Wikipedia

Draft:Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (Set It Off song)

"Wolf in Sheep's Clothing"
Song by Set It Off featuring William Beckett
from the album Duality
Released
  • June 28, 2019 (Acoustic)
  • November 1, 2024 (REBORN)
Genreemo
Length3:07
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" is a song by American rock band Set It Off featuring artist William Beckett. While not officially released as a single, the song was included on the band's sophomore album, Duality, and persists among the band's most popular works. The song has been certified Platinum by the RIAA, indicating equivalent sales of 1,000,000 copies in the United States.[1]

An acoustic remix of the track was released as a promotional single in June 2019 as a part of the compilation Punk Goes Acoustic Vol. 3, which released that same year in July.[2] On November 1, 2024, the band released a rerecorded version as a single, dubbed "Wolf In Sheep's Clothing [REBORN]".[3]

Background & Recording

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Set It Off frontman Cody Carson met William Beckett on the We Are The In Crowd's Beyond the Blue Tour. "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" was born out of subsequent sessions where the two met and discussed music and exchanged ideas. Upon hearing a demo of William Beckett singing in a particularly angry tone, Cody Carson invited Beckett to sing the second verse of "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" because it "was a really angry song".[4]

Composition

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"Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" is a fast-paced vivace tempo song written in B minor.[5][6][7][8] Played with a swung beat in common time[8][7], the song follows a i-i-VI-V chord progression in the verses before changing to a 12-bar VII-VII-VI-III-VII-VII-VI-VII-V-i-VII-VI progression in the chorus.[5] The usage of a major V in the chorus constitutes a modal interchange where the V chord is borrowed from the parallel key of B major. "Wolf" prominently features horn lines composed and arranged by producer Matt Appleton, who was also involved in other aspects of Duality's production.[9][10]

Retroactive Popularity

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Despite not officially being released as a single, the track has become somewhat of a signature song for the band. The song has garnered over 267 million streams on Spotify, becoming by far the band's most streamed song on the platform.[11] The RIAA has certified "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" Platinum, which indicates the track has accrued sales equivalent of 1,000,000 copies in the United States.[1] Despite the retrospective success of the track, "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" is often regarded as the worst track on its parent album, Duality. In Sputnikmusic's review of the record, "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" is referred to as "painfully bad" and "the absolute worst offender" of lyrical flaws present on an otherwise "harmless and fun pop record".[12] Cody Carson, lead vocalist of Set It Off, has commented on the song's popularity and expressed regret at not releasing the song as a single because of how the "subculture just latched on to it, and propelled it up"; stating, "It just seems to get bigger and bigger. It's the coolest thing to me. It also makes me go, 'Fuck... we should have made it a single.'"[13]

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[14] Platinum 1,000,000[1]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Date Version Formats Ref(s).
June 28, 2019 Acoustic
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 [2]
November 1, 2024 REBORN
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 [3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c ""American certifications – Set it Off"". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  2. ^ a b "Punk Goes Pop Vol. 3 by Various Artists on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Wolf In Sheep's Clothing [REBORN] - Set It Off". November 1, 2024.
  4. ^ Jana Angeles (October 30, 2014). "Cody Carson of Set It Off (USA) talks about new album Duality and his journey as a musician". The Aura Review.
  5. ^ a b "Wolf In Sheep's Clothing by Set It Off Chords and Melody". Hooktheory.
  6. ^ Hugo Sellerburg (2014-10-14). "Set It Off - Wolf In Sheep's Clothing (Sheet Music)". HK Pop Piano Academy.
  7. ^ a b ataris182uk (September 19, 2022). "Wolf in Sheeps Clothing - Set It off".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ a b Axeras (Dec 20, 2020). "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing - Set it Off". Musescore.
  9. ^ Carys Hurcom. "Set It Off 'Changing the Game after Midnight'". Wall of Sound.
  10. ^ "Exclusive: Set It Off switch producers, will release new album this fall". Alternative Press. May 15, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  11. ^ "Spotify". Spotify.
  12. ^ Gameofmetal. "Set It Off - Duality". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  13. ^ https://www.songfacts.com/facts/set-it-off/wolf-in-sheeps-clothing
  14. ^ "American certifications – Set It Off – Wolf in Sheep's Clothing". Recording Industry Association of America.
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