"The last Midtown record, for me, was really introspective. It made me go off into the desert. I went on this whole retreat trip where I was contemplating my life. And when I was in the desert I got bitten by this snake, and I saw a UFO, and the snake spoke to me. He's, like, 'Yo, man, you've got to stop taking yourself so seriously, you've got to start having some fun.' And I came back and started Cobra Starship in honor of the snake that bit me."[5]
Saporta began writing "Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)" when Pete Wentz and Jonathan Daniel of Crush Music approached him and thought that the song "would be perfect" for the soundtrack. They got in contact with the film's music supervisor and needed to change some parts to the song.[6] However, Saporta wasn't on board with the idea at first, but eventually "knew it had to be done."[6] Before being rewritten specifically for the film, the song was titled "Bring It".[7]
Brian Schiller of Slant Magazine stated that the track, "will probably never be heard from again after Snakes on a Plane leaves theaters... 'Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)', should honestly be one of the worst songs of the year but isn't via its association to the film. If Snakes on a Plane is nearly as campy as it promises to be, then the song's already dated production fits too perfectly for the song to be in the wrong at all."[8]
The video, directed by Lex Halaby,[5] shows McCoy, Ivarsson, Saporta and Beckett walking through Honolulu International Airport, acting as if they were villains hired by Eddie Kim (the antagonist of Snakes on a Plane) sneaking snakes on board in their suitcase and guitar case. They are able to pass through security when Ivarsson distracts the airport worker by taking off her jacket. Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy makes a cameo appearance[7] (at 1:46), talking on a payphone nervously as the band members pass ominously. Samuel L. Jackson (who plays Neville Flynn, the main protagonist of the movie) also makes a cameo appearance, lowering his shades and eyeing the band members as they pass, unaware of the true contents inside their cases before returning to his 100 Bullets comic.[5] He is also seen wearing the unofficial Snakes on a Plane T-shirt designed by webcomic artist Jeffrey Rowland (with snakes flying a plane). The video ends with a sign for South Pacific Airlines Flight 121 as the band boards the plane, the same flight as in the film.
^Payne, Chris (March 5, 2019). "From Cobra Starship to Full-Time Manager: Gabe Saporta's Untold Story". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2019. 'Snakes On a Plane (Bring it)', their debut single, soundtracked the patently absurd 2006 Samuel Jackson flick and introduced Cobra Starship as glammed-up party rockers rumored to have formed out of a peyote trip in the Arizona desert, or at least be good friends with Fall Out Boy.
^Cochrane, Greg (June 10, 2009). "Gossip Girl star helps out band". BBC Newsbeat. Retrieved September 15, 2019. The fivesome announced their arrival with Snakes On A Plane (Bring It), a song written for the cult film three years ago.
^Campbell, Rachel (September 27, 2018). ""Snakes On A Plane" is a mid-2000s nightmare come true". Alternative Press. Retrieved September 15, 2019. The scene's first introduction to reptiles on an aircraft came via Cobra Starship and their 2006 hit 'Bring It! (Snakes On A Plane)'. Made for the Snakes On A Plane soundtrack and with appearances by William Beckett (the Academy Is…), Travie McCoy (Gym Class Heroes) and Maja Ivarsson (the Sounds), the track is a scene staple to this day.