"Trying to Be Cool" is a song by the French band
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
from their fifth album ''
Bankrupt!''. It was released as the second single from the album on 8 July 2013.
The official remix features
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses.
During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...
. The song became Phoenix's third top-ten hit on the ''Billboard''
Alternative Songs chart, after "1901" and "Lisztomania". The song's cover includes a
mint julep
Mint julep is a mixed alcoholic drink, or cocktail, consisting primarily of bourbon, sugar, water, crushed or shaved ice, and fresh mint. As a bourbon-based cocktail, it is associated with the American South and the cuisine of the Southern Un ...
, which is said in one of the song's lines, "mint julep testosterone". Frontman Thomas Mars told ''
Spin'' magazine the lyrics to "Trying to Be Cool" mainly analyse "the beauty of the fake".
Music video
The single's
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
, which was directed by Canada
and produced by The Creators Project, was released on YouTube on 2 July 2013.
The music video includes a "surprise" made every 20 seconds.
The version of the song used in the music video is more guitar-driven and less synthesizer-driven than the album version. In addition, the video version is a medley with "Drakkar Noir". This combination has become the typical live-performance of the song for Phoenix's concerts.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
Phoenix (band) songs
2013 singles
V2 Records singles
2013 songs
Songs written by Thomas Mars
Songs written by Laurent Brancowitz
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