Ain't No Rest for the Wicked
"Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
File:Ain't no rest for the wicked.jpg | ||||
Single by Cage the Elephant | ||||
from the album Cage the Elephant | ||||
Released | June 16, 2008 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:55 | |||
Label | Relentless | |||
Songwriter(s) | Jared Champion, Lincoln Parish, Brad Shultz, Matt Shultz, Daniel Tichenor | |||
Producer(s) | Jay Joyce | |||
Cage the Elephant singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"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 for this song which was directed by D.A.R.Y.L of Pulse Films. A later re-release in North America the following year reached number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100, reached number 3 on the Alternative Songs chart and number 8 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
Composition
The song talks about three particular instances in which the narrator realizes "there ain't no rest for the wicked." First, he encounters a prostitute asking if he desires to spend the night with her. The narrator proceeds to ask her why she does what she does. The chorus (her response) analyzes the main reasons why individuals follow the paths they follow ("...Money don't grow on trees, I've got bills to pay, I've got mouths to feed..."). The narrator, less than fifteen minutes later, is mugged by a criminal, whom he asks the same question and from whom he receives the same answer. Finally, upon arriving home and turning on the television, the narrator sees a preacher being arrested for stealing the funds of his church. This is followed by a third chorus saying that everyone is the same and we all have no rest "until we close our eyes for good."
Lead singer Matt Shultz stated the song was inspired by an old co-worker of his who at the time was a drug dealer. When Shultz asked him why he dealt drugs, the co-worker told him that "There's no rest for the wicked." Shultz was a plumber at the time, and said that he wrote the lyrics on a piece of drywall which he found while working at his co-worker's house.[1]
Usage in media
The song appeared in the opening and closing sequences of the first Borderlands game; a commercial for the TNT series Leverage; in the 2010 film The Bounty Hunter; in an episode of The Vampire Diaries ("Isobel"); in a third-season episode of Jersey Shore; as the opening song of Canadian reality television series Yukon Gold; and Cage the Elephant performed the song on national television on the Late Show with David Letterman. In the pilot episode for Fox's Lucifer, the song is in both the opening and closing scenes of the episode. It was also used in the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why and in Hawaii Five-0.[2]
Track listings
- "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" – 2:52
- "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" (Acoustic Version) – 3:02
Chart positions
Weekly charts
Chart (2008–09) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[3] | 42 |
Canada Rock (Billboard)[4] | 2 |
Scotland (OCC)[5] | 24 |
UK Singles (OCC)[6] | 32 |
US Billboard Hot 100[7] | 83 |
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[8] | 6 |
Year-end charts
Chart (2009) | Position |
---|---|
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[9] | 13 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[10] | Gold | 400,000![]() |
United States (RIAA)[11] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ Lopez, Korina (22 April 2011). "On the verge: Cage the Elephant stampedes to fame". USA Today. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
- ^ "Hawaii Five-0" A'ole e 'olelo mai ana ke ahi ua ana ia (TV Episode 2017), IMDb, retrieved 2018-10-02
- ^ "Cage the Elephant Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
- ^ "Cage the Elephant Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
- ^ "Cage the Elephant Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
- ^ "Cage the Elephant Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
- ^ "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
- ^ "British single certifications – Cage the Elephant – Ain't No Rest for the Wicked". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
- ^ "American single certifications – Cage the Elephant – Ain't No Rest for the Wicked". Recording Industry Association of America.
External links
- Articles with short description
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- Articles with hAudio microformats
- Singlechart usages for Billboardcanadianhot100
- Singlechart called without song
- Singlechart usages for Billboardcanadarock
- Singlechart usages for Scotland
- Singlechart called without artist
- Singlechart usages for UK
- Singlechart usages for Billboardhot100
- Singlechart usages for Billboardrocksongs
- Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom
- Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming figures
- Certification Table Entry usages for United States
- Pages using certification Table Entry with shipments figures
- Pages using certification Table Entry with shipments footnote
- Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming footnote
- AC with 0 elements
- 2008 singles
- Cage the Elephant songs
- Songs about prostitutes
- Songs critical of religion
- Song recordings produced by Jay Joyce
- Relentless Records singles
- 2008 songs
- Songs written by Matt Shultz (singer)