Britney Spears "Till The World Ends" Song
"Till the World Ends" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears. It was released as the second single from her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale. "Till the World Ends" was written by Dr. Luke, Alexander Kronlund, Max Martin and Kesha, while being produced by Dr. Luke, Max Martin and Billboard. The main inspiration of the song for Kesha was imagining Spears and any other female musicians touring the world. "Till the World Ends" was leaked on March 3, 2011, and was released for digital download the following day. The song is composed as an uptempo dance-pop and electropop song with an electro beat and a chant-like chorus, where Spears sings about dancing until the end of the world. "Till the World Ends" received mostly positive reviews, with critics calling it a catchy dance track and complimenting its anthemic nature. A Bollywood remix of "Till the World Ends" was done by Indian music producer duo Salim and Sulaiman Merchant.
The Femme Fatale Remix of the song, featuring rapper Nicki Minaj and Kesha, was released on April 25, 2011. The remix adds a rap by Minaj at the beginning, new vocals by Kesha and a dubstep breakdown. The Femme Fatale Remix received mixed reviews from critics, with some complimenting the diversity of the group and Minaj's rap, while others criticized the addition of Kesha. "Till the World Ends" became a commercial success, charting within the top twenty in many countries worldwide, while peaking inside the top ten in nations such as Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand and the United States. The Femme Fatale Remix propelled the single to the top five in Canada and the United States. An accompanying music video for the song was released on April 6, 2011. Directed by Ray Kay, it portrays Spears in an underground dance party set on December 21, 2012. Critics noted the similarities with the music video for "I'm a Slave 4 U" (2001), and predominantly gave positive reviews for it. A choreography cut was released on April 15, 2011. Spears has performed "Till the World Ends" on television shows Good Morning America and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and she performed the song with Minaj at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards.
In an interview with Spin on February 11, 2011, Kesha announced she had co-written a song with Dr. Luke and Max Martin titled "Till the World Ends" for Femme Fatale. She explained that the song was inspired by "me imagining [Spears] and any female musician touring the world", adding that "when you got [sic] out, and you're having an amazing, magical night and you don't want to go to sleep and you want it to last until the world ends." On March 2, 2011, the single's cover art, in which Spears appears sitting on a couch in a sweater and heels, was posted at Deezer.com. This was followed by a 30-second snippet of the song, which appeared at Amazon.de. "Till the World Ends" leaked online on March 3, 2011, which prompted Spears to post hours later on her Twitter account, "Looks like the cat's out of the bag..." She formally premiered the single at On Air with Ryan Seacrest, on March 4, 2011, at 10:00 EST (15:00 UTC). "Till the World Ends" was made available on iTunes the same day, several days earlier than originally planned. Following the announcement, Kesha spoke to MTV News stating that "I consider myself a songwriter before and above everything else, so it's an honor to write for one of pop music's biggest icons." During an interview with Seacrest, Spears described "Till the World Ends" as "fun. I like it. It's good energy. [...] I'm a vibe person, and I think I love good-mood songs, and if it puts me in a good mood, it clicks for me."
"Till the World Ends" is an uptempo dance-pop and electropop song, with an electro beat and elements of trance and Eurodance. The song opens with sirens and a "sizzling" bassline. Spears delivers confident and breathy vocals, in lyrics such as "If you want this good shit / Sicker than the remix / Baby let me blow your mind tonight." In the chorus, the song slows down while Spears sings "I can't take it take it take no more / Never felt like felt like this before / Come on get me get me on the floor / DJ what you what you waiting for?". The 4:3 cross-rhythm of the melody continues into a chant-like segment, in which "whoa-oh-oh-oh" is repeated. The bit was compared by Scott Shettler of AOL to the "rapid word repetition" of Kesha. Gerrick Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times stated that like her previous single "Hold It Against Me", "Spears's main intention with her new single seems to be keeping the dance floor pulsating with sweaty bodies". Jason Lipshutz of Billboard said the song recalls past hits by Taio Cruz, Robyn and Enrique Iglesias. Allison Stewart of The Washington Post felt the song was comparable to Iglesias' "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)" (2010). According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Kobalt Music Publishing Inc., "Till the World Ends" is set in the compound meter time signature, with a moderate dance beat infused metronome of 132 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of C minor with Spears' vocals ranging from the low-key of Bb3 to the high-note of C5. Lyrically, the song talks about dancing until the end of the world
Bill Lamb of About.com commented that the song would "sound solid on the radio and bring crowds to the dance floor," but when compared to "Hold It Against Me", it was much more safe and not as innovative. Jed Gottlieb of the Boston Herald gave the song a B+, saying that "pop fans always need a huge hook, catchy chorus and break-it-down-build-it-up bridge. This song’s got all three". Edna Gundersen of USA Today called it "a sleek and impossibly catchy slab", and said that although the song is unmistakable Luke, Spears "holds her own with confident, kittenish vocals." Allison Stewart of The Washington Post stated the track "is Spears's most joyously danceable track in a long time." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine compared to Kesha's "Blow" (2011), saying that the tracks "[are] so similar [...] that I can't decide which one I like more—or if I even like them at all." Popjustice also compared it to "Blow", but said "Till the World Ends" was not as good.
Caryn Ganz of Spin named it "her first truly synapse-sizzling single since 'Toxic.'" Kevin Ritchie of Now stated that "Wannabe World Cup anthem Till The World Ends kicks things off with an aura of pounding, Euro dance euphoria." David Buchanan of Consequence of Sound commented that "Till the World Ends", "Hold It Against Me" and "Inside Out" "simultaneously send Spears back to basics vocally, and into 2011 sonically." Rudy Klapper of Sputnikmusic said that the song "throbs with trance-y synths, a thumping electro beat that is pure sex and a chorus that goes and goes as only the best club hits can do, sensible lyrics be damned." Evan Sawdey of Popmatters said that "Till the World Ends" sets the pace of Femme Fatale, while calling it "a stadium-rocking pop anthem." Andy Gill of The Independent selected the song along with "Criminal" as the download picks of the album. Keith Caulfield of Billboard criticized the song's lyrics, saying they have "been echoed incessantly over the past year in countless Hot 100 top ten hits: dance until you drop from exhaustion." The chorus, he commented, "comes on hard like its the sexy spawn of Usher's 'OMG' and Baltimora's 'Tarzan Boy"
A remixed version of "Till the World Ends", featuring Kesha and rapper Nicki Minaj, was leaked online on April 22, 2011. The same day, three countdowns with lines of the song appeared on the official websites of Spears, Kesha and Minaj. The Femme Fatale Remix was released on iTunes on April 25, 2011. The same day, Spears uploaded a picture of the cover art to her Twitter account. Kesha told MTV News, "I'm a massive fan of both the ladies I share the track with. I wrote 'TTWE' for Britney [...] and she killed it and I loved it, but I just thought a supergroup of three hot, strong women could just take over the airwaves." The remix adds heavier bass during the beginning, and starts with Minaj rapping with intensity about a female hater, in lines such as "Told you they'd revive your career, but somebody lied/ I ain't talkin' poultry when I say this chicken's fried." This continues by Spears singing the first verse, after which Minaj says "It's Britney, bitch. I'm Nicki Minaj and that's Kesha!", and the first chorus is sung by the latter. Spears continues with the song and is accompanied by Kesha towards the end of the second verse and the bridge. The remix also features a dubstep breakdown, reminiscent of "Hold It Against Me".
The Femme Fatale Remix of the song, featuring rapper Nicki Minaj and Kesha, was released on April 25, 2011. The remix adds a rap by Minaj at the beginning, new vocals by Kesha and a dubstep breakdown. The Femme Fatale Remix received mixed reviews from critics, with some complimenting the diversity of the group and Minaj's rap, while others criticized the addition of Kesha. "Till the World Ends" became a commercial success, charting within the top twenty in many countries worldwide, while peaking inside the top ten in nations such as Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand and the United States. The Femme Fatale Remix propelled the single to the top five in Canada and the United States. An accompanying music video for the song was released on April 6, 2011. Directed by Ray Kay, it portrays Spears in an underground dance party set on December 21, 2012. Critics noted the similarities with the music video for "I'm a Slave 4 U" (2001), and predominantly gave positive reviews for it. A choreography cut was released on April 15, 2011. Spears has performed "Till the World Ends" on television shows Good Morning America and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and she performed the song with Minaj at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards.
Britney Spears "Till The World Ends" Song
In an interview with Spin on February 11, 2011, Kesha announced she had co-written a song with Dr. Luke and Max Martin titled "Till the World Ends" for Femme Fatale. She explained that the song was inspired by "me imagining [Spears] and any female musician touring the world", adding that "when you got [sic] out, and you're having an amazing, magical night and you don't want to go to sleep and you want it to last until the world ends." On March 2, 2011, the single's cover art, in which Spears appears sitting on a couch in a sweater and heels, was posted at Deezer.com. This was followed by a 30-second snippet of the song, which appeared at Amazon.de. "Till the World Ends" leaked online on March 3, 2011, which prompted Spears to post hours later on her Twitter account, "Looks like the cat's out of the bag..." She formally premiered the single at On Air with Ryan Seacrest, on March 4, 2011, at 10:00 EST (15:00 UTC). "Till the World Ends" was made available on iTunes the same day, several days earlier than originally planned. Following the announcement, Kesha spoke to MTV News stating that "I consider myself a songwriter before and above everything else, so it's an honor to write for one of pop music's biggest icons." During an interview with Seacrest, Spears described "Till the World Ends" as "fun. I like it. It's good energy. [...] I'm a vibe person, and I think I love good-mood songs, and if it puts me in a good mood, it clicks for me."
"Till the World Ends" is an uptempo dance-pop and electropop song, with an electro beat and elements of trance and Eurodance. The song opens with sirens and a "sizzling" bassline. Spears delivers confident and breathy vocals, in lyrics such as "If you want this good shit / Sicker than the remix / Baby let me blow your mind tonight." In the chorus, the song slows down while Spears sings "I can't take it take it take no more / Never felt like felt like this before / Come on get me get me on the floor / DJ what you what you waiting for?". The 4:3 cross-rhythm of the melody continues into a chant-like segment, in which "whoa-oh-oh-oh" is repeated. The bit was compared by Scott Shettler of AOL to the "rapid word repetition" of Kesha. Gerrick Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times stated that like her previous single "Hold It Against Me", "Spears's main intention with her new single seems to be keeping the dance floor pulsating with sweaty bodies". Jason Lipshutz of Billboard said the song recalls past hits by Taio Cruz, Robyn and Enrique Iglesias. Allison Stewart of The Washington Post felt the song was comparable to Iglesias' "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)" (2010). According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Kobalt Music Publishing Inc., "Till the World Ends" is set in the compound meter time signature, with a moderate dance beat infused metronome of 132 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of C minor with Spears' vocals ranging from the low-key of Bb3 to the high-note of C5. Lyrically, the song talks about dancing until the end of the world
Bill Lamb of About.com commented that the song would "sound solid on the radio and bring crowds to the dance floor," but when compared to "Hold It Against Me", it was much more safe and not as innovative. Jed Gottlieb of the Boston Herald gave the song a B+, saying that "pop fans always need a huge hook, catchy chorus and break-it-down-build-it-up bridge. This song’s got all three". Edna Gundersen of USA Today called it "a sleek and impossibly catchy slab", and said that although the song is unmistakable Luke, Spears "holds her own with confident, kittenish vocals." Allison Stewart of The Washington Post stated the track "is Spears's most joyously danceable track in a long time." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine compared to Kesha's "Blow" (2011), saying that the tracks "[are] so similar [...] that I can't decide which one I like more—or if I even like them at all." Popjustice also compared it to "Blow", but said "Till the World Ends" was not as good.
Caryn Ganz of Spin named it "her first truly synapse-sizzling single since 'Toxic.'" Kevin Ritchie of Now stated that "Wannabe World Cup anthem Till The World Ends kicks things off with an aura of pounding, Euro dance euphoria." David Buchanan of Consequence of Sound commented that "Till the World Ends", "Hold It Against Me" and "Inside Out" "simultaneously send Spears back to basics vocally, and into 2011 sonically." Rudy Klapper of Sputnikmusic said that the song "throbs with trance-y synths, a thumping electro beat that is pure sex and a chorus that goes and goes as only the best club hits can do, sensible lyrics be damned." Evan Sawdey of Popmatters said that "Till the World Ends" sets the pace of Femme Fatale, while calling it "a stadium-rocking pop anthem." Andy Gill of The Independent selected the song along with "Criminal" as the download picks of the album. Keith Caulfield of Billboard criticized the song's lyrics, saying they have "been echoed incessantly over the past year in countless Hot 100 top ten hits: dance until you drop from exhaustion." The chorus, he commented, "comes on hard like its the sexy spawn of Usher's 'OMG' and Baltimora's 'Tarzan Boy"
A remixed version of "Till the World Ends", featuring Kesha and rapper Nicki Minaj, was leaked online on April 22, 2011. The same day, three countdowns with lines of the song appeared on the official websites of Spears, Kesha and Minaj. The Femme Fatale Remix was released on iTunes on April 25, 2011. The same day, Spears uploaded a picture of the cover art to her Twitter account. Kesha told MTV News, "I'm a massive fan of both the ladies I share the track with. I wrote 'TTWE' for Britney [...] and she killed it and I loved it, but I just thought a supergroup of three hot, strong women could just take over the airwaves." The remix adds heavier bass during the beginning, and starts with Minaj rapping with intensity about a female hater, in lines such as "Told you they'd revive your career, but somebody lied/ I ain't talkin' poultry when I say this chicken's fried." This continues by Spears singing the first verse, after which Minaj says "It's Britney, bitch. I'm Nicki Minaj and that's Kesha!", and the first chorus is sung by the latter. Spears continues with the song and is accompanied by Kesha towards the end of the second verse and the bridge. The remix also features a dubstep breakdown, reminiscent of "Hold It Against Me".
f(x) "Hot Summer" Song
f(x) (Korean: 에프엑스; pronounced /ˌɛf ˈɛks/) is a five member South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment in 2009. The name is a play on the mathematical notation for function, with "f" signifying "flower" and "x" representing the female's double X chromosome. The group members have also been nicknamed "function girls". The group made their debut on September 1, 2009 with release of a digital single "La Cha Ta" (stylized as "LA chA TA"). The quintet consists of Victoria, Amber, Luna, Sulli and Krystal.Krystal Jung was first spotted by SM Entertainment in 2000, which earned her a small role in a short segment of Shinhwa's "Wedding March" music video. Sulli Choi first debuted as a child actress in 2005 when she was selected to play young Princess Sun-hwa in the SBS television drama, The Ballad of Seo-dong. In 2006, SM Entertainment recruited Luna after seeing her performing on SBS's television program, "Truth Game". Victoria was scouted by SM in Beijing in September of 2007 at a dance competition. 2 months later, Amber was cast from an audition in Los Angeles, California, where she was one of two people (one male) selected to be trainees. SM first released a teaser preview of the group via YouTube on August 24, introducing them as "Asia's Pop Dance Group." For five days, SM individually released information through news portals and posted pictures of each member on SM Town's official website, starting with Korean member Sulli on August 26, Taiwanese-American member Amber on August 27, Korean-American member Krystal on August 28, Korean member Luna on August 29, and lastly the Chinese member Victoria on August 30. On September 1, the group's first single "La Cha Ta" (stylized as "LA chA TA") was digitally released.
Following their first performance at the Samseong-dong Fashion Center on September 2, the music video was screened and released online the next day. The group's first broadcast performance of "La Cha Ta" was held at MBC's music show Show! Music Core on September 5. On October 7, the group also released the electro-pop version of the digital single, "Chocolate Love", alongside their label mate Girls' Generation. The single was released for the promotion of the 4th edition Blacklabel series of LG CYON phone, LG Chocolate (BL40. It was announced by SM Entertainment that Amber returned from USA after a long leave since June 2010 and that f(x) are planning to release a studio album in the first half of the year. The first teaser photo for their full-length album entitled Pinocchio was released on April 7, 2011 at the f(x) official website. The MV teaser for the lead single, "Pinocchio (Danger)", was released on April 15, 2011. The album was released on April 20, 2011 and the group held their first comeback stage through KBS’s Music Bank on April 22, 2011. The group have achieved 8-wins from the music shows, namely M! Countdown, Music Bank and Inkigayo. On June 8th, it was announced that f(x) will be releasing their repackaged album of Pinocchio, titled "Hot Summer", on the 14th. It will include all 10 songs from their first album and new track "Hot Summer" (written by Thomas Troelsen and Remee), their OST song for "Paradise Ranch" and digital singles "Chu" and "La Cha Ta."
f(x) with their red costume in their video clip in "Hot Summer"
f(x) choreography concept in their video clip
f(x) and their cool costume concept
f(x) cool pose
Following their first performance at the Samseong-dong Fashion Center on September 2, the music video was screened and released online the next day. The group's first broadcast performance of "La Cha Ta" was held at MBC's music show Show! Music Core on September 5. On October 7, the group also released the electro-pop version of the digital single, "Chocolate Love", alongside their label mate Girls' Generation. The single was released for the promotion of the 4th edition Blacklabel series of LG CYON phone, LG Chocolate (BL40. It was announced by SM Entertainment that Amber returned from USA after a long leave since June 2010 and that f(x) are planning to release a studio album in the first half of the year. The first teaser photo for their full-length album entitled Pinocchio was released on April 7, 2011 at the f(x) official website. The MV teaser for the lead single, "Pinocchio (Danger)", was released on April 15, 2011. The album was released on April 20, 2011 and the group held their first comeback stage through KBS’s Music Bank on April 22, 2011. The group have achieved 8-wins from the music shows, namely M! Countdown, Music Bank and Inkigayo. On June 8th, it was announced that f(x) will be releasing their repackaged album of Pinocchio, titled "Hot Summer", on the 14th. It will include all 10 songs from their first album and new track "Hot Summer" (written by Thomas Troelsen and Remee), their OST song for "Paradise Ranch" and digital singles "Chu" and "La Cha Ta."
f(x) "Hot Summer" Song
f(x) with their red costume in their video clip in "Hot Summer"
f(x) choreography concept in their video clip
f(x) and their cool costume concept
f(x) cool pose
Taylor Swift "Mean" Song
"Mean" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, taken from her third studio album, Speak Now. The song, solely written by Swift, and produced by Nathan Chapman and Swift was first released as a promotional single on October 17, 2010, by Big Machine Records. The song was later released as an official single on March 14, 2011. The song contains heavy elements of fiddles and banjos, with critics saying that it was the most country song on Speak Now. According to Swift, she wrote the song to get back at her critics who constantly question her songs as well as her ability to sing. Upon its release as a promotional single, the song garnered mixed to positive reviews from critics for its lyrical detail and profound country sound. "Mean" received commercial success in the United States and Canada, debuting at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 and number ten on the Canadian Hot 100.
The song also appeared on the Australian Singles Chart at number forty-five. It was later re-released as the third official single from Speak Now, and re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety. Additionally, "Mean" became Swift's thirteenth consecutive single to reach top ten on Hot Country Songs when it jumped from number 12 to number 9 on the week ending May 14, 2011. This achievement makes Swift as one of the two women (the other being Carrie Underwood) to begin their chart histories with as many consecutive top 10s dating to the survey's 1944 launch. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Declan Whitebloom, who developed the concept together with Swift. Upon release, it received mixed reviews from critics who perceived ambivalent messages in the video, despite the prevalent self-empowerment and anti-bullying themes. "Mean" was performed for the first time by Swift at the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on April 3, 2011.
In an exclusive interview with E! News as part of an ongoing series leading up to the release of her third studio album, Speak Now, Swift expressed that "Mean" is a response to people who constantly criticize whatever she does. She said, "there's constructive criticism, there's professional criticism, and then there's just being mean. And there's a line that you cross when you just start to attack everything about a person." In another interview with Dose.ca, Swift revealed that she wrote the song to get back at her critics, saying "there's a song called 'Mean,' that I guess you could categorize it into feelings and or relationships but it's actually about a critic." Swift also wished that the song would appeal to people of all ages in different situations. She continued, "this happens no matter what you do, no matter how old you are, no matter what your job is, no matter what your place is in life, there's always gonna be someone who's just mean to you. And dealing with that is all that you can control, how you handle it. This song is about how I handle it." In NBC's 2010 Thanksgiving Special, Swift indicated that this song was about feeling small because of somebody else. She said, "there are certain things that make me feel better. One of them is writing songs, and the other is having people around that I really love. Some of them are my band." It was released to country radio as the third single on March 14, 2011. Two exclusive packages were released to Swift's official store one included a T-shirt, an individually-numbered "Mean" CD single and an autographed lithograph. This package is no longer available. The other package (which is still available) has just the T-shirt and CD single. Only 2,500 copies of the CD single were made.
The accompanying music video for "Mean" was directed by Declan Whitebloom. It was shot over two days in Los Angeles, with the Orpheum Theatre serving as its backdrop. The concept of the video was developed by both Swift and Whitebloom, who praised Swift's commitment and involvement with the production of the music video. In an interview with MTV News, Whitebloom said that "Mean" is very personal to Swift because lyrically it's about a critic who was a little too harsh on her. However, he added that people can relate to its message, saying "We all have similar stories in our life that hit similar emotional cues, and to open it up and make it broader about lots of people and situations .. makes it much more accessible." Whitebloom described the video as vignettes that feature scenes from all different time periods, from vaudevillian scenes to scenes resembling O Brother, Where Art Thou?. He also stated that the video was inspired by Swift's performance at the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Child star Joey King is featured in the video. Prior to the release of the video, Jocelyn Vena of MTV predicted that the video of "Mean" will be "a honky-tonk-type performance video, in which [Swift] and her band have a little fun at someone's expense." The music video premiered on Country Music Television on May 6, 2011, at 22:00 EST (03:00 UTC).
"Mean" was released as a promotional single from Speak Now on October 19, 2010, as part of Countdown to Speak Now, an exclusive campaign by the iTunes Store. Upon its release as a promotional single, "Mean" debuted at number two on the Billboard's Hot Digital Songs with approximately 163,000 downloads, which led to its appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week ending October 30, 2010. "Mean" debuted and peaked at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100, making Swift the first act to claim the chart's top debut (Hot Shot Debut) in three successive weeks. The following week, the song fell off the chart. On the weeking ending November 6, 2010, the song also debuted on Hot Country Songs at number fifty-five. Upon its release as an official single, "Mean" re-entered Billboard Hot 100 at number 90. It also re-entered the Hot Country Songs at number 17, two weeks upon its release as a single. On the week ending May 14, 2011, Swift made a record when "Mean" jumped from number 12 to number 9 on the Hot Country Songs, becoming her thirteenth consecutive top ten hits on the chart. This achievement made Swift as one of the two women (the other being Carrie Underwood) to begin their chart histories with as many consecutive top 10s dating to the survey's 1944 launch. It peaked at #2 in June, having been blocked from #1 by Blake Shelton's "Honey Bee." Prior to the official release of the song as a single, digital sales accounted for "Mean"'s appearance on international charts. In Canada, the song entered the Canadian Hot 100 and peaked at number ten. It also made an appearance on the Australian Singles Chart at number forty-five on the week ending November 7, 2010., On May 17 2011 , Mean was certified Gold by the RIAA for shipments of 500,000.
The video begins with Swift and her band playing a banjo, all dressed in vintage-inspired clothes. The stage is set up like a front yard of a farmhouse. Then, Swift is shown being tied to the tracks by a villain, similar to the song's artwork. The villain and his friend laugh as she sits there helpless. However, Swift and the others are hardly the only victims in the video. A montage of Swift plucking away at her banjo is shown alternately throughout the video with scenes of a boy being bullied while reading a fashion magazine in a locker room by the football team and a girl, wearing a fast-food uniform, who is being made fun of by her peers. Another cut-scene shows a girl who is not allowed to sit with the popular clique at lunch and is forced to eat in the school bathroom. The next scene shows that the stage is transformed into a ritzy nightclub, with the singer all dazzled up in a sparkly flapper gown performing in the big leagues. It is revealed that the boy reading the fashion magazine is now a famous fashion designer; the fast food girl saves up for college and is a big-time executive. The final scene shows the other girl sitting as an audience watching and applauding as Swift finishes performing.
The music video was met with mixed reviews from the critics. Story Gilmore of Neon Limelight perceived the clip to be "adorable", while Amanda Lynne of Gather.com was not disappointed with the video and thought that Swift delivered once again. The Huffington Post called the video as effective that puts Swift alongside the underdogs and dreamers. Daily Mail praised the theme of the video which is about self-empowerment clip, writing "her new video for her upcoming single Mean depicts how young people picked on at school rise up and become successful later in life." The same opinion was echoed by Jocelyn Vena of MTV who wrote that the video "is the latest entry in an avalanche of empowering clips, which we've seen from artists like Katy Perry ("Firework") and Pink ("Raise Your Glass")." Ashley Iasimone of Taste of Country complimented Swift's looks in the video which corresponded with the video's art direction. She concluded that "it's difficult to not feel as empowered as superstar Swift. In a different perspective, Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly thought that the message in the music video was confusing, writing "Is she really equating a professional critic questioning her ability to sing at an awards show to getting bullied because you’re different?" Donna Kaufman of IVillage also felt the mixed messages in the video, stating "the video doesn't show Swift being bullied...Instead, she's a kind of savior to the outsider kids, who are all shallow stereotypes."
The song also appeared on the Australian Singles Chart at number forty-five. It was later re-released as the third official single from Speak Now, and re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety. Additionally, "Mean" became Swift's thirteenth consecutive single to reach top ten on Hot Country Songs when it jumped from number 12 to number 9 on the week ending May 14, 2011. This achievement makes Swift as one of the two women (the other being Carrie Underwood) to begin their chart histories with as many consecutive top 10s dating to the survey's 1944 launch. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Declan Whitebloom, who developed the concept together with Swift. Upon release, it received mixed reviews from critics who perceived ambivalent messages in the video, despite the prevalent self-empowerment and anti-bullying themes. "Mean" was performed for the first time by Swift at the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on April 3, 2011.
Taylor Swift "Mean" Song
In an exclusive interview with E! News as part of an ongoing series leading up to the release of her third studio album, Speak Now, Swift expressed that "Mean" is a response to people who constantly criticize whatever she does. She said, "there's constructive criticism, there's professional criticism, and then there's just being mean. And there's a line that you cross when you just start to attack everything about a person." In another interview with Dose.ca, Swift revealed that she wrote the song to get back at her critics, saying "there's a song called 'Mean,' that I guess you could categorize it into feelings and or relationships but it's actually about a critic." Swift also wished that the song would appeal to people of all ages in different situations. She continued, "this happens no matter what you do, no matter how old you are, no matter what your job is, no matter what your place is in life, there's always gonna be someone who's just mean to you. And dealing with that is all that you can control, how you handle it. This song is about how I handle it." In NBC's 2010 Thanksgiving Special, Swift indicated that this song was about feeling small because of somebody else. She said, "there are certain things that make me feel better. One of them is writing songs, and the other is having people around that I really love. Some of them are my band." It was released to country radio as the third single on March 14, 2011. Two exclusive packages were released to Swift's official store one included a T-shirt, an individually-numbered "Mean" CD single and an autographed lithograph. This package is no longer available. The other package (which is still available) has just the T-shirt and CD single. Only 2,500 copies of the CD single were made.
The accompanying music video for "Mean" was directed by Declan Whitebloom. It was shot over two days in Los Angeles, with the Orpheum Theatre serving as its backdrop. The concept of the video was developed by both Swift and Whitebloom, who praised Swift's commitment and involvement with the production of the music video. In an interview with MTV News, Whitebloom said that "Mean" is very personal to Swift because lyrically it's about a critic who was a little too harsh on her. However, he added that people can relate to its message, saying "We all have similar stories in our life that hit similar emotional cues, and to open it up and make it broader about lots of people and situations .. makes it much more accessible." Whitebloom described the video as vignettes that feature scenes from all different time periods, from vaudevillian scenes to scenes resembling O Brother, Where Art Thou?. He also stated that the video was inspired by Swift's performance at the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Child star Joey King is featured in the video. Prior to the release of the video, Jocelyn Vena of MTV predicted that the video of "Mean" will be "a honky-tonk-type performance video, in which [Swift] and her band have a little fun at someone's expense." The music video premiered on Country Music Television on May 6, 2011, at 22:00 EST (03:00 UTC).
"Mean" was released as a promotional single from Speak Now on October 19, 2010, as part of Countdown to Speak Now, an exclusive campaign by the iTunes Store. Upon its release as a promotional single, "Mean" debuted at number two on the Billboard's Hot Digital Songs with approximately 163,000 downloads, which led to its appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week ending October 30, 2010. "Mean" debuted and peaked at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100, making Swift the first act to claim the chart's top debut (Hot Shot Debut) in three successive weeks. The following week, the song fell off the chart. On the weeking ending November 6, 2010, the song also debuted on Hot Country Songs at number fifty-five. Upon its release as an official single, "Mean" re-entered Billboard Hot 100 at number 90. It also re-entered the Hot Country Songs at number 17, two weeks upon its release as a single. On the week ending May 14, 2011, Swift made a record when "Mean" jumped from number 12 to number 9 on the Hot Country Songs, becoming her thirteenth consecutive top ten hits on the chart. This achievement made Swift as one of the two women (the other being Carrie Underwood) to begin their chart histories with as many consecutive top 10s dating to the survey's 1944 launch. It peaked at #2 in June, having been blocked from #1 by Blake Shelton's "Honey Bee." Prior to the official release of the song as a single, digital sales accounted for "Mean"'s appearance on international charts. In Canada, the song entered the Canadian Hot 100 and peaked at number ten. It also made an appearance on the Australian Singles Chart at number forty-five on the week ending November 7, 2010., On May 17 2011 , Mean was certified Gold by the RIAA for shipments of 500,000.
The video begins with Swift and her band playing a banjo, all dressed in vintage-inspired clothes. The stage is set up like a front yard of a farmhouse. Then, Swift is shown being tied to the tracks by a villain, similar to the song's artwork. The villain and his friend laugh as she sits there helpless. However, Swift and the others are hardly the only victims in the video. A montage of Swift plucking away at her banjo is shown alternately throughout the video with scenes of a boy being bullied while reading a fashion magazine in a locker room by the football team and a girl, wearing a fast-food uniform, who is being made fun of by her peers. Another cut-scene shows a girl who is not allowed to sit with the popular clique at lunch and is forced to eat in the school bathroom. The next scene shows that the stage is transformed into a ritzy nightclub, with the singer all dazzled up in a sparkly flapper gown performing in the big leagues. It is revealed that the boy reading the fashion magazine is now a famous fashion designer; the fast food girl saves up for college and is a big-time executive. The final scene shows the other girl sitting as an audience watching and applauding as Swift finishes performing.
The music video was met with mixed reviews from the critics. Story Gilmore of Neon Limelight perceived the clip to be "adorable", while Amanda Lynne of Gather.com was not disappointed with the video and thought that Swift delivered once again. The Huffington Post called the video as effective that puts Swift alongside the underdogs and dreamers. Daily Mail praised the theme of the video which is about self-empowerment clip, writing "her new video for her upcoming single Mean depicts how young people picked on at school rise up and become successful later in life." The same opinion was echoed by Jocelyn Vena of MTV who wrote that the video "is the latest entry in an avalanche of empowering clips, which we've seen from artists like Katy Perry ("Firework") and Pink ("Raise Your Glass")." Ashley Iasimone of Taste of Country complimented Swift's looks in the video which corresponded with the video's art direction. She concluded that "it's difficult to not feel as empowered as superstar Swift. In a different perspective, Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly thought that the message in the music video was confusing, writing "Is she really equating a professional critic questioning her ability to sing at an awards show to getting bullied because you’re different?" Donna Kaufman of IVillage also felt the mixed messages in the video, stating "the video doesn't show Swift being bullied...Instead, she's a kind of savior to the outsider kids, who are all shallow stereotypes."
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