Cage the Elephant is a one-band party guerilla who makes the blues sound like the Olympics Opening Ceremony, and grand alt-rock songs feel like anthems to self-loathing. The Kentucky band wears many highly colorful hats, and they nab hits like they’re Elvis in the ’50s.

Unlike some bands they claim as inspiration, Cage the Elephant has never been cool. However, as bands like U2 or Nickelback have shown, being the biggest band in the world has little to do with that. It has, however, everything to do with catchy songs.

That is why today I’m preparing to dance around the room in a flannel shirt while I countdown the best ten songs by indie-rock heavyweights, Cage the Elephant.

The 10 Best Cage the Elephant Songs

“In One Ear” – from the album “Cage the Elephant” (2008)

There’s a hint of jealousy about Cage the Elephant’s success; make no mistake about it. “In One Year” addresses the band’s existing critics, as well as the ones singer Matt Shultz anticipates will be joining later.

Like most of the band’s hits, this one sounds inevitable. How could nobody have thought of it?

The answer is that some (maybe many) probably did. But it matters very little. On their first album Cage the Elephant’s members look like they are individually auditioning for a movie about Kurt Cobain, and the band sounds like an alternative rock band taking on trendy rap vocals.

It might feel like a bit of a stretch. Did the record label consider this before it was released? But it works, and it rarely is it a bummer.

“Come a Little Closer” – from the album “Melophobia” (2013)

By 2013, Cage the Elephant had more in common with Maroon 5 or Coldplay but would’ve preferred to sound like Pixies. “Come a Little Closer” goes a long way in bridging that gap.

For one thing, it’s a gorgeous pop tune. The best Cage the Elephant songs blur the line between alternative-rock power and moody pop hooks. The verses are dry and melancholy-ridden, while the chorus knocks you over the head with the hook the size of the colored paddle used in the music video.

Alas, Cage the Elephant’s musicians are clever businessmen. The band disguises its desire for chart success behind artsy ideals. “Come a Little Closer” is one for the rockers, for their girlfriends, and for their toddlers too.

“Trouble” – from the album “Tell Me I’m Pretty” (2015)

People that complain about Cage the Elephant’s undeniable hooks are just jealous they didn’t steal them first. “Trouble” showed that even at their bluesiest, the band could be depended on for a singalong.

“No hook, no song.” That seems to be the philosophy behind the group’s work throughout their career. And their legions of fans aren’t complaining yet.

Dan Auerbach provides a perfectly gorgeous retro production to “Tell Me I’m Pretty” to give it an old-school pop-rock vibe.

“Shake Me Down” – from the album “Thank You Happy Birthday” (2011)

When most people get sad, they go and have a cry. When most songwriters get sad, they write a self-indulgent song that few will hear. When the folks in Cage the Elephant get sad, they write the beautiful melancholy-pop of “Shake Me Down.”

Like most of their tracks, figuring out which buttons are being triggered is easy. The arrangement is pristine. The melodies are catchy. And it’s easy to care for the singer’s troubles.

But you just try to find many bands that can do all of these things and get away with it.

“Back Against the Wall” – from the album “Cage the Elephant” (2008)

If he were alive, Kurt Cobain would love Cage the Elephant. He’d sneak “Back Against the Wall” onto his playlist and never tell anyone.

The truth is that Nirvana or Weezer had taught all the rock bands how to get a hit. You had to use loud-soft dynamics. You had to be catchy.

Still, up until Cage the Elephant’s debut album, few had used the formula as well as here. “Back Against the Wall” sounds like the Arctic Monkeys if they’d cut their teeth on playing frat parties instead of dingy Sheffield bars.

“Spiderhead” – from the album “Melophobia” (2013)

The arenas were calling out to Cage the Elephant, and its band members responded loudly on their third album with songs like “Spiderhead.”

Contrary to popular belief, arena rock is not a select club. They’ll let anybody in. You just need enough hit songs that crowds can chant in order to gain entrance.

“Spiderhead” crystalized Cage the Elephant’s intentions better than almost any other song. It’s highly dramatic, without saying anything. It sounds moody while encouraging crowds to rise to their feet and dance.

“Ready to Let Go” – from the album “Social Cues” (2019)

There comes a time when every successful pop star has to prove that they’re willing to grow up. Matt Schultz attempts this on “Social Cues.”

But even his darkest tunes, like “Ready to Let Go,” sound like party jams. People scheduling music for indie-rock discos positively love this United States band.

“Ready to Let Go” is just like all the other great Cage the Elephant songs. It’s as sticky as well-chewed gum. It must’ve also taken some weight off the band members’ collective shoulders. This was one of Cage the Elephant’s top songs, undeniably.

Not even Schultz’s woes or the self-directed music video that looks like a DYI tribute to Alexandro Jodorowsky could help keep the fans away.

On “Social Cues,” the band even collaborates with Iggy Pop or Beck. Creed or Nickelback never thought of doing that. Or, there was just nobody to pick up.

“Aberdeen” – from the album “Thank You Happy Birthday” (2011)

In retrospect, Cage the Elephant’s success was inevitable. Tunes like “Aberdeen” sounded like The Breeders being produced by Timbaland. How could that not be successful?!

Guitar bands back in the 1990s weren’t shy about using cute melodies. From Pavement to Dinosaur Jr, it’s not hard to enjoy their music.

But none were as blunt as Cage the Elephant in trying to create stadium indie-rock. Most impressively is that they pull it off.

One key ingredient to this is Matt Schultz’s singing. On any of the band’s tracks, it sounds like the voice of a confused child trying to figure out what kind of candy he should choose. It’s certainly more fetching than that of most modern rock singers.

“Cigarette Daydreams” – from the album “Melophobia” (2013)

The trick to being a great pop-rock band is to make ordinary songs sound like nobody else. This is what Cage the Elephant achieves with “Cigarette Daydreams.”

Could this be a re-write of Arctic Monkeys or The Libertines? Sure. Is it kind of obvious? Yeah! But don’t you just believe what Schultz is singing? Just nod if you agree.

This stands at the top of the list when it comes to the collection of Cage the Elephant love songs.

When the final book is written, when all the bands are ranked by God himself, Cage the Elephant will be viewed as the Hall & Oates of their time. They wrote undeniable pop music that works like a dirty joke. You smile even if you’re trying to avoid it.

“No Rest for the Wicked” – from the album “Cage the Elephant” (2008)

A good haircut and a nice-looking guitar will get you far in the music game. Fortunately, Cage the Elephant also had instantly memorable songs like “No Rest for the Wicked” in their back pocket.

It wasn’t revolutionary. It was… the blues played by kids who looked like they wanted to be in Nirvana.

It wasn’t controversial, either. The lyrics were about people that were…err…wicked and managed to get away with it too.

And you could learn to hum or sing it within seconds. A lot of people did. It’s, without a shadow of a doubt, Cage the Elephant’s most popular song, number one among their biggest hits. Its success created a number of clones of bands like Cage the Elephant, usually in terms of style but missing some of the group’s finesse.

“No Rest for the Wicked” is one of the biggest indie-rock songs in recent decades, and for good reason. It sounds like the work of an idiot savant. It’s hard to tell it apart from other songs of its type, but, at the same time, it is truly unforgettable. I listen to it weekly and I’m only slightly ashamed to admit it.

Bonus Round: “Metaverse” – from the album “Neon Pill” (2024)

Forgive me for being heartless. But if the history of rock has taught us anything, it’s that artists do some of their best work when in distress. Matt Shultz, by his own admission, has seen plenty of that. This series of nervous breakdowns comes to inform “Neon Pill.” Yes, Cage the Elephant sacrifices none of its pleasantness on songs like “Metaverse.”