"London Dungeon" is a song by the American punk rock band

Misfits Misfits or The Misfits may refer to: Film and television * ''The Misfits'' (1961 film), a film starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift * ''The Misfits'' (2011 film), a Mexican film * ''The Misfits'' (2021 film), an American ...

. Released in 1981 on the Misfits' EP ''

3 Hits from Hell ''3 Hits from Hell'' (stylized as 3 hits from HeLL) is the sixth release by American horror punk band Misfits. The 7" EP was released in April 1981 via Plan 9 Records. While there was no actual insert, some of the first pressing included a Misf ...

'', 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, film director, and record producer. He is the founder of the rock bands Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig. He owns t ...

while in jail in

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...

, England with then-Misfits guitarist

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

. After having traveled to the United Kingdom for an ill-fated tour with the British punk rock group the Damned in late 1979, Danzig and Steele were arrested for their involvement in a fight, inspiring them to create the song.

Background

In June 1979, the

shared a bill with the Damned during a performance at the nightclub Hurrah in New York City. After the gig, Misfits bassist

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. Biog ...

briefly spoke with vocalist

David Vanian David Vanian (born David Lett, 12 October 1956) is an English rock musician, and lead singer of the punk rock band the Damned. Formed in 1976 in London, the Damned were the first British punk band to release a single, release an album, have a ...

of the Damned, along with the Damned's management, about the idea of the Misfits supporting the Damned during the latter's scheduled six-date tour of England that fall. On November 21, 1979, the Misfits flew to the United Kingdom for the tour, but the Damned, having scheduled a different opening act for their tour, was not expecting the Misfits' arrival. Nevertheless, the Damned's management booked the Misfits for the tour. Problems soon arose for the Misfits—they did not receive any payment for performing on the tour, and they felt that the instruments and equipment supplied for them were substandard. The Misfits first opened for the Damned on November 23 at

De Montfort Hall De Montfort Hall is the largest music and performance venue in Leicester, England. It is situated adjacent to Victoria Park and is named after the "Father of Parliament", Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester. History The hall was built by the ...

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

, England. Not long after, the Misfits cancelled their remaining appearances on the Damned tour. On December 2, Danzig and then-Misfits guitarist

went to watch

the Jam The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 198 ...

perform a concert at the

Rainbow Theatre The Rainbow Theatre, originally known as the Finsbury Park Astoria, is a Grade II*-listed building in Finsbury Park, London. The theatre was built in 1930 as a cinema. It later became a music venue. Today, the building is used by the Universa ...

, where they were confronted by a group of

skinhead A skinhead is a member of a subculture which originated among working class youths in London, England, in the 1960s and soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working class skinhead movement emerging worldwide in th ...

s. Steele left to find help from authorities, and Danzig armed himself with either a glass bottle or a broken shard of glass from one of the venue's windows. Both he and Steele were arrested, and they spent two nights in jail in

, England. According to Steele in 1993, "I just turned to Glenn n the cell andsaid, 'We should make a song about this called "London Dungeon"'. We were like sitting in this cell, it was like ten feet perfectly square, you know, solid painted walls, it was real echoey in the room ..and we were just like slapping the beat out on our legs and humming ..Glenn took it from there." Steele and Danzig were released from jail on December 4. On December 15, then-Misfits drummer

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 ...

flew back to the United States by himself, effectively quitting the band. On December 18, the rest of the Misfits returned to

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

Recording and release

"London Dungeon" was first recorded in August 1980 at Master Sound Productions in

Franklin Square, New York Franklin Square is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Nassau County, New York, United States. The hamlet is an unincorporated area in the Town of Hempstead. The population was 29,320 at the 2010 census. The area was originally known ...

, and was released as the

A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

of the Misfits' EP ''

'' in 1981. On their 1982 album ''

Walk Among Us ''Walk Among Us'' is the debut 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 third to ...

'', as the track "Mommy Can I Go Out & Kill Tonight?" (which was recorded on December 17, 1981 at the Ritz in New York City) fades out, the opening of "London Dungeon" can be heard. "London Dungeon" was later reissued 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 or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

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

Critical reception

In 2012, 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 award ...

'' ranked "London Dungeon" No. 4 on his list of best Misfits songs, praising "The stuttering snare, the ominous bass, and that infectious, near-metal, goth-baiting guitar ..Despite their origins and the roughshod execution of most of the songs, the Misfits were capable of serious songcraft, as proven here." In 2015, "London Dungeon" was ranked No. 71 by the staff of the British magazine ''

Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an enginee ...

'' on their list of best songs about London.

Personnel

The Misfits *

– vocals *

– guitar, backing vocals *

– bass guitar, backing vocals *

Arthur Googy Arthur Googy is an American percussionist known for being the drummer of horror punk band The Misfits from 1980 to 1982. Originally from Jackson Heights, New York, he attended Blessed Sacrament elementary school followed by a brisk visit to Newto ...

- drums Production * Dave Achelis –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

* Rich Flores – mastering

References

Bibliography