"Teenagers from Mars" 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 ...

. Written by 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 ...

, the song was first released as the

B-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 compan ...

of the band's 1979 single "

Horror Business "Horror Business" is the third single released by the American horror punk 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 unsolved murder ...

", 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 or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

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

Static Age Static may refer to: Places * Static Nunatak, a nunatak in Antarctica United States *Static, Kentucky and Tennessee *Static Peak, a mountain in Wyoming ** Static Peak Divide, a mountain pass near the peak Science and technology Physics * Static ...

'' 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 and still in limited use t ...

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

'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 means ...

. This first pressing consisted of 25 sleeveless black

7" vinyl In music, a single is a type of Art release#Music, release, typically a song Sound recording, recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for record sales, sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most ca ...

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 Teenagers from Outer Space may refer to: * Teenagers from Outer Space (film), ''Teenagers from Outer Space'' (film), a 1959 science fiction film * Teenagers from Outer Space (role-playing game), ''Teenagers from Outer Space'' (role-playing game), a ...

''.

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 Extraterrestrial life, colloquially referred to as alien life, is life that may occur outside Earth and which did not originate on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been conclusively detected, although efforts are underway. Such life might ...

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

Personnel

The Misfits *

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

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 ...

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

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 ...

–

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

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 A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Production * Dave Achelis –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

* Tom Bejgrowicz – producer

Cover versions

In 2003, the new wave band

the Network The Network was an American six-piece new wave band. they released their debut album ''Money Money 2020'' on Adeline Records on September 30, 2003. After a 15-year hiatus, the band became active again in 2020, releasing a follow-up album titl ...

(a secret side-project of the punk rock band

Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...

) 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 Green Day side project). It was released on September 30, 2003, through Adeline Records. Members of Green Day have denied being involved in the Network, however, Mike ...

''. The Nutley Brass recorded an

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

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 issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

'' 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. Ne ...

TV Casualty has also covered the song, with

Ted Leo Theodore Francis Leo 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. Early life Born in South Bend, In ...

on vocals.

Recording and release

Critical reception

Personnel

Cover versions

See also

References

Further reading