"Girlfriend" is a song by American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth. It was written by Puth and Jacob Kasher Hindlin, and produced by Puth. "Girlfriend" was announced on June 22, 2020, along with its official single artwork. Atlantic Records and Rumson Records jointly released it on June 25, 2020. Initially recorded in 2018, Puth polished the song's production for its release in 2020. It was intended to be part of Puth's third studio album; however, the album was ultimately scrapped. Lyrically, the upbeat pop song sees Puth expressing his feelings to a love interest.
| "Girlfriend" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Charlie Puth | ||||
| Released | June 25, 2020 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:57 | |||
| Label |
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| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Charlie Puth | |||
| Charlie Puth singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Girlfriend" on YouTube | ||||
"Girlfriend" peaked at number 28 on the US Billboard Digital Songs Sales and in the top 40 in Croatia and Hungary. It received positive reception from music critics, who praised its instrumentation and Puth's falsetto. Drew Kirsch directed the music video for "Girlfriend". Released on July 9, 2020, the video features Puth preparing for a dinner date at his home and dancing around the residence. In further promotion, Puth performed the song on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Today, and in several online series.
Background and release
editIn 2018, Charlie Puth released his second studio album, Voicenotes, which included eleven songs co-written by Puth and Jacob Kasher Hindlin.[1] Around these recording sessions, Puth and Hindlin also wrote the song "Girlfriend"; however, it remained unreleased as Puth believed it was "too ahead of its time".[2] The song was produced by Puth, who described it as an "80s-esque Prince-y kind of electropop".[2] It was written to impress a love interest.[2]
Puth began to tease the song on his Twitter account in April 2020, in which he periodically posted the abbreviation "GF".[3] Puth officially announced the song on June 22, 2020, when he posted its single artwork on his Instagram account.[4] While the song had been created a couple years ago, Puth believed that 2020 was "a perfect time" to release it.[2] He worked on the song's production throughout 2020, and claimed that it was "one of my favorite songs I've ever made".[3] It was released for digital download on June 25, 2020.[5]
Composition and reception
edit"Girlfriend" is two minutes and 57 second long.[6] Dmitry Gorodetsky played bass and Jan Ozveren played guitar on the song. It was produced and programmed by Puth. Chris Galland engineered it, Chris Athens mastered it, and Manny Marroquin mixed it with assistance from Jeremie Inhaber, Robin Florent, and Scott Desmarais.[7] The song is written in the key of D-flat major and is set in time signature of common time with a tempo of 100 beats per minute.[8] Puth's vocal range spans two octaves, from E♭4 to E♭6.[8]
Heran Mamo of Billboard referred to "Girlfriend" as a "swoon-worthy summer bop", praising the song's "infectious pop beat".[9] In the United States, "Girlfriend" debuted and peaked at number 28 on the Digital Songs Sales chart for the issue dated July 11, 2020.[10]
Music video
editDrew Kirsch directed the music video for "Girlfriend", which was released on July 9, 2020.[11] Puth believed that the video allowed him to show off more personality than his previous work. He further stated that the video "meant to visually represent what I want people to do when they hear my music and that’s to have fun in their very own way".[12]
In the music video, Puth is inside his residence preparing for a dinner date. Dressed in a floral shirt, gym socks, and loafers, Puth cleans his house and plays Twister.[13]
Live performances
editOn June 25, 2020, Puth performed the song on The Late Late Show with James Corden; this live version was released on digital download and streaming services five days later.[2] He also performed it on Today on July 3, 2020.[14] To further promote the song, Puth performed it on several online series, including Genius' Open Mic and Rolling Stones' In My Room.
Track listings and formats
edit- Digital download / Streaming[15]
- "Girlfriend" – 2:57
- Digital download / Streaming[16]
- "Girlfriend" (Live from Corden) – 2:59
- Digital download / Streaming[17]
- "Girlfriend" (Haywyre Remix) – 2:38
Credits and personnel
editCredits adapted from Tidal.[7]
- Charlie Puth – producer, programmer, vocals, and writer
- Nili Harary – A&R Administration
- Jeremie Inhaber – assistant mixer
- Robin Florent – assistant mixer
- Scott Desmarais – assistant mixer
- Dmitry Gorodetsky – bass
- Jan Ozveren – guitar
- Chris Athens – masterer
- Manny Marroquin – mixer
- Chris Galland – mixing engineer
- Jacob Kasher Hindlin – writer
Charts
edit| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Croatia (HRT)[18] | 19 |
| Hungary (Single Top 40)[19] | 31 |
| New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[20] | 24 |
| US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[10] | 28 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | June 25, 2020 |
|
[21] | |
| Italy | July 10, 2020 | Contemporary hit radio | Warner | [22] |
| United Kingdom | July 25, 2020 | Adult contemporary radio |
|
[23] |
References
edit- ^ Artist Partner Group; Atlantic Records (2018). Voicenotes (inlay cover). Charlie Puth.
- ^ a b c d e Martin, Annie (June 26, 2020). "Charlie Puth performs 'Girlfriend' on 'The Late Late Show'". United Press International. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ a b Rossignol, Derrick (June 25, 2020). "Charlie Puth's First Single of 2020 Is the Summery Bop 'Girlfriend'". Uproxx. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ Mamo, Heran (June 22, 2020). "Charlie Puth Reveals 'Girlfriend' Single Release Date & Swaggy Cover Art". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ Mamo, Heran (June 25, 2020). "Charlie Puth Drops Swoon-Worthy Summer Bop 'Girlfriend': Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ "Girlfriend - Single – Charlie Puth". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ a b "Girlfriend". Tidal. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ a b Puth, Charlie (2020). "Charlie Puth 'Girlfriend' Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- ^ Mamo, Heran (June 25, 2020). "Charlie Puth Drops Swoon-Worthy Summer Bop 'Girlfriend': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- ^ a b "Charlie Puth Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ Maicki, Salvatore (July 9, 2020). "Charlie Puth is hungies for love in his new "Girlfriend" video". The Fader. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ Aniftos, Rania (July 9, 2020). "Charlie Puth Dances Through a Dinner Date Gone Awry in Hilarious 'Girlfriend' Video". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ Harris, Hunter (July 9, 2020). "Hey Hey, You You, Can You Be Charlie Puth's 'Girlfriend'?". Vulture. Archived from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ "Charlie Puth on Twitter: Tune-in now to watch my performance of "Girlfriend" on The @TodayShow". July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Girlfriend". Tidal. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ "Girlfriend (Live From Corden)". Tidal. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ "Girlfriend (Haywyre Remix)". Tidal. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
- ^ "Croatia ARC TOP 100". HRT. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
- ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 6, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- ^ "Girlfriend – Single by Charlie Puth". Apple Music. United States. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ "CHARLIE PUTH "Girlfriend" | (Radio Date: 10/07/2020)". radiodate.it. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ "Radio 2 New Music Playlist". BBC. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.