Shape of Things to Come (song)

{{About||the Audioslave song|Shape of Things to Come (Audioslave song)|the Yardbirds song|Shapes of Things}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Shape of Things to Come

| cover =Shape of Things to Come (song).jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Max Frost and the Troopers

| album = Shape of Things to Come

| B-side = Free Lovin'

| released = May {{Start date|1968}}

| format =

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre =

| length = {{Duration|m=1|s=57}}

| label = Tower

| writer = Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil

| producer = Mike Curb

| prev_title = There Is a Party Going On

| prev_year = 1968

| next_title = Fifty Two Percent

| next_year = 1968

}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Shape of Things to Come

| cover =

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Slade

| album = Play It Loud

| B-side = C'mon C'mon

| released = {{Start date|1970|03|06}}

| format =

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre =

| length = {{Duration|m=2|s=19}}

| label = Fontana

| writer = Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil

| producer = Chas Chandler

| prev_title = Wild Winds Are Blowing

| prev_year = 1969

| next_title = Know Who You Are

| next_year = 1970

}}

"Shape of Things to Come" is a song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil from the film Wild in the Streets, performed by the fictional band Max Frost and the Troopers on their 1968 album Shape of Things to Come, featuring a lead vocal by Harley Hatcher.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063808/reference|title=Wild In The Streets at IMDB|website=IMDb }} The song was also released without vocals by Davie Allan and the Arrows. The song was a mere 1 minute 55 seconds in length.

The song came some 35 years after H. G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come.

Success

The song was produced by Mike Curb for the exploitation film Wild in the Streets, where actor Christopher Jones lip syncs to Hatcher's vocal.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063808/reference|title=Wild In The Streets at IMDB|website=IMDb }} A young Richard Pryor portrayed the drummer in Jones's band. The film was released on May 29, 1968.

Concurrent with the film's release, the song appeared as a single on Tower 419; it was backed by another song from the film, "Free Lovin'" (written by Guy Hemric and Paul Wibier).{{discogs release|1311431|Max Frost And The Troopers: Shape of Things to Come}} The single peaked at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1968,{{Cite magazine |magazine=Billboard |title=Billboard Album Reviews |date=September 28, 1968 |page=82 |volume=80 |issue=39 |issn=0006-2510}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/02/movies/wild-in-the-streets.html|title=Are You Over 35? 'Wild in the Streets' Should Scare You|first=J.|last=Hoberman|date=September 30, 2016|work=The New York Times}} and peaked at #2 on

the Canadian CHUM Charts for two consecutive weeks during the second and third week of October, 1968.{{cite web|url=http://www.webfitz.com/lyrics/Charts/1968/Ch196810.html|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20060315214434/http://www.webfitz.com/lyrics/Charts/1968/Ch196810.html|archivedate=March 15, 2006|date=March 15, 2006|title=Canadian Charts for October 1968}} and #9 on the Canadian RPM Top 100.{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.5821.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles - November 2, 1968}} The song remained on the US Billboard charts for a total of 12 weeks and on the RPM charts for 12 weeks.

The song subsequently appeared as the first track on the A side of the Shape of Things to Come LP, released in the wake of the single's chart success.

Other versions

Others who have performed the song include:

George Benson
Slade (1970 single from Play It Loud album)
Rich Kids
Aorta
The Graduates (1968 GNP Crescendo single)
Third Rail
Paul Revere and the Raiders
Glad
The Pointed Sticks
The Ramones
The Fuzztones
The Urinals
The Diodes
Mod Fun
Roslyn Kind
The Vice Barons
Future
Vivian Reed
Davie Allan and the Arrows
Marshmallow Overcoat

More recently, the song has been released by:

Thee Dirtybeats[http://theedirtybeats.bandcamp.com/track/shape-of-things-to-come Thee Dirtybeats: Shape Of Things To Come], at Bandcamp
Toxic Reasons
Hammer and the Nails
Janelle Monáe

In popular culture

The song was used in the Mexican television show Ensalada de locos (1971 - 1973) among sketches.
In 2006, the Max Frost & The Troopers version of the song was used in an advertising campaign by Target Stores.
In 2021, the original version was again used in an advertising campaign by mobile payments company Square Inc.
In 2022, the original version was used in the film Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood.

References

External links

{{discogs master|248749|Wild in the Streets (Original Soundtrack)}}
[https://secondhandsongs.com/work/9490 "Shape of Things to Come" at secondhandsongs.com]
{{discogs release|1311431|Max Frost And The Troopers: Shape of Things to Come}}