"Treat You Better" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter

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

, released through Island Records on June 3, 2016, 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 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). It was co-written by Mendes with

Teddy Geiger Teresa Geiger (born September 16, 1988) also known by her stage name Teddy Geiger, is an American artist, songwriter and record producer. Early life Geiger was born on September 16, 1988, to Lorilyn Rizzo-Bridges and John Theodore Geiger, I. Sh ...

, and Scott Harris, while Geiger produced the song alongside

Dan Romer Dan Romer is an American film composer, music producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. Career As a film composer, Romer's scores include four-time Oscar-nominated ''Beasts of the Southern Wild'', '' Beasts of No Nation'', '' Chasing Coral' ...

, and Daylight. The music video was released on July 12, 2016, and features a storyline about an abusive relationship. "Treat You Better" peaked at number six on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming his second top ten on the chart. Elsewhere, the song has topped charts in Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, and peaked within the top ten of the record charts in Canada, the United Kingdom and other 18 countries.

Composition

The song is written in the key of

B minor B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major. The B natural minor scale is: : Changes need ...

. and has a tempo of 83 beats per minute.

Awards and nominations

Critical reception

'' Billboard'' ranked "Treat You Better" at number 42 on their "100 Best Pop Songs of 2016" list. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''s

Jon Caramanica Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Caramanica received his bachelor's degree ...

named it the eighth best song of the year.

Music video

The music video was released on July 12, 2016. It features a plot revolving around a situation of violence between couples. The video shows a girl being abused by her boyfriend in various situations, while Mendes hopes to be with her and struggles to understand why she prefers to be in that relationship. The video ends displaying the number for the

National Domestic Violence Hotline The National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH) is a 24-hour confidential service for survivors, victims and those affected by domestic violence, intimate partner violence and relationship abuse. Advocates are available at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) a ...

. The music video also stars

Devon Aoki Devon Edwenna Aoki (born August 10, 1982) is an actress and fashion model. Aoki's film roles include supporting roles in ''2 Fast 2 Furious'' (2003) and ''Sin City'' (2005) and lead roles in '' DOA: Dead or Alive'' (2006) and ''Mutant Chronicles ...

's half sister Ellie Stuart Hunter played with a guitar, drums and tambourines. The video has received over 2.0 billion YouTube views as of late December 2020, and is one of the site's 60 most-watched videos.

Chart performance

The song debuted at number thirty four on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and later peaked at number six, making it Mendes' second top 10 single. It also reached the top 10 on the Mainstream Top 40 and

Adult Top 40 The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems ...

national airplay charts. In Canada, the song has peaked at number seven on the Canadian Hot 100, passing " Life of the Party" as his highest-peaking single in his home country. The song has additionally achieved a top 5 position on the national CHR and

Hot AC Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet sto ...

airplay charts, and has been certified gold by Music Canada. "Treat You Better" has also reached the top 10 in multiple markets including Australia, Germany, and Sweden.

Track listing

Live performances

Mendes' first televised performance of "Treat You Better" happened at the 2016 Much Music Video Awards on June 19. On July 12, 2016, he performed the song on ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

'', and again on October 8, 2018, with Jimmy Fallon and his house band The Roots as backing using "classroom instruments". On November 20, 2016, Mendes performed "Treat You Better" at the 2016

American Music Awards The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Pro ...

Advertising use

"Treat You Better" is being used in a series of commercials for Southwest Airlines. In July 2017, Swedish melodic metal band

Sonic Syndicate Sonic Syndicate is a Swedish metalcore band from Falkenberg. They were formerly influenced by Swedish melodic death metal bands such as In Flames and Soilwork and American metalcore bands like Killswitch Engage and All That Remains. The band w ...

released a cover version of the song.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2016 songs 2016 singles Shawn Mendes songs Island Records singles Republic Records singles Universal Music Group singles Number-one singles in Poland Songs written by Scott Harris (songwriter) Songs written by Shawn Mendes Songs written by Teddy Geiger Songs about domestic violence Songs about jealousy