"Me!" (stylized in
all caps
In typography, all caps (short for "all capitals") refers to text or a font in which all letters are capital letters, for example: "THIS TEXT IS IN ALL CAPS". All caps may be used for emphasis (for a word or phrase). They are commonly seen in ...
) is a song recorded by 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 ...
featuring American singer
Brendon Urie
Brendon Boyd Urie (born April 12, 1987) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist of Panic! at the Disco, of which he is the only remaining member.
In ...
of
Panic! at the Disco
Panic! at the Disco is the solo project of American musician Brendon Urie. It was originally a pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2004 by childhood friends Urie, Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, and Brent Wilson. They recorded their firs ...
. It was released on April 26, 2019, 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 Swift's first single after signing with the label. The song was revealed and released at the end of a thirteen-day countdown, as the lead single from her seventh studio album,
''Lover'' (2019). It was written by Swift,
Joel Little
Joel Little (born 13 February 1983) is a New Zealand record producer, musician and Grammy Award-winning songwriter. , and Urie, and produced by Swift and Little. The song was recorded at
Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer by 1970. Hendrix spent only ten ...
, New York City, and Golden Age West in Auckland, New Zealand. "Me!" is a cheery,
campy
Camp is an aesthetic style and sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its bad taste and ironic value. Camp aesthetics disrupt many of modernism's notions of what art is and what can be classified as high art by inverting aes ...
bubblegum pop
Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States i ...
and
synth-pop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
duet
A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo ...
, driven by a
marching band
A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...
drumline
Marching percussion instruments are instruments specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum(s) to a special harness (also called a carrier or rack) worn by the drummer, although not all marching bands us ...
. It is about
embracing one's individuality, with lyrics on
self-affirmation
Self-affirmation theory is a psychological theory that focuses on how individuals adapt to information or experiences that are threatening to their self-concept. Claude Steele originally popularized self-affirmation theory in the late 1980s,Steel ...
and self-love.
"Me!" debuted at number 100 on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100, before surging up to number two the next week, breaking the record for the
biggest single-week jump in the chart's history. The song reached the top five in several other countries. It broke several
Amazon Music
Amazon Music (previously Amazon MP3) is a music streaming platform and online music store operated by Amazon. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights man ...
records, including the most first-day streams, most first-week streams, and most on-demand voice requests with
Alexa
Alexa may refer to: Technology
*Amazon Alexa, a virtual assistant developed by Amazon
* Alexa Internet, a defunct website ranking and traffic analysis service
* Arri Alexa, a digital motion picture camera
People
*Alexa (name), a given name and ...
of a single debut on the platform.
Upon release, the song received mixed reviews from music critics, who were favorable towards the bubbly production and the duo's vocal chemistry, but divided over the lyrics—some complimented the
tongue-in-cheek
The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner.
History
The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scott ...
songwriting, while others called it weak. "Me!" has since been certified
double-platinum
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
, for selling over 2 million copies in the US. In 2020, the single won the
Hito Music Award for Best Western Song. A live version of the song recorded at Swift's 2019
''City of Lover'' concert in Paris was released for digital download and streaming on May 17, 2020, after the premiere of the concert film on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
.
The "Me!" music video, directed by Swift and
Dave Meyers, accompanied the song's release. Encompassing many
easter eggs
Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tra ...
, the colorful video is a symbolic departure from the previous album
''Reputation'' (2017), welcoming into the ''Lover'' era. It has been described as a "
phantasmagorical delight" that induces an instant "sugar rush" in a "bubblegum
psychedelia
Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic ...
". The video amassed over 65.2 million views within its first day of release, breaking the
24-hour Vevo record previously held by
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...
's "
Thank U, Next
''Thank U, Next'' is the fifth studio album by American singer Ariana Grande, released on February 8, 2019, by Republic Records. It was released six months after her fourth studio album ''Sweetener'' (2018), conceived in the midst of Grande's ...
", also surpassing Swift's record set in 2017 with the "
Look What You Made Me Do
"Look What You Made Me Do" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on August 24, 2017, by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from her sixth studio album, '' Reputation'' (2017). Swift wrote and produ ...
" music video, which garnered 43.2 million views in its first day. The video scored several accolades; it won a
VMA for
Best Visual Effects at the
2019 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2019 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 26, 2019, at the Prudential Center in Newark, being the first VMA ceremony to be held in New Jersey. Sebastian Maniscalco hosted the 36th annual ceremony. Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, and Billie ...
, the
Best Video at the
2019 MTV Europe Music Awards
The 2019 MTV EMAs (also known as the MTV Europe Music Awards) was held at the FIBES Conference and Exhibition Centre in Seville, Spain, on 3 November 2019. The ceremony's host was Becky G. This was the fourth year, as well as the second consecuti ...
, and the Best Female International Artist Video at the
2019 MTV Video Music Awards Japan
The 2019 MTV Video Music Awards Japan were held on September 18, 2019.
Abstract
"Best Video of the Year" is determined by public voting. It's announced with two special awards (BALLISTIK BOYZ and Foorin) at the ceremony. King Gnu won the Best V ...
.
Background and release
On April 13, 2019, a countdown to midnight on April 26 appeared on
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 website, leading to speculation about the release of new music.
On April 25, various news outlets reported that a mural of a butterfly in
The Gulch neighborhood of
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, painted by street artist Kelsey Montague,
was connected with the upcoming release.
A crowd of several hundred gathered at the mural as the word "Me!" was added to it by Montague.
While Montague was initially told that the mural was commissioned as promotion for
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
,
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
and the
2019 NFL Draft
The 2019 NFL Draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee. The first round was held on April 2 ...
,
Swift appeared at the mural and revealed that it was in fact part of her countdown promotion and that she would be interviewed by
Robin Roberts during the NFL Draft broadcast with further information. At the interview she confirmed the release of a new song and music video at midnight, sharing the title as well as the feature from Urie.
Composition
"Me!" is a
bubblegum
Bubble gum or bubblegum is a type of chewing gum, designed to be inflated out of the mouth as a bubble.
Bubble gum flavor
While there is a bubble gum "flavor" – which various artificial flavorings including esters are mixed to obtain – it ...
and
synth-pop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
song,
driven by a
marching band
A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...
drumline
Marching percussion instruments are instruments specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum(s) to a special harness (also called a carrier or rack) worn by the drummer, although not all marching bands us ...
.
which was written by Swift,
Joel Little
Joel Little (born 13 February 1983) is a New Zealand record producer, musician and Grammy Award-winning songwriter. of
Goodnight Nurse
Goodnight Nurse was a New Zealand pop punk band formed in Auckland in 2001. The group originally began as a trio, but later changed to a four-piece prior to the release of their second album. It consisted of lead vocalist Joel Little, guitaris ...
and
Brendon Urie
Brendon Boyd Urie (born April 12, 1987) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist of Panic! at the Disco, of which he is the only remaining member.
In ...
of
Panic! at the Disco
Panic! at the Disco is the solo project of American musician Brendon Urie. It was originally a pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2004 by childhood friends Urie, Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, and Brent Wilson. They recorded their firs ...
, and produced by Swift and Little. The song was initially developed as a slow,
acoustic,
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
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 ...
.
![Panic at the Disco Im Park 2016 (11 von 11)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Panic_at_the_Disco_Im_Park_2016_%2811_von_11%29.jpg)
In an interview with Robin Roberts, Swift described the song as about "embracing your individuality and really owning it".
The song is performed in the key of
C major
C major (or the key of C) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and ...
in
common time
The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...
with a
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...
of 91 beats per minute. It follows an I–vi–IV–V chord progression known as the
'50s progression
The 50s progression (also known as the "Heart and Soul" chords, the "Stand by Me" changes, the doo-wop progression and the "ice cream changes") is a chord progression and turnaround used in Western popular music. The progression, represented in Ro ...
(in C major, this is C–Am–F–G). The song's vocals span from F
3 to E
5.
On August 21, 2019, it was reported that the lyric "Hey, kids, spelling is fun!" was removed from all digital and streaming versions of the song, including the album version. It remains in the music video and the lyric video.
Critical reception
"Me!" received mixed reviews from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
. ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
''s
Rob Sheffield
Robert James Sheffield (born February 2, 1966) is an American music journalist and author.
He is a long time contributing editor at ''Rolling Stone'', writing about music, TV, and pop culture. Previously, he was a contributing editor at ''Blen ...
called the song "
campy
Camp is an aesthetic style and sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its bad taste and ironic value. Camp aesthetics disrupt many of modernism's notions of what art is and what can be classified as high art by inverting aes ...
", "bubbly" and "a totally canonical Taylor Lead Single", due in respect to her past lead singles differing sonically from their respective albums. Rob Harvilla of ''
The Ringer'' opined "'Me!' is a cloyingly goofy
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
-pop confection with an earworm chorus and a certain try-hard insidiousness to it". Writing for ''
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 ...
'', Jason Lipshutz stated that it "is similarly shiny, and the
tongue-in-cheek
The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner.
History
The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scott ...
self-assessment of '
Blank Space
"Blank Space" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fifth studio album, ''1989''. The song was released to US radio stations as the second single from ''1989'' on November 10, 2014, by Republic Records in partners ...
' shows up in the verses, but it's also much more broad, way more cheerful and delivered without an ounce of
sarcasm
Sarcasm is the caustic use of words, often in a humorous way, to mock someone or something. Sarcasm may employ ambivalence, although it is not necessarily ironic. Most noticeable in spoken word, sarcasm is mainly distinguished by the inflection ...
or snark". ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' Hugh McIntyre wrote that it "isn't just a pop song, it's the momentary escape we all need". Erin Vanderhoof of ''
Vanity Fair'' called it "pretty anodyne but catchy" and praised the collaboration between Swift and Urie. Roisin O'Connor of ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' wrote that "Swift once again proves her mastery of the infectious pop hook in one of the most drastic reinventions of her career to date". ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
''
's Raisa Bruner commended that Swift "veers away from her normally specific songwriting to instead offer up an anthem of
self-love
Self-love, defined as "love of self" or "regard for one's own happiness or advantage", has been conceptualized both as a basic human necessity and as a moral flaw, akin to vanity and selfishness, synonymous with amour-propre, conceitedness, eg ...
", and added that even though it "doesn't hit the emotional notes of her
wift'smost memorable work, it makes a strong statement".
In an article titled "'ME!' Is Everything Wrong With Pop", ''
The Atlantic
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
''s Spencer Kornhaber wrote that the song "has almost none of the elements that once made
wift
WIFT (102.1 FM, "Bigfoot Country 102.1 & 101.3") is a country music formatted broadcast radio station licensed to DuBois, Pennsylvania, serving the DuBois/ Punxsutawney/ Clearfield area. WIFT is owned and operated by Kristin Cantrell, through ...
interesting, but it does have a dolphin screech for a chorus". Writing for ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
'', Anna Gaca stated that it "is a showcase for the worst and weakest aspects of Swift's work", and added "it is not hard to write a better song than this". ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
''s Rhian Daly wrote that the lyrics of "Me!" "are just surface messaging about self-love and
acceptance
Acceptance in human psychology is a person's assent to the reality of a situation, recognizing a process or condition (often a negative or uncomfortable situation) without attempting to change it or protest it. The concept is close in meaning to ...
, the kind of hollow #positivity that is slapped on greeting cards and slogan t-shirts and sold as empowering". Writing for the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'', Mikael Wood stated that the song features "her weakest lyrics ever" and that "nothing about this song advances our thinking about Swift". ''
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
''s Carl Wilson called it "fluffy and immaterial", adding that Swift and Urie "just traipse through a kiss-and-make-up number out of a teen musical". Writing for ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
'', Kate Solomon opined that "she's concocted what might be her most pop song to date," and went on to say that "the low point might be Swift shouting out, 'Spelling is fun, kids!' like a manic summer camp counsellor because she's noticed that 'you can’t spell awesome without me'". ''
The Spinoff
''The Spinoff'' is a New Zealand online magazine and news website that was founded in 2014. It is known for current affairs coverage, political and social analysis, and cultural commentary. It earns money through commercial sponsorship and su ...
''s Alice Webb-Liddall wrote "I was prepared to like it until Taylor yelled 'Spelling is fun' and from that point in the video I felt a little bit sick".
Matthew McAuley from the same magazine opined that Urie "pulled out all of the stops to try and ruin this one".
Writing for ''The Independent'', Alexandra Pollard stated that the song is "so blandly uncontroversial that there is literally nothing to say about it", and that it "has proven something of a damp squib".
Awards and nominations
Commercial performance
The song broke four
Amazon Music
Amazon Music (previously Amazon MP3) is a music streaming platform and online music store operated by Amazon. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights man ...
records that includes most first-day streams, most first-week streams and most on-demand voice requests with
Alexa
Alexa may refer to: Technology
*Amazon Alexa, a virtual assistant developed by Amazon
* Alexa Internet, a defunct website ranking and traffic analysis service
* Arri Alexa, a digital motion picture camera
People
*Alexa (name), a given name and ...
of a single debut on the platform. On
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
, "Me!" opened at number one on the Global Spotify charts with 7.94 million streams dated April 26, 2019,
beating her 2017 hit, "
Look What You Made Me Do
"Look What You Made Me Do" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on August 24, 2017, by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from her sixth studio album, '' Reputation'' (2017). Swift wrote and produ ...
", which opened with 7.90 million streams dated August 25, 2017.
In the US, "Me!" debuted at number 100 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, and ascended 98 spots to its peak of number two in its second week, behind "
Old Town Road
"Old Town Road" is the debut single of American rapper Lil Nas X, first released independently in December 2018. After gaining popularity, the single was re-released by Columbia Records in March 2019. Lil Nas X also recorded a remix with America ...
" by
Lil Nas X
Montero Lamar Hill (born April 9, 1999), known by his stage name Lil Nas X ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his country rap single " Old Town Road", which first achieved viral popula ...
featuring
Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, and is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and ...
, becoming the
biggest single-week jump in the Hot 100's history, beating the record previously set by
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...
's "
My Life Would Suck Without You
"My Life Would Suck Without You" is a song by American singer Kelly Clarkson from her fourth studio album, '' All I Ever Wanted'' (2009). The song features songwriting credits from Max Martin, Lukasz Gottwald, and Claude Kelly and production cre ...
".
The song debuted at number one on the
''Billboard'' Digital Song Sales chart, as Swift's record-extending sixteenth chart topper, with 193,000 sold, and at number two on ''Billboard''s
Streaming Songs
The Streaming Songs chart is released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists each week's top streamed radio songs, on-demand songs and videos on leading online music services in the United States. The chart represents one of the three component ...
chart, with 50 million US streams garnered within a week. In Canada, "Me!" had a very similar run on the charts as it did in the US. On the
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...
, "Me!" opened at number two, while debuting atop the Canadian Digital Songs Sales chart.
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 ...
, "Me!" debuted and peaked at number three, making it Swift's ninth top five and twelfth top ten hit in the region. It also sold 67,000 downloads within its first week in the UK, making it the second biggest female sales debut of the year in the country, behind
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...
's "
7 Rings
"7 Rings" (stylised in all lowercase) is a song by American singer Ariana Grande, from her fifth studio album ''Thank U, Next''. It was released as the album's second single on January 18, 2019, through Republic Records. The song was written by ...
". "Me!" garnered the most video streams in the UK among Swift's collaborations, at 18.4 million streams.
In Scotland, "Me!" debuted at number one, becoming Swift's fourth chart-topper and twelfth top ten hit in the country.
"Me!" opened at number four in Iceland, becoming Brendon Urie's highest-charting single in the country. In Ireland, "Me!" debuted at number five on the
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...
on May 4, 2019. In the rest of Europe, "Me!" peaked at number one in Hungary, number three in Croatia and Israel, number four in Iceland, Greece, Latvia, and Slovakia, number five in the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Lithuania, number seven in Austria, number nine in Norway and Slovenia, and number ten in Poland.
"Me!" debuted and peaked at number two on the
ARIA
In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...
Singles Chart dated May 4, 2019, becoming Swift's seventeenth top ten hit in Australia. In New Zealand, "Me" debuted at number three on the New Zealand singles charts, tallying Swift's fourteenth and Urie's first top 10 in the country.
Music video
The music video for "Me!" premiered on
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 ...
at midnight
EDT (04:00
UTC) on April 26, 2019, in a live premiere format, prefaced by a Q&A chat in the live chat text with Swift. It was directed by Swift and
Dave Meyers. On April 27, 2019, it was announced that the music video amassed 65.2 million views within its first day of release, breaking the 24-hour
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 ...
record previously held by
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...
's "
Thank U, Next
''Thank U, Next'' is the fifth studio album by American singer Ariana Grande, released on February 8, 2019, by Republic Records. It was released six months after her fourth studio album ''Sweetener'' (2018), conceived in the midst of Grande's ...
". The video also broke Swift's personal record set in 2017 with the "
Look What You Made Me Do
"Look What You Made Me Do" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on August 24, 2017, by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from her sixth studio album, '' Reputation'' (2017). Swift wrote and produ ...
" music video, which garnered 43.2 million views on August 28, 2017. The music video also became the most-viewed video in 24 hours by female artist, a record that was later surpassed by
Blackpink
Blackpink (, commonly stylized in all caps or as BLɅϽKPIИK) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment, consisting of members Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. The group debuted in August 2016 with their single album ''Square ...
's "
How You Like That
"How You Like That" is a song recorded in Korean and Japanese by South Korean girl group Blackpink. It was released on June 26, 2020, through YG Entertainment, YG Plus and Interscope Records, as the pre-release single from the group's first Korean ...
" video in June 2020.
Swift has stated that there are multiple
Easter eggs
Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tra ...
in the video, and that there are three levels of them in the video, from most obvious to least obvious, which point to clues about the upcoming album, single, and tour. It was revealed that "
You Need to Calm Down
"You Need to Calm Down" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on June 14, 2019, as the second single from her seventh studio album, ''Lover (album), Lover'' (2019). The fourteenth track on the album, Swift ...
", a line Urie says to Swift at the beginning in French, would be the second single, and an "old-timey, 1940s-sounding instrumental version" of the song plays in the background in the same scene. The album title ''
Lover'' was correctly guessed in advance. Other potential titles that were speculated of being on the album were "Kaleidoscope", "Home" and "Awesome". The portrait of
The Chicks
The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and E ...
was later revealed to be a reference to a collaboration for the song "
Soon You'll Get Better
"Soon You'll Get Better" is a song recorded by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her seventh studio album, '' Lover'' (2019), which was released on August 23, 2019, through Republic Records. Featuring background vocals from the Chi ...
" on the album.
The music video received three nominations at the
2019 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2019 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 26, 2019, at the Prudential Center in Newark, being the first VMA ceremony to be held in New Jersey. Sebastian Maniscalco hosted the 36th annual ceremony. Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, and Billie ...
, winning
Best Visual Effects.
A lyric video was released May 1, 2019.
Synopsis
The setting of the video seems to be set within a
chrysalis
A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...
.
The music video opens with a snake slithering on a floor which then explodes into a group of colourful butterflies, a probable benchmark to note the end of her previous era, ''
Reputation
The reputation of a social entity (a person, a social group, an organization, or a place) is an opinion about that entity typically as a result of social evaluation on a set of criteria, such as behavior or performance.
Reputation is a ubiquitous ...
'', where snakes were a motif, and welcoming the inception of the upcoming one.
The video pans up to show Swift and Urie engaging in an argument in French, with
hard subtitles provided, in an apartment unit, in which Swift refers to her cats Meredith and Olivia as her "daughters". Swift is wearing a black and white tule dress with floral accents (which is similar to the black and white dress worn by actress
Grace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956.
Kelly ...
in the film
Rear Window
''Rear Window'' is a 1954 American mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "It Had to Be Murder". Originally released by Paramount Pictures, the film st ...
). Swift then leaves the room without Urie and starts singing the song upon closing the door in the hallway. Swift walks down the hallway, and the camera briefly cuts onto a group of framed artwork hung on the apartment of chicks in sunglasses and a portrait of
The Chicks
The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and E ...
during the line "and there's a lot of cool chicks out there". Swift is then seen walking to the lobby accompanied with several thunderclouds, one of which is in the form of a snake that tries to swallow her up but turns to dust upon doing so. The video cuts to a scene where a suit-clad Swift dances with her backup dancers, who are holding office bags. Urie looks out onto the street from the apartment and jumps down the balcony on an umbrella
Mary Poppins It may refer to:
* ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character.
* Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers.
* ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...
-style wearing a floral print suit.
He lands on the roof of a building with a unicorn-shaped
eave
The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural styl ...
, where Swift is seen sitting at the edge with a pink dress that turns to a waterfall. This is where the ''Lover'' sign is spotted. Urie then tries and fails to win Swift over with classic and banal items such as a bouquet of flowers and a ring. He then awes her by presenting a cat, which Taylor later adopted as her third pet and named Benjamin Button. The camera cuts to Urie opening his heart, which is revealed to be a
kaleidoscope
A kaleidoscope () is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces (or mirrors) tilted to each other at an angle, so that one or more (parts of) objects on one end of these mirrors are shown as a regular symmetrical pattern when v ...
. Swift has revealed on an
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
livestream
Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...
that this is a reference to her 2014 song, "
Welcome to New York", where she sings "kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats".
Urie and Swift then sing on a heart-shaped pinkish-orange stage, joined with a band of angels and go-go dancers wearing 1960s mod style clothing. As the bridge plays, Swift and Urie don blue marching band uniforms and dance with a group of dancers in the same attire, but pink. The video then cuts to a scene of the duo dancing on a floating window with a psychedelic-esque background. The last scene then depicts Swift in a blue attire that melts into what seems to be liquid bubblegum while a running Urie summons the same rain-like pastel liquid around the street. The video ends with the duo entering the same apartment building with an umbrella as the bubblegum rain continues on the street in the night.
In her
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
documentary ''
Miss Americana
''Miss Americana'' (also known as ''Taylor Swift: Miss Americana'') is a 2020 American documentary film that follows singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and her life over the course of several years of her career. It was directed by Lana Wilson, prod ...
'', Swift describes the concept of the music video to be related the song's message of individualism and self-empowerment by demonstrating hobbies and characteristics that make herself and Urie unique:
emo
Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...
kids and musical theatre for Urie and cats, gay pride, and cowboy boots for Swift.
Reception
The video broke the
Vevo record
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, dig ...
, as well as the YouTube record for most views in the first 24 hours for a lead female video, and the
third most-viewed overall earning 65.2 million views. It also broke the Vevo record of the fastest video to reach 100 million views at the time, doing so in 79 hours.
Chris Willman of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' described the music video as a "
phantasmagorical delight" that induces an instant "sugar rush" in a "bubblegum
psychedelia
Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic ...
".
Live performances, covers and usage in media
On May 1, 2019, Swift and Urie opened the
2019 ''Billboard'' Music Awards with a performance of "Me!". On May 21, 2019, Swift and Urie performed the song at the finale of the
sixteenth season of ''
The Voice
The Voice may refer to:
Fictional entities
* The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics
* The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe
* The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...
''. Swift and Urie also performed the song on June 1, 2019, at the 2019
Wango Tango. She performed a solo version of the song at the finale of the
fourteen season of ''
Germany's Next Topmodel
''Germany's Next Topmodel'' (often abbreviated as ''GNTM'') is a German reality television series, based on a concept introduced by Tyra Banks with ''America's Next Top Model''. The competition is hosted by Heidi Klum who also serves as the le ...
'' on May 23, on ''
The Graham Norton Show
''The Graham Norton Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton s ...
'' in the United Kingdom, and at the
eighth season of the
French version of ''The Voice'' along with "
Shake It Off
"Shake It Off" is a song by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her fifth studio album, ''1989''. Swift wrote the lyrics and composed the melody with producers Max Martin and Shellback. An uptempo dance-pop song featuring a saxop ...
" on May 25, 2019. On July 10, 2019, Swift performed the song at her headlining
Amazon Prime Day
Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service from Amazon (company), Amazon which is available in various countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services ...
concert along with "
You Need to Calm Down
"You Need to Calm Down" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on June 14, 2019, as the second single from her seventh studio album, ''Lover (album), Lover'' (2019). The fourteenth track on the album, Swift ...
" and a number of songs from her previous albums.
She performed the song along with "You Need to Calm Down" and "Shake It Off" at a ''
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
'' concert in
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
on August 22. On September 9, Swift performed the song at the
City of Lover
:
City of Lover was a one-off concert by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was held at the Olympia theater in Paris, France, on September 9, 2019, slightly over two weeks after the release of Swift's seventh studio album '' Lover ...
one-off concert at
L'Olympia
The Olympia (; commonly known as L'Olympia or in the English-speaking world as Olympia Hall) is a concert venue in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France, located at 28 Boulevard des Capucines, equally distancing Madeleine church and Opéra G ...
in Paris, France. She released this live version on digital music platforms on May 17, 2020. On October 19, she performed the song at the We Can Survive charity concert in Los Angeles. She performed the song on the ''Sukkiri Morning Show'' in Tokyo, Japan on November 7, and the
Alibaba
Ali Baba (character), Ali Baba is a character from the folk tale ''Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves''.
Ali Baba or Alibaba may also refer to:
Films
* Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1902 film), ''Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'' (1902 film), a F ...
Singles' Day
The Singles' Day () or Double 11 (), originally called Bachelors' Day, is a Chinese unofficial holiday and shopping season that celebrates people who are not in a relationship. The date, 11 November (11/11), was chosen because the numeral 1 res ...
Gala in Shanghai, China on November 10. On December 8, Swift performed the song at
Capital FM's
Jingle Bell Ball 2019 in London. On December 13, she performed the song at
iHeartRadio
iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming Computing platform, platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbr ...
Z100's Jingle Ball in New York City.
Hours after the song's release,
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
and
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
used the song for their intro for night 2 of the
2019 NFL Draft
The 2019 NFL Draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee. The first round was held on April 2 ...
, a day after Swift broke the news of the song's release, in an interview with
ABC's Robin Roberts. The song was also used in a commercial Swift filmed in partnership with
Capital One
Capital One Financial Corporation is an American bank holding company specializing in credit cards, auto loans, banking, and savings accounts, headquartered in McLean, Virginia with operations primarily in the United States. It is on the list o ...
in 2019 and in trailers for ''
Pablo
Pablo is a Spanish form of the name Paul.
People
* Pablo Alborán, Spanish singer
*Pablo Aimar, Argentine footballer
*Pablo Armero, Colombian footballer
* Pablo Bartholomew, Indian photojournalist
*Pablo Brandán, Argentine footballer
* Pablo Bren ...
'' on
CBeebies
CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...
in 2020.
On June 28, 2021, a cover of "Me!" by Taiwanese singer
Tzuyu
Chou Tzu-yu ( zh, 周子瑜}; , born 14 June 1999), known mononymously as Tzuyu (, ), is a Taiwanese people, Taiwanese singer based in South Korea. She is the only Taiwanese member of the girl group Twice, formed by JYP Entertainment in 2015. ...
, a member of South Korean girl group
Twice
Twice (; Japanese: トゥワイス, Hepburn: ''To~uwaisu''; commonly stylized as TWICE) is a South Korean girl group formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of nine members: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaey ...
, featuring Bang Chan of
Stray Kids
Stray Kids (; often abbreviated as SKZ) is a South Korean boy band formed by JYP Entertainment through the 2017 reality show of the same name. The group is composed of eight members: Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin ...
, was released. A 10-second teaser of the cover was posted to YouTube on June 22, 2021, which accumulated 1.7 million views in a day.
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from
liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes.
Origin
Liner notes are desce ...
of "Me!" 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 ...
;Personnel
*
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 ...
– vocals, songwriter, producer
*
Joel Little
Joel Little (born 13 February 1983) is a New Zealand record producer, musician and Grammy Award-winning songwriter. – producer, songwriter, drum programming, guitar, keyboards, record engineering, synthesizer programming
*
Brendon Urie
Brendon Boyd Urie (born April 12, 1987) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist of Panic! at the Disco, of which he is the only remaining member.
In ...
– vocals, songwriter
* John Rooney – record engineering assistance
*
Serban Ghenea
Șerban Ghenea (born October 13, 1969) is a Grammy award-winning Romanian-Canadian audio engineer and mixer.
Early life and education
Ghenea was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1969. In 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. He later attended ...
– mix engineering
* John Hanes – mix engineering
* Randy Merrill – master engineering
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
*
List of most-viewed online videos in the first 24 hours
This list contains the online videos, music videos, and film trailers that have received the most views within 24 hours of release. Video views are generated from different online platforms such as Facebook, iQIYI and YouTube.
Top videos
Fil ...
*
List of most expensive music videos
This article lists the most expensive music videos ever made, with costs of $500,000 or more.
David Bowie's video for the 1981 single " Ashes to Ashes" was the first music video to exceed this sum. Janet Jackson leads with six videos on the list ...
*
List of Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles in 2019
This is a list of singles that charted in the top ten of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, an all-genre singles chart, in 2019.
Top-ten singles
Key
* – indicates single's top 10 entry was also its Hot 100 debut
*(#) – 2019 year-end top 10 sin ...
*
List of number-one digital songs of 2019 (U.S.)
The list of number-one digital songs of 2019 in the United States are based upon the highest-selling downloaded songs ranked in the Digital Song Sales chart, published by '' Billboard'' magazine. The data are compiled by Nielsen SoundScan based ...
*
List of number-one digital songs of 2019 (Canada)
*
List of UK top-ten singles in 2019
The UK Singles Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling singles of the week in the United Kingdom. Since 2004 the chart has been based on the sales of both physical singles and ...
*
List of number one singles in Scotland (2019)
*
List of top 10 singles in 2019 (Australia)
This is a list of singles that charted in the top ten of the ARIA Charts in 2019. In 2019, twenty-three acts reached the top ten for the first time.
Top-ten singles
Key
2018 peaks
2020 peaks
Notes:
:The singles re-entered the top ...
*
List of number-one digital tracks of 2019 (Australia)
*
List of airplay number-one hits of the 2010s (Argentina)
Monitor Latino (stylised monitorLATINO) is a singles chart founded in 2003 which ranks songs on chart based on airplay across radio stations in Argentina, as in most Latin American countries and Hispanic radio stations in the United States ...
References
{{authority control
2019 singles
2019 songs
Bubblegum pop songs
American synth-pop songs
Taylor Swift songs
Brendon Urie songs
Songs written by Taylor Swift
Songs written by Brendon Urie
Songs written by Joel Little
Song recordings produced by Joel Little
Republic Records singles
Music videos directed by Dave Meyers (director)
Music videos directed by Taylor Swift
Male–female vocal duets
Number-one singles in Scotland
Song recordings produced by Taylor Swift