"Skulls" is a song by the American

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band

Misfits MiSFiTS was the acronym for the ''Minnesota Society for Interest in Science Fiction and Fantasy''. This organization has now changed its name to GPS, an acronym for Geek Partnership Society. It was founded in 1999 and was the parent non-profit org ...

from the band's 1982 album ''

Walk Among Us ''Walk Among Us'' is the debut studio album by the American punk rock band Misfits, released in March 1982 by Ruby Records and its parent label Slash Records. It was the first full-length album to be released by the band, although it was the th ...

''. The song was written by frontman and vocalist

Glenn Danzig Glenn Allen Anzalone (born June 23, 1955), better known by his stage name Glenn Danzig, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actor, film director and record producer. He is the founder of the rock bands Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig. He ...

, and was later included on the 1986

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...

'' (also known as ''Collection I''), which itself was included as part of the 1996 boxed set '' The Misfits''.

Recording and release

"Skulls" was recorded at Mix-O-Lydian Studio in

Boonton, New Jersey Boonton () is a town in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 8,815, an increase of 468 (+5.6%) from the 2010 census count of 8,347, which in turn reflected a decline o ...

no later than August 1981. It was released on the Misfits' debut album ''

'', which was first released in March 1982 through

Ruby Records Ruby Records is an American record label, founded predominantly as a rock music label subsidiary of Slash Records. The original version of the label released seven albums in 1981 and 1982. Ruby was distributed through the same independent distri ...

, an imprint of

Slash Records Slash Records was an American record label originally specializing in local punk rock bands, active from 1978 to 2000. It was notable as one of the first and most successful independent record labels in alternative music, before its eventual acq ...

. The song was later included on the 1986 compilation album ''

'' (also known as ''Collection I''). Every track on ''Collection I'' would later be included in the 1996 boxed set '' The Misfits''.

Critical reception

Aaron Lariviere of ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...

'' ranked the track No. 3 on his list of the 10 best Misfits songs, writing that "It's essentially a wistful, yearning love song for your severed head", adding that "This is my favorite Misfits tune without question". In his book ''This Music Leaves Stains: The Complete Story of the Misfits'', author James Greene, Jr. called the song a "thrashing delight" and "a twisted love letter", writing: "Danzig imbues so much passion into this performance ..that one tends to forget the startling reality of his words". In his book ''The Complete Misfits Discography'', author Robert Michael "Bobb" Cotter called it a "joyous ode to decapitation, and the perp's collection of the gruesome remnant, kind of like a punk-rock

Predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

." Andy Biersack, lead vocalist for the rock band

Black Veil Brides Black Veil Brides is an American rock band based in Hollywood, California. The group formed in 2006 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is currently composed of lead vocalist Andy Biersack, multi instrumentalist Jinxx, lead guitarist Jake Pitts, dru ...

, listed "Skulls" as being among his favorite Misfits songs.

Covers

The Lemonheads The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily, and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member. After their initial punk-influenced releases and tours as an indep ...

recorded a "sensitive, folky" acoustic cover of the song on '' Favorite Spanish Dishes''. Duster recorded a slower version of the song, although it never saw release on a studio album.

Personnel

The Misfits *

– vocals *

Jerry Only Gerald Caiafa Jr. (born April 21, 1959), better known by his stage name Jerry Only, is an American musician, best known as the bassist for the Misfits and later the vocalist as well. He is the only member to appear in every Misfits lineup exce ...

– bass * Doyle – guitars * Arthur Googy – drums Production * Mike Taylor – production * The Misfits – production * Pat Burnette – production

Recording and release

Critical reception

Covers

Personnel

See also

References

Further reading