"Teenagers from Mars" 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 ...

. Written by vocalist Glenn Danzig, the song was first released as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

of the band's 1979 single "

Horror Business "Horror Business" is the third single released by the American horror punk band Misfits (band), Misfits. It was released on June 26, 1979 through vocalist Glenn Danzig's own label, Plan 9 Records, and is commonly said to have been inspired by the ...

", alongside the song "Children in Heat". "Teenagers from Mars" was later included on the Misfits' 1980 EP '' Beware'', as well as 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 ...

''. In 1996, when the band's proposed debut album ''

Static Age ''Static Age'' is the third studio album by the American horror punk band Misfits, recorded in 1978. Although it was the first album the band ever recorded, it was not released in its entirety until 1996. History In August 1977 The Misfits r ...

'' first received an official release as part of the boxed set '' The Misfits'', "Teenagers from Mars" was included as one of the tracks.

Recording and release

In 1978, the Misfits recorded a version of "Teenagers from Mars" which they considered releasing as a single. Six

acetate disc An acetate disc (also known as a ''lacquer'', ''test acetate'', '' dubplate'', or '' transcription disc'') is a type of phonograph record generally used from the 1930s to the late 1950s for recording and broadcast purposes. Despite their name, "ac ...

s of the proposed single were pressed, one with "Teenagers from Mars" on both sides, and five with "Teenagers from Mars" on one side and the song "Static Age" on the other side. However, they decided not to issue it as a wide release. Between January 26 and February 5, 1979, the Misfits recorded the version of "Teenagers from Mars" which would be released on the single "

", along with the single's title track and the song "Children in Heat". These recording sessions took place at C.I. Studios in New York, where the band had recorded tracks for their proposed debut album ''

'' a year prior. On June 26, 1979, "Teenagers from Mars" and "Children in Heat" were first released as the B-side of the "Horror Business" single, which was issued through Glenn Danzig's own label,

Plan 9 Records Plan 9 Records, originally known as Blank Records, was an independent record label that was founded in 1977 by Glenn Danzig of the horror punk band The Misfits. The label was discontinued in 1995. In 1977, Danzig founded Blank Records as a mean ...

. This first pressing consisted of 25 sleeveless black

7" vinyl In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...

copies, and a second pressing in August 1979 consisted of 2,000 copies on yellow vinyl. Since then, "Teenagers from Mars" has been re-issued several times. In 1980, the song was included on the Misfits' EP '' Beware'', and in 1986, it was included on the

'', also known as ''Collection I''. Every song included on ''Collection I'' was later included in the 1996 boxed set '' The Misfits''. "Teenagers from Mars" was also included on the album ''Static Age'', which was part of the boxed set and which received a standalone release in 1997. Mark Kennedy, the creator of the website Misfits Central, noted that the song may have been influenced by the 1953 film '' Invaders from Mars'' and the 1959 film '' Teenagers from Outer Space''.

Critical reception

Eduardo Rivadavia of

Ultimate Classic Rock Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

ranked the song #10 on his list of the 10 best Misfits songs, and wrote that the track "locked into a monstrous mid-paced groove and never let go, giving Glenn Danzig ample room to make a case that teenagers are pretty much apathetic contrarians on any given planet". In his book ''This Music Leaves Stains: The Complete Story of the Misfits'', author James Greene, Jr. writes that the song "presents more stuttering riffs under ominous declarations from a conquering

alien race Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, a lifeform with e ...

unconcerned with human suffering as they 'land in barren fields' to inseminate our females".

Personnel

The Misfits * Glenn Danzig –

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

Bobby Steele Bobby Steele (born Robert Charles Kaufhold; March 18, 1956) is an American punk rock musician. He is the current guitar player, singer, songwriter, and sole original member of the horror punk band The Undead. He has been a member of multiple o ...

–

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

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 guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

Joey Image Joey Poole (March 5, 1957 – June 1, 2020), known professionally as Joey Image, was an American punk rock drummer. He joined the Misfits in November 1978. He was the drummer for both the "Horror Business" and "Night of the Living Dead" session ...

–

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

Production * Dave Achelis –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

* Tom Bejgrowicz – producer

Cover versions

In 2003, the new wave band the Network (a secret side-project of the punk rock band

Green Day Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...

) recorded and released a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of "Teenagers from Mars" on their album ''

Money Money 2020 ''Money Money 2020'' is the debut studio album by new wave band The Network, a side project of the band Green Day. It was released on September 30, 2003, through Adeline Records. Members of Green Day have denied being involved in the Network, ho ...

''. The Nutley Brass recorded an

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

lounge Lounge may refer to: Architecture * Lounge, the living room of a dwelling * Lounge, a public waiting area in a hotel's lobby * Lounge, a style of commercial alcohol- bar * Airport lounge or train lounge (e.g., Amtrak's Acela Lounge), a premium ...

cover of the song, which was included on their 2005 Misfits

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...

'' Fiend Club Lounge''. Punk

cover band A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. N ...

TV Casualty has also covered the song, with

Ted Leo Theodore Francis Leo (born September 11, 1970) is an American singer and musician. He is the frontman and lead guitarist of the rock group Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and in 2013, he and Aimee Mann formed the indie rock duo The Both. Earl ...

on vocals.

Recording and release

Critical reception

Personnel

Cover versions

See also

References

Further reading