"Sex on Fire" is a song by American rock band Kings of Leon. It was released on August 3, 2008, as the lead single from their fourth studio album, Only by the Night (2008). The song gave the band their first number-one single in Australia, Finland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, charting at the top spot on digital downloads alone in the latter country, before its physical release. In September 2009, it was Britain's second most-downloaded digital single ever. The song has sold 1.2 million copies in the United Kingdom as of November 2012. It has also gained significant popularity in the United States, reaching number one on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the band's third highest-charting song there on the latter chart.

At the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, "Sex on Fire" was nominated for two awards: Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, winning the latter. Channel V Australia named the song as the third biggest hit of 2008. It was voted number one in Triple J Hottest 100 countdown for 2008. Following the success of the follow-up single "Use Somebody" in the United States on pop radio, the track was re-serviced to US pop radio in November. Remixes of both songs were used for the runway soundtrack in the 2009 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

Composition Musically, "Sex on Fire" has been described as alternative rock. The song was written about lead singer Caleb's then-girlfriend (and now-wife), model Lily Aldridge. In an interview with Robbie, Marieke and the Doctor on Australian radio station Triple J, Nathan Followill explained that the band never intended the song to be named "Sex on Fire" and that it was not intended to be about sexuality.

Nathan also said that some lyrics tried were "Socks on Fire", "Snatch on Fire", and "Cocks on Fire". The song is played in the key of E major at a tempo of 153 bpm. The vocal range is B–G.

Critical reception "Sex on Fire" received generally positive reviews. Digital Spy rated the song four stars out of five, describing it as "a truly stirring single that will be a definite highlight on their winter arena tour".Singles Reviews – Kings Of Leon: 'Sex On Fire' – Digital Spy. Digital Spy. Retrieved September 15, 2008. Planet Sound also rated the song 9/10. However, Caleb Followill originally thought the song was "terrible";Kings of Leon: 'Sex on Fire' is 'Terrible' – Spin Spin Magazine. Retrieved September 29, 2008 according to Spin Magazine, it was almost ditched during recording. Despite giving the album a 4 out of 5, Spin thought the song was "silly". The song was number 40 on Rolling Stones list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008."The 100 Best Songs of 2008". Rolling Stone, December 25, 2008. Retrieved December 25, 2008. The song was used for the trailer of the 2009 movie Stay Cool.

In 2016, Johnny Borrell of Razorlight called this song "the apex, death and afterlife of landfill indie all in one go" and noted its similarity to Stereophonics's "Dakota" from 2005.

Chart performance In the United Kingdom, "Sex on Fire" entered the official UK Singles Chart at number one on September 14, 2008 ― for the week ending date September 20, 2008 ― and went on to an unbroken 42 weeks on the chart, only dropping out due to the surge in sales of Michael Jackson titles immediately after his death, but after a two-week absence it was back for another 37 weeks, re-entering the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart at number six in September 2009. Further reappearances extended its tally of weeks to 90, making it the third most charted single of all time.

In Germany, the single debuted at number 97 on the German Singles Chart, and began to rise and fall in the next several weeks. In its 32nd week on the chart, the song finally reached its peak of number 33. As of February 2011, the song had been on the chart for 60 weeks, a huge effort for a single that did not reach the top 20. In February 2011, due to the long stay on the German Singles Chart, the single was certificated with Gold for more than 150,000 copies sold.

Music video The director of the music video for "Sex on Fire" was Sophie Muller. In the video, the band is seen playing in a room at an abandoned factory. Other scenes show Caleb's brothers holding Caleb, who is tied to a mattress; Nathan washing his hair in a black water tub; Matthew explaining to Nathan and Jared about Caleb, and eating a chicken wing; and Caleb looking at strange shadows while lying on a soft mattress. At the end of the video, Caleb opens his mouth and smoke starts coming out of it.

Cover versions In 2010, British singer-songwriter Tina Cousins released a dance version of the song. In 2011, American singer Beyoncé performed a cover of the song during her historic headlining 2011 Glastonbury Festival Performance to much acclaim.

A Dutch-language carnival parody titled "Sex Met Die Kale" () was released by Lawineboys and DJ Jerome in 2010. It was certified Platinum in the Netherlands in 2025.

Track listings 7-inch vinyl "Sex on Fire" "Beneath the Surface"

CD single "Sex on Fire" "Knocked Up" (Live @ Oxegen '08)

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2008–2013) Peakposition Czech Republic Modern Rock (IFPI) 2 European Hot 100 (Billboard) 6 Mexico Anglo (Monitor Latino) 9 Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard) 2 Chart (20242026) Peakposition Germany Airplay (BVMI) 100 Portugal (AFP) 150

Year-end charts Chart (2008) Position Australia (ARIA) 5 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) 54 European Hot 100 (Billboard) 47 Ireland (IRMA) 12 Netherlands (Single Top 100) 83 New Zealand (RIANZ) 15 UK Singles (OCC) 7 Chart (2009) Position European Hot 100 (Billboard) 98 Netherlands (Single Top 100) 72 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) 58 UK Singles (OCC) 18 US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard) 4 Chart (2022) Position Australia (ARIA) 87 Chart (2023) Position Australia (ARIA) 86 UK Singles (OCC) 100 Chart (2024) Position Australia (ARIA) 63 UK Singles (OCC) 70 Chart (2025) Position UK Singles (OCC) 89

Decade-end charts Chart (2000–2009) Position Australia (ARIA) 9 UK Singles (OCC)Radio 1 Official Chart of the Decade, as broadcast on BBC Radio 1 on December 29, 2009, presented by DJ Nihal. 14

Certifications

Release history RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United StatesAugust 3, 2008StreamingRCAAugust 11, 2008Modern rock radioUnited KingdomSeptember 8, 2008Digital downloadHand Me DownSeptember 15, 2008AustraliaSeptember 20, 2008Maxi-CDSony Music AustraliaUnited StatesMarch 24, 2009Contemporary hit radioRCANovember 19, 2009

See also List of best-selling singles in Australia

References