Round & Round (Selena Gomez & the Scene song)

"Round & Round" is a song by American band Selena Gomez & the Scene. The song was written and produced by Kevin Rudolf, Andrew Bolooki, and Jeff Halavacs, and co-written by Jacob Kasher and Fefe Dobson. It was released on June 22, 2010, as the lead single from the band's second album, A Year Without Rain (2010). "Round & Round" is a dance-driven electro-pop rock song with techno beats. The song received positive reviews, with critics taking note of the song's instant attraction beyond the expected demographic. It peaked at number twenty-four on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's highest-charting single in the United States at the time. It charted moderately in several international markets, including Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Gomez & the Scene performed the song multiple times.

"Round & Round"
Single by Selena Gomez & the Scene
from the album A Year Without Rain
ReleasedJune 22, 2010
(see radio and release history)
RecordedMay 2010
Genre
Length3:06
LabelHollywood
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Rudolf
  • Bolooki
  • Halatrax
Selena Gomez & the Scene singles chronology
"Naturally"
(2009)
"Round & Round"
(2010)
"A Year Without Rain"
(2010)
Music video
"Round & Round" on YouTube

Composition

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"Round & Round" is a dance-driven electro-pop rock song with a length of three minutes and five seconds, composed by Kevin Rudolf, Andrew Bolooki, and Jeff Halatrax, Jacob Kasher and Fefe Dobson. The song's disco influence was noted to be new for Gomez's usual "poppy" music.[1] Mikael Wood of Billboard said the song "rides a fist-pumping electro groove".[2] According to Amar Toor of AOL Radio Blog, the song pulls influence from Kylie Minogue circa 2001.[1] The song's lyrics speak of a relationship going around in circles.[1] The song's middle eight is a sing-speak breakdown, in which Gomez raps her lyrics in a Kesha-esque fashion.

Reception

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Kevin Rudolf produced the song.

Critical reception

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Tim Sendra of Allmusic said that the song was "well sung" and noted it as one of the top tracks on the album.[3] Becky Bain of Idolator said the song had an "infectious tune", and said "might actually be the song to get the non-Disney-centric demographic interested in Selena's tunes."[4] Although commenting that the "glossy electro-pop rock" of the song showed a sophisticated side of Gomez, and the lyrics showed emotional growth, Robert Cospey of Digital Spy said the good work was squandered by the "rusty" chorus.[5] Overall, Copsey complimented Gomez for "avoiding the predictable Hilary/Miley teen-rawk route" and recommended she stay under the Disney umbrella to "perfect her craft further".[5]

Chart performance

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Propelled by a debut at number fifteen on the US Hot Digital Songs chart, "Round & Round" debuted at number twenty-four on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's second consecutive top thirty single in the United States.[6] It also appeared on the Billboard charts the Hot Dance Club Play and Pop Songs charts at two and thirty-four.[7][8] However, it did not match the peaks of its predecessor "Naturally" on those charts, where the latter peaked at one and twelve.[7] The song performed moderately in international markets. It reached fifty-one on the Canadian Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, it reached forty-seven, and was on the chart for three consecutive weeks.[9] "Round & Round" charted in the top sixty in Austria, and Germany, and appeared on the Belgian Flanders tip chart, as well as charting in Slovakia.[10] As of July 2015, "Round & Round" has sold 958,000 copies in the United States.[11]

Music video

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Gomez portrays a secret agent in the music video for "Round & Round".

The filming of the video was made by Philip Andelman and took place in late May 2010 in Budapest, Hungary during the filming of her film, Monte Carlo.[12] Gomez posted two previews of the song on her Twitter on June 17, 2010, to precede the video's premiere on June 20, 2010, on the Disney Channel and subsequently VEVO.[13] Along with singing on a stage with the Scene, the video features Gomez acting as a secret agent and donning spy apparel, as she plants bugs, takes photos, passes off packages, and other duties. She is then caught by other spies and is chased throughout the city, with another secret agent she works with covers her back as she runs away.[12] It ends with Gomez blowing out the match she previously struck. Nadine Cheung of AOL JSYK said, "We love the storyline for the video and how it's mixed in with performance shots of Selena and her band the Scene. Of course, the 17-year-old star is decked out in amazing outfits, no matter if she's rocking out on stage or being followed by cloaked agents."[12]

Live performances and promotion

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The song was performed by the band on America's Got Talent on July 14, 2010.[14] It was also performed on Good Morning America on September 23, 2010, along with "A Year Without Rain".[15] While promoting in the United Kingdom, Gomez appeared on Daybreak on September 27, 2010,[16] and on Blue Peter on the following day, September 28, 2010.[17] Gomez performed the song on MTV's The Seven on October 1, 2010.[18]

Track listing

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Credits and personnel

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Credits and personnel adapted from A Year Without Rain album liner notes.[26]

Charts

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Chart (2010) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[27] 80
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[28] 62
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[10] 19
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[29] 51
Germany (GfK)[30] 52
Ireland (IRMA)[31] 44
Mexico (Mexico Airplay)[32] 27
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[33] 39
UK Singles (OCC)[9] 47
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 24
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[8] 2
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[7] 34

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[34] Gold 40,000
United States (RIAA)[35] Platinum 1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Radio and release history

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Region Date Format
United States June 22, 2010[19] Digital download
June 29, 2010 Mainstream/Top 40 radio[36]
Australia September 3, 2010[23] Digital download, remixes[21]
United States September 14, 2010[20] Dave Audé Remix Radio Edit
United Kingdom September 26, 2010[22] Remixes
Germany September 24, 2010[37] CD single
United Kingdom September 27, 2010[38] CD single,[24] digital download[25]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Toor, Amar. "Selena Gomez, 'Round and Round' -- New Song". AOL Radio Blog. Archived from the original on June 22, 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  2. ^ Wood, Mikael (2010-09-10). "Selena Gomez and the Scene, "A Year Without Rain"". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  3. ^ "A Year Without Rain - Selena Gomez & the Scene". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  4. ^ Bain, Becky (18 June 2010). "Selena Gomez Goes "Round And Round" On New Single". Idolator. Archived from the original on 2010-06-29. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  5. ^ a b Copsey, Robert (27 September 2010). "Selena Gomez & The Scene: 'Round & Round'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
  6. ^ a b "Selena Gomez Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  7. ^ a b c "Selena Gomez Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-07-09.
  8. ^ a b "Selena Gomez Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  9. ^ a b "Selena Gomez & The Scene: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  10. ^ a b "Selena Gomez & The Scene – Round & Round" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  11. ^ Trust, Gary (July 19, 2015). "Ask Billboard: Are There an Unusually High Number of New Acts in the Hot 100's Top 10?". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  12. ^ a b c Cheung, Nadine. "Selena Gomez Becomes a Spy in Her New Video 'Round and Round'". AOL JSYK. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  13. ^ "Sneak Peeks at Selena Gomez's "ROUND AND ROUND"". Tiger Beat/BOP. Laufer Media, Inc. 2010-06-17. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  14. ^ "'America's Got Talent' welcomes Selena Gomez, 'Rock of Ages,' special guest - From Inside the Box - Zap2it". Blog.zap2it.com. Archived from the original on 2010-09-17. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  15. ^ Daw, Robbie (2010-09-23). "Selena Gomez Goes Round And Round on Good Morning America". Idolator. Buzzmedia Publishers. Retrieved 2011-03-13.
  16. ^ "Selena Gomez sings 'Round and Round' live in the studio". ITV. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  17. ^ Daw, Robbie (28 September 2010). "Selena Gomez Answers Some Kiddie Questions On 'Blue Peter'". Idolator. Buzzmedia Publishers. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  18. ^ Ryan, Chris (2010-10-01). "VIDEO: Selena Gomez Performs 'Round & Round' On MTV's 'The Seven'". MTV Buzzworthy. MTV Networks (Viacom). Archived from the original on October 3, 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  19. ^ a b "Round & Round - Single by Selena Gomez & the Scene". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  20. ^ a b "Round & Round (Dave Audé Radio Remix) - Single by Selena Gomez & The Scene - Download Round & Round (Dave Audé Radio Remix) - Single on iTunes". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  21. ^ a b "Round & Round (Remixes) - EP by Selena Gomez & The Scene - Download Round & Round (Remixes) - EP on iTunes". iTunes Store Australia. Apple Inc. 2010-09-03. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  22. ^ a b "Round & Round: Selena Gomez and The Scene: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  23. ^ a b "Round & Round - Single by Selena Gomez & The Scene - Download Round & Round - Single on iTunes". iTunes Store Australia. Apple Inc. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  24. ^ a b "Round & Round: Selena Gomez & The Scene: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  25. ^ a b "Round & Round: Selena Gomez and The Scene: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  26. ^ A Year Without Rain (booklet). Selena Gomez. Hollywood. 2010. D000462502.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  27. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 23 August 2010" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  28. ^ "Selena Gomez & The Scene – Round & Round" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  29. ^ "Selena Gomez Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  30. ^ "Gomez,Selena & The Scene – Round & Round (2-track)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  31. ^ "Chart Track: Week 40, 2010". Irish Singles Chart.
  32. ^ "Selena Gomez Chart History (Mexico Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  33. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201034 into search.
  34. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Selena Gomez & the Scene – Round & Round". Music Canada. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  35. ^ "American single certifications – Selena Gomez & the Scene – Round and Round". Recording Industry Association of America.
  36. ^ "®R&R :: Going for Adds™ :: CHR/Top 40". gfa.radioandrecords.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-11.
  37. ^ "Round & Round (2-Track): Selena & the Scene Gomez: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  38. ^ "Selena Gomez & the Scene "Round & Round" - Single by". HMV. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
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