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Die Young

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"Die Young"
Song

"Die Young" is a song by American recording artist Kesha. It was released on September 25, 2012 as the lead single from her upcoming second studio album, Warrior. Written by Lukasz Gottwald, Benjamin Levin, Henry Walter, and fun. singer Nate Ruess, the song is performed in the electropop genre. Two teaser trailers were posted prior to the single's official release. A lyric video for the song was published to YouTube. Contemporary critics gave mixed reviews of the song; some were disappointed with it, reflecting on its sameness with Kesha's other songs, while others praised it. The production has been likened to work by The Cars, Flo Rida, Jessie J, and Katy Perry. "Die Young" has charted in multiple countries, debuting at 13 on the Hot 100 chart with over 188,000 units sold. In its third week, "Die Young" broke into the top-ten, making it Kesha's eighth top-ten hit since her debut on the chart in 2010.

Background and composition

"Die Young"
Kesha sings over an acoustic guitar and synthesized beat during this sample of the electropop song, "Die Young".
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Produced primarily by Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco, Kesha worked with the lead singer of fun., Nate Ruess, to write "Die Young".[3][4] Co-producer Blanco called the song "old hippie rock."[3][4] The song was written in 2011, after Kesha traveled the world. Before working on her second studio album, she went on a spiritual journey. Recalling experiences of feeding baby lions and swimming with great white sharks, Kesha said, "I got hypnotized, and I just really wanted this record to be really positive, really raw, really vulnerable and about the magic of life."[3] She intends for the song to show her vulnerable side, saying, "I have a lot of growing and evolving to do. I'm definitely not a one-trick pony and I think people are starting to see that more and more."[5]

About the song, she told Carson Daly on 97.1 AMP Radio:

"It's kind of an anthem. It's a celebration song, which I’m obviously known for writing those, but this one, the concept of it was to live each and every single day like it's your last and to always remain having a youthful spirit no matter how old I get...I can sing like a motherf***er! You're going to hear that because I'm also doing this acoustic EP for my fans. Some of the old songs and the new songs."[6]

Genre-wise, the song employs Kesha's trademark electropop sounds.[7][8] "Die Young" spreads acoustic guitar strums, in the progression of Bm/A/D/G,[9] over an uptempo dance beat, while Kesha belts her half-rapped, half-sung vocals on the verses,[10] where she says, "I hear your heart beat to the beat of the drums," Ke$ha sings over beating percussion and acoustic guitars. "Oh what a shame that you came here with someone / So while you're here in my arms / Let's make the most of the night like we're gonna die young."[3][4] "Die Young" features synth rifts in the New Wave style, reminiscent of The Cars and other music in the 1980s.[11] Towards the end of the song, a choir of backing vocals chimes the chorus over a glam rock drum beat.[11] The track leaked online one day before its official release.[4]

Music videos

To promote the single, two teaser trailers were released online. The first showed a waffle waitress holding a slip of paper inscribed with a capital "R", thought to resemble the official logo of Rihanna.[5] This led to speculation about the singer possibly making a guest feature on the record.[5] The second video appeared online, after the singer tweeted, "Wanna hint?". It displayed Kesha in the Tokyo Metro, singing the chorus of "Die Young"[5][12] An official lyric video was posted to Kesha's VEVO account the day of the single's release.[13] On 24 September 2012, celebrity makeup artist and blogger for People Scott Barnes wrote that he was working with Kesha on the music video for "Die Young".[14] On the video itself and the makeup artistry behind it, he said:

"... I like to blow people’s expectations away, and that means creating something they’ve never seen before — so stay tuned to see what we come up with."[14]

Photographs of Kesha on-set for the filming of the music video leaked online. Jenna Hally Rubenstein of MTV commented: "...Kesha [is] into wearing basically nothing these days...and it's looking like that no-clothes theme has continued." She compared the leaked photographs and the cover art for the single, further comparing it to Cher's body rope, certain professional wrestlers, and Amazon princesses.[15]

Reception

Critical response

The song received mixed reviews. Seventeen called it "classic Ke$ha",[8] while Robbie Daw of Idolator said, "[I'm] getting a 'if you’ve heard one Ke$ha song, you’ve heard 'em all' vibe, which is unfortunate."[11] In an interview with Rolling Stone, she said she intended to craft songs in the 1970s "cock rock" genre,[17] but Daw felt that her lackluster vocal delivery neither departed from her previous sound nor lived up to the hype.[11] Rolling Stone also asserted that it was "the Ke$ha we know and love."[18] August Brown of the Los Angeles Times agreed, saying the single was, "...no major departure from her classic template of ravey pop spiced with gum-smacking raps and occasional vocal acrobatics." Further, she wrote that "Die Young" had a "stock-and-trade" message, with the title being, "...a fate... less like a thing to be avoided, and more like the goal is to live fast and leave a good-looking corpse."[19] Marc Hogan of Spin wrote that Kesha's usual idiosyncrasies of punk rockers downing shots, transparent in even her worst songs, did not appear on "Die Young",[10] announcing that "this one feels a bit more, well, blah than her previous hits."[10] Perez Hilton posted the song to his blog with the title "Ke$ha’s New Single Die Young Is A Killer!", and said, "...[it] has us getting up and dancing like there’s no tomorrow."[20] Contactmusic.com noted the song's succeeded on Twitter, where fans tweeted their appreciation. The reviewer also acknowledged Hogan's negative review, saying that a few more plays would covert him to the song.[20] Stereogum said, "It's glorious."[21] Sarah Polosky of Vibe said the song's production worked like water, with the message being steadfast, and the beats dangerously addictive.[13] On the lyrics video, she noted similarities between K-pop singer, PSY's 2012 hit, "Gangnam Style".[13] Billboard noticed the track "...is eerily similar to Flo Rida's recent hit "Good Feeling."[7] Jessica Sager of Pop Crush acknowledged the Flo Rida similarity, also comparing the record to "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry.[22] Conversely, Sager praised the lack of Auto-Tune in "Die Young".[22] MTV mirrored the Rida comparisons, likening the song to Jessie J's "Domino", also produced by Dr. Luke, before saying, "So do we think "Die Young" is pushing [Kesha] toward new sonic heights? Not particularly."[16] Entertainment Weekly critic Ray Rahmen lent "Die Young" a positive review, saying it had all "the pop swag of a high-school girl sneaking a bottle of Smirnoff Ice into prom," before praising the song's remix potential.[23]

Chart performance

October 1, 2012 marked "Die Young"'s debut on the Billboard Pop Songs chart. Peaking at 21, it serves as Kesha's highest ranking debut on that chart.[24], "Die Young" entered the Hot 100 at number 13, also debuting at number 3 on the Hot Digital Songs chart with 188,000 purchases. On airplay, the song garnered 31 million hits.[25] On the week ending in October 26, "Die Young" debuted on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart at number 45.[26] The following week, "Die Young" rose to number 8 on the Hot 100, giving her eight top-ten hits on the chart since her debut with "Tik Tok" in 2010.[27]

Formats and track listings

  • Digital download[28]
  1. "Die Young" – 3:33
  • United Kingdom single[29]
  1. "Die Young" – 3:33
  2. "Die Young" (Instrumental)  – 3:33

Credits and personnel

  • Songwriting – Kesha Sebert, Nate Ruess, Lukasz Gottwald, Henry Walter, Benjamin Levin,
  • Production – Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, Cirkut
  • Instruments and programming – Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, Cirkut

Credits adapted from the liner notes on BMI.[2]

Charts

Chart (2012) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[30] 10
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[31] 7
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[32] 21
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[33] 10
Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100)[34] 88
France (SNEP)[35] 100
Ireland (IRMA)[36] 36
Japan (Billboard Japan Hot 100)[37] 70
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[38] 97
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[39] 15
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[40] 45
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[41] 41
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[42] 57
US Billboard Hot 100[43] 8
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[44] 12
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[45] 45
US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[46] 23

Release history

Country Date Format
United States September 25, 2012 Digital download
Europe November 18, 2012
United Kingdom November 25, 2012

References

  1. ^ "KE$HA - DIE YOUNG (SONG)". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  2. ^ a b BMI "Repertoire Search". Retrieved 1 October 2012. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Text "Broadcast Music Inc" ignored (help)
  3. ^ a b c d "Ke$ha 'Die Young' Hits Airwaves, Party Anthem Boasts Stripped, 'Hippie Rock' Sound". The Huffington Post. AOL. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d Kaufman, Gil. "Ke$ha's Down-And-Dirty Party Anthem 'Die Young' Leaks". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d "Kesha's new single could feature Rihanna". BigPond. Telstra. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  6. ^ Carroll, Sara. "Ke$ha Debuts "Die Young" Live On AMP Radio With Carson Daly!". 97.1 AMP Radio. AMP Radio Networks. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  7. ^ a b McIntyre, Hugh. "Ke$ha Debuts 'Die Young' Single: Listen". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  8. ^ a b Jaksich, Jessica. "The Party Doesn't Stop With Ke$ha's New Single!". Seventeen. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  9. ^ "Kesha - Die Young chords". Guitaretab.com. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  10. ^ a b c Hogan, Marc. "Ke$ha's First 'Warrior' Single 'Die Young' Lacks Killer Instinct". Spin. Buzz Media. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  11. ^ a b c d Daw, Robbie. "Ke$ha's "Die Young": Listen To Her First 'Warrior' Single". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  12. ^ Dresdale, Andrea. "Ke$ha Teases New Single "Die Young" by Whistling It on a Subway". ABC News. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  13. ^ a b c Polonsky, Sarah. "Ke$ha - "Die Young" (Official Lyric Video)". Vibe. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  14. ^ a b Barnes, Scott. "Scott Barnes's Blog: Seriously, Take a Beauty Cue from Ke$ha". People. Time Inc. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  15. ^ Rubenstein, Jenna Hally. "Ke$ha Is A Leather-Clad Wild Child On The Set Of Her 'Die Young' Video (PHOTO)". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  16. ^ a b Rubenstein, Jenna Hally. "New Song: Ke$ha, 'Die Young'". MTV Buzzworthy. Viacom. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  17. ^ Perpetua, Matthew (February 10, 2011). "Exclusive: Ke$ha Discusses Her Cock-Rock Ambitions and Getting Tattooed by a Crackhead". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  18. ^ "Ke$ha Lives It Up on 'Die Young' Hedonistic pop star returns with new party anthem". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  19. ^ Brown, August. "Kesha releases 'Die Young' single, sets album date". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  20. ^ a b "So, Is Ke$ha's New Single 'Die Young' Any Cop?". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  21. ^ Goble, Corbin. "Ke$ha – "Die Young"". Stereogum. Buzz Media. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  22. ^ a b Sager, Jessica. "Kesha, 'Die Young' – Song Review". Pop Crush. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  23. ^ Rahman, Ray. "Ke$ha loses inhibitions on new single 'Die Young': Hear it here". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  24. ^ "Chart Highlights: Ke$ha, Rihanna Blast Back Onto Pop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  25. ^ Trust, Gary. "PSY Can't Beat Maroon 5 in Close Race For Hot 100's Top Spot". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  26. ^ "Chart Highlights: Adele's 'Skyfall' Rises On Adult Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  27. ^ Trust, Gary. "PSY Still Stuck At No. 2 as Maroon 5 Tops Hot 100 - "One More Night" spends a fifth week in the top spot, while Ke$ha crashes the Top 10". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  28. ^ "Ke$ha - Die Young - Single". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  29. ^ "Ke$ha - Die Young - Single UK". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  30. ^ "Ke$ha – Die Young". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  31. ^ "Ke$ha – Die Young" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  32. ^ "Ke$ha – Die Young" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  33. ^ "Kesha Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  34. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 41. týden 2012 in the date selector.
  35. ^ "Ke$ha – Die Young" (in French). Les classement single.
  36. ^ "Chart Track: Week 40, 2012". Irish Singles Chart.
  37. ^ "Japan Billboard Hot 100" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. October 17, 2012. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  38. ^ "Ke$ha – Die Young" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  39. ^ "Ke$ha – Die Young". Top 40 Singles.
  40. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201241 into search.
  41. ^ "Ke$ha – Die Young" Canciones Top 50.
  42. ^ "Ke$ha – Die Young". Singles Top 100.
  43. ^ "Kesha Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  44. ^ "Kesha Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
  45. ^ "Kesha Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
  46. ^ "Kesha Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-10-08.
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