"You Ruin Me" is a song by Australian
pop duo
The Veronicas
The Veronicas is an Australian pop duo from Brisbane. The group was formed in 2004 by identical twin sisters Lisa and Jessica Origliasso.
In 2005, the Veronicas released their debut studio album, titled '' The Secret Life of...'', which peak ...
from their
self-titled third studio album. Produced by
DNA, the recording is the lead single from the album and their first musical release since "
Lolita
''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is notable for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator, a middle-aged literature professor under the pseudonym Humbert Humber ...
" in 2012. The track, which was released on 19 September 2014, was co-written by Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci along with The Veronicas' twins
Lisa Origliasso
Lisa Marie Huffman (née Origliasso; born 25 December 1984) is an Australian singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Albany Creek, Queensland, Lisa and her identical twin sister, Jessica Origliasso, performed in show business at a young age. Ori ...
and
Jessica Origliasso
Jessica Origliasso (born 25 December 1984) is an Australian singer-songwriter and producer. She and her twin sister formed the pop band The Veronicas.
Biography
1984–2003: Early life and career beginnings
Jessica Louise Origliasso was born ...
. It became the duo's second number-one single in their native Australia, topping the
ARIA Singles Chart
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 ...
for three weeks, and it reached the top 20 in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Background
In 2012,
The Veronicas
The Veronicas is an Australian pop duo from Brisbane. The group was formed in 2004 by identical twin sisters Lisa and Jessica Origliasso.
In 2005, the Veronicas released their debut studio album, titled '' The Secret Life of...'', which peak ...
released the song "
Lolita
''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is notable for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator, a middle-aged literature professor under the pseudonym Humbert Humber ...
" as the lead single from ''Life on Mars'', the title of what was meant to be their third studio album. The recording was a moderate success, peaking at number twenty-three 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 ...
and achieving a gold certification. ''Life on Mars'' was scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2012, however their record label
Warner Music
Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...
pushed the date back, and by October 2013 the album was mysteriously shelved.
Having been barred from releasing an album since 2007 the duo had enough. When they were shortlisted for the Oz Artist of the Year Awards the duo chose to vent their frustrations on their official
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
page with a message that said: "Despite our record label not allowing us to release music this year, we are still nominated in the top 50 for "Oz artist of the year" awards!.
They concluded the post with, "HELP US shove it in their faces, and please VOTE at the link below!!"
Lisa and Jessica eventually hired a lawyer in a bid to get out of their contractual obligations with the label and were successful, so by 2013 The Veronicas became an independent act. Releasing a statement which described the struggles experienced with Warner, they said, "After 5 years of being in a 'Warner Brothers Records Lockdown', we are officially able to move forward RELEASING and Recording music without our past label dictating our creative journey, or withholding our musical releases + touring." By April 2014, The Veronicas had signed with
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...
and continued working on their third studio album.
Recording and composition
The Veronicas had finished work on their third album in July 2014 and were in the process of filming a music video for another track when they decided to have a late night songwriting session.
Wanting to create one more song for the record, they got together with Sydney based production duo Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci of
DNA and finished the track at 1:30am.
The recording session resulted in the song "You Ruin Me", which was inspired by ex-boyfriends and the dramas they experienced with their former record label.
Having not released a ballad before, the duo wanted to release something unexpected. Speaking to Kathy McCabe of ''
The Courier-Mail
''The Courier-Mail'' is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, ...
'', Jessica Origliasso said: "We are in such a great place now as far as being artists and being comfortable as women and this song was the last piece of the puzzle to say goodbye to the broken parts of ourselves."
"You Ruin Me" was recorded at Sony Studios in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
with David Pritchard-Blunt playing the piano and arranging the strings.
Mixing was done by Egizii, and
engineered by Louise Wheatley and Peter Holz.
"You Ruin Me" is a slow-tempo
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 ...
.
The track is written in the key of
F major
F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor
F minor is a minor scale based on F, consis ...
, with Jessica and Lisa's vocals spanning from G3 - B
4.
The recording features "
minimalist
In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...
"
instrumentation of piano and sweeping strings, an arrangement which Tim Byron of ''The Vine'' said was reminiscent of "
Someone Like You" by
Adele
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a reco ...
.
Lisa sings most of the song, with Jessica singing the bridge and backing vocals during the last chorus. It begins with the line, "Job well done, standing ovation. You got what you wanted, I guess you won." Following the first verse, Lisa sings the chorus with, "
ause youplay me like a symphony, play me til your fingers bleed, I'm your greatest masterpiece - You ruin me."
Release and reception
The song was sent to
mainstream radio
Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...
on 11 September 2014
and was released
digitally and
physically on 19 September 2014.
The CD single contained a remix of the song by Josh Katz.
Critical response
"You Ruin Me" received mixed reviews from critics who praised the recording for its raw honesty, but criticised
DNA Songs
DNA Songs is a songwriting and production company founded by Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci in Australia in 2004. They have worked with a variety of international and local artists including Ricky Martin, Geri Halliwell, The Veronicas, Guy Se ...
"generic" production of the song. Cameron Adams of the ''
Herald Sun
The ''Herald Sun'' is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the Murdoch owned News Corp. The ''Herald S ...
'' opined that "the raw, palpable honesty in 'You Ruin Me' reminds you the Origliasso twins have that rare ability to connect."
A reviewer from ''
mX'' called the song "immaculate". They suggested that the rest of ''The Veronicas'' should have been in the same vein as this "You Ruin Me", along with other album tracks "Line of Fire" and "Let Me Out".
In his review of "You Ruin Me" James d'Apice of TheMusic described it as "a clumsy, melodramatic Enrique Iglesias tribute."
''The Vine's'' Tim Byron gave a lengthy review of the recording, and criticised DNA Songs production saying, "'You Ruin Me' sounds little like the radio-friendly plastic blandness of
DNA Songs
DNA Songs is a songwriting and production company founded by Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci in Australia in 2004. They have worked with a variety of international and local artists including Ricky Martin, Geri Halliwell, The Veronicas, Guy Se ...
' previous chart toppers." Concluding his critique he said "... I listen to the song and long for it to do something clever or risky. For the person listening to pop music in the hope of hearing something interesting, there's not much here. It's slightly too obvious to my ears that 'You Ruin Me' is just bits and pieces of other people's songs put together in a new order... Of course, I've more or less said the same thing about every DNA Songs production..."
By contrast, a critic from auspOp considered "You Ruin Me" to be "the least generic song Sydney production duo DNA has produced in a while." The track was named "one of the best ballads of the year" and was picked, along with "Cruel" and "Cold", as one of the top songs to download from the album.
Commercial performance
In Oceania, "You Ruin Me" debuted atop the
Australian Singles Chart
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 ...
, becoming The Veronicas' second number-one hit in Australia since "
Hook Me Up
''Hook Me Up'' is the second studio album by Australian duo the Veronicas, which was released on 3 November 2007 (see 2007 in music) by Sire Records. It debuted on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart at number two and has since been certifie ...
" in 2007.
The recording replaced
Meghan Trainor
Meghan Elizabeth Trainor (born December 22, 1993) is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She rose to prominence after signing with Epic Records in 2014 and releasing her debut single "All About That Bass", which reached ...
's "
All About That Bass
"All About That Bass" is the debut single of American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor, released on June 30, 2014, through Epic Records. The song was included on Trainor's debut extended play (EP) ''Title (EP), Title'' (2014) and her debut Title ( ...
", which spent four weeks at the apex of the chart.
The recording is the third to debut at the top of the chart in 2014, and The Veronicas are the fourth Australian act to gain a number-one for the year.
The CD single contributed to the song's success, with over 2000 sales in its first week, out-selling the 200 copies of Trainor's EP ''
Title
A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...
''.
"You Ruin Me" was certified triple 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 ...
for shipments exceeding 210,000 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 ...
, "You Ruin Me" debuted at number 23 on the
New Zealand Singles Chart
The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...
and has since peaked at number 16.
In Europe, "You Ruin Me" debuted at number-eight 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 ...
on 22 November where it peaked. The song is their second UK top ten hit, their first being "
Untouched" which also peaked at number-eight in 2009. It also peaked at number ten in Scotland and 93 in Ireland.
Accolades
In his list of best songs of 2014, Cameron Adams of
news.com.au
news.com.au is an Australian website owned by News Corp Australia. It had 9.6 million unique readers in April 2019 and covers national and international news, lifestyle, travel, entertainment, technology, finance, and sport.
Staff
The organiza ...
placed "You Ruin Me" at number five commenting that, "sometimes the best songs are the most unexpected." Australian media monitor AirCheck listed the recording as the 97th most played track on Australian radio with a total of 5793 spins. The music video ranked at number 23 on ''
rage's'' Best Videos of 2014 countdown. The track received a nomination for Music Video of the Year at the
6th annual Australian Rolling Stone Awards. "You Ruin Me" received a nomination for Song of the Year at the
2015 APRA Awards. At the
ARIA Music Awards of 2015
The 29th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) are a series of award ceremonies which include the 2015 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fine ...
the recording received nominations for
Song of the Year and Best Video, winning the latter.
Music video
The music video for "You Ruin Me" was filmed in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
and
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
during September 2014 and published on
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 ...
on 18 September.
Directed by Matt Sharp and Tapehead, the visuals are inspired by
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films are noted for their surrealistic, melodramatic, and sometimes disturbing elements, often in the form of psychological fiction.
Aronof ...
's 2010 film ''
Black Swan
The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon c ...
''. Speaking of the concept to Stephanie Anderson of
BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ken ...
, Jessica Origliasso explains that it was her idea to have a ballet inspired video saying, "I was listening to it, like a total dork, on the plane, we'd literally just recorded it, so I only had a voice note of the playback, and I took the earphones out and I was like 'Lis! I've got the concept for the video!' And it was the ballet thing." The scenes that were shot in Sydney took place at the
State Theatre and
Bangarra Dance Theatre
Bangarra Dance Theatre is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance company focused on contemporary dance. It was founded by African American dancer and choreographer Carole Y. Johnson, Gumbaynggirr man Rob Bryant, and South African-born ...
.
"You Ruin Me" starred two of Australia's leading Dancers Kahlia Greksa and Karinna Greksa.
Live performances
In Australia, The Veronicas performed "You Ruin Me" on live television for the first time on ''
The X Factor (Australia)
''The X Factor'' is an Australian television reality music competition, based on the original UK series, to find new singing talent. The first season of the show premiered on Network Ten on 6 February 2005. Ten dropped ''The X Factor'' after ...
'' on 29 September 2014 during the live elimination show.
Dressed in outfits similar to the music video, Lisa was stationed in the centre of the stage, Jessica was positioned to the right playing the piano, and an orchestra played in the background. Lisa stood on her own for most of the song until the bridge when Jessica left the piano and stood beside her in the centre. Additionally, the track was sung live on the Australian version of ''
Dancing with the Stars
''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...
'', as well as
breakfast television
Breakfast television (Europe, Canada, and Australia) or morning show (United States) is a type of news or infotainment television programme that broadcasts live in the morning (typically scheduled between 5:00 and 10:00a.m., or if it is a ...
programs ''
Sunrise
Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects.
Terminology
Al ...
'' and ''
Today
Today (archaically to-day) may refer to:
* Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now''
* Current era, present
* The current calendar date
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 A ...
''. The duo sang "You Ruin Me" on radio for the first time for
Today Network
The Hit Network is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 41 radio stations broadcasting a hot adult contemporary music format, as well as 6 digital radio stations.
Histor ...
's World Famous Rooftop on 30 October. They also performed the track when they made an appearance on
Nova 100
Nova 100 (call sign: 3MEL) is a commercial radio station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, broadcasting on 100.3 MHz.
The station is owned by NOVA Entertainment along with sister station, smoothfm 91.5.
History
Nova 100 commenced on th ...
's Red Room in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. While promoting the song 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 ...
in 2014, The Veronicas played an acoustic version of "You Ruin Me" on
ZM and
The Edge
David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...
. They also made a debut performance on american TV on
VH1 Big Morning Buzz Live
''Big Morning Buzz Live'' is a live daily morning news and pop culture talk show on VH1 that premiered on May 9, 2011, and aired its last episode on June 5, 2015. Broadcast weekday mornings and hosted by Nick Lachey, the show featured entertain ...
on March 24, 2015.
Cover versions
Australian band
Little Sea
Little Sea were an Australian pop-rock band formed in late 2013, signed to Sony Music Australia. Based in Sydney, Australia, the band consisted of Andy Butler (lead vocals, guitar), Oliver Kirby (guitar), Dylan Clark (bass, piano), and Leighton ...
covered "You Ruin Me" when they appeared on Sydney radian station
2Day FM
2Day FM (call sign 2DAY) is a commercial FM radio station broadcasting in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on a frequency of 104.1 MHz, and is part of Southern Cross Austereo's Hit Network.
History
1980s
2Day FM was one of three radio st ...
on 30 October 2014. Unlike the original minimalist performance by The Veronicas, Little Sea's cover was accompanied by guitars and drums.
Track listing
;Digital download
# "You Ruin Me" – 3:50
;CD single
# "You Ruin Me" – 3:53
# "You Ruin Me" (Josh Katz remix) – 3:15
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
*
List of number-one singles of 2014 (Australia)
The ARIA Singles Chart ranks the best-performing singles in Australia. Its data, published by the Australian Recording Industry Association, is based collectively on each single's weekly physical and digital sales. In 2014, fourteen singles ...
References
{{Authority control
2010s ballads
2014 singles
2014 songs
ARIA Award-winning songs
Number-one singles in Australia
Song recordings produced by DNA Songs
Songs written by Anthony Egizii
Songs written by David Musumeci
Songs written by Jessica Origliasso
Songs written by Lisa Origliasso
The Veronicas songs
Pop ballads