Cigarette Daydreams
2014 single by Cage the Elephant
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"Cigarette Daydreams" is a song by American alternative rock band Cage the Elephant. Produced by Jay Joyce, it was released as the third single from the band's third studio album Melophobia (2013) on August 26, 2014. It topped the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in the United States, becoming the second number-one single from Melophobia, following the album's single "Come a Little Closer", and the band's fifth overall chart-topper.
| "Cigarette Daydreams" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Cage the Elephant | ||||
| from the album Melophobia | ||||
| Released | August 26, 2014 | |||
| Recorded | 2012–2013 | |||
| Studio | St. Charles, Nashville, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 3:28 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriters | Matthew Shultz, Lincoln Parish, Brad Shultz, Daniel Tichenor, Jared Champion | |||
| Producer | Jay Joyce | |||
| Cage the Elephant singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Cigarette Daydream" on YouTube | ||||
In late 2024 it became the band's first song to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify.[1]
Writing and background
Singer Matt Shultz has stated that the song is inspired by a "personal experience" and that the words came to him naturally.[2] After he began writing, Shultz phoned the album's producer who stated "Matt, finish the song right now! Just do it."[2] Shultz also noted that the song came from a desire to "be transparent and speak from naked honesty".[2]
The song's background is rooted in a softer, more melancholic, brooding sound distinct from the band's typical style, incorporating nostalgic black and white imagery in its music video, which depicts a fractured, hallucinatory love story.[3][4]
Music video
The official music video for "Cigarette Daydreams" was directed by Mark Pellington and released on September 5, 2014.[5] The video stars actress Juliette Buchs – who later became the wife of Cage the Elephant frontman Matthew Shultz – as a woman struggling to find peace in her life, interspersed with various scenes of her running away from an unknown entity.[5][6]
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Rock (Billboard)[7] | 6 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[8] | 2 |
| US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[9] | 40 |
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[10] | 9 |
| US Rock & Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[11] | 2 |
Year-end charts
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[14] | 2× Platinum | 120,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[15] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[16] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[17] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[18] | 5× Platinum | 5,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States[19] | August 26, 2014 | Modern rock radio | RCA Records |
