"Back Against the Wall" is a song by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Cage the Elephant Cage the Elephant is an American rock band formed in 2006 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. They moved to England, U.K. and settled in London in 2008, shortly before their self-titled first album was released. The band currently consists of Matt Shul ...

. It was released as the fourth single from the band's 2008 self-titled debut album. In the issue dated March 6, 2010, the single peaked at number one on the ''Billboard''

Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart. This is the band's first number one single.

Release and reception

Cage the Elephant re-recorded "Back Against the Wall" from their debut album for the release of the single. Released in February 2009 in the United Kingdom, the single's

B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

include the acoustic track "Cover Me Again", a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

MGMT MGMT () is an American indie rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser. Alongside VanWyngarden and Goldwasser, MGMT's live lineup currently consists of ...

's "

Kids Kid, Kids, KIDS, and K.I.D.S. may refer to: Common meanings * Colloquial term for a child or other young person ** Also for a parent's offspring regardless of age * Engage in joking * Young goats * The goat meat of young goats * Kidskin, lea ...

" recorded for

Radio 1 Radio 1 or Radio One most commonly refers to: *BBC Radio 1, a music radio station from the BBC ** BBC Radio 1Xtra, a digital radio station broadcasting black music *CBC Radio One, a talk radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporatio ...

's ''

Live Lounge The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cotton ...

'', and a cover version of Pavement's "False Skorpion", a B-side to their 1995 "Rattled by la Rush" single. On iTunes, an exclusive cover of Iodine's Monkey Disease is available as the B-side. The song peaked at number one on ''Billboard'''s

chart in March 2010. It also reached number 12 on the

Rock Songs Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (formerly known as Rock Songs and Hot Rock Songs) is a record chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine. From its debut on June 20, 2009, through October 13, 2012, the chart ranked the airplay of songs across alternati ...

chart, number 92 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

, and number 127 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. Robin Murray of '' Clash'' magazine described the song as a "raucous blast of grimy rock 'n' roll". Aysha Hussain of ''

This Is Fake DIY ''DIY'' is a United Kingdom-based music publication, in print and online. Its free print edition is released monthly with a physical circulation of 40,000 in UK venues, clubs and shops. DIY Magazine ''DIY'' was launched in 2002 by then-editor ...

'' says that while the song "chugs along pleasantly enough", it sounds "a little contrived" and "finds itself too comfortable, in danger of being throwaway". The song was featured in an episode of the television show "

One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to: * "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak * ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song ** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...

" and "

The Vampire Diaries ''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the The Vampire Diaries (novel series), book series ...

Music video

In the song's music video, the band members wage war against some

gnome A gnome is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature. Its characte ...

s. The grandmother of the Shultz brothers had several gnomes in her yard, which used to 'creep out' Matt Shultz. The video was directed by

Isaac Rentz Isaac Rentz (born August 21, 1982) is an American feature film, music video, and commercial director. Biography Rentz was born in Japan, and was raised in Tempe, Arizona. He was signed to Draw Pictures for UK and US music video representati ...

and shot in Los Angeles, CA.

Track listing

;7" Vinyl # "Back Against the Wall" (Cage the Elephant) – 3:46 # "False Skorpion" ( Malkmus) – 2:09 ;Digital single, CD # "Back Against the Wall" (Cage the Elephant) – 3:46 # "Cover Me Again" (Cage the Elephant) – 3:10 # "

" (VanWyngarden, Goldwasser) (Radio 1 Lounge version) – 3:39 # "False Skorpion" (Malkmus) – 2:09 ;iTunes version # "Back Against the Wall" – 3:46 # "Monkey Disease (Iodine cover) – 1:26

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Back Against The Wall 2009 singles Cage the Elephant songs Song recordings produced by Jay Joyce 2008 songs Relentless Records singles Jive Records singles