"There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" is a song recorded by Canadian singer

Shawn Mendes Shawn Peter Raul Mendes ( , ; born August 8, 1998) is a Canadian singer. He gained a following in 2013 when he posted song covers on the video-sharing platform Vine (software), Vine. The following year, he caught the attention of artist manage ...

. Written by Mendes,

Teddy Geiger Teddy Geiger (born September 16, 1988) is an American singer-songwriter and record producer who first gained teen idol status with the song " For You I Will (Confidence)" in 2006. Geiger acted in the television series '' Love Monkey'' (2006) and ...

, Geoff Warburton and Scott Harris, and produced by Geiger and

Andrew Maury Andrew Maury is an American mixing engineer and record producer based in Brooklyn, New York. Career Maury has worked with artists such as Lewis Del Mar, Lizzo, Madi Diaz, Victoria Canal, Petey USA, Vagabon, Shawn Mendes, Post Malone, Colony ...

, it was released as a single on April 20, 2017. The song was included in the

reissue In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New audio formats Reco ...

of his second studio album ''

Illuminate Illuminate may refer to: Music Bands * Illuminate (2009), a 2009 E.P. by English Progressive Metal band Suns of the Tundra * Illuminate (band), a German gothic music band Albums and EPs * ''Illuminate'' (Joe Morris and Rob Brown album), 1995 ...

'' (2016). An accompanying music video was released on June 20, 2017. The single reached number one in The Czech Republic, Guatemala, and Serbia, as well as the top 10 in several additional countries, including the US and the UK. It is

certified Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

Diamond in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, and Poland. It won an MTV Europe Music Award for Best Song in 2017 and a

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

for Single of the Year in 2018.

Composition

"There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" is a "dance-y"

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

track. A ''Billboard'' editor noted it features some electric guitar and "strained" vocals on the chorus. As the upbeat track progresses, it incorporates handclaps, funky guitar riffs, and foot-tapping bass. The

pre-chorus Song structure is the arrangement of a song, and is a part of the songwriting process. It is typically section (music), sectional, which uses repeating forms in songs. Common piece-level musical forms for vocal music include bar form, thirty-two-ba ...

was inspired by early works of

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer and rapper. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythm ...

and

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...

Critical reception

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 advertis ...

'', Taylor Weatherby noted "the song's sound falls right in line with the guitar-laced goodness he brought on his sophomore effort, but this time bringing in a little more edge." Allison Bowsher for Much opined the sound "is a return to the earworms that launched Mendes' career back in 2015. Reminiscent of the high energy pop sensibilities of Mendes' " Something Big," today's new track plays with lifts and falls throughout, allowing Mendes to show off the strength of his voice." In

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, Madeline Roth thought the track is "more danceable than anything in his catalog. His voice is gritty and hoarse, especially on the passionate, aggressive hook." ''

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'' chose the song as a contender for one of the songs of the summer, commending the "smart use of both electric guitar and tropical house beat." ''Billboard'' considered it the 44th best song of the year, ''

CBC Music CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

'' named it the 5th.

Live performances

"There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" is featured on the Illuminate World Tour setlist. The singer performed the single 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 ...

'' on June 9, 2017, at Capital FM's Summertime Ball 2017 on June 10, ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It i ...

'' on June 19, at the

2017 MTV Video Music Awards The 2017 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 27, 2017 at The Forum in Inglewood, California, honoring music videos released between June 25, 2016 and June 23, 2017. It was hosted by Katy Perry. The 34th annual award show aired live from ...

on August 27, and at the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards on 12 November 2017, in which ''Billboard'' named his performance the second best of the night. On May 18, 2018, Mendes was a special guest on

Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour The Reputation Stadium Tour was the fifth concert tour and the first stadium tour by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, in support of her sixth studio album, ''Reputation'' (2017). It began in Glendale, Arizona, United States, on May ...

, and performed the song alongside Swift at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

Chart performance

In the United States, the song has peaked at number 6, becoming Mendes' third top 10 single on the US Billboard Hot 100. In Canada, the song has also reached a peak of 6, becoming his highest-charting single in his home country at the time. He has since surpassed this peak with his single "If I Can't Have You" which reached number 2 in May 2019. It has reached the top 5 in several other countries such as Australia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Scotland, and the United Kingdom.

Music video

The music video for the song was released on June 20, 2017, directed by Jay Martin, and produced by Cal Gordon. Filmed throughout various places in Europe, the video shows Mendes and his dating partner (played by actress Ellie Bamber) exploring Paris, Amsterdam and the United Kingdom and racing through transportation hubs, ride trains, and trek along the coastline while additional footage is also shown with Mendes out on tour from his concerts. It also serves as the sequel to the " Treat You Better" music video. In July 2021, the music video reached the 1 billion view milestone, Mendes' fourth video to do so.

Usage in media

The song is heard in the television series '' The Good Doctor'' at the closing of Season 1, Episode 4 in a scene set in a bar. It was also the song used by ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...

'' season 25 winners

Jordan Fisher Jordan William Fisher (born April 24, 1994) is an American actor, singer, and dancer. He began his career with recurring roles on several television series, including '' The Secret Life of the American Teenager'' in 2012 and '' Liv and Maddie'' ...

and

Lindsay Arnold Lindsay Arnold Cusick (; born January 11, 1994) is an American professional dancer, choreographer, and businesswoman. Specialized in Latin and ballroom dance styles, she was the seventh female contestant to be eliminated during the ninth season ...

in their first dance, a

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...

, and by season 24 finalist

Normani Normani Kordei Hamilton ( ; born May 31, 1996), known mononymously as Normani, is an American singer. She first became known as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, which became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. While in t ...

in her final fusion dance with

Val Chmerkovskiy Valentin Aleksandrovich "Val" Chmerkovskiy (born March 24, 1986) is a Ukrainian-American professional dancer, best known for his appearances on the U.S. version of ''Dancing with the Stars'', which he won three times. Chmerkovskiy is a two-time ...

. It can also be heard in national TV ads for Ford Motor Company of Australia. The Portuguese supermarket chain Continente used a Portuguese language cover of the song in its 2018 TV

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

campaign. It also appears in the movie ''

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'' with

Emma Roberts Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991) Additional on October 9, 2016 is an American actress, singer and producer. Known for her performances spanning multiple genres of film and television, her work in the horror film, horror and thriller ...

and

Hayden Christensen Hayden Christensen (born April 19, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He gained recognition for his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader in the ''Star Wars'' media franchise. He first appeared in the prequel trilogy films, '' Star Wars: Episod ...

.https://marketeer.pt/2018/11/12/o-mundo-encantado-da-popota-esta-de-volta/ (in Portuguese) It is also featured in the 2021 film ''

Sing 2 ''Sing 2'' is a 2021 American animated jukebox musical comedy film produced by Universal Pictures and Illumination (company), Illumination, and distributed by Universal. The sequel to ''Sing (2016 American film), Sing'' (2016), it was written ...

'', as well as its trailer, and it was covered by

Taron Egerton Taron Egerton ( ; born 10 November 1989) is a Welsh actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he performed in stage plays before gaining recognition for his starring role as a spy in the action comedy films '' Kingsman: Th ...

and

Tori Kelly Victoria Loren Kelly (born December 14, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained recognition on YouTube before making it through to Hollywood week on the ninth season of ''American Idol'' in 2010 and eventually releasing her debu ...

on the film's soundtrack.

Track listing

*Digital download (NOTD Remix) #"There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" (

NOTD NOTD (pronounced "noted") is a Swedish musical production duo composed of Tobias Danielsson and Samuel Brandt. They are best known for their songs "I Wanna Know (NOTD song), I Wanna Know" featuring Bea Miller and "So Close (NOTD song), So Close" ...

remix) – 3:14 *Digital download (Acoustic) #"There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" (Acoustic) – 3:21

Accolades

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2017 songs 2017 singles Shawn Mendes songs Songs written by Teddy Geiger Songs written by Scott Harris (songwriter) Songs written by Shawn Mendes Torch songs Songs written by Geoff Warburton Island Records singles Universal Music Group singles Folktronica songs