Devil in a Midnight Mass: Difference between revisions

 

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| artist = [[Billy Talent]]

| artist = [[Billy Talent]]

| album = [[Billy Talent II]]

| album = [[Billy Talent II]]

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| B-side = {{ubl|”Devil in a Midnight Mass” (demo version)|”Ever Fallen in Love (with Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)” (UK)|”Red Flag (demo)” (UK)}}

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| recorded =

| recorded =

| studio =

| studio =

| venue =

| venue =

| genre = [[Post-hardcore]], [[horror punk]]

| genre = [[Post-hardcore]], [[punk]]

| length = 2:54

| length = 2:

| label = [[Warner Music Group|Wea]], [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]

| label = [[Warner Music Group|Wea]], [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]

| writer = Billy Talent

| writer = Billy Talent

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}}

}}

“”’Devil in a Midnight Mass”'” is a song by Canadian [[alternative rock]] band, [[Billy Talent]] released April 20, 2006 which served as the first and lead single from their second studio album, ”[[Billy Talent II]]”. <ref>{{cite web |title=Billy Talent – Devil in a Midnight Mass : 1 SONG • 2 MINUTES • APR 20 2006. 1. Devil in a Midnight Mass. 02:54. ℗ 2006 Atlantic Recording Corporation|url=https://music.amazon.com.au/albums/B073JR171Q?trackAsin=B073P4PGHZ |website=[[Amazon Music|Amazon Music Australia]] |language=en}}</ref> The song would peak at #4 on the [[Canadian Singles Chart]].<ref>{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r839594/charts-awards/billboard-single|pure_url=yes}}</ref>

“”’Devil in a Midnight Mass”'” is the first single released from [[Billy Talent]]’s second album, ”[[Billy Talent II]]”.

==Background and content==

==Song information==

There are two differing versions of the song: the album version, and an unpolished demo version released in December 2005 via their [[Myspace]] account. In the album version [[Ben Kowalewicz]] shouts “Yeah!” at the beginning of the track; in the other, this is omitted, and the pre-chorus and second verse sound significantly different. Both versions of the song were released on the “Devil in a Midnight Mass” single.

, their [[Myspace]] , the the “Devil in a Midnight Mass” single.

[[MuchMusic]] aired a “Behind the Scenes” look at the video for this song, hosted by [[Sarah Taylor (personality)|Sarah Taylor]], and filmed in an [[Ontario]] church, featuring the members of the band as well as children who took part in the recording of the video. In the feature, [[drummer]] [[Aaron Solowoniuk]] mentions that an elderly woman walked by and said to him, “A rock band in a church, don’t see that everyday”.

[[MuchMusic]] ” look at , hosted by [[Sarah Taylor (personality)|Sarah Taylor]] and filmed [[]] , the of the as well as in the the the , [[ ]] A

In his interview with Taylor, Kowalewicz explained that the song began when guitarist, [[Ian D’Sa]] played a sinister-sounding riff during a writing session, prompting Kowalewicz to ask himself, “”What is the worst or most evil thing a person could do to another?”” as a starting point for the lyrics. He went on to describe reading an article about [[John Geoghan]], an American [[Catholic]] priest and rapist killed while serving time in prison for [[indecent assault]] [[battery (crime)|and battery]], who had faced numerous accusations of [[child abuse]] and [[child molestation|molestation]] over three decades across several parishes within the [[Greater Boston]] area. Despite awareness of his behaviour, the Boston archdiocese had enabled the continued abuse through negligence.<ref>{{cite news |first=Pamela|last=Ferdin|title=Ex-Priest Gets Maximum Sentence in Abuse Case |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2002/02/22/ex-priest-gets-maximum-sentence-in-abuse-case/98446ad8-5a66-47aa-abab-8eda0ed4fb4a/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|location=Washington D.C.|date=February 22, 2002}}</ref> After learning about the case, Kowalewicz decided to make the song about that subject matter. <ref name=”OnSet” />

Kowalewicz told Sarah Taylor that the song was created when guitarist Ian D’sa started playing something that he described as an “[[evil]] guitar riff”, and Kowalewicz wondered what sort of evil could fit with that riff, questioning what the worst thing a human being could do to another. He read an article about [[John Geoghan]], an American [[Catholic]] priest accused of [[child molestation|molesting]] about 150 children, and decided to make the song about that certain topic.

⚫

==Meaning of the song==

⚫

{{quote|It’s from a story I read about [[Boston]] priest [[John Geoghan]] who had been arrested for [[child abuse]] and the church kept moving him from parish to parish. The [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] tried and convicted him of [[child molestation|molesting]] 150 kids over a 30-year span and while he was serving his sentence another inmate broke into his cell and murdered him. I stumble upon these stories, they don’t necessarily have to be directly personal but it’s things like this that move me. I’m a big advocate for children’s rights and this song looks at sexual abuse. It’s not against the church or anything, it’s more about that individual betrayal between adult and child. I don’t have the answers, but hopefully if I sing about a certain issue it will get people talking about it.}}

{{quote|It’s from a story I read about [[Boston]] priest John Geoghan who had been arrested for child abuse and the church kept moving him from parish to parish. The [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] tried and convicted him of molesting 150 kids over a 30-year span and while he was serving his sentence another inmate broke into his cell and murdered him. I stumble upon these stories, they don’t necessarily have to be directly personal but it’s things like this that move me. I’m a big advocate for children’s rights and this song looks at sexual abuse. It’s not against the church or anything, it’s more about that individual betrayal between adult and child. I don’t have the answers, but hopefully if I sing about a certain issue it will get people talking about it.}}

==Music video==

==Music video==

Directed by the band’s frequent collaborator [[Sean Michael Turrell]], the music video, released May 29, 2006 presents an allegorical interpretation of the song’s controversial subject matter, framed through the lens of a [[horror film]]. The video’s unsettling imagery centers on a young altar boy in a church being stalked by an amorphous dark fog, which serves as a visual metaphor for a predatory priest, portrayed as a figurative devil. Intercut throughout are scenes of the band performing the song on a rotating platform within the church’s [[nave]]. <ref>{{cite web |title=Billy Talent – Devil In A Midnight Mass (Official Video) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv5kkI5X1QM |website=YouTube |language=en}}</ref>

The music video opens with Billy Talent playing in a darkened church. The video also follows the path of an altar boy. The boy is asleep in his room when a dark fog enters his room. The fog represents the priest and enters the room when the line “Footsteps down the hallway floor/Getting closer to my door” are sung. The boy runs from the fog and into the church’s basement, where he finds an apparently insane man bound in ropes. The boy runs from the room and is followed by the fog. He then grabs an axe trying to defend himself. The boy runs to the main room of the church where Billy Talent are playing. Instead of the band, mouthless altar boys are standing in the room, the young boy also mouthless. The boys are the priest’s victims and are mouthless to represent the fact that they have been silenced by the priest, hence the line “Silent night for the rest of my life”, and in the demo, “I was told that the world wouldn’t believe me”.

The narrative begins with the boy asleep in the church dormitory, where he is awakened by sudden paranormal disturbances (ie: papers violently scattering with phantom writing appearing, and blood seeping from windows and walls, etc) followed by the fog invading the room, prompting the boy to flee.

As he continues to evade the presence, the boy descends into the church’s dimly-lit basement carrying a lantern. There, he encounters a mouthless vagrant (implied to be a former victim of the presence, now grown and traumatized). Startled, the boy drops the lantern and runs deeper into the basement tunnels, ultimately reaching a boarded-up dead end. With no escape, he arms himself with an emergency axe mounted on the wall. When the fog attacks, the boy is consumed but fights back, forcing it to retreat and uses the axe to break through the barricade and escape.

Emerging into the nave, the boy looks up to see a group of mouthless altar boys standing atop the high balcony, representing the priest’s silenced victims. In the final moments, the boy himself is revealed to be mouthless, gazing up from the church aisle, signifying that he has become the presence’s latest victim.

The video premiered on Fuse as part of the program Oven Fresh, which showcased new music videos. On MuchMusic, it ranked at No. 74 on the “100 Best Videos” list and No. 47 on “50 Most Controversial Videos.”

The video premiered on [[Fuse TV|Fuse]] on the show Oven Fresh, which highlights new videos. On MuchMusic, the video was ranked #74 on their 100 Best Videos and #47 on 50 Most Controversial Videos.

==Track listing==

{{Track listing

| headline = CD Single <ref>{{cite web|title=Billy Talent – Devil In A Midnight Mass– CD (Single), 2006 [r3832053] |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/3832053-Billy-Talent-Devil-In-A-Midnight-Mass | website=Discogs | date=2012-08-28}}</ref>

| title1 = Devil In A Midnight Mass

| length1 = 2:52

| title2 = Devil In A Midnight Mass

| note2 = Demo Version

| length2 = 3:19

| total_length = 6:14

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = CD Maxi-Single <ref>{{cite web|title=Billy Talent – Devil In A Midnight Mass – CD (Maxi-Single), 2006 [r3832061] |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/3832061-Billy-Talent-Devil-In-A-Midnight-Mass | website=Discogs | date=2012-08-28}}</ref>

| title1 = Devil In A Midnight Mass

| length1 = 2:52

| title2 = Devil In A Midnight Mass

| note2 = Demo Version

| length2 = 3:19

| title3 = Ever Fallen in Love (with Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)

| note3 = [[Buzzcocks]] cover

| length3 = 2:43

| total_length = 9:00

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = UK 7″ Picture Disc – Clock Variant <ref>{{Cite web |title=Billy Talent – Devil In A Midnight Mass – 7″ Vinyl (Single, Limited Edition), 2004 [r2204535] |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/6414438-Billy-Talent-The-Ex |access-date=2009-12-11 |website=Discogs |language=en}}</ref>

| title1 = Devil In A Midnight Mass

| length1 = 2:52

| title2 = Red Flag

| note2 = Demo Version

| length2 = 3:36

| total_length = 6:28

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = UK 7″ Picture Disc – Devil Variant) <ref>{{Cite web |title=Billy Talent – Devil In A Midnight Mass – 7″ Vinyl (Shape, Single, Picture Disc), 2006 [r1991382] |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/1991382-Billy-Talent-Devil-In-A-Midnight-Mass |access-date=2009-11-02 |website=Discogs |language=en}}</ref>

| title1 = Devil In A Midnight Mass

| length1 = 2:52

| title2 = Ever Fallen in Love (with Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)

| note2 = Buzzcocks cover

| length2 = 2:43

| total_length = 5:34

}}

The music video was directed by [[Sean Michael Turrell]] and was released via [[myspace.com]] on May 1, 2006. The video premiered on [[Fuse TV|Fuse]] on the show Oven Fresh, which highlights new videos. The music video is #74 on MuchMusic’s 100 Best Videos. The music video is #47 on MuchMusic’s 50 Most Controversial Videos.<br />Devil in a Midnight Mass peaked 4 on the [[Canadian Singles Chart]].<ref>{{Allmusic|class=album|id=r839594/charts-awards/billboard-single|pure_url=yes}}</ref>

==Chart performance==

==Chart performance==

2006 single by Billy Talent

“Devil in a Midnight Mass” is a song by Canadian alternative rock band, Billy Talent released April 20, 2006 which served as the first and lead single from their second studio album, Billy Talent II. ^[1] The song would peak at #4 on the Canadian Singles Chart.^[2]

“Devil in a Midnight Mass” first materialized on December 25, 2005 as a rough and slightly-rearranged demo shared exclusively through their Myspace as a way to generate buzz for their next album and provide a sneak peak of new music for fans. Several months later, the band would announce their second self-titled album, alongside the offiical studio version of “Devil in a Midnight Mass” as the first single on April 20, 2006.

On May 29, 2006, Canadian music channel, MuchMusic premiered the video on an episode of it’s limited special, “On Set” which offered a behind-the-scenes look at music videos during filming and production. The episode, hosted by Sarah Taylor and filmed on location at St. Anne’s Anglican Church in Toronto, Ontario, followed Billy Talent during the making of the video, as well as the actors and children involved in the shoot. During the segment, additional context about the song’s origins and meaning was provided by lead singer and songwriter, Ben Kowalewicz.^[3]

In his interview with Taylor, Kowalewicz explained that the song began when guitarist, Ian D’Sa played a sinister-sounding riff during a writing session, prompting Kowalewicz to ask himself, “What is the worst or most evil thing a person could do to another?” as a starting point for the lyrics. He went on to describe reading an article about John Geoghan, an American Catholic priest and rapist killed while serving time in prison for indecent assault and battery, who had faced numerous accusations of child abuse and molestation over three decades across several parishes within the Greater Boston area. Despite awareness of his behaviour, the Boston archdiocese had enabled the continued abuse through negligence.^[4] After learning about the case, Kowalewicz decided to make the song about that subject matter. ^[3]

Kowalewicz recounting the song’s backstory with MuchMusic’s Sarah Taylor,

It’s from a story I read about Boston priest, John Geoghan who had been arrested for child abuse and the church kept moving him from parish to parish. The Supreme Court tried and convicted him of molesting 150 kids over a 30-year span and while he was serving his sentence another inmate broke into his cell and murdered him. I stumble upon these stories, they don’t necessarily have to be directly personal but it’s things like this that move me. I’m a big advocate for children’s rights and this song looks at sexual abuse. It’s not against the church or anything, it’s more about that individual betrayal between adult and child. I don’t have the answers, but hopefully if I sing about a certain issue it will get people talking about it. ^[3]

Directed by the band’s frequent collaborator Sean Michael Turrell, the music video, released May 29, 2006 presents an allegorical interpretation of the song’s controversial subject matter, framed through the lens of a horror film. The video’s unsettling imagery centers on a young altar boy in a church being stalked by an amorphous dark fog, which serves as a visual metaphor for a predatory priest, portrayed as a figurative devil. Intercut throughout are scenes of the band performing the song on a rotating platform within the church’s nave. ^[5]

The narrative begins with the boy asleep in the church dormitory, where he is awakened by sudden paranormal disturbances (ie: papers violently scattering with phantom writing appearing, and blood seeping from windows and walls, etc) followed by the fog invading the room, prompting the boy to flee.

As he continues to evade the presence, the boy descends into the church’s dimly-lit basement carrying a lantern. There, he encounters a mouthless vagrant (implied to be a former victim of the presence, now grown and traumatized). Startled, the boy drops the lantern and runs deeper into the basement tunnels, ultimately reaching a boarded-up dead end. With no escape, he arms himself with an emergency axe mounted on the wall. When the fog attacks, the boy is consumed but fights back, forcing it to retreat and uses the axe to break through the barricade and escape.

Emerging into the nave, the boy looks up to see a group of mouthless altar boys standing atop the high balcony, representing the priest’s silenced victims. In the final moments, the boy himself is revealed to be mouthless, gazing up from the church aisle, signifying that he has become the presence’s latest victim.

The video premiered on Fuse as part of the program Oven Fresh, which showcased new music videos. On MuchMusic, it ranked at No. 74 on the “100 Best Videos” list and No. 47 on “50 Most Controversial Videos.”

The video premiered on Fuse on the show Oven Fresh, which highlights new videos. On MuchMusic, the video was ranked #74 on their 100 Best Videos and #47 on 50 Most Controversial Videos.