Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head (occasionally shortened to "Fire Coming Out") is the thirteenth track on Gorillaz' second studio album Demon Days.
The track features Dennis Hopper doing the narration of the story.
Information[]
Real Life Backstory[]
In an interview with NotionW, Damon Albarn explained that it came "from a very naive idea, which is: what is going to happen when they've taken all of the oil out of the earth? Aren't there going to be these vast holes? Surely those holes shouldn't be empty. Surely there is a reason why they had all of this in. It's like bad plastic surgery, eventually it collapses."[1]
Damon met Hopper at an awards ceremony at the Hackney EmpireW. Initially too shy to meet him, Damon hid behind a pillar, but as soon as he thought the coast was clear, he bumped into Dennis. After asking him about a collaboration, it turned out that his son Henry was a big Gorillaz fan, so he agreed. His parts were recorded that afternoon in an EMI basement studio near the former Astoria TheatreW.[2]
Footage of Hopper recording this track can be seen in the Gorillaz documentary Bananaz.
Virtual Band Backstory[]
| ā | This tale is about balance. You must be able to open your eyes without being poisoned by the evil you can see. And even innocence must prepare to fight when it's necessary. Apathy is a decision with consequences and you must take action where necessary. | ā |
| ~ Noodle |
In-universe, it was Noodle who met Hopper. The reason they chose him was because of the similar climate in which both Easy RiderW and Demon Days were made. The short story, written by Noodle in the style of Hermann HesseW, presents a parable of "people too good-hearted to see the steady influx of other people with a darker agenda"; both groups are presented as extreme portraits of what they were meant to represent, to show how two sides, ignorant of each other's position, will clash, resulting in a devastating loss for all; in which no one wins.[3]
Lyrics[]
[Dennis Hopper]
Once upon a time, at the foot of a great mountain
There was a town where the people known as Happyfolk lived
Their very existence, a mystery to the rest of the world
Obscured as it was by great clouds
Here they played out their peaceful lives
Innocent of the litany of excess and violence that was growing in the world below
To live in harmony with the spirit of the mountain, called Monkey, was enough!
Then one day Strangefolk arrived in the townā¦
They came in camouflage, hidden behind dark glasses, but no one noticed them
They only saw shadows
You see, without the truth of the eyes, the Happyfolk were blind[4]
[2-D]
Falling out of aeroplanes and hiding out in holes
Waiting for the sunset to come, people going home
Jump out from behind them and shoot them in the head
Now everybody dancing the dance of the dead
The dance of the dead, the dance of the deadā¦[5]
[Dennis Hopper]
In time, the Strangefolk found their way into the higher reaches of the mountain
And it was there that they found the caves of unimaginable sincerity and beauty
By chance, they stumbled upon the place where all good souls come to rest
The Strangefolk, they coveted the jewels from these caves above all things
And soon they began to mine the mountain, its rich seam fuelling the chaos of their own world
Meanwhile, down in the town, the Happyfolk slept restlessly
Their dreams invaded by shadowy figures digging away at their souls
Every day, people would wake and stare at the mountain
Why was it bringing darkness into their lives?
And as the Strangefolk mined deeper and deeper into the mountain, holes began to appear
Bringing with them a cold and bitter wind that chilled the very soul of the Monkey
For the first time, the Happyfolk felt fearful for they knew that soon the Monkey would stir from its deep sleep
And then came a sound
Distant at first, that grew and a castrophany so immense it could be heard far away in space
There were no screams, there was no timeā¦
The mountain called Monkey had spoken
There was only fire, and thenā¦ nothing[4]
[2-D]
Oh little town in U.S.A., the time has come to see
There's nothing you believe you want
But where were you, when it all came down on me?
Did you call me? No![5]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- On this song, Damon coined the word "castrophany" (catastrophe + cacophony).
- At some point before its release, this track was simply titled "Western".[6]
- "Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head" is referenced in the lyrics of the next song, Don't Get Lost In Heaven.
- After Hopper's passing, his part of the song has been performed by the actor Matt Berry, most notably during Song Machine Live.
- The track was originally intended to feature American musician Tom WaitsW, but due to scheduling conflicts the collaboration fell through.[7]
References[]
- ā gorillaz_news (2 November 2005). "New Damon interview in Notion magazine - talks Gorillaz". gorillaz-news.livejournal.com. Retrieved on 15 April 2025.
- ā Albarn, Damon (10 December 2020). "We are Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, co-creators of Gorillaz. Ask us anything!". Reddit. Retrieved on 15 April 2025.
- ā Browne, Cass; Gorillaz (October 26, 2006). Rise Of The Ogre, p. 200. Penguin Group. ISBN 1-59448-931-9.
- ā 4.0 4.1 Smith, Mike; Gorillaz (29 November 2005). Demon Days PVG, p. 88-89 [Verse 1]; 91-94 [Verse 2]. Faber Music. ISBN 0-571-52453-2.
- ā 5.0 5.1 Demon Days (Ltd DVD booklet). Gorillaz, p. 25. Parlophone (23 May 2005).
- ā "Gorillaz ā Demon Days ā CD (Album, Promo), 2005". Discogs. Retrieved on 7 January 2025.
- ā Okano, Yumiko. "TOSHIBA-EMI INTL / SPECIAL - Gorillaz ē¹é" (in Japanese). Toshiba-EMI International. Archived from the original on 4 March 2007. Retrieved on 15 April 2025.