| "Shake Me Down" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Cage the Elephant | ||||
| from the album Thank You, Happy Birthday | ||||
| Released | November 22, 2010 | |||
| Format | 7" single, digital download, CD | |||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 3:32 | |||
| Label | Relentless (UK) Jive/RED (U.S.) |
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| Writer(s) | Cage the Elephant | |||
| Producer | Jay Joyce | |||
| Cage the Elephant singles chronology | ||||
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"Shake Me Down" is the first single and fourth track on Cage the Elephant's second album Thank You, Happy Birthday. A music video for the single was released on January 11, 2011.[1] Both the song and the video gained much critical acclaim [2], and earned a nomination for Best Rock Video at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards [3]
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The song features Cage The Elephant percussionist Jared Champion playing on a set of toy drums. The guitar riff was borrowed from a song that bassist Daniel Tichenor's father had written and the bass line was inspired by the Shins.[4] The song Matthew Shultz singing about life's many depressing aspects in the verses, while the chorus is a short burst of optimism. [5] The song features quiet verses broken by loud drum interludes.
In the music video, directed by Isaac Rentz, a middle-aged jogger relives vivid memories of his life through a surreal, nostalgic journey. [6] At the end of the video, the man sees his deceased friends and family members, including his wife. The video then shows that the man was dreaming the entire time, and died in his sleep. As his wife cries by his side, the video fades with a blurred view of the man standing next to the shore at a beach. Singer Matthew Shultz is occasionally seen singing in a tent in the man's childhood hideout, while the rest of the band plays through various cut scenes. The music video achieved critical acclaim [7], and garnered a nomination for Best Rock Video at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards.[8]
The single has proved to be their most successful in the UK despite not being their highest charting, it spent 6 weeks in the top 100 at #99, #87, #78, #58, #55, then it spent a final week at #67, "In One Ear" and "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" both spent 2 weeks in the top 100.
| Chart (2010–2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Hot 100[9] | 51 |
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[10] | 55 |
| U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs[9] | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 10 |
| U.S. Billboard Rock Songs[9] | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 78 |
| U.S. Billboard Heatseekers Songs[9] | 4 |
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