frusciante
John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record and film producer. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he had been for a number of years and recorded five studio albums...
and Hannah Fury
Hannah Fury
Hannah Fury is an American singer-songwriter with a following based on her independently-produced melancholic recordings inspired by Gregory Maguire's revisionist Oz novel Wicked.-Career details:...
The song first appeared on Berlin's breakthrough album Pleasure Victim
Pleasure Victim
Pleasure Victim was the second, gold-certified studio album by the American New Wave band Berlin, released in 1982. The singles from this recording were "Sex ", followed by "The Metro" , and "Masquerade". Pleasure Victim is often listed as being an EP album, although it is uncertain if seven songs...
, released on the independent label Enigma in 1982 and re-released on Geffen
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
in 1983. "The Metro" became the third single from the album, and the second to appear on the Geffen label. It was produced and engineered (as was most of the album) by the band's then-drummer and drum programmer, Daniel Van Patten.
The Berlin recording is known as epitomizing the new wave genre, for showing the genre for what it essentially was: a blending of punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and 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...
, with heavy use of the Sequential Circuits
Sequential Circuits
Sequential Circuits Inc. was a California-based synthesizer company that was founded in the early 1970s by Dave Smith and sold to Yamaha Corporation in 1987. The company, throughout its lifespan, pioneered many groundbreaking technologies and design principles that are often taken for granted in...
Prophet-5 synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
. Terri Nunn
Terri Nunn
Terri Kathleen Nunn , is an American singer and actress. She is best known as the lead vocalist of the New Wave band Berlin.-Biography:...
said the song, which was a breakthrough hit for Berlin, "defined us and defined that period of music."
The song's music video was their first MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
hit, in heavy rotation
Heavy rotation
In broadcasting, rotation is the repeated airing of a limited playlist of songs on a radio station or satellite radio channel, or music videos on a TV network. They are usually in a different order each time, however they are not completely shuffled, so as to avoid playing the same song again too...
on the young channel in its second and third years. Directed by Dominic Orlando, it was filmed at GMT Studios in West Los Angeles, California (1983). Terri Nunn only sang two lyrics on camera: "I remember hating you for loving me" and "Sorry." The video became a part of the "Berlin Video 45" Geffen-VHS home video, released in 1984.
The single surpassed the 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...
peak of their previous cult hit, "Sex (I'm A...)
Sex (I'm A...)
"Sex " is the second single from the album Pleasure Victim by Berlin.-Cover versions:Canadian electroclash musician Peaches covered the song as a bonus track for her albums, The Teaches of Peaches and Fatherfucker....
", going to #58, and it remains their third-highest charting single in the U.S. A dance remix of the song received club play in 1983.
Subsequent remixes have been done of Berlin's song, including one by Sigue Sigue Sputnik
Sigue Sigue Sputnik
Sigue Sigue Sputnik were a British new wave band created in 1982 by the former Generation X bassist Tony James. The band had three UK Top 40 hit singles, including the song "Love Missile F1-11".-Early years:...
. A revamped Berlin lineup, led by the original group's Teri Nunn, re-recorded the song around 2000, this version receiving several remixes as well. An acoustic version was made available exclusively on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. One of their signature songs, it was among those performed by a reunion of the original line-up for a live show at The Roxy
The Roxy
The Roxy was a fashionable nightclub on Neal Street in London's Covent Garden, known for hosting the flowering British punk music scene in its infancy.-Brief history:...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
which was the culmination of an episode of VH-1's Bands Reunited
Bands Reunited
Bands Reunited is a television program produced by VH1 in 2004. Hosted by Aamer Haleem, the show documented the attempted reuniting of a formerly popular musical ensemble for a special concert in either London or Los Angeles....
.
Cover versions
"The Metro" was System of a Down's first cover, performed in 1995 on their Untitled 1995 Demo Tape. This version of the song was slowed to a crawl and had a dark moody sense of playing. Re-recorded by the band for their Demo Tape 4 in 1997, it became less moody and truer to the Berlin original, as the tempo was increased. A third version was sped up greatly and Daron MalakianDaron Malakian
Daron Vartan Malakian is an Armenian-American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist, songwriter, and occasional vocalist of the heavy metal band System of a Down and as the lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and songwriter of the alternative...
lent his vocals in parts, appearing on System of a Down's "Lonely Day
Lonely Day
"Lonely Day" is the second single from the 2005 album Hypnotize by the band System of a Down. It was written by guitarist Daron Malakian, who also provides lead vocals on the track. The song received a nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards."Lonely Day" features...
" maxi single as "Metro". That version also appears on the soundtracks for Dracula 2000
Dracula 2000 Soundtrack
-Track listing:# "Ultra Mega" # "A Welcome Burden" # "Bloodline" # "Metro" # "Heads Explode" # "Break You Down" -Track listing:# "Ultra Mega" (Powerman 5000) (3:30)# "A Welcome Burden" (Disturbed) (3:31)# "Bloodline" (Slayer) (3:21)# "Metro" (System of a Down) (2:59)# "Heads Explode" (Monster...
and Not Another Teen Movie. An unofficial video was available on the band's website. Malakian has said on many occasions that his band could have done the song better, but the chances of a new version were low as the band was on "indefinite hiatus" at the time. They have since reformed.
A cover of the song by Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band that formed in McHenry, Illinois, in 1996. The band's line-up consists of Matt Skiba , Dan Andriano , and Derek Grant...
keeps the pace of Berlin's original while altering the melody.
An I Am Spoonbender
I Am Spoonbender
I Am Spoonbender is an American/Canadian multimedia group formed in San Francisco in early 1997 by composer/multi-instrumentalist/producer Dustin Donaldson, with Brian Jackson and cub guitarist Robynn Iwata I Am Spoonbender is an American/Canadian multimedia group formed in San Francisco in early...
version of this song exactly replicates the sounds and production style of the original, but completely changes the words and title to become "Where Do Words Go?" IAS leader Dustin Donaldson states their intention: "By changing only the words and by musically rendering an exact replica, it forces notions of illusion/reality. It is an alternate-reality experience of the song. Therefore it isn't really a 'cover', so to speak—it is a 'Teletwin' of the original." It was released on the 1999 EP Teletwin.
Gridlock
Gridlock (band)
Gridlock is a San Francisco based experimental electronic band originally created by Mike Wells in 1994. A year later, Mike Cadoo joined up, and the duo released their first two demos, Sickness and Frozen, and soon signed to Pendragon Records in 1997....
covered this song on their 1995 demo, Sickness, and it reappeared on their album 5.25 in 1999.
Other covers include versions by John Frusciante
John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record and film producer. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, with whom he had been for a number of years and recorded five studio albums...
, Sleepthief
Sleepthief
Sleepthief is an American electronic music recording project formed by producer and composer Justin Elswick. Elswick began writing music for the album ten years prior to its release. The album was mixed, mastered, co-produced, and co-arranged by Israel Curtis...
, Bella Morte
Bella Morte
Bella Morte is a gothic band that was formed in 1996 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They also incorporate elements of metal, darkwave, deathrock, alternative, and synthpop. The name is Italian for "beautiful death."...
, Res (of Idle Warship
Idle Warship
Idle Warship is a musical duo composed of Brooklyn emcee Talib Kweli and Philadelphia singer Res, Res has appeared on each Talib Kweli album since 2000's Train of Thought. They have also toured together, including on the summer 2005 MGD Flavor 2 Savor mini-tour. They released their debut mixtape,...
) and Finnish band I Walk the Line. +44 have covered this song during their US tour.