"Gold on the Ceiling"
Single by the Black Keys
from the album El Camino
ReleasedFebruary 25, 2012
Recorded2011 at Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville, Tennessee
Genre
Length3:44
LabelNonesuch
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
The Black Keys singles chronology
"Lonely Boy"
(2011) 		"Gold on the Ceiling"
(2012) 		"Little Black Submarines"
(2012)
Music video
"Gold on the Ceiling" on YouTube

"Gold on the Ceiling" is the third track from El Camino, the seventh studio album by American rock band the Black Keys. It was released as the record's second single on February 25, 2012. The song was certified platinum in Australia and Canada.[3]

Music videos

Two videos were shot for the song. The first, directed by Reid Long, features footage from the band's concerts, as well as candid shots of them on tour.

A second music video, directed by Harmony Korine, was shot prior to the single release, but was not released until May 2012. The video features the band members wearing Baby Björns and being carried by giant doppelgängers of theirs, played by two Belmont Bruins men's basketball players.[4]

Reception

Will Hermes of Rolling Stone called the song's keyboards "a serrated organ growl backed up with a SWAT team of hand claps" and cited it as an example of Danger Mouse's prowess as a producer and co-writer. Summarizing the song, Hermes wrote, "It's Sixties bubblegum garage pop writ large, with T. Rex swagger and a guitar freakout that perfectly mirrors the lyrics, a paranoid rant that makes you shiver while you shimmy."[1] John Soeder of The Plain Dealer labeled it one of the album's finest and said that it sounded like a hybrid of Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky" and Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part 2".[5]

Harley Brown of Consequence of Sound called the song "bombastic, slightly sleazy" and said that it "best sums up The Black Keys' almost unbelievably consistent musicianship and success".[6] Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly said that the song, "with its swarm-of-bees organs and acid-trip gospel harmonies, could be a lost Nuggets gem".[7] Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times, writing about the song's retro stylings, said that it "sounds as if it's existed forever".[8] Sam Richards of NME said that the song's "brilliantly demented cowboy glam holler... is boosted by the band's new trio of female backing singers wailing for all they're worth".[2]

Use in popular media

This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. Please relocate any relevant information into other sections or articles. (March 2021)

Single cover

The cover art for the single is a photo of the dilapidated south entrance to the former Kaufmann's/Macy's in Rolling Acres Mall in Akron, Ohio.

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[25] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[26] Gold 40,000*
Italy (FIMI)[27] Gold 15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[29] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

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

References

  1. ^ a b Hermes, Will (December 22, 2011). "The Keys Turn Their Blues-Rock Beater into a Sleek, Shiny Muscle Car". Rolling Stone. No. 1146/1147. pp. 85–86. Retrieved February 3, 2006.
  2. ^ a b Richards, Sam (December 2, 2011). "Album Review: The Black Keys - 'El Camino'". NME. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  3. ^ "Record Certifications Around the World - The Black Keys Official Blog". Archived from the original on November 15, 2012.
  4. ^ Phillips, Amy (May 31, 2012). "Watch: New Black Keys Video for "Gold on the Ceiling" Directed by Harmony Korine". Pitchfork Media. Pitchfork. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  5. ^ Soeder, John (December 10, 2011). "Black Keys take their 'El Camino' for a spin in the pursuit of pop: Review". Cleveland.com. Cleveland Live LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  6. ^ Brown, Harley (December 6, 2011). "Album Review: The Black Keys – El Camino". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  7. ^ Maerz, Melissa (December 9, 2011). "El Camino (2011): The Black Keys". Entertainment Weekly. No. 1184. p. 72. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  8. ^ Roberts, Randall (December 5, 2011). "Album review: The Black Keys' 'El Camino'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  9. ^ "Turner, CBS: 'Brackets Everywhere'". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Turner Sports Interactive. February 29, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  10. ^ Paul (March 5, 2006). "Cobra Beer – The Train". tvadmusic.co.uk. TV Ad Music. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  11. ^ "Johnny Depp plays guitar with The Black Keys at MTV Movie Awards". NME.com. June 4, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  12. ^ "From Gary Glitter to The Black Keys, a goal song evolution". July 14, 2014.
  13. ^ @umasshockey (October 16, 2019). "The votes are in and our new goal song has been determined... 🥁🥁🥁 Gold on the Ceiling wins with 37.7% of the vote! It will officially debut Friday night vs. Union! Thanks to all who voted (yes we removed duplicates)! #NewMass | #Flagship🚩" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ "The Black Keys – Gold on the Ceiling". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  15. ^ "The Black Keys – Gold on the Ceiling" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  16. ^ "The Black Keys – Gold on the Ceiling" (in French). Ultratip.
  17. ^ "The Black Keys Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  18. ^ "The Black Keys Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard.
  19. ^ "Chart Track: Week 13, 2012". Irish Singles Chart.
  20. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  21. ^ "Black Keys: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  22. ^ "The Black Keys Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  23. ^ "The Black Keys Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard.
  24. ^ "Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  25. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2012 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  26. ^ "Canadian single certifications – The Black Keys – Gold on the Ceiling". Music Canada.
  27. ^ "Italian single certifications – The Black Keys – Gold on the Ceiling" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana.
  28. ^ "British single certifications – Black Keys – Gold on the Ceiling". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  29. ^ "American single certifications – The Black Keys – Gold on the Ceiling". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
Categories