Come a Little Closer (Cage the Elephant song) explained

"Come a Little Closer" is a song by American rock band Cage the Elephant. Written by lead singer Matthew Shultz and produced by Jay Joyce, it was released as the lead single from the band's third studio album Melophobia on August 13, 2013. It topped the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in the United States, giving the band their fourth number-one hit on the chart.^[1]

Background

Cage the Elephant lead singer Matthew Shultz wrote "Come a Little Closer", taking inspiration from an occasion in which he woke up in a São Paulo hotel in the early morning and opened his window to watch the sunrise over the favelas.^[2] Finding the makeshift housing comparable to an anthill, he soon found himself wondering what each soul inside each borough felt, whether it be heartache, love, loss or joy.^[2]

Music video

The music video for "Come a Little Closer" was directed by Matthew Schultz and released on November 12, 2013.^[3] A mix of animation and live-action footage, it depicts the members of Cage the Elephant being transported to an alien planet and trying to escape from several monstrous beings, and in Schultz's case, having to navigate out of the stomach of a giant whale and evade being devoured by a group of birds.^[4] Schultz then rides a flaming lion and makes his way to a different planet made of skulls, traveling into its core and managing to escape death by destroying it.^[4] Scenes of the band performing the song is interspersed throughout.^[4]

Track listing

• Digital download

1. "Come a Little Closer" – 3:49

• 7" vinyl

1. "Come a Little Closer" – 3:49
2. "Baby Blue" – 3:57

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2013)	Position
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[6]	46
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[7]	23

Chart (2014)	Position
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[8]	35
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[9]	3

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
United States	August 13, 2013	Digital download[10]	RCA Records
		Active rock radio[11]
		Modern rock radio[12]
United Kingdom	February 3, 2014	7" vinyl[13]	Virgin EMI Records

Notes and References

1. Chart Highlights: Cage The Elephant Returns To No. 1 On Rock Airplay, Alternative Songs . . New York . November 11, 2013 . November 12, 2013 . Caulfield, Keith . Trust, Gary.
2. Cage The Elephant Talk Melophobia, 'Come A Little Closer,' Songwriting . . Nashville . October 7, 2013 . October 9, 2013 . Rutledge, Chris.
3. Web site: Come A Little Closer (Official Video) Cage The Elephant Music Video . https://web.archive.org/web/20140407142801/http://www.mtv.com/videos/cage-the-elephant/978114/come-a-little-closer-official-video.jhtml . dead . April 7, 2014 . . . April 2, 2014.
4. Cage the Elephant Battle Psychedelic Beasts in 'Come a Little Closer' . . New York . November 12, 2013 . January 2, 2015 . Blistein, Jon.
5. Web site: [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=Cage the Elephant|chart=Mexico Ingles Airplay}} Cage the Elephant Album & Song Chart History ]. Billboard Mexico Ingles Airplay for Royal Blood . January 19, 2015.
6. Web site: Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2013 . . December 21, 2014.
7. Web site: Rock Airplay Songs: Year End 2013 . . December 21, 2014.
8. Web site: Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2014 . . December 21, 2014.
9. Web site: Rock Airplay Songs: Year End 2014 . . December 21, 2014.
10. Web site: Come A Little Closer: Cage the Elephant . November 12, 2013.
11. Web site: R&R Going For Adds: Active Rock (Week Of: August 13, 2013) . . November 12, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131112110009/http://gfa.radioandrecords.com/publishGFA/GFANextPage.asp?sDate=08%2F13%2F2013&Format=2 . November 12, 2013 . dead .
12. Web site: Alternative > Future Releases . All Access Music Group . November 12, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130628222743/http://www.allaccess.com/alternative/future-releases . June 28, 2013 . dead .
13. Web site: Come a Little Closer (7 inch Vinyl Disc – Virgin EMI #3771032) – Cage the Elephant . . . January 2, 2015.