"Party for One" is a song by Canadian singer
Carly Rae Jepsen
Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...
. It was released as the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
from her fourth studio album ''
Dedicated'' on November 1, 2018, through
604
__NOTOC__
Year 604 ( DCIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 604 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era b ...
,
School Boy and
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
. The track was written by Jepsen, Tavish Crowe, Julia Karlsson, and Anton Rundberg, and produced by Hightower and
Captain Cuts
Captain Cuts is a songwriting, record production and remix team based in Los Angeles. The trio is composed of Ben Berger, Ryan McMahon and Ryan Rabin (son of Trevor), drummer and producer of the band Grouplove. Collectively they have produced and ...
.
"Party for One" was placed on ''
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 list of 50 Best Songs of 2018.
Background
Jepsen worked on the song for some time, first writing the melody with her long-time collaborator Tavish Crowe. The lyrics were inspired by staying in a hotel room in Sweden on her own, at a time when she was going through a break-up. The singer explained that the song is about "what it is to celebrate time with yourself". Matt Moen of ''
Paper
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distributed ...
'' described the song as a "self-care anthem" or something to help refrain from texting an ex.
Mike Wass of
Idolator
An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry.
Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books
*''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music
* Idolator (website), an American music blog
* ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...
said that as the lead single for Jepsen's fourth studio album, it is "likely to cement her status as the hipster's guilty pleasure with a collection of cute, clever and slightly offbeat bops".
A number of critics noted references to
masturbation
Masturbation is the sexual stimulation of one's own genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation may involve hands, fingers, everyday objects, sex toys such as vibrators, or combinatio ...
in the song's lyrics.
Jepsen posted an image of herself to social media on October 30, 2018, captioning it "Party for one",
confirming social media rumours about the song's impending release
after it was registered with
BMI.
Despite being promoted as the lead single from ''Dedicated'', "Party for One" is not included in the standard track listing and only appears on select digital and deluxe editions of the album.
Critical reception
Upon its release, "Party for One" received critical acclaim. Brittany Spanos of ''
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 ...
'' called the song "upbeat" and "bubbly".
Brooke Bajgrowicz of ''
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 ...
'' said the track is "driven by an electric beat" and compared its "infectious pop sound" to "
Call Me Maybe
"Call Me Maybe" is a song recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen for her EP ''Curiosity'' (2012) and later appeared on her second studio album and first international album ''Kiss'' (2012). The song was written by Jepsen and T ...
" and "
I Really Like You
"I Really Like You" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen for her third studio album, ''Emotion'' (2015). It was written by Jepsen, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Peter Svensson, and Steve DaMar; and produced by Svensson. The song was r ...
".
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 ...
'', Bobby Finger felt that "In the pantheon of pop breakup anthems, Jepsen's newest single lacks the aching detail of '
Dancing on My Own
"Dancing On My Own" is a song by Swedish singer-songwriter Robyn, released on 20 April 2010 as the lead single from her fifth studio album, ''Body Talk Pt. 1'' (2010), the first in her ''Body Talk'' series. "Dancing On My Own" was produced by ...
' or the
alchemy of '
Since U Been Gone
"Since U Been Gone" is a song recorded by American singer Kelly Clarkson from her second studio album, '' Breakaway'' (2004). The song, which was written and produced by Max Martin and Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, was released as the lead sing ...
,' but it's a satisfying intimation that ''
E•MO•TION'' could be getting a sequel soon". 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 ...
'' named "Party for One" a "glimmering gem of a synth-pop track".
Year-end lists
Music video
The music video, directed by Bardia Zeinali, was released on November 1, 2018.
It features Jepsen checking into a hotel for the night before showing scenes of other people in the same hotel alone in their rooms, doing various things such as dancing, crying, eating and putting on makeup. The power then goes out, which causes everybody to walk down to the lobby, where they have a party before returning to their rooms.
Roisin O'Connor of ''The Independent'' called the video "fun, even if it is one giant advert for
Absolut Vodka
Absolut Vodka is a brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, in southern Sweden. Absolut is a part of the French group Pernod Ricard. Pernod Ricard bought Absolut for €5.63 billion in 2008 from the Swedish state. Absolut is one of the largest brand ...
".
On December 11, 2018, Jepsen released a vertical video of the song on YouTube.
Live performances
Jepsen performed "Party for One" for the first time on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...
'' on November 5, 2018.
The song was performed live throughout
The Dedicated Tour
The Dedicated Tour was the third concert tour by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen. Launched in support of her fourth studio album, '' Dedicated'' (2019), the tour began on 23 May 2019 in Stockholm and traveled across North America, Europe, Asia ...
.
Track listing
* Digital download/Streaming
# "Party for One" — 3:03
* Digital Remix EP
# "Party for One" (More Giraffes Remix) — 2:46
# "Party for One" (Sawyr Remix) — 3:02
# "Party for One" (Anki Remix) — 3:29
Charts
Release history
References
{{Carly Rae Jepsen
2018 singles
2018 songs
Carly Rae Jepsen songs
Songs written by Carly Rae Jepsen
Vertically oriented music videos
604 Records singles
Schoolboy Records singles
Interscope Records singles
Song recordings produced by Captain Cuts
Songs written by Anton Rundberg