"DayWalker" (stylized as "DAYWALKER!") is a song by American musician

Machine Gun Kelly George Kelly Barnes (July 18, 1895 – July 18, 1954), better known by his pseudonym "Machine Gun Kelly", was an American gangster from Memphis, Tennessee, active during the Prohibition era. His nickname came from his favorite weapon, a Thomp ...

featuring fellow American musician and YouTuber

Corpse Husband Corpse Husband (born August 8, 1997), commonly abbreviated as Corpse and stylized as CORPSE, is an American YouTuber and musician. Corpse is best known for his music and "faceless" work on YouTube. He is mostly known for his horror story nar ...

that was released on March 12, 2021. It is a

trap metal Rap metal is a subgenre of rap rock and alternative metal music which combines hip hop with heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, rapped vocals and sometimes turntables. History Origins and early ...

and

techno-punk Dance-punk (also known as disco-punk, punk-funk or techno-punk) is a post-punk subgenre that emerged in the late 1970s, and is closely associated with the disco, post-disco and new wave movements.Rip It Up and Start Again: Post Punk 1978-198 ...

song produced by Kelly, BazeXX, and SlimXX with additional writing credit by Corpse Husband. Music video co-directed by Kelly and Sam Cahill was published on March 18, and it features Kelly fighting with another man and

Valkyrae Rachell Hofstetter (born January 8, 1992), better known as Valkyrae, is an American Internet personality. She has been YouTube's most-watched female streamer since 2020, and appeared on ''Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2022. She was named "Gami ...

portraying Corpse Husband. The song garnered commendable success despite being censored on several platforms & playlisting, charting at number 53 in the UK, and 88 in the US, becoming Corpse's first entry on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Background and composition

In December 2020, Corpse Husband offhandedly announced the collaboration on Twitter, writing "song w/ MGK is so crazy". On March 9, 2021, Corpse confirmed the song's release on March 12, and showcased its cover art and title. "DayWalker" was written by Corpse Husband, Machine Gun Kelly, Stephen Basil, and Brandon Allen, when the latter three produced the track. The song has been described by critics as

and

. It is a revenge song containing

horrorcore Horrorcore, also called horror hip hop, horror rap, death hip hop, or death rap, is a subgenre of hip hop music based on horror-themed and often darkly transgressive lyrical content and imagery. Its origins derived from certain hardcore hip ho ...

elements that spans for two minutes and seventeen seconds. In the song, both acts detail how they will violently get revenge on those who have done them wrong. Corpse uses menacing vocals on his verse.

Reception

Writing for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' Althea Legaspi called "DayWalker" verses "vampiric" and "bloodthirsty". Gil Kaufman of ''

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 ...

'' described Corpse's vocals as "rumbling" and "rage whispering". In the United States, "DayWalker" debuted at number 88 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on week ending March 27, 2021, becoming Kelly's twelfth and Corpse's first ever entry on the chart. It also debuted at number nine on the

Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (formerly known as Rock Songs and Hot Rock Songs) is a record chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine. From its debut on June 20, 2009, through October 13, 2012, the chart ranked the airplay of songs across alternat ...

chart, becoming Kelly's eighth top-ten single on the chart, and Corpse's first. It peaked at number eight next week. In Canada it became Kelly's seventeenth entry, while being Corpse's first, charting at number 62, and spending two weeks on the chart. It also debuted at number 53 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 ...

, becoming Kelly's sixth entry on the chart, and Corpse's second, charting for three weeks. The track also peaked at number 19 in Hungary, 70 in Ireland, and at number 170 on the ''Billboard'' Global 200 chart.

Music video

Background and production

A music video for the song was released on March 18, 2021. It stars Machine Gun Kelly while Corpse is portrayed by his friend and frequent collaborator, American Internet personality

. It was also directed by Colson Baker and Sam Cahill. Prior to the video's release, Rae published many tweets linking her involvement in it. On the day of the video's release, she published a behind the scenes video on her

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and 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 Google, and is the second most ...

channel, where she confirmed that Machine Gun Kelly himself wanted her to portray Corpse.

Synopsis and reception

The music video is divided into six acts. First one starts out with Kelly brawling with a man. Next one depicts him in a police station's interrogation room, where he bangs a table in frustration. In the third act, Valkyrae appears in a latex suit, where she lip syncs Corpse Husband's lyrics. Fourth act depicts the song's chorus, where she spits clouds of blood on a white wall. The fifth act shows blood flowing down from a hand. The sixth and final act features close-ups to both performers' faces, with Kelly having his mouth slashed open from ear-to-ear. ''

''s Gil Kaufman called the music video "hyper, frantic visual that matches the song's hectic beat," and commented on Machine Gun Kelly's make-up from the sixth act as it was resembling the Joker. Nick Reilly from ''

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 ...

'' called the video "unsettling".

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. *

– vocals, production, composition, lyrics *

– vocals, lyrics *Stephen "BazeXX" Basil – bass, keyboards, programming, production, lyrics *Brandon "SlimXX" Allen – programming, production, lyrics, composition *Fabian Marasciullo – mixing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 2021 songs 2021 singles Machine Gun Kelly (musician) songs Corpse Husband songs Songs written by Machine Gun Kelly (musician) Bad Boy Records singles Interscope Records singles