Due to its title and the content of the music video, the song is frequently assumed to be either an animal rights song or a reference to the famous experiments by Stanley Milgram described in his book Obedience to Authority (1974). It is neither, but the Gabriel song "We Do What We're Told (Milgram's 37)" from his fifth studio album So (1986) does deal directly with Milgram.
Gabriel has described "Shock the Monkey" as "a love song" that examines how jealousy can release one's basic instincts; the monkey is not a literal monkey, but a metaphor for one's feelings of jealousy. Gabriel has mentioned that the song's lyrical motif was inspired by King Kong's lightning powers in the film King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962).
Shock the Monkey