Exclusive: Hear an Anthemic New Cold War Kids Song

The Cold War Kids — whose third album, Mine Is Yours, will arrive in January — have given Rolling Stone an exclusive stream of the new track "Royal Blue," along with video footage from recording sessions in Nashville. "We wanted to do something more epic," says singer Nate Willett of the disc. The Long Beach, California band enlisted Jacquire King, who co-produced Kings of Leon's Only by the Night and new Come Around Sundown, who helped the band achieve a more layered sound. "On our last records, there are a lot of really kinky, out-of-tune vocal parts that are emotionally good — but this record was really about getting it right." "Royal Blue" is an anthemic, echoing statement of the band's grand ambitions, with Willett wailing, "From now on / Fly high as I want / From now on, I'll show my weak spots."

Hear more new music:
Antony and the Johnsons
Huey Lewis
Fistful of Mercy

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'Star Trek' Is Crazy Good
• 
  TV 10 Shows to Watch This Summer
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“(We're Not) The Jet Set”

George Jones and Tammy Wynette | 1973

George Jones and Tammy Wynette were still married when they recorded the tongue-in-cheek "(We're Not) The Jet Set." The lyrics, written by Nashville songwriter Bobby Braddock, who also penned Wynette's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" and Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today," make fun of the good life by declaring, "We're not the Jet Set/We're the old Chevrolet set." Braddock recalled that while writing the song, he needed the name of a city that evened out the rhyme he had with "Riviera" and "Missourah." “I got out a Rand McNally atlas," he said. "In the first part are the maps. The last part is an alphabetical listing of cities. I wanted a rustic, small-time sound. I went to the listing for Missouri. And I found 'Festus.' I loved the sound of it."

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter