"Let It Go" is a song by English singer-songwriter

James Bay James Bay (french: Baie James; cr, ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, Wînipekw, dirty water) is a large body of water located on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean, of which James Bay is the southernmost par ...

. It was released in Europe on 15 September 2014 through

Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...

as the first single from Bay's second extended play of the same name. It was included on Bay's debut studio album ''

Chaos and the Calm ''Chaos and the Calm'' is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter James Bay. It was first released on 15 December 2014 via Republic Records. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album, while the song " Hold Back ...

'' (2014). The song was written by Bay with

Paul Barry Paul James Barry (born 24 February 1952) is an English-born, Australian-based journalist, newsreader and television presenter, who has won many awards for his investigative reporting. He previously worked for the BBC on numerous programs, bef ...

and produced by

Jacquire King Jacquire King (born January 11, 1967) is an American record producer, recording engineer and mixer. King has worked with such notable artists as Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, James Bay, Kaleo, Modest Mouse, Shania Twain, Buddy Guy, Norah Jones, ...

. The ''Let It Go'' EP was released prior on 3 May 2014. The song was re-released in March 2015 after "Hold Back the River" and in July 2015, has peaked at number 10 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, beating its previous peak of 62 on 27 September 2014. In May 2015, "Let It Go" peaked at number 8 in Australia, whilst in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, the song debuted on June 15, 2015, at number 31, before climbing to number 24 the following week. A week after that, the song entered the top 10 of the chart, peaking at number 10. "Let It Go" is Bay's first song to chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, reaching number 16. A remix by Jack Steadman was released in 2015.

Usage in media

"Let It Go" was featured in the episode " For the Girl Who Has Everything" of the American TV series ''

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...

'', on the episode "Let Her Go" (season 6) of the TV series ''

The Vampire Diaries ''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the The Vampire Diaries (novel series), book series ...

'', and the episode "Doubt Truth to Be a Liar" of the TV series '' The Royals'' season 2 and Remember Me by Allen Coulter. The song was also featured in the episode "The Great Pretender" on season 11 of ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into se ...

''. The song was featured in chapter two of ''

Jane the Virgin ''Jane the Virgin'' is an American romantic comedy-drama and satirical telenovela developed by Jennie Snyder Urman. The series premiered October 13, 2014, on The CW and concluded on July 31, 2019. It is a loose adaptation of the Venezuelan telen ...

''.

Music video

A music video to accompany the release of "Let It Go" was first released onto

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

on 23 March 2015 at a total length of four minutes and eighteen seconds.

Critical reception

Gregory Robson of

AbsolutePunk ''AbsolutePunk'' was a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate (the most recent CEO). The website mainly focused on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it was known to fea ...

said "Let It Go" was "a rising current of despondency, heartache and powerhouse vocals. Arguably one of the year's most heart-rendering songs, "Let it Go" is also the clearest example of who exactly Bay is, that is, supple instrumentation, gauzy textures and that ageless croon."

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2014 songs 2014 debut singles 2010s ballads Republic Records singles Song recordings produced by Jacquire King Songs written by Paul Barry (songwriter) Songs written by James Bay (singer) Rock ballads James Bay (singer) songs