Popular Monster

"Popular Monster" is a song by American rock band Falling in Reverse. It was released on November 20, 2019. The song was ranked number four in late 2019 on the US Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and number one on the US Mainstream Rock chart.[2][3] As of 2022, the song has over 200 million streams on Spotify.[4]

"Popular Monster"
Single by Falling in Reverse
ReleasedNovember 20, 2019
GenreRap metal[1]
Length3:41
LabelEpitaph
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Tyler Smyth
  • Ronnie Radke
Falling in Reverse singles chronology
"Drugs"
(2019)		 "Popular Monster"
(2019)		 "The Drug in Me Is Reimagined"
(2020)
Music video
"Popular Monster" on YouTube

Promotion and release

The song was released in November 2019, and is the fourth single to be released without being an album since the release of the band's fourth studio album Coming Home.[5] In 2020, the song was included in a DLC of the video game Rock Band 4.[6] On October 23, 2020, Swedish duo DJs Galantis and American DJ Nghtmre released a remix version of the song.[7] At the end of 2020, the song was ranked number one on Octane Sirius XM as the most played rock song on the radio in the United States.

Composition and lyrics

The song was composed and written by Ronnie Radke, Cody Quistad, and Tyler Smyth of DangerKids. It talks about Ronnie Radke exploring his demons, particularly that of his depression and accusations made against him throughout his life, and eventually transforming into a werewolf. Ronnie Radke says about the song:

"'Popular Monster' is the voice inside my head, waiting for you to hear it. It is the story of a hero who has been falsely accused and destroyed by society. Show what happens when you've been pushed too hard. You become exactly what they say, you are exactly what they want you to be, a monster."[8]

When writing the song, Ronnie Radke drew inspiration from the 2019 film Joker.

As for the composition, Radke continues to experiment with rap, the first and second verses of the song are very noticeable rapping. However, the band does not leave aside its rock roots since the pre-chorus and the choruses continue to sound like heavy metal, even making the song lean more towards rap metal or nu metal. The song has a breakdown which marks that the band remains faithful to their metalcore sound that their fans fell in love with so much.[8]

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Jensen Noen.[9] The music video depicts Ronnie Radke exploring his demons in which he eventually transforms into a werewolf.[10] This is the last music video to feature guitarist Derek Jones, who passed away in April 2020.[11]

Commercial performance

The song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, number 15 on the Rock Airplay chart, and number one on the Mainstream Rock chart.[12] On the Billboard Canada Rock chart, the song peaked at number 38, while in on the UK Rock & Metal Singles chart, it peaked at number 17, the song debuted at number 33 in Hungary. In June 2020, Billboard introduced two new rock charts, with "Popular Monster" becoming the first song to top the Hot Hard Rock Songs chart and peaking at number 11 on the Hot Alternative Songs chart.[13] On December 8, 2020, the song was certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) equivalent to 500,000 units. Later they obtained their first platinum record.[14]

The song began to gain popularity on the TikTok video platform, several users began to use the song for their videos, this also helped the song continue to trend.[15] The song is the entrance theme of British wrestler Zak Zodiac brother of Ronnie Radke's partner and All Elite Wrestling wrestler, Saraya (known as Paige in WWE), who works for different independent wrestling companies.[16]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[17]

Falling in Reverse

  • Ronnie Radke – lead vocals, programming, producer, additional guitar
  • Derek Jones – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
  • Tyler Burgess – bass, backing vocals
  • Max Georgiev – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Johnny Mele – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Additional personnel

  • Tyler Smyth – production, strings, additional writing, recording, mastering, programming, engineered
  • Cody Quistad – additional writing, guitars
  • Kevin Ellis Moore – cover art
  • Charles Kallaghan Massabo – co-producer, programming, engineer, beat instrumental

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[28] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Covers

The song has been covered by 5 other artists, as of 7 May 2023.

Artist Song Title Release Date Genre
8 Bit Arcade[29] Popular Monster (8-Bit Falling in Reverse Emultation[30] December 22, 2019[30] Electronic / Dance[29]
Chiptune Punks [29] Popular Monster (8-Bit Computer Game Cover Version of Falling in Reverse) [31] 7 August 2022[32] Electronic / Dance[29]
Galantis and Nghtmre[7] Popular Monster - NGHTMRE & Galantis Remix[33] 23 October 2020[33] Electronic / Dance
Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star[29] Popular Monster[34] 6 November 2020[34] Easy Listening[29]
Halocene and Lauren Babic[29] Popular Monster[35] 19 March 2021[35] Rock / Pop[29]

See also

References
  1. Wallace, Ash (November 26, 2019). "Falling In Reverse - Popular Monster (Single)". Hysteria Mag. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  2. "Falling in Reverse - Billboard". Billboard.
  3. "Falling in Reverse Hit Radio Milestone with 'Popular Monster'". Loudwire. 2020-04-29. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  4. "Falling In Reverse Become The "Popular Monster" In Ferocious New Video". Alternative Press. November 20, 2019.
  5. "Falling In Reverse Deliver New Single 'Popular Monster'". Dead Press!. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  6. "Rock Band DLC Week Of 625 Converge And Falling In Reverse". Harmonix Music. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  7. "Falling in Reverse - Popular Monster (Galantis & Nghtmre Remix)". Epitaph. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  8. "Falling In Reverse // Popular Monster". Hysteria Magazine. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  9. "Falling In Reverse - Popular Monster". Vimeo. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  10. "Falling In Reverse Unleash Genre-Crossing Track 'Popular Monster'". Wall Of Sound. 2019-11-20. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
  11. Carter, Emily (April 20, 2020). "FALLING IN REVERSE GUITARIST DEREK JONES HAS DIED AGED 35". Kerrang!. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  12. "Falling in Reverse Earns First Mainstream Rock Songs No. 1 With 'Popular Monster'". Billboard. May 6, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  13. "Billboard Introduces Revamped Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Chart & Debuts Two Rankings". Billboard. June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  14. "Falling in Reverse Earn Their First Platinum Single With 'Popular Monster'". Loudwire. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  15. "Falling in Reverse – Popular Monster". TikTok. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  16. "WAW European Championship Final – Nathan Cruz vs Zak Zodiac". YouTube. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  17. "Falling in Reverse – Popular Monster". Tidal. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  18. "Falling in Reverse Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  19. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  20. "Official Independent Singles Breakers Chart". Official Charts Company. November 29, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  21. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  22. "Falling in Reverse Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  23. "Falling in Reverse Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  24. "Falling in Reverse Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  25. "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  26. "Mainstream Rock Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  27. "British single certifications – Falling in Reverse – Popular Monster". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  28. "American single certifications – Falling in Reverse – Popular Monster". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  29. "Covers of Popular Monster". WhoSampled. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  30. Popular Monster (8-Bit Falling in Reverse Emulation), 2019-12-22, retrieved 2023-05-07
  31. Bitpop Hits, Vol. 10 by Chiptune Punks, 2020-08-07, retrieved 2023-05-07
  32. "Amazon Music". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
  33. Popular Monster - NGHTMRE & Galantis Remix, 2020-10-23, retrieved 2023-05-07
  34. Popular Monster, 2020-11-06, retrieved 2023-05-07
  35. Popular Monster, 2021-03-19, retrieved 2023-05-07
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