"Your Type" is a song recorded 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 ...

for her third studio album, ''

Emotion Emotions are mental states brought on by neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or displeasure. There is currently no scientific consensus on a definition. ...

'' (2015). She co-wrote the track with

Wayne Hector Wayne Anthony Hector is a British songwriter who is best known for his work with pop artists such as Nicki Minaj, One Direction, the Wanted, Toše Proeski and Olly Murs. He co-wrote seven of Westlife's number one singles, including "World of O ...

, Tavish Crowe, and its producers

Rami Yacoub Rami Yacoub (born 17 January 1975), also known by the mononym Rami, is a Swedish record producer and songwriter and former member of the songwriting/production houses Cheiron Studios and Maratone. Yacoub collaborated extensively with Max Martin ...

and

Carl Falk Carl Anthony Falk-Gramer (née Falk; born 17 August 1980 in Stockholm), is a Swedish songwriter, record producer and musician and has worked with artists such as Demi Lovato, One Direction, 5 Seconds of Summer, Nicki Minaj, Ellie Goulding, Mado ...

. "Your Type" is a

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-inspired

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

song about

unrequited love Unrequited love or one-sided love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such by the beloved. The beloved may not be aware of the admirer's deep and pure affection, or may consciously reject it. The Merriam Webster Online Dic ...

. Initially released to digital retailers August 14, 2015 as the fourth and final

promotional single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

leading up to the album's release, it was re-issued as the third official single on November 9, 2015. An official remix package debuted December 11, 2015. An accompanying music video was released on November 3, 2015. The song received mostly positive feedback from the critics, but was not a chart success.

Composition

"Your Type" is a midtempo

and

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...

love song influenced by

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. The

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 ...

finds Jepsen expressing her interest in pursuing a romantic relationship with someone despite her belief that she is not their "type" and explores the concept of

. During live performances, she revealed that the song was about a guy whom she fell for who she later finds out was

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

, similar to what her single "

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 ...

"'s video was about.

Critical reception

"Your Type" received generally positive reviews. Critics have compared the song's depiction of heartbreak and yearning to the similarly-themed "

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 ...

" by

Robyn Robin Miriam Carlsson (born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn (), is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. She arrived on the music scene with her 1995 debut album, ''Robyn Is Here'', which produced two Billboard Hot 100, ''Bil ...

. Its production was further likened to that of the synthpop band

Chvrches Chvrches (stylised CHVRCHΞS and pronounced "Churches") are a Scottish pop band from Glasgow, formed in September 2011. The band consists of Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook, Martin Doherty and, unofficially since 2018, Jonny Scott. Mostly deriving f ...

. In October 2022, Rachel Seo of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' ranked it as Jepsen's sixth best song. In reviewing for NPR, Ken Tucker highlighted "Your Type" as a clear example of Jepsen's "attempt to expand the notion of what disposable pop can sound like", further applauding its vulnerable narrative that transcends gender roles.

Autostraddle Autostraddle is an independently owned online magazine and social network for lesbian, bisexual, and queer women ( cis and trans), as well as non-binary people and trans people of all genders. The website is a "politically progressive queer femin ...

's Abeni Jones christened the song as a "Moody Trans Girl Anthem". Nolan Feeny of ''Time'' praised Jepsen's "wounded voice" for bringing emotional complexity to an otherwise "unremarkable tale". In criticizing Jepsen's lack of identity,

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 ...

's Corban Goble characterized her vocal performance on "Your Type" as indistinguishable from other songs on the record despite Jepsen's attempts to sound "gritty". Jessica Doyle, a writer for The Singles Jukebox, emphasized the song's lyrical missteps which "intensifies the pathos of the song—the narrator wants so badly to stand out ..but even her desperate inner monologue is bland."

Commercial performance

Upon its release as a single in late 2015, "Your Type" was not a commercial success and did not enter any music charts. In early 2016, the song stayed unranked for five weeks on the

Ultratip Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organization of ...

Bubbling Under chart in

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

, the French-speaking region of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. The song generated renewed interest in Canada in the spring of 2016 and entered Canadian airplay charts dated May 14, 2016.

Music video

The video for "Your Type" was filmed in October 2015 directed by

Gia Coppola Gian-Carla Coppola (born January 1, 1987) is an American film director and screenwriter. She is a granddaughter of Francis Ford Coppola, the daughter of Jacqui de la Fontaine and Gian-Carlo Coppola and the niece of Roman Coppola and Sofia Copp ...

and premiered November 3, 2015. It begins with a

voiceover Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations. ...

introducing the story of Jepsen's character ("There was once a girl…") and then follows Jepsen as she gets mugged on a park bench, enters a

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

, and performs

karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...

. During her performance, the video alternates between shots of a large, excited crowd and a nearly-empty bar, suggesting the former is Jepsen's fantasy of how the scene played out. The video's plot has been described as a pseudo-

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

story.

Live performances

On 1 May 2015, Jepsen performed "Your Type" at a show in

Beijing, China } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, and subsequently at the Capital Pride in June. She then performed a medley of "

Run Away with Me "Run Away with Me" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen for her third studio album, ''Emotion'' (2015). It was written by Jepsen, Mattman & Robin, Oscar Holter, Shellback, and Noonie Bao and produced by Mattman & Robin and She ...

" and "Your Type" at ''

Late Night with Seth Meyers ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' is an American late-night news and political satire talk show hosted by Seth Meyers on NBC. The show premiered on February 24, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. Airing weeknights a ...

'' on 26 January 2016. The song was also part of the setlist during Jepsen's 2015–2016

Gimmie Love Tour The Gimmie Love Tour was the second concert tour by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen. It was launched in support of her third studio album, ''Emotion (Carly Rae Jepsen album), Emotion'' (2015). The November 2015 dates were announced on 28 Septem ...

Track listings

* Digital download # "Your Type" – 3:20 * Digital download (Remixes) # "Your Type" (

Young Bombs Young Bombs are a Canadian electronic music duo currently signed to Sony Music Canada. The duo is based in Vancouver, British Columbia and is composed of DJ/producers Tristan Norton and Martin Kottmeier. Starting in 2014, the pair began working o ...

Remix) – 4:22 # "Your Type" (Skylar Spence Remix) – 3:50

Charts

Release history

References

External links

Official music video
at

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

{{Carly Rae Jepsen 2015 singles 2015 songs Carly Rae Jepsen songs 604 Records singles Interscope Records singles Schoolboy Records singles Song recordings produced by Rami Yacoub Songs about heartache Songs written by Carl Falk Songs written by Carly Rae Jepsen Songs written by Rami Yacoub Songs written by Wayne Hector Synth-pop songs