<P> "Cough Syrup" is a song by American alternative rock band Young the Giant from their eponymous debut album . It was composed when the band was named The Jakes, and first appeared on their 2008 EP Shake My Hand . Released by Young The Giant as a single in 2011, the song peaked at number three on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart . </P> <P> "Cough Syrup" predates Young the Giant, when the band was known as The Jakes . The song appeared on the band's 2008 Shake My Hand EP, received regular airplay on KROQ's Locals Only radio program, and won a "Best Song" nomination at the 2009 OC Music Awards . </P> <P> Lead vocalist Sameer Gadhia explained that "Cough Syrup" was written at a time when the band was unsigned, had no money and "didn't really know what to do with (themselves)." The group, he continued, "felt somewhat oppressed by the universal expectation of what to do in Orange County...in suburbia in general . I think we really yearned to break out of that and do something a little bit different ." Gadhia said the song is "kind of a cry for help" to "break free, not necessarily from oppression, but the common symptoms of suburbia like boredom, normality and homogeneity ." </P> <P> Bassist Payam Doostzadeh, in a 2011 interview, said that with "Cough Syrup" being the oldest song in Young the Giant's catalog, "it's kind of hard for us to play it ." Doostzadeh added, "I mean, we've had it for four years and it's just now getting on the radio? But our fans don't know that ." </P>

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