"Favorite Crime" (stylized in

all lowercase Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...

) is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter

Olivia Rodrigo Olivia Isabel Rodrigo (born February 20, 2003) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She gained recognition in the late 2010s with her lead roles on the Disney television programs ''Bizaardvark'' and '' High School Musical: The Music ...

. It is the tenth track on Rodrigo's debut album ''

Sour The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor ...

'', which was released on May 21, 2021, through

Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...

. It is a

folk-pop Folk-pop is a musical style that may be 1) contemporary folk songs with large, sweeping pop arrangements, or 2) pop songs with intimate, acoustic-based folk arrangements. Recording production values created a unblemished style that appealed to ...

and

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

, written by Rodrigo and its producer

Dan Nigro Daniel Leonard Nigro (born May 14, 1982) is an American musician, songwriter, instrumentalist and record producer. He was the lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock band As Tall As Lions. Nigro has produced, written and co-written songs ...

. Upon release, the song charted within the top 10 in New Zealand and Ireland, and within the top 20 in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The song was also

certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

Gold in Australia and New Zealand. The song received its debut performance as part of

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...

's ''Lift'' series on May 25, 2021.

Background and release

American singer-songwriter

released her debut single "

Drivers License A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public r ...

" in January 2021, to critical acclaim. On April 1, 2021, Rodrigo announced that her debut album, at that time known by the placeholder title ''*O*R'', was set to be released on May 21, 2021. On April 13, Rodrigo confirmed the album title to be ''

''. Alongside the confirmation, the track listing was revealed, which included "Favorite Crime" as the tenth track. "Favorite Crime" was released as part of ''Sour'' on May 21, 2021, alongside a lyric video.

Composition and promotion

"Favorite Crime" was written by Rodrigo and Dan Nigro in 2020. The song is a stripped-down

and

. The song runs for a total length of 2 minutes and 32 seconds. The song features Rodrigo "singing over

fingerpick A fingerpick is a type of plectrum used most commonly for playing bluegrass style banjo music. Most fingerpicks are composed of metal or plastic (usually Celluloid or Delrin). Unlike flat guitar picks, which are held between the thumb and fin ...

ed guitar figures in sweetly

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

y style". The lyrics of the song center around "the examination of glaring red flags that only appear in their true colors through the lens of hindsight". The song has been compared to American singer-songwriter

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

's 2020 albums ''

Folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

'' and '' Evermore'', and the harmonies have been compared to that of New Zealand singer-songwriter

Lorde Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Taking inspiration from aristocracy for her stage name, she is known for her unconventional musical styles and i ...

's " Royals" (2013). The song received its debut performance on May 25, 2021, as part of

's ''Lift'' series. In the performance, Rodrigo sings the song while on a rooftop, alongside backup singers and a guitar player.

Commercial performance

In the United States, on the week dated June 5, 2021, "Favorite Crime" debuted at number 18 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, accompanied by 10 other tracks on ''Sour''. The following week, it rose to number 16. It fell to number 26 on the week dated June 19 and number 43 the following week. It has spent a total of 11 weeks on the chart. On the ''Rolling Stone'' Top 100, it was one of nine songs on ''Sour'' to chart in the top 10, debuting at number 8, selling 166,800 units with 20.8 million streams in its first week. It rose to number 6 the next week, with 149,100 units sold and 18.8 million streams; it has spent 11 weeks on the ''Rolling Stone'' Top 100 and is still currently charting as of August 2021. It debuted at number 8 on the Streaming Songs chart, where it eventually peaked at number 6. Internationally, it peaked at number 6 in New Zealand, number 8 in Ireland, number 13 in Australia, 14 in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, 17 in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, 21 in Norway, and 76 in Sweden. The song also peaked at number 14 on ''Billboard''

Global 200 The Global 200 is the list of ecoregions identified by the World Wide Fund for Nature ( WWF), the global conservation organization, as priorities for conservation. According to WWF, an ecoregion is defined as a "relatively large unit of land or w ...

chart. The song has been

Platinum in Canada by

Music Canada Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It a ...

, double Platinum in Australia by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...

and Gold in New Zealand by

Recorded Music NZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...

Critical reception

Bobby Oliver, writing for ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'', described "Favorite Crime" as "superb" and "showstopp ng, while Maura Johnston of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' labelled the harmonies as "spectral". However, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' critic Larisha Paul ranked the song last out of all 11 songs on ''Sour''.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Sour'' and

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

Recording

* Recorded at Amusement Studios (Los Angeles) * Mixed at SOTA Studios (Los Angeles) * Mastered at

Sterling Sound George Marino (April 15, 1947 – June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He at ...

(New York City)

Personnel

– vocals, songwriting, vocal arrangement *

– songwriting, production, recording, vocal arrangement, acoustic guitar, bass,

Juno 60 The Roland Juno-60 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1982 and 1984. It followed the Juno-6, an almost identical synthesizer released months earlier. The Juno synthesizers introduced Roland's digitally contro ...

Randy Merrill Randy Merrill is an American mastering engineer who has worked with international artists including DAY6, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Harry Styles, One Direction, Adele, Imagine Dragons, Beck, Liam Gallagher, Jonas Brothers, Muse, Cage the ...

– mastering * Mitch McCarthy – mixing * Ryan Linvill – saxophone, assistant engineering * Kathleen – vocal arrangement

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* * {{Olivia Rodrigo 2020s ballads 2021 songs American folk songs Folk ballads Olivia Rodrigo songs Pop ballads Song recordings produced by Dan Nigro Songs written by Dan Nigro Songs written by Olivia Rodrigo