"Sweet Nothing" is a song by Scottish DJ
Calvin Harris
Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums.
His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'', was released in June ...
from his third studio album, ''
18 Months'' (2012). It features vocals from
Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, harpist Tom Monger, and ...
singer
Florence Welch. Harris previously worked with the band in a remix of their single, "
Spectrum
A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors ...
" (2012). While recording ''18 Months'', Harris expressed interest in working with Welch. He mentioned that it was not easy and he had to chase her, due to schedule conflicts. Welch accepted his invitation and the two recorded "Sweet Nothing". The track premiered on ''
The Chris Moyles Show'' on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance ...
on 28 August 2012 and was later released as the fifth single from the album on 12 October 2012.
"Sweet Nothing" is an
electronic dance music song, with heartfelt vocals and an escalating beat. Lyrically, it talks about a romance with no depth, where the protagonist is receiving "sweet nothing". "Sweet Nothing" received favourable reviews, with many critics praising its production and Welch's vocals. The song debuted at number one 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 ...
, marking Harris' first number-one single as a main artist in the United Kingdom since his 2009 single, "
I'm Not Alone". The song is also Welch's first top-ten hit in the United States, peaking at number 10. "Sweet Nothing" was nominated for
Best Dance Recording at the
56th Grammy Awards
The 56th Annual Grammy Awards presentation was held on January 26, 2014, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show was broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/PT and was hosted for the third time by LL Cool J. The show was moved to January to avoid compe ...
.
The music video for the song, directed by Vincent Haycock, premiered on 20 September 2012. In the video, Welch works as a singer at a bar or club, pouring the pain and frustration of her unfulfilled life and abusive relationship into every revealing and explosive performance. However, after recognising the benefits of her seedy environment, she plots to rid herself of her boyfriend.
Background and development
On 30 July 2012, Calvin Harris stated via his Twitter account that his third studio album ''
18 Months'' would be released at the end of October 2012. In an interview with
4Music
4Music is a British music television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. The original incarnation was launched on 15 August 2008, and until 29 June 2022, showed a mix of music and entertainment programming. It ...
, Harris explained that the album would be "like a compilation, a NOW album with me all over it." While recording for the album, ''18 Months'', Calvin wanted to collaborate with
Florence Welch.
He had previously worked with her band Florence and the Machine on a remix of their 2012 single 'Spectrum' (2012). It eventually peaked at number-one 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 ...
.
He told
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
that the thrill of the chase only made her vocal contribution that much more special.
[ Harris' history with Florence started far before the year and a half he dedicated to making the album. He further explained:
]
"I met Florence for the first time end of 2007 and the first time I ever saw her in my life, it was like weird corporate arty
Arty may refer to:
People
* Arty (Queen), 8th century BC wife of Pharaoh Shebitku
* Arty (musician) (born 1989), Russian record producer and DJ born Artem Stolyarov
* Arty Ash, stage name of British actor Arthur Richard Dodge (1895–1954)
* A n ...
and I walked into the green room and she was definitely drunk, getting a piggy back off someone in her band, like with a bottle of champagne, screaming. And I thought 'I like this girl.'... And in the years ince Ince may refer to:
*Ince, Cheshire, a village in Cheshire, UK
*Ince-in-Makerfield in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, UK
*Ince (UK Parliament constituency), a former constituency covering Ince-in-Makerfield
*Ince (ward), an electoral ward covering ...
she just actually grew up. I wasn't expecting that," he said. "I thought she was a cool kid, one of those people who come and go and then she just smashed it." He added, "Now Florence is Florence. She's cool as fuck as well."[
]
To record the track, Harris had to go after Florence to record her vocals for the track. He also stated, "With Florence, she was really busy at that time. She was in the middle of a tour and she had like three days to record something, so I wasn't there, anything could've come back." Calvin was pressed for time when he got the call and finding out Florence would do the vocals on "Sweet Nothing." He hadn't started working on the song and scrambled to give her a track to record the vocals on. He told ''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 ...
'' that, "I didn't think she'd do it. She seemed a really unattainable artist to reach for. I think she would've done it if the song was right and the people were right and it was all at the right time. I did a remix for her and she owed me a favor – I guess part of it was that." "Sweet Nothing" first premiered on The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance ...
on 28 August 2012, and was released as the fifth single from the album on 14 October 2012.[
]
Composition
"Sweet Nothing" was written by Calvin Harris
Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums.
His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'', was released in June ...
, Florence Welch and Kid Harpoon
Thomas Edward Percy Hull (born 20 April 1982), known professionally as Kid Harpoon, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer.
Career
Already a fixture at local venues in his hometown of Chatham, Kid Harpoon first emerge ...
, while production was handled by Harris. He also serves as the arranger and plays all instruments of the track. The song was recorded by Harpoon and mastered by Simon Dave. Welch, from the band Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, harpist Tom Monger, and ...
, is the vocalist of the track. It is an electronic dance music song, following the familiar pattern of taking love-strung vocals and layering them over a bouncy, ever-building beat. The tale of "Sweet Nothing" is a romance with no depth. It addresses a relationship: "You took my heart and you held it in your mouth/ And with a word all my love came rushing out/ And every whisper, it's the worst, emptied out by a single word," Welch begins the track.
Critical reception
"Sweet Nothing" received generally positive reviews from music critics. After its premiere on the radio, Robbie Daw 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 ...
stated, "If there was any doubt as to whether Harris is the current king of frothy, radio-friendly dance pop on both sides of the Atlantic, one need only listen to this energetic jam."[ Chris Smith of Yahoo! UK called it "a pop pairing made in heaven", writing, "The club friendly track features Calvin's latest knob twiddling genius that never seems to get old despite debuting in last year's monster anthem ']We Found Love
"We Found Love" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her sixth studio album, ''Talk That Talk'' (2011). Scottish DJ Calvin Harris wrote, produced, and features on the song, which also appears on his third album '' 18 Months'' (2012). "We F ...
'. Flo's vocal again lends itself effortlessly to the track—it's somehow difficult to understand why she hadn't ventured into this territory before. 'Sweet Nothing' manages to sound anthemic without needing the big drop." ''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 ...
'' was very positive, writing, "The bass glimmers underneath Welch's operatic chants, as the singer, freed momentarily from her well-oiled Machine, gets to re-imagine her career as a dance goddess. It delivers its irresistible throb via a special voice." Rebecca Nicholson of ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' called it "the highlight of ''18 Months''."
Emily Mackay of ''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 ...
'' agreed, stating that "the highest point apart is Florence's dance-diva turn on the p-p-p-p-powing power-house of 'Sweet Nothing'." Adam Pollock of ''Filter
Filter, filtering or filters may refer to:
Science and technology
Computing
* Filter (higher-order function), in functional programming
* Filter (software), a computer program to process a data stream
* Filter (video), a software component tha ...
'' magazine opined, "A thrilling guest vocal by Florence Welch adds an excitingly dark vibe to the album, which for the most part stays in booty-shaking mode." Bill Lamb of About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...
rated the song three-and-a-half out of five stars, calling it "satisfying as a pop radio treat, but it leaves fans hoping for something just a little deeper and more memorable."[ He criticised the song for "failing to go much further beyond the arresting opening," however he wrote that "Calvin Harris' disco-inflected pop remains irresistible."][ Tim Sendra of ]AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
was mixed, writing that "Florence Welch's desperate wail pushes it over the top." Melissa Maerz 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 ...
'' agreed, writing that "Welch's banshee wail gets buried under the laser-gun peals of 'Sweet Nothing'." Robert Copsey of Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
felt that the song "lacked originality and felt more like attempt to fit in rather than stand out."
Commercial performance
United Kingdom and Ireland
In the UK midweeks charts, "Sweet Nothing" was ahead of Swedish House Mafia
Swedish House Mafia (SHM) is a Swedish house music supergroup consisting of Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. The group officially formed in late 2008, were placed at number ten on the ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJ Poll 2011, and have been ...
, knocking their track "Don't You Worry Child
"Don't You Worry Child" is the sixth single released by Swedish house music supergroup Swedish House Mafia. It is the last single from their second compilation album, '' Until Now'', featuring vocals from Swedish singer John Martin. In the Uni ...
" into second place. On 21 October 2012, the single topped 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 ...
, becoming their second number one single in three months, following Harris's remix of Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, harpist Tom Monger, and ...
's "Spectrum (Say My Name)
"Spectrum" is a song by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine from their second studio album '' Ceremonials'' (2011). It was written by lead singer Florence Welch and Paul Epworth with production being handled by Epworth. The band ...
" in topping the UK chart. It is also Harris' fourth number one single in the UK either as a solo or featured artist. On 27 October 2012, the song dropped to number 3. In its third week, it fell to number 6. It also topped the chart in Ireland where it became his third number one singles on that country after "We Found Love
"We Found Love" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her sixth studio album, ''Talk That Talk'' (2011). Scottish DJ Calvin Harris wrote, produced, and features on the song, which also appears on his third album '' 18 Months'' (2012). "We F ...
" and " We'll Be Coming Back".
Oceania
The song was a commercial success in Australia, debuting at number 2 on the ARIA Charts
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
week of 28 October 2012. In its second week, it remained at number 2, while in its third week, it fell only to number 2. It remained to further weeks at the top-ten, before falling on the charts. In its twelfth week, the song gave a climb from number 36 to number 25.[ "Sweet Nothing" was certified 2× Platinum 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 ...
(ARIA), denoting shipments of 140,000 copies. 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 repeated the same success, debuting at number 2 on the RIANZ
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 ...
chart week of 22 October 2012. It fell to number 4, in its second week, but climbed to number 3, in its third week. It spent 4 further weeks inside the top-ten. After two weeks out of the top-twenty, "Sweet Nothing" climbed to number 19, in its twelfth week, being certified "Platinum" by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
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 ...
.[
]
United States
"Sweet Nothing" debuted at number 96 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, on the week of 3 November 2012. After three weeks out of the charts, the song re-entered at number 97, on the week of 1 December 2012. In its third week, it jumped to number 82, while in its fourth week, it climbed to number 58. That same week, it debuted on the Pop Songs
Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the Un ...
chart at number 32. In its sixth week, the single entered the top-forty, climbing to number 33. After a fall to number 40, the song jumped to number 24, also peaking at number 20 on the ''Pop Songs'' chart. In its tenth week, the song reached number 20 on the Hot 100, becoming Harris' third top-twenty single. In its twelfth week, the song peaked at number 10, becoming his first top 10 hit as lead performer in the country (second overall) and also Florence Welch's first US top 10 hit. As of July 2013, the song has sold over 1,216,000 copies in the United States.
Music video
On 23 August, Harris announced via Facebook that he was filming the music video for "Sweet Nothing" with Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007, consisting of lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, harpist Tom Monger, and ...
. The video was filmed over two days at a working men's club in Dalston, London, under the direction of Vincent Haycock who also directed Harris' videos for " Flashback", "Bounce
Bounce or The Bounce may refer to:
* Deflection (physics), the event where an object Collision, collides with and bounces against a plane surface
Books
* Mr. Bounce, a character from the Mr. Men series of children's books
Broadcasting, film and ...
" and "Feel So Close
"Feel So Close" is a song by Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, released as the second single from his third studio album, ''18 Months'' (2012). In order to have lyrics and be standalone, Harris had to return to singing on this song, after previously s ...
". The exterior shots were filmed close to Stepney Methodist Church Bus Stop on Commercial Road, Limehouse, London. The music video premiered on 20 September 2012 through Harris' YouTube 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 ...
channel. The video stars Harris and Welch, as well as English actors Leo Gregory
Leo Gregory (born 22 November 1978) is a London born English film, television, voice-over artist and pantomime actor. Best known for starring as Bovver in '' Green Street'' (2005).
Acting career
Gregory has appeared in films such as the BAFTA w ...
and Kianoush Joseph.
The video begins with Gregory sitting in a restaurant after breaking up with Welch. As he leaves the restaurant he passes his food to a hooded man, who becomes confused as to why Gregory gave it to him. Meanwhile, Florence Welch is seen in a suit onstage at a nightclub where she is performing. Gregory gets stopped on his way by a group of men who start assaulting him. He tries to fight back, resulting in an even more severe beating. While he gets beaten, Welch seems to "feel" pain as she sings on the stage. This segment is interspersed with scenes of Gregory fighting with his girlfriend and his girlfriend telling her story to Calvin Harris. Harris watches as Welch takes off her suit and tie and frees her hair to reveal herself as the girlfriend being abused by Gregory. This is when we are shown how Calvin Harris, who, after listening to Florence Welch's story of her and Gregory's violent relationship and break-up, executes her revenge by arranging to have Gregory beaten up. Welch continues her angry and energetic dancing as the video ends, along with the flashbacks, with Gregory still being assaulted by the men, and Gregory's girlfriend still distraught in the bathroom.
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{Authority control
2012 singles
2012 songs
Calvin Harris songs
Florence and the Machine songs
Columbia Records singles
Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
Number-one singles in Scotland
Songs about heartache
Songs written by Calvin Harris
Songs written by Florence Welch
Songs written by Kid Harpoon
UK Singles Chart number-one singles