"Cold Dead Hand" is a single and accompanying music video created for

Funny or Die Funny or Die is a comedy video website and film/television production company owned by Henry R. Muñoz III that was founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007. The website contained exclusive material from a re ...

by comedian Jim Carrey with

The Eels Eels (often typeset as eels or EELS) is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991 by singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mark Oliver Everett, known by the stage name E. Band members have changed over the years, b ...

, playing as "Lonesome Earl and the Clutterbusters". The title is a reference to a statement Charlton Heston made while acting as spokesperson for the National Rifle Association, "I'll give you my gun when you pry (or take) it from my cold, dead hands." The song ridicules American

gun culture Gun culture refers to the attitudes, feelings, values and behaviour of a society, or any social group, in which guns are used. The term was first coined by Richard Hofstadter in an '' American Heritage'' article critiquing gun violence in the Unite ...

, and specifically the deceased Heston, including a derisive caricature of him and declaring that he could not enter Heaven, as even the angels could not pry the gun from his hands. Staged as an episode of the variety program

Hee Haw ''Hee Haw'' is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with the fictional rural "Kornfield Kounty" as the backdrop. It aired first-run on CBS from 1969 to 1971, in syndication from 1971 to 1993, and on TNN from 1 ...

in which Heston is a

guest star In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...

, the video also features The Eels dressed as

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

, and

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

. The single marks the Eels' first release since their album ''

Wonderful, Glorious ''Wonderful, Glorious'' is the tenth studio album by American alternative rock band Eels, released in 2013 by record labels Vagrant and E Works. The album was produced by band leader Mark Oliver Everett. A worldwide tour accompanied the album r ...

'' earlier in 2013. The novelty song evoked strong responses in conservative media for several reasons, including the repeated implication by Carrey that gun obsession is related to American male phallus-size anxiety.

References

External links

''Cold Dead Hand''
at

''Cold Dead Hand''
at iTunes Novelty songs 2013 songs Eels (band) songs 2013 singles American country music songs Songs about actors Political songs Satirical songs Black comedy music Comedy songs {{comedy-stub