Ain't No Rest for the Wicked

"Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" is the third single by the American rock band Cage the Elephant. It was released as a CD single on June 16, 2008 by Relentless Records and became the first Top 40 hit for the band in the UK. A music video was filmed for this song which was directed by D.A.R.Y.L of Pulse Films. A later re-release in North America the following year reached number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100, reached number 3 on the Alternative Songs chart and number 8 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

"Ain't No Rest for the Wicked"
Single by Cage the Elephant
from the album Cage the Elephant
ReleasedJune 16, 2008
Genre
Length2:55
LabelRelentless
Songwriter(s)Jared Champion, Lincoln Parish, Brad Shultz, Matt Schultz, Daniel Tichenor
Producer(s)Jay Joyce
Cage the Elephant singles chronology
"In One Ear"
(2008)		 "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked"
(2008)		 "Back Against the Wall"
(2009)
Audio sample
  • file
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Composition

The song talks about three particular instances in which the narrator realizes "there ain't no rest for the wicked." First, he encounters a prostitute asking if he desires to spend the night with her. The narrator proceeds to ask her why she does what she does. The chorus (her response) analyzes the main reasons why individuals follow the paths they follow ("...Money don't grow on trees, I've got bills to pay, I've got mouths to feed..."). The narrator, less than fifteen minutes later, is mugged by a criminal, whom he asks the same question and from whom he receives the same answer. Finally, upon arriving home and turning on the television, the narrator sees a preacher being arrested for stealing the funds of his church. This is followed by a third chorus saying that everyone is the same and we all have no rest "until we close our eyes for good."

Lead singer Matt Shultz stated the song was inspired by an old co-worker of his who at the time was a drug dealer. When Shultz asked him why he dealt drugs, the co-worker told him that "There's no rest for the wicked." Shultz was a plumber at the time, and said that he wrote the lyrics on a piece of drywall which he found while working at his co-worker's house.[1]

Usage in media

The song appeared in a commercial for the TNT series Leverage; in the 2010 film The Bounty Hunter; in an episode of The Vampire Diaries ("Isobel"); in a third-season episode of Jersey Shore; as the opening song of Canadian reality television series Yukon Gold; and for the opening sequence of the first Borderlands game. Cage the Elephant performed the song on national television on the Late Show with David Letterman. In the pilot episode for FOX's Lucifer, the song is in both the opening and closing scenes of the episode. It was also used in the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why and in Hawaii Five-0.[2]

Track listings
  1. "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" – 2:52
  2. "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" (Acoustic Version) – 3:02

Chart positions

Weekly charts
Chart (2008–09) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[3] 42
Japan (Japan Hot 100)[4] 90
UK Singles (OCC)[5] 32
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 83
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[7] 24
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[8] 3
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[9] 6
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[10] 8

Year-end charts
Chart (2009) Position
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[11] 7
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[12] 13
Chart (2019) Position
Portugal (AFP)[13] 1016

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[14] Gold 400,000
United States (RIAA)[15] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Lopez, Korina (22 April 2011). "On the verge: Cage the Elephant stampedes to fame". USA Today. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  2. "Hawaii Five-0" A'ole e 'olelo mai ana ke ahi ua ana ia (TV Episode 2017), IMDb, retrieved 2018-10-02
  3. "Cage the Elephant Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  4. "Cage the Elephant Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  5. "Cage the Elephant: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  6. "Cage the Elephant Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  7. "Cage the Elephant Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  8. "Cage the Elephant Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  9. "Cage the Elephant Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  10. "Cage the Elephant Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  11. "Alternative Songs – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  12. "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  13. "Top AFP - Audiogest - Top 3000 Singles + EPs Digitais" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  14. "British single certifications – Cage the Elephant – Ain't No Rest for the Wicked". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 13, 2019. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Ain't No Rest for the Wicked in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  15. "American single certifications – Cage the Elephant – Ain't No Rest for the Wicked". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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