Kings of Leon‘s “Sex on Fire” has become one of the most covered rock anthems of the 21st century, but lead singer Caleb Followill admits he sometimes cringes when hearing certain interpretations of their 2008 hit.
The Nashville rockers’ breakthrough single has attracted covers from an eclectic range of artists, from pop royalty Beyoncé to country acts like Sugarland and Zac Brown Band. Yet Followill finds himself having mixed reactions when the song gets transformed into something completely different from its original intent.
“Sometimes I hear it, and when it’s slowed down like a sultry version, I’m like, ‘Oh those lyrics…’ It’s supposed to be dirty and raunchy and quick, and then the song is done,” Followill revealed during a recent interview with Rolling Stone‘s Nashville Now podcast.
The irony isn’t lost on the frontman that a song he initially fought to keep off their album Only by the Night has become their most recognisable hit. Followill admits he was concerned about the track’s pop sensibilities when the band was crafting the record nearly 17 years ago.
“I tried to not have it on the album. It was at the last second that we put it on. I was saying, ‘No, no, no. People are going to think it’s a pop song.’ Thank goodness I got outvoted on that,” he explained.
The song’s immediate impact became undeniable once it hit airwaves. “Sex on Fire” not only became Kings of Leon’s first Grammy winner in 2009 but established itself as an instant crowd-pleaser that requires minimal effort to ignite audience response.
“We can play it at a funeral and the corpse would sit up,” Followill quipped about the song’s universal appeal.
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Despite the song’s massive success, Followill discovered that lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place. Initially confident about replicating the formula, he found himself challenged by a journalist to write another “Sex on Fire.”
“After it came out, I was like, ‘That was easy. I can write 50 of those.’ And here we are, still haven’t done it,” he admitted.
Kings of Leon recently released their surprise project EP #2, featuring four tracks that harken back to their rawer early material.
