Something Is Not Right With Me
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"Something Is Not Right with Me" is a song by American
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
band Cold War Kids. It serves as the fourth track and debut single off their second album ''
Loyalty to Loyalty ''Loyalty to Loyalty'' is the second studio album by American indie rock band Cold War Kids. It was released on September 23, 2008, by Downtown Records. Following the success of their debut album ''Robbers & Cowards'' and spending the rest of 200 ...
'' (2008). The song was released online in July 2008 by the band on their Myspace page. It was given an official release on September 1, 2008, on iTunes. Lyrically, it describes a person facing a dilemma about living in a world that's constantly changing. "Something Is Not Right with Me" received a mixed response from critics. It peaked at number 39 on the ''Billboard'' Alternative Airplay chart and was voted number 38 in the
Triple J Hottest 100 The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music listener poll hosted by the publicly-funded, national Australian youth radio station, Triple J. Members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite Australian and alternative music of the ...
in 2008, their third song to appear on that chart since 2007's " Hang Me Up to Dry" and "Hospital Beds". A music video for the single was directed by Sophie Muller that features the band in an abandoned warehouse space.


Song information

"Something Is Not Right with Me" was described by lead singer Nathan Willett as an upbeat track that's about a person losing touch with the revolving world and its constant changes from people to technology. James McMahon of ''
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'' described the song's rhythm as being "akin to '' Lodger''-era Bowie."


Critical reception

The song garnered mixed reviews from
music critic ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mus ...
s. Joseph Coscarelli of ''
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'' did a stream review and praised the band for its use of "a step-worthy, pounding bass line" and "
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-styled bluesy licks". Judy Coleman of ''
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'' found the song to be "infectiously manic". Despite finding milquetoast tracks on the album, ''
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'' said that the song rose "above the general air of torpor". Chris Mincher of ''
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'' was critical about the track, finding fault in Nathan Willett's voice going from "a mere Jack White-style wail to screechy barking" but overall found it to be "an otherwise fine tune". The song was voted number 38 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2008, their third song to appear on that chart since 2007's " Hang Me Up to Dry" and "Hospital Beds".


Music video

The video features the band playing in an abandoned warehouse space in which they do random stuff that follows the song's title. The video was directed by Sophie Muller and was uploaded on the band's YouTube page on September 17, 2008.


Live performances

Cold War Kids performed the song on ''
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'' on September 19, 2008, ''
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'' on October 28, 2008, and ''
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'' on November 13, 2008.


Use in popular culture

*The song was featured in the season 5 episode "Fire Sale" of the
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
series '' Entourage''. *The song was featured in the 2009 film '' Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant''.


Formats and track listing

;Europe CD #"Something Is Not Right with Me" – 2:29 ;Europe 7" Vinyl #"Something Is Not Right with Me" – 2:22 #"Bullies Always Win" – 3:11


Charts


References

{{Authority control 2008 singles 2008 songs Cold War Kids songs Downtown Records singles V2 Records singles Music videos directed by Sophie Muller