"Shake Me Down" is the first single and fourth track on

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 S ...

's second album ''

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 album was produced by Jay Joyce, who worked in the same capacity on the band' ...

''. A music video for the single was released on January 11, 2011. Both the song and the video gained much critical acclaim, and earned a nomination for Best Rock Video at the

2011 MTV Video Music Awards The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards took place on August 28, at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. On July 20, the nominees were announced. Katy Perry received the most nominations this year at ten, ...

Composition

The song features Cage the Elephant percussionist

Jared Champion Jared Lloyd Champion (born February 27, 1983) is the drummer for American rock band Cage the Elephant. Early life and career Champion was born and raised in Bowling Green, Kentucky. In high school, Champion, with current bandmate Matt Shultz, ...

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 The Shins is an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's cu ...

. The song is Matthew Shultz singing about life's many depressing aspects in the verses, while the chorus is a short burst of optimism. The song features quiet verses broken by loud drum interludes.

Music video

In the music video, 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 ...

, a middle-aged jogger relives vivid memories of his life through a surreal, nostalgic journey. 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, and garnered a nomination for Best Rock Video at the

Chart performance

The single proved to be their most successful in the UK despite not being their highest charting; it spent 6 weeks in the top 100 at number 99, 87, 78, 58, 55, then a final week at number 67. "

In One Ear ''In One Ear'' was a late-night alternative comedy sketch show, broadcast between 1984 and 1986, on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom, broadcast live from the BBC Paris Studio in London, with a (sometimes edited) repeat later in the week. T ...

" and "

Ain't No Rest for the Wicked "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" is the third single by the American rock band Cage the Elephant. It was released as a CD single on June 16, 2008 by Relentless Records and became the first Top 40 hit for the band in the UK. A music video was filmed ...

" both spent 2 weeks in the top 100.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shake Me Down 2010 singles Cage the Elephant songs Rock ballads Song recordings produced by Jay Joyce 2010 songs Relentless Records singles Jive Records singles Songs written by Matt Shultz (singer)