Spiderhead

Album: Melophobia (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song opens Cage The Elephant's third album Melophobia with a wash of David Bowie influenced fuzz-tone guitar. Axeman Brad Shultz told MusicRadar.com: "I wasn't being influenced during the writing or recording of 'Spiderhead.' Matt (Shultz, vocals) has been getting into Bowie, so that could be there maybe, although I can't speak for him. As for myself, I just wanted to write a riff that I really loved. But that was the hardest thing – trying to dream up that one thing that I could be honestly excited about."
  • Melophobia is the hatred or fear of music, and the album was titled thus as the whole process was riddled with adversity and growing pains. This was one of the songs that the band struggled to complete. Brad Shultz told MusicRadar: "We probably wrote four different choruses for this one; we just didn't want to settle. We didn't want to assume that the first thing was always the right thing. I never want to say that we took the easy way out on this record."

    "If you've ever had that feeling where you had to convince yourself that something is the right thing," he continued, "then you know it's not the right thing. It's hard to come to that realization, too. As an artist, you want to love everything that you do. But there's a fine line between loving something and convincing yourself to love it."

Comments: 1

  • Antm from Hangin AroundI used to listen to an Mp3 of this song all the time when I was in highschool. Cage the elephant was a big part of my life during that time. It all started when I heard "Ain't no rest for the wicked" on Borderlands 1 and ever since, I've been a huge fan of this band. Spiderhead being one of my favorite songs by them.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Charlie Benante of Anthrax

Charlie Benante of AnthraxSongwriter Interviews

The drummer for Anthrax is also a key songwriter. He explains how the group puts their songs together and tells the stories behind some of their classics.

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Vanessa Carlton

Vanessa CarltonSongwriter Interviews

The "A Thousand Miles" singer on what she thinks of her song being used in White Chicks and how she captured a song from a dream.

Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers

Bill Medley of The Righteous BrothersSongwriter Interviews

Medley looks back on "Unchained Melody" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" - his huge hits from the '60s that were later revived in movies.

Shawn Mullins

Shawn MullinsSongwriter Interviews

"Lullaby" singer Shawn Mullins on "Beautiful Wreck," beating the Devil, and his writing credit on the Zac Brown Band song "Toes."