Elephant (Tame Impala song)

"Elephant"
Single by Tame Impala
from the album Lonerism
Released 25 July 2012 (2012-07-25)
Format
Genre
Length 3:31
Label Modular
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Kevin Parker
ISWC T-061.365.045-5
Tame Impala singles chronology
"Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind?"
(2011)		 "Elephant"
(2012)		 "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards"
(2012)

"Elephant" is a song by Australian psychedelic rock band Tame Impala. It was released as a single from their second album Lonerism on 26 July 2012.[1]

Background

Kevin Parker explains that:

Elephant is actually one of the oldest songs that I have, it's just been in the vaults this whole time. I'm not sure why we never recorded it before, but we were just playing it at a sound check one night and everyone in the band was like, 'We should just put this on the album', and so we did.
— Kevin Parker[2]

"Elephant" features a bluesier side of Tame Impala, heard more frequently on their EP, as the song was written around that stage. Because it was written around that time, "Elephant" is "an anomaly on Lonerism. There are no other songs that have that bluesy riffing".[3]

Critical reception

Nathan Reese of Refinery29 described the song as the group's "meaner, more immediate take on its garage-psych sound". He also commented that the song "with dueling keyboard and guitar solos that arrive midway through" resembles Pink Floyd's "Lucifer Sam", "channeled through the Stooges".[4] J Arthur Bloom from Tiny Mix Tapes regarded the song as "the most psychologically revealing song on the album", expressing that Kevin Parker's "stoner insouciance goes well with the garage rock, White Stripes-y groove".[5] Joe Levy from Rolling Stone stated that the song was "Tame Impala's 2012 alt-rock hit", describing the guitar riff as "gong-banging glam".[6]

Awards

TV/Film appearances

"Elephant" has a number of appearances in television and film, including:

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[18] 77
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[19] 131
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[20] 36
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[21] 12
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[22] 8
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[23] 40

Year-end charts

Chart (2013) Position
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[24] 89
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[25] 33
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[26] 24

References

  1. ↑ "Tame Impala single 'Elephant'". Self-titled Mag. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  2. ↑ "Tame Impala Stereogum Lonerism feature". Stereogum. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  3. ↑ "Tame Impala SFWeekly Lonerism Feature". SFWeekly. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  4. ↑ Reese, Nathan (2012-07-26). "This Is Our Jam, Tame Impala, "Elephant"". Refinery29. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  5. ↑ Bloom, J Arthur. "Tame Impala - Lonerism". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  6. ↑ LEVY, JOE (July 17, 2015). "Currents". Rolling Stone. ...of Tame Impala's 2012 alt-rock hit "Elephant" returns for a few seconds
  7. ↑ Hottest 100 - 2012 | triple j
  8. ↑ "EG Music Awards 2012". FasterLouder. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  9. ↑ "Zane Lowe's Hottest Records blog: Hottest Record - Tame Impala - Elephant". BBC. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  10. ↑ "Song of the Year". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  11. ↑ BlackBerry Z10 Commercial Ad on YouTube
  12. ↑ "Girls Season 2 Soundtrack List (2013)". Song On Lyrics. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  13. ↑ "The Fifth Estate Soundtrack Details - Film Music Reporter". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  14. ↑ "Vampire Diaries Music - Season 5: "Handle With Care" - TuneFind". TuneFind. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  15. ↑ "the Originals Music - Season 1: "The Big Uneasy" - TuneFind". TuneFind. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  16. ↑ ""Covert Affairs" Levitate Me (TV episode 2013) - Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  17. ↑ ""Bates Motel" Persuasion (TV episode 2015) - Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  18. ↑ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 4 February 2013 (Issue 1197)" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. p. 2. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  19. ↑ Zywietz, Tobias. "CHART: CLUK Update 20.10.2012 (wk41)". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  20. ↑ "Tame Impala – Chart history" Billboard Hot Rock Songs for Tame Impala. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  21. ↑ "Tame Impala – Chart history" Billboard Rock Airplay for Tame Impala. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  22. ↑ "Tame Impala – Chart history" Billboard Alternative Songs for Tame Impala. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  23. ↑ "Tame Impala – Chart history" Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs for Tame Impala. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  24. ↑ "Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  25. ↑ "Rock Airplay Songs: Year End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Alternative Songs: Year End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
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