I Hate You

The Monks recorded “I Hate You” in November 1965 at Polydor Studios in Cologne, West Germany, after the American ex-GIs had remained in Germany and transformed their former beat-group act into the Monks. Gary Burger, Larry Clark, Dave Day, Eddie Shaw and Roger Johnston cut the track with producer Jimmy Bowien, using organ drones, fuzz guitar, electric banjo, distorted bass and cymbal-light drums. Released by Polydor in 1966 on Black Monk Time, the track captured the band’s confrontational anti-pop approach at its starkest. Its call-and-response hostility and blunt rhythmic attack helped make the album a cult precursor to later punk and experimental rock. The track remains one of the Monks’ most quoted recordings and a key example of their influence on later underground rock. The Fall’s “Black Monk Theme Part I” drew directly on “I Hate You,” reinforcing its standing among post-punk musicians and collectors.