Primadonna (Marina and the Diamonds song)
"Primadonna" | |
---|---|
Song |
"Primadonna" is a song by Welsh singer-songwriter Marina and the Diamonds, taken from her second studio album, Electra Heart. It was released as the album's official lead single on March 20, 2012, through 679 Records.
Background and concept
Marina has said of Primadonna:
"It’s about not needing anybody when it comes to love—your raison d’etre is to live for adoration. Girls usually feel like this when they are not appreciated in a relationship. The inspiration for the song came from an ex-boyfriend. He thought it was funny that I was a mega drama queen always talking “global love” this, “global love” that! He called me a prima donna. I love it but I also kind of hate it. Like they say, “You only hate in others what you hate in yourself”, so I thought I’d channel this well-known but kind of undesirable character type into a pop song. As the saying goes (that I just made up): You’ve either been one or dated one at least once in your life."[1]
Critical reception
"Primadonna" has received generally positive reviews from music critics. Robert Copesy of Digital Spy rated the track four out of five stars, writing that in the line "Got you wrapped around my finger babe/You can count on me to misbehave", Diamandis "play[s] out one of many female archetypes that feature on her forthcoming LP—though we suspect it's one she identifies with best."[2] Sam Lansky of MTV Buzzworthy described it as "a monster song" and "a muscular uptempo joint", concluding, "Evoking Kate Bush on the high notes and then cascading down to the gravelly tones of her lower register, Marina's voice packs the track with verve and personality."[3] Katherine St Asaph of Popdust gave the song three-and-a-half stars "edging toward 4", referring to it as "a big ball of irony sprinkled with mockery and shoved beneath a blonde wig, roots be damned".[4] On the other hand, Luke Turner of NME.com wrote that in the wake of Madonna's contributions, "plonkers like Marina have got empowerment wrong, coming up with this: Europop fart beats and cloying vocals. Marina would do well to learn that ego needs something to back it up, which you won’t find in this giant guff of saccharine nothing."[5]
"Primadonna" was well received within the first hours of its release to radio by fans and new listeners alike, especially on social networking site Twitter where it was a worldwide trending topic.[6]
Chart performance
"Primadonna" has so far peaked at 11 on the Slovakian Singles Chart, and 3 on the Irish Singles Chart, her highest position. On 22 April 2012, the single debuted on the UK Singles Chart at 11, selling 25,337 copies, giving Marina her highest charting single in the UK to date. The following week it slipped to 13 but in its third week the single climbed to 11, its second week at that position. "Primadonna" became Diamandis' first single to spend five consecutive weeks inside the top 20 UK Singles Chart. In its third week on the Irish chart, Primadonna rose to a new peak of #3 becoming Marina's highest charting single in Ireland as well. The song has peaked at #12 in New Zealand. It is her first single to chart in the country.
Music video
The music video for "Primadonna" was directed by Casper Balslev and shot in Copenhagen, Denmark.[7] It serves as the fourth part of the Electra Heart series, for which Balslev also directed the videos for part 1 ("Fear and Loathing") and part 2 ("Radioactive"). The video premiered on 12 March 2012, the same day as the song's release to UK radio.[8] Two days prior to the video's release, Diamandis released a fifteen-second preview of the video.[9]
Acoustic version
On 20 April 2012, Marina made available on her official website a downloadable recording of an acoustic version of "Primadonna" and two other acoustic song versions, packaged as an exclusive digital EP.[10] Earlier she released a video on her YouTube channel featuring an acoustic version.
Track listing
- CD single[11]
- "Primadonna" – 3:41
- "Primadonna" (Kat Krazy Remix) - 3:39
- "Primadonna" (Walden Remix) - 6:21
- "Primadonna" (BURNS Remix) – 4:29
- Digital remix EP[12]
- "Primadonna" – 3:41
- "Primadonna" (Benny Benassi Remix) – 7:05
- "Primadonna" (Riva Starr Remix) – 5:45
- "Primadonna" (BURNS Remix) – 4:29
- "Primadonna" (Evian Christ Remix) – 3:44
- Primadonna Exclusive Acoustic EP (MP3)[10]
- "Primadonna" (acoustic)
- "Starring Role" (acoustic)
- "Lies" (acoustic)
Charts
Chart (2012) | Peak position |
---|---|
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[13] | 39 |
Denmark (Tracklisten)[14] | 40 |
songid field is MANDATORY FOR GERMAN CHARTS | 18 |
Ireland (IRMA)[15] | 3 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] | 96 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[17] | 12 |
Scotland (OCC)[18] | 9 |
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[19] | 11 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] | 21 |
UK Singles (OCC)[21] | 11 |
UK Official Streaming Chart Top 100[22] | 9 |
Release history
Country | Date | Label | Format |
---|---|---|---|
United States[23] | 20 March 2012 | Atlantic Records | Digital download |
Australia[24] | 6 April 2012 | Warner Music | |
United Kingdom[12][25] | 15 April 2012 | 679 Artists, Atlantic Records | |
16 April 2012 | CD single | ||
Sweden[26] | Warner Music | Digital download | |
Germany[27] | 18 May 2012 | CD single |
References
- ^ Stern, Claire (19 April 2012). "Marina of Marina And The Diamonds Says New Album Personifies Heartbreak". ELLE Girl. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- ^ "Marina and the Diamonds: 'Primadonna' – Single review". Digital Spy. 4 April 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- ^ Lansky, Sam. "New Video: Marina & The Diamonds, 'Primadonna'". MTV Buzzworthy. MTV Networks. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- ^ St Asaph, Katherine (12 March 2012). "Marina And The Diamonds' "Primadonna" Isn't Really A Pop Song — It Just Sounds Like One". Popdust. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- ^ Turner, Luke. "Marina And The Diamonds - 'Primadonna'". NME.com. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- ^ Renshaw, David (12 March 2012). "Marina and The Diamonds Premiere New 'Primadonna' Video". Entertainment Wise. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- ^ Knight, David (14 March 2012). "Marina and the Diamonds 'Prima Donna' by Casper Balslev". Promo News. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- ^ Corner, Lewis (12 March 2012). "Marina and the Diamonds premieres 'Primadonna' music video". Digital Spy. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
- ^ "Watch the trailer for Marina & The Diamonds' new single 'Primadonna' – video". NME. IPC Media. 10 March 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
- ^ a b http://www.marinaandthediamonds.com/store/products,primadonna-exclusive-acoustic-ep-mp3_62.htm
- ^ http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;0;-1;-1;-1&sku=671190
- ^ a b "Primadonna (Remixes) – EP by Marina & the Diamonds". iTunes Store UK. Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
- ^ "Marina and the Diamonds – Primadonna" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ^ "Primadonna enter in Denmark Chart". [[1]] (in eng).
{{cite web}}
: External link in
(help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)|work=
- ^ "Chart Track: Week 20, 2012". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ "Marina and the Diamonds – Primadonna" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ^ "Marina and the Diamonds – Primadonna". Top 40 Singles.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201221 into search.
- ^ "Marina and the Diamonds – Primadonna". Swiss Singles Chart.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Marina & The Diamonds – Primadonna Streaming" (in Eng). [[2]]. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
{{cite web}}
: External link in
(help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)|publisher=
- ^ "Primadonna – Single by Marina & the Diamonds". iTunes Store US. Apple Inc. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ^ "Primadonna (Remixes) – EP by Marina & the Diamonds". iTunes Store Australia. Apple Inc. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
- ^ "Marina & The Diamonds: Primadonna: Hmv Exclusive". HMV. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
- ^ Persson, Malin (13 March 2012). "Marina and The Diamonds tillbaka med nytt album, Electra Heart släpps den 2 maj" (in Swedish). MyNewsdesk. Warner Music Sweden AB. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
- ^ "Marina And The Diamonds – Veröffentlichungen" (in German). Warner Music Germany. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
[[<a class="inlineAdmedialink" href="#">Category</a>:2012 singles]]