Elephant (Tame Impala song)
"Elephant" is a song by Australian psychedelic rock band Tame Impala, released on 26 July 2012 as the lead single from their second album Lonerism (2012).[1] The single features artwork from Australian artist Leif Podhajsky, who also created the artwork for Innerspeaker and the follow-up Lonerism.[2]
"Elephant"
26 July 2012
3:31
"Elephant" was covered by children's music group the Wiggles for Australian youth broadcaster Triple J's Like a Version segment on 5 March 2021, which won the station's Hottest 100 of 2021.
Critical reception[edit]
Alicia Dennis from Zimbio called "Elephant" "the best psych-rock song ever written about a pompous jerk",[6] while Nick Patch of the Times Colonist described it as a "distortion-drenched garage-rocker".[7] It is also viewed as a "glam-rock gem" by the webzine PlayGround.[8] 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".[9] Ian Cohen of Pitchfork gave the song the "Best New Track" accolade, praising its production and stating that it "splits wide open during its midsection for an expansive and lyrical guitar jam that these guys are doing better than just about anyone else right now."[10] 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".[11]