Social Cues

Social Cues
Social Cues
Studio album by Cage the Elephant
Released	April 19, 2019
Recorded	2018
Studio	Battle Tapes (Nashville, Tennessee); Blackbird (Nashville, Tennessee); Sound Emporium (Nashville, Tennessee); The Village (Los Angeles, California);
Length	44:35
Label	RCA
Producer	John Hill
Cage the Elephant chronology
Singles from Social Cues
	"Ready to Let Go"; Released: January 31, 2019; "Social Cues"; Released: July 6, 2019; "Black Madonna"; Released: January 14, 2020; "Skin and Bones"; Released: October 13, 2020;

Social Cues is the fifth studio album by American rock band Cage the Elephant. Announced on January 31, 2019, the album was released on April 19, 2019.^[2] Social Cues won the award for Best Rock Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, making it the band's second album to win the award after Tell Me I'm Pretty.

Background

On November 26, 2018, the band announced on Twitter that their new album was "Done. Mixed. Mastered."^[3] On January 31, 2019, the band officially released "Ready to Let Go", the first single from Social Cues.^[1] On March 8, 2019, "House of Glass", the second advance track from the album was released. A collaboration with Beck, "Night Running" was released on March 28, 2019. The final song released in advance of the album was "Goodbye", released on April 8, 2019. Many of the songs (Such as "Goodbye", "Ready to Let Go", and "Love's the Only Way") were based on the divorce that Matt Shultz went through with his ex-wife, Juliette Buchs.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	6.7/10^[4]
Metacritic	75/100^[5]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[6]
Consequence of Sound	B−^[7]
DIY	^[8]
The Independent	^[9]
The Line of Best Fit	4.5/10^[10]
NME	^[11]
The New York Times	^[12]
Rolling Stone	^[13]
The Skinny	^[14]
Under the Radar	^[15]

Social Cues received generally positive reviews upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating of reviews from mainstream publications, it received a 75 out of 100 - indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[5] Social Cues has an average rating of 6.7 on AnyDecentMusic?.^[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Brad Shultz, Daniel Tichenor, Jared Champion, Matt Shultz, Matthan Minster & Nick Bockrath, except where noted

*Social Cues* track listing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Broken Boy"	B. Shultz, Tichenor, Champion, M. Shultz, Minster, Bockrath, John Hill	2:43
2.	"Social Cues"	B. Shultz, Tichenor, Champion, M. Shultz, Minster, Bockrath, Hill	3:39
3.	"Black Madonna"		3:47
4.	"Night Running" (with Beck)	B. Shultz, Tichenor, Champion, M. Shultz, Minster, Bockrath, Beck Hansen, Natalie Belle Bergman	3:28
5.	"Skin and Bones"		3:16
6.	"Ready to Let Go"		3:08
7.	"House of Glass"		2:35
8.	"Love's the Only Way"		4:01
9.	"The War Is Over"		3:16
10.	"Dance Dance"	B. Shultz, Tichenor, Champion, M. Shultz, Minster, Bockrath, Hill	3:10
11.	"What I'm Becoming"		3:50
12.	"Tokyo Smoke"		3:26
13.	"Goodbye"		4:16
Total length:			44:35

Personnel

Cage the Elephant

Nick Bockrath – lead guitar, pedal steel guitar, lap steel guitar, keyboards, celeste, cello
Jared Champion – drums, percussion
Matthan Minster – piano, keyboards, rhythm guitar, vibraphone, backing vocals
Brad Shultz – rhythm guitar, keyboards
Matt Shultz – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Daniel Tichenor – bass

Additional musicians

Elliot Bergman – horn
Jacob Braun – cello
Charlie Bisharat – violin
David Campbell – string arrangements, conductor
Matt Combs – cello, violin, viola
Gina Corso – violin
Kyle Davis – percussion
Mario Deleon – violin
Lisa Dodlinger – violin
Andrew Duckles – viola
Beck – vocals
John Hill – keyboards
Leah Katz – viola
Ginger Murphy – cello
Sara Parkins – violin
Kerenza Peacock – violin
Katie Schecter – backing vocals
Dave Stone – bass
Steve Trudell – string contractor
The W. Crimm Singers – backing vocals

Production

Rob Cohen – engineering
Tom Elmhirst – mixing
Jeremy Ferguson – engineering
David Greenbaum – engineering
John Hill – production
Randy Merrill – mastering

Charts

Chart performance for *Social Cues*
Chart (2019)	Peak position
Australia Albums (ARIA)^[16]	77
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[17]	47
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[18]	72
Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[19]	21
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[20]	59
French Albums (SNEP)^[21]	146
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)^[22]	36
Portuguese Albums (AFP)^[23]	31
Scottish Albums (OCC)^[24]	22
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[25]	38
UK Albums (OCC)^[26]	79
US Billboard 200^[27]	21

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Childers, Chad (January 31, 2019). "Cage the Elephant Announce Social Cues Album, Release "Ready to Let Go" Video". Loudwire. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
^ "Cage The Elephant Announced 'Social Cues' With 'Ready To Let Go'". Uproxx. January 31, 2019.
^ Cage the Elephant (November 26, 2018). "Record done. Mixed. Mastered" – via Twitter.
^ ^a ^b "Social Cues by Cage The Elephant reviews". Any Decent Music. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
^ ^a ^b "Social Cues by Cage The Elephant Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review of Social Cues at AllMusic. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
^ Sharples, Grant (April 19, 2019). "Cage the Elephant Stay in Their Comfort Zone on Social Cues". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
^ "Cage The Elephant - Social Cues". DIY. April 19, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
^ O’Connor, Roisin (April 18, 2019). "Album reviews: Lizzo – Cuz I Love You, Fat White Family – Serfs Up! and Cage the Elephant – Social Cues". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
^ Lynch, Ben. "Cage the Elephant's Social Cues is a mish-mash of ideas and missed opportunities". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
^ Trendell, Andrew (April 18, 2019). "Cage The Elephant – 'Social Cues' review". New Musical Express. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
^ Pareles, Jon (April 17, 2019). "Cage the Elephant Returns, Suspended Between Rowdiness and Regret". The New York Times. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
^ Fricke, David (April 17, 2019). "Review: Cage the Elephant Battle Rock Star Fatigue on 'Social Cues'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
^ Ryan, Aidan (April 17, 2019). "Cage the Elephant – Social Cues". The Skinny. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
^ Raven, Matthew (April 17, 2019). "Cage The Elephant: Social Cues (RCA) Review". Under the Radar. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
^ "ARIA Report: Issue 1521" (PDF). ARIA. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 1, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
^ "Austriancharts.at – Cage the Elephant – Social Cues" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
^ "Ultratop.be – Cage the Elephant – Social Cues" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
^ "Cage the Elephant Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Cage the Elephant – Social Cues" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
^ "Lescharts.com – Cage the Elephant – Social Cues". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
^ "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. April 26, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Cage the Elephant – Social Cues". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Cage the Elephant – Social Cues". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
^ "Cage the Elephant Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2019.

[Loudwire-1] Childers, Chad (January 31, 2019). "Cage the Elephant Announce Social Cues Album, Release "Ready to Let Go" Video". Loudwire. Retrieved January 31, 2019.

[2] "Cage The Elephant Announced 'Social Cues' With 'Ready To Let Go'". Uproxx. January 31, 2019.

[3] Cage the Elephant (November 26, 2018). "Record done. Mixed. Mastered" – via Twitter.

[ADM-4] "Social Cues by Cage The Elephant reviews". Any Decent Music. Retrieved April 20, 2019.

[MC-5] "Social Cues by Cage The Elephant Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 19, 2019.

[6] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review of Social Cues at AllMusic. Retrieved April 19, 2019.

[CoS-7] Sharples, Grant (April 19, 2019). "Cage the Elephant Stay in Their Comfort Zone on Social Cues". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 19, 2019.

[DIY-8] "Cage The Elephant - Social Cues". DIY. April 19, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.

[independent-9] O’Connor, Roisin (April 18, 2019). "Album reviews: Lizzo – Cuz I Love You, Fat White Family – Serfs Up! and Cage the Elephant – Social Cues". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved April 19, 2019.

[LoBF-10] Lynch, Ben. "Cage the Elephant's Social Cues is a mish-mash of ideas and missed opportunities". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved April 19, 2019.

[NME-11] Trendell, Andrew (April 18, 2019). "Cage The Elephant – 'Social Cues' review". New Musical Express. Retrieved April 19, 2019.

[NYT-12] Pareles, Jon (April 17, 2019). "Cage the Elephant Returns, Suspended Between Rowdiness and Regret". The New York Times. Retrieved April 19, 2019.

[RS-13] Fricke, David (April 17, 2019). "Review: Cage the Elephant Battle Rock Star Fatigue on 'Social Cues'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 19, 2019.

[skinny-14] Ryan, Aidan (April 17, 2019). "Cage the Elephant – Social Cues". The Skinny. Retrieved April 19, 2019.

[UTR-15] Raven, Matthew (April 17, 2019). "Cage The Elephant: Social Cues (RCA) Review". Under the Radar. Retrieved April 19, 2019.

[16] "ARIA Report: Issue 1521" (PDF). ARIA. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 1, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2023.

[ac_Austria_Cage_the_Elephant-17] "Austriancharts.at – Cage the Elephant – Social Cues" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 2, 2019.

[ac_Flanders_Cage_the_Elephant-18] "Ultratop.be – Cage the Elephant – Social Cues" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 26, 2019.

[ac_BillboardCanada_Cage_the_Elephant-19] "Cage the Elephant Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 29, 2019.

[ac_Netherlands_Cage_the_Elephant-20] "Dutchcharts.nl – Cage the Elephant – Social Cues" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 26, 2019.

[ac_France_Cage_the_Elephant-21] "Lescharts.com – Cage the Elephant – Social Cues". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 30, 2019.

[22] "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. April 26, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.

[ac_Portugal_Cage_the_Elephant-23] "Portuguesecharts.com – Cage the Elephant – Social Cues". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 4, 2019.

[ac_Scotland_-24] "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 27, 2019.

[ac_Switzerland_Cage_the_Elephant-25] "Swisscharts.com – Cage the Elephant – Social Cues". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2019.

[ac_UK2_-26] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 27, 2019.

[ac_Billboard200_Cage_the_Elephant-27] "Cage the Elephant Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2019.

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v t e Cage the Elephant
Matt Shultz Brad Shultz Nick Bockrath Jared Champion Daniel Tichenor Matthan Minster
Studio albums	Cage the Elephant Thank You, Happy Birthday Melophobia Tell Me I'm Pretty Social Cues Neon Pill
Live albums	Unpeeled
Singles	"In One Ear" "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" "Back Against the Wall" "Shake Me Down" "Around My Head" "Aberdeen" "Come a Little Closer" "Cigarette Daydreams" "Mess Around" "Trouble" "Cold Cold Cold" "Ready to Let Go"
Related articles	Discography
Category

v t e Grammy Award for Best Rock Album
1990s	Voodoo Lounge – The Rolling Stones (1994) Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette (1995) Sheryl Crow – Sheryl Crow (1996) Blue Moon Swamp – John Fogerty (1997) The Globe Sessions – Sheryl Crow (1998) Supernatural – Santana (1999)
2000s	There Is Nothing Left to Lose – Foo Fighters (2000) All That You Can't Leave Behind – U2 (2001) The Rising – Bruce Springsteen (2002) One by One – Foo Fighters (2003) American Idiot – Green Day (2004) How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb – U2 (2005) Stadium Arcadium – Red Hot Chili Peppers (2006) Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace – Foo Fighters (2007) Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends – Coldplay (2008) 21st Century Breakdown – Green Day (2009)
2010s	The Resistance – Muse (2010) Wasting Light – Foo Fighters (2011) El Camino – The Black Keys (2012) Celebration Day – Led Zeppelin (2013) Morning Phase – Beck (2014) Drones – Muse (2015) Tell Me I'm Pretty – Cage the Elephant (2016) A Deeper Understanding – The War on Drugs (2017) From the Fires – Greta Van Fleet (2018) Social Cues – Cage the Elephant (2019)
2020s	The New Abnormal – The Strokes (2020) Medicine at Midnight – Foo Fighters (2021) Patient Number 9 – Ozzy Osbourne (2022) This Is Why – Paramore (2023)