Temple

Album: Mechanical Bull (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song about taking a shot in the head for a prospective lover was penned in a South African hotel room. "Obviously things changed when we got in the studio, like the intro, but it felt like a '90s song to me," vocalist Caleb Followill told Billboard magazine. "That's when we were listening to a lot of music, and still when we play it, we crack up the whole time, this the most radio friendly song…"

    The Mechanical Bull Deluxe edition bonus track "Last Mile Home" was penned the same night.
  • According to drummer Nathan Followill, the breakdown in the song is the band's ode to Irish rockers Thin Lizzy.
  • The band have performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Saturday Night Live.
  • The song's music video splits between sepia-toned Super 8 footage shot around the band's home town of Nashville and shots of an in-studio performance of the song. "The Super 8 footage was shot by the band, myself and director Paul Greenhouse on the day of the video and the days leading up to it," said Casey McGrath, chief creative officer at the Phear Creative, the agency behind the clip. "Nashville (is a) part of the band's life that is extremely near and dear to their hearts."

    A Prince and two Princesses of Leon can be seen on hand in the studio: Caleb's daughter Dixie, Nathan's daughter Violet, and Matthew's son Knox.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

The Girl in That Song

The Girl in That SongFact or Fiction

Billie Jean, Delilah, Sara, Laura and Sharona - do you know who the girls in the songs really are?

Jesus In Pop Hits: The Gospel Songs That Went Mainstream

Jesus In Pop Hits: The Gospel Songs That Went MainstreamSong Writing

These overtly religious songs crossed over to the pop charts, despite resistance from fans, and in many cases, churches.

Annie Haslam of Renaissance

Annie Haslam of RenaissanceSongwriter Interviews

The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.

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.

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Gary Lewis

Gary LewisSongwriter Interviews

Gary Lewis and the Playboys had seven Top 10 hits despite competition from The Beatles. Gary talks about the hits, his famous father, and getting drafted.