Around My Head
Encyclopedia
"Around My Head" is the second single and ninth track on American rock
band Cage the Elephant
's second album, Thank You Happy Birthday
. The single was released globally on May 4, 2011. A music video for the single was released on June 7, 2011.
sings a melody which matches that of the riff. The influence behind the song has been attributed to The Pixies, and Shultz has stated that he wanted his yells to "sound like Black Francis", who is the band's lead singer.
has trouble sleeping. He goes to the graveyard and digs up the woman's grave, and then takes the woman's zombie
-like carcass to parties, restaurants and barbecues. His band-mates, friends and other bystanders take great amusement in the slapstick humor that ensues. Throughout the video, Shultz accidentally grills her face and loses her arm. At the end of the video, it is revealed that Shultz was dreaming. After he wakes, he actually goes to the graveyard and digs up the grave. When he presents it to his band-mates, however, they are disgusted. One of the members asks something to Shultz, while swearing at him in the process. Worse, rhythm guitarist Brad Shultz vomits when he sees the carcass.
-like” happiness in this song." Bradley Ray of The Celebrity Cafe criticized the video, saying "it fails to be shocking and it isn’t really that funny either." Commercially, the song was also a relative failure compared to its predecessors, peaking at a dismal number 15 on Billboard's Alternative Songs, a chart on which the last three of the band's singles all reached number one.
American rock
American rock is rock music from the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and country music, and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music. The creation of American rock music was highly influenced by the British Invasion of the American pop...
band Cage the Elephant
Cage the Elephant
Cage the Elephant is an American rock band from Bowling Green, Kentucky, that formed in mid-2006. Since their formation, the band has gained a large following in the US as well as the UK and Canada for their sound and their high-energy live performances. The band released their self-titled debut...
's second album, Thank You Happy Birthday
Thank You, Happy Birthday
Thank You, Happy Birthday is the second studio album by American rock band Cage the Elephant. It was released on January 11, 2011 to positive critical reception...
. The single was released globally on May 4, 2011. A music video for the single was released on June 7, 2011.
Background and composition
The song starts on a soft guitar riff, over which lead singer Matthew ShultzMatthew Shultz
Matt Shultz is the lead singer for the American Alternative rock band, Cage The Elephant. Matt also plays guitar on the bonus track "Cover Me Again" off of their self-titled album...
sings a melody which matches that of the riff. The influence behind the song has been attributed to The Pixies, and Shultz has stated that he wanted his yells to "sound like Black Francis", who is the band's lead singer.
Music video
A music video for the song, directed by Chris Marrs Piliero, was released on June 7, 2011. The video features the band attending a funeral for a woman. Later, at night time, lead singer Matthew ShultzMatthew Shultz
Matt Shultz is the lead singer for the American Alternative rock band, Cage The Elephant. Matt also plays guitar on the bonus track "Cover Me Again" off of their self-titled album...
has trouble sleeping. He goes to the graveyard and digs up the woman's grave, and then takes the woman's zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
-like carcass to parties, restaurants and barbecues. His band-mates, friends and other bystanders take great amusement in the slapstick humor that ensues. Throughout the video, Shultz accidentally grills her face and loses her arm. At the end of the video, it is revealed that Shultz was dreaming. After he wakes, he actually goes to the graveyard and digs up the grave. When he presents it to his band-mates, however, they are disgusted. One of the members asks something to Shultz, while swearing at him in the process. Worse, rhythm guitarist Brad Shultz vomits when he sees the carcass.
Reception
Reception to the single was generally mixed. Music review site Allmusic recommended the track as one of the best tracks of the album. However, writer Nikita Miller of music and photography site Hive Magazine states that "the song doesn’t seem thought about at all, basically just a quick in and out of the studio"., although she goes on to say that "it’s a fun song to listen to, in that they’ve added those “oohs” and “aahs” and used the guitars cleverly enough to convey an almost “WeezerWeezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
-like” happiness in this song." Bradley Ray of The Celebrity Cafe criticized the video, saying "it fails to be shocking and it isn’t really that funny either." Commercially, the song was also a relative failure compared to its predecessors, peaking at a dismal number 15 on Billboard's Alternative Songs, a chart on which the last three of the band's singles all reached number one.
Chart Performance
| Chart (2010–2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Alternative Songs |
15 |
| U.S. Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Canadian Alternative Rock Songs Canadian rock/alternative chart The Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie... |
31 |
| U.S. Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Rock Songs Rock Songs Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs... |
27 |
| U.S. Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Canadian Alternative Rock Songs Canadian rock/alternative chart The Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie... |
78 |