Cold Cold Cold

Album: Tell Me I'm Pretty (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song finds Matthew Shultz addressing a feeling of imminent doom, something he's had to deal with his whole life. The Cage the Elephant singer told Billboard magazine: "As far as I can remember, I've had this picture of this sad kind of life that I've lionized in my head over the years. When I was 10, there was this ice storm. I put on my coat, walked into the snow and pretended I was lost. I was so melancholy. I imagined myself turning into an ice sculpture. Then my dad pulled up: 'What are you doing? It's freezing outside. Get in the car.'"
  • Shultz pretty much wrote the song in one sitting. He told HMV.com: "I was just thinking about struggling with this feeling of imminent doom and seasonal depression. I wanted to write a song that was a metaphor for that but that played into the idea of needing help. So it's like throwing my hands up and saying 'That's it, take me to the hospital, someone help me.'"
  • The 1960s-set hallucinatory video was directed by Matt Shultz. It follows a young man's harrowing journey when he enters a psychiatric institution, which is filled with drugs, creepy masks and decapitation. Shultz told Rolling Stone regarding the clip's themes:

    "I think we're all very prone to subscribe to a safe, surface level pursuit of happiness, keeping our adversities out of sight out of mind, in a way. We try to fix ourselves to fit into the social norm, and it is so easy to forget that in one way or another, the broken-hearted are the beautiful ones."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Tom Waits Lyrics Quiz

Tom Waits Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

Pool balls, magpies and thorns without roses - how well do you know your Tom Waits lyrics?

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)Songwriter Interviews

Richie talks about producing the first two Kiss albums, recording "Brother Louie," and the newfound appreciation of his rock band, Dust.

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.

Supertramp founder Roger Hodgson

Supertramp founder Roger HodgsonSongwriter Interviews

Roger tells the stories behind some of his biggest hits, including "Give a Little Bit," "Take the Long Way Home" and "The Logical Song."

Real or Spinal Tap

Real or Spinal TapMusic Quiz

They sang about pink torpedoes and rocking you tonight tonight, but some real lyrics are just as ridiculous. See if you can tell which lyrics are real and which are Spinal Tap in this lyrics quiz.

Joan Armatrading

Joan ArmatradingSongwriter Interviews

The revered singer-songwriter talks inspiration and explains why she put a mahout in "Drop the Pilot."