{{Infobox song | name = Around My Head | cover = | alt = | type = single | artist = Cage the Elephant | album = Thank You Happy Birthday | released = May 4, 2011 | format = | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = | length = 3:11 | label = Jive, Relentless | writer = Jared Champion, Lincoln Parish, Brad Shultz, Matt Shultz, Daniel Tichenor | producer = Jay Joyce | chronology = Cage the Elephant | prev_title = Shake Me Down | prev_year = 2010 | next_title = Aberdeen | next_year = 2011 }}

"'''Around My Head'''" is the second single and ninth track on American rock band Cage the Elephant's second album, ''Thank You Happy Birthday''. The single was released globally on May 4, 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bloglyrics.net/cage-the-elephant-around-my-head-lyrics-and-music-review.html |title=Cage the Elephant—Around My Head |publisher=Blog Lyrics |date=May 4, 2011 |access-date=July 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110506201657/http://bloglyrics.net/cage-the-elephant-around-my-head-lyrics-and-music-review.html |archive-date=May 6, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> A music video for the single was released on June 7, 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.myspace.com/cagetheelephant/blog/543189907 |title=Around My Head Video Premiere on MTV van Cage The Elephant op Myspace |website=Myspace.com |date= |access-date=2012-09-29}}</ref>

==Live performances== The song was performed live on 92 occasions, including Lollapalooza 2012. It has not been performed live since September 2012.

==Background and composition== The song starts on a soft guitar riff, over which lead singer Matthew Shultz sings a melody which matches that of the riff. The influence behind the song has been attributed to the Pixies, and Shultz has stated that he wanted his yells to "sound like Black Francis", who is the band's lead singer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://speakimge.wordpress.com/2011/01/01/new-music-review-cage-the-elephants-new-single-sounds-too-much-like-pixies/ |title=New Music Review: Cage The Elephant's New Single Sounds Too Much Like Pixies &#124; Speak Into My Good Eye |work=Speak Into My Good Eye|date=2011-01-01 |access-date=2012-09-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cagetheelephant.com/biox/ |title=Bio — Cage the Elephant |publisher=Cagetheelephant.com |date=2011-01-11 |access-date=2012-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511112053/http://www.cagetheelephant.com/biox/ |archive-date=2012-05-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Music video== A music video for the song, directed by Chris Marrs Piliero, was released on June 7, 2011.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.mtv.com/videos/cage-the-elephant/660999/around-my-head.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611002448/http://www.mtv.com/videos/cage-the-elephant/660999/around-my-head.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 11, 2011 |title=Around My Head &#124; Cage The Elephant &#124; Music Video |publisher=MTV |date= |access-date=2012-09-29}}</ref> The video features the band attending a funeral for a woman. Later, at night time, lead singer Matthew Shultz, has trouble sleeping. He goes to the graveyard and digs up the woman's grave, and then takes the woman's zombie-like carcass to parties, restaurants and barbecues. His band-mates, friends and other bystanders take great amusement in the slapstick humor that ensues. Throughout the video, Shultz accidentally grills her face and loses her arm. At the end of the video, it is revealed that Shultz was dreaming. After he wakes, he actually goes to the graveyard and digs up the grave. When he presents it to his bandmates at the end of the video, however, they are disgusted; rhythm guitarist Brad Shultz vomits when he sees the carcass, and drummer Jared Champion asks Matthew Shultz "What the fuck is wrong with you, dude?" Matthew then reluctantly states that he would put her back where he found her.<ref>{{cite web|author=Bradley Ray |url=http://thecelebritycafe.com/reviews/video-review-around-my-head-06-07-2011 |title=Video Review: "Around My Head" |website=TheCelebrityCafe.com |date= |access-date=2012-09-29}}</ref>

==Reception== Reception to the single was generally mixed. Music review site AllMusic recommended the track as one of the best tracks of the album.<ref>{{cite web|last=Jeffries |first=David |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/thank-you-happy-birthday-r2082078 |title=Thank You Happy Birthday – Cage the Elephant |website=AllMusic |date=2011-01-11 |access-date=2012-09-29}}</ref> However, writer Nikita Miller of music and photography site ''Hive Magazine'' states that "the song doesn’t seem thought about at all, basically just a quick in and out of the studio".,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hivemag.com/review-cage-the-elephant-around-my-head/ |title=REVIEW // Cage the Elephant 'Around My Head' |publisher=Nikita Miller, Hive Magazine |date=May 17, 2011}}</ref> although she goes on to say that "it’s a fun song to listen to, in that they’ve added those “oohs” and “aahs” and used the guitars cleverly enough to convey an almost “Weezer-like” happiness in this song."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hivemag.com/review-cage-the-elephant-around-my-head/ |title=REVIEW // Cage the Elephant 'Around My Head' |publisher=Hive Magazine |date=May 17, 2011}}</ref> Bradley Ray of ''The Celebrity Cafe'' criticized the video, saying "it fails to be shocking and it isn’t really that funny either."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thecelebritycafe.com/reviews/video-review-around-my-head-06-07-2011 |title=Video Review: "Around My Head |publisher=Bradley Ray, The Celebrity Cafe |date=June 7, 2011}}</ref> The song was not as commercially successful as the first single from the album, "Shake Me Down."

==Chart performance== ===Weekly charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |- !Chart (2011) !Peak<br />position |- ! scope="row"| Mexico Ingles Airplay (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/cage-the-elephant/chart-history/min/|title=Cage the Elephant History (Mexico Ingles Airplay)|access-date=January 3, 2026|magazine=Billboard}}</ref> |style="text-align:center;"| 41 |- {{single chart|Billboardcanadarock|36|artist=Cage the Elephant|rowheader=true|access-date=August 17, 2021}} |- {{single chart|Billboardrocksongs|27|artist=Cage the Elephant|rowheader=true|access-date=August 17, 2021}} |- {{single chart|Billboardrockairplay|27|artist=Cage the Elephant|rowheader=true|access-date=January 3, 2026}} |}

===Year-end charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |- ! scope="col"| Chart (2011) ! scope="col"| Position |- ! scope="row"| US Alternative Songs (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2011/alternative-songs|title=Alternative Songs – Year-End 2011|work=Billboard|access-date=August 17, 2021}}</ref> | 48 |}

==Certifications== {{Certification Table Top}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Cage the Elephant|title=Around My Head|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2011|certyear=2022|accessdate=November 22, 2022}} {{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=yes|noshipments=yes}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{Cage the Elephant}}

{{authority control}}

Category:2011 singles Category:Cage the Elephant songs Category:Music videos directed by Chris Marrs Piliero Category:Song recordings produced by Jay Joyce Category:2011 songs Category:Relentless Records singles Category:Jive Records singles Category:Songs written by Matt Shultz (singer)