He explained that the first version of the song was "slower, droney-ier" than it is now. It wasn't until after a drunken night in the studio that him and the rest of the band decided to play with the song's tempo turning it into a "driving, more Motown thing."

It ended up being the first song they recorded for Mechanical Bull, out September 24. And according to Caleb, "If people don't appreciate 'Beautiful War,' they can't appreciate anything."