All About That Bass
"All About That Bass" is the debut single of American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor, released on June 30, 2014, through Epic Records. The song was included on Trainor's debut extended play (EP), Title (2014), and her debut studio album of the same name (2015). Written with Trainor and producer Kevin Kadish, "All About That Bass" is a bubblegum pop, doo-wop and hip hop track. Trainor, who as a teenager struggled with her negative body image, was inspired to write the song to promote self-acceptance.
"All About That Bass"
- "Title"
- "Dear Future Husband"
- "Close Your Eyes"
June 30, 2014
July 2013[a]
The Carriage House (Nolensville, Tennessee)
3:07
Kevin Kadish
Some music critics praised "All About That Bass"'s production and memorable message, while others called it a novelty song and criticized the failure of its lyrics to empower every body type. The song was nominated for awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. It was the best-selling song by a female artist during the 2010s in the United States, and was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also reached number one in 58 countries and received multi-platinum certifications in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Spain, and the United Kingdom, becoming the fourth best-selling song of 2014 with 11 million copies sold worldwide.
Fatima Robinson directed the song's music video, which features 1950s-inspired aesthetics and a pink pastel backdrop. The video was released on June 10, 2014, and played an important role in the song's rise to prominence. "All About That Bass" inspired parodies and cover versions. Trainor performed the song on television shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Country Music Association Awards, and The X Factor UK, and included it on the set lists of her concert tours That Bass Tour and MTrain Tour (2015), and The Untouchable Tour (2016).
Composition and lyrical interpretation[edit]
"All About That Bass" is three minutes and eight seconds long.[13] The song was produced, engineered, programmed, sound designed, and mixed by Kadish—who also played drums, electric guitar, and bass guitar—at the Carriage House studio in Nolensville, Tennessee. David Baron played the piano, baritone saxophone, and Hammond organ. Trainor provided the track's clapping and percussion, and Dave Kutch mastered the recording at the Mastering Palace in New York City.[14]
"All About That Bass" is a bubblegum pop,[15][16] doo-wop[3][17] and hip hop song.[6][18] Kelsey McKinney of Vox characterized it as retro-R&B pop,[19] while Slate's Chris Molanphy described its style as "vintage white-girl, Italo-Latin soul".[20] The track has a 1950s-inspired throwback soul beat,[21][22] and influences from 1960s genres—soul-pop, groove,[23] Motown bounce[15] and girl group pop.[18][24] "All About That Bass" includes syncopated handclaps and bass instrumentation. In the song's outro, Trainor alternates between wordless vocal ad-libs and a pitched-down echo of "bass, bass, bass" at the end of the chorus mark.[25] She raps some of the lyrics.[6][26] According to Molanphy, it has "a scatting tempo and shimmying melody",[20] which has been compared with South Korean group Koyote's song "Happy Mode" (2006) and American band Phish's song "Contact" (1989).[27][28]
The lyrics of "All About That Bass" are a call to embrace inner beauty, and to promote positive body image and self-acceptance.[29][30][31] The line "I'm bringing booty back" references Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack" (2006).[25] In her song, Trainor criticizes the fashion industry for creating unreachable beauty standards.[32] She affirms the listeners their bodies are flawless, and asks them to "move along" if they are only attracted to thin women.[33] Trainor relates the form of music (bass and treble), to the human body being thicc or thin, and asserts the importance of the former. Kevin O'Keeffe of The Atlantic compared its lyrical message to those of Kesha's "We R Who We R" (2010), Pink's "Fuckin' Perfect" (2010), and Sara Bareilles' "Brave" (2013), among others.[21] The Guardian's Caroline Sullivan called "All About That Bass" a 2014 version of Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" (2002).[9]
Release[edit]
"All About That Bass" was released as the lead single from Trainor's debut extended play (EP) Title in 2014 and her studio album of the same name the following year.[34] Epic Records released the song for digital download in several countries on June 30, 2014, as Trainor's debut single,[35][36][37] and serviced it to radio stations in the United States on the following day.[38] In the United Kingdom, it became available to stream on August 14, and for download on September 28.[39][40] Sony Music sent the track to radio stations in Italy on September 5 and the United Kingdom's BBC Radio 1 added it to its playlist three days later.[41][42] An EP titled "All About That Bass" was released in Austria, Germany and Switzerland on October 3; it also included the tracks "Title", "Dear Future Husband", and "Close Your Eyes".[43][44][45] On the same day, "All About That Bass" was released as a CD single in Germany with only "Title" as its b-side.[46]
As "All About That Bass" began rising in popularity, Radio Disney's vice president of programming Phil Guerini asked Epic to send it a family-friendly version of the song with lyrics suitable for all audiences. The record label agreed to this because it wanted to maximize airplay and reach as many radio formats as possible.[47] In the bowdlerized version, the line "But I can shake it, shake it, like I'm supposed to do" was replaced with "But Imma make it, make it, like I'm supposed to do"; and the line "Boys like a little more booty to hold at night" became "Boys like the girls for the beauty they hold inside"; it was also used on adult contemporary radio stations.[47] Trainor and Kadish refused to make this version available for digital download because they believed it would "water down" the original.[6]
Critical reception[edit]
Some music critics viewed "All About That Bass" as a novelty song.[24][48][49] MTV News named it the sixth-best track of 2014,[50] while Time named it the sixth-worst of that year.[26] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called it a "shimmery" and "cheeky [...] hit" but criticized Trainor's unenthusiastic and drawn-out delivery, and accused her of imitating black music.[48] Molanphy described the lyrics as "effortlessly memorable" and complimented the production, but worried the misuse of the word "treble" in its lyrics might ruin the word's meaning for a whole generation.[20]
The lyrics of "All About That Bass" caused controversy; some critics called the song anti-feminist and accused Trainor of shaming thin women.[19][21][51] Kris Ex of Complex said Trainor imitated body standards often used to stereotype black women and appropriated colloquialisms that are associated with African-American Vernacular English.[52] Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine called the song "faux empowerment" and criticized Trainor for encouraging women to rely on men's opinions for validation.[16] McKinney said some of its lyrics promote a body-positive attitude and high self-worth while others contradict those values by denigrating other women.[19] The Independent writer Yomi Adegoke argued the track's substitution of conventional beauty standards with new ones is a poor representation of body positivity, and was insulted by its statement men find only curvy women attractive.[53] In response, Trainor said; "I didn't work this hard to hate on skinny people, I wrote the song to help my body confidence—and to help others".[4][10] Writing for The Guardian, Sullivan and Beejoli Shah defended "All About That Bass"; Shah suggested critics were reading too much into its lyrics and that "this isn't an academic polemic on modern womanhood: it's a pop song".[9][49] Ashley White of Florida Today thought the song did not shame thin women, instead interpreting its lyrical message as "no one—skinny, fat or in between—should have to feel uncomfortable or imperfect in their skin".[54]
Entertainment Weekly's Melissa Maerz named "All About That Bass" one of the two best tracks on Title, describing it as a "boomin' booty ode".[55] Shah praised its lyrics and bassline but felt it did not signal a long career for Trainor.[49] Writing for Spin, Dan Weiss called the song a "fluke hit" but noted it was historic and would uplift more listeners than it offended.[33] Sullivan stated that while the track's palatable nature and retro-inspired "cuteness" contributed to its success, the unwavering body-positive message of its lyrics was its biggest appeal.[9] Stereogum's Chris DeVille considered criticisms of the lyrics valid but praised the "pleasant swagger" in Trainor's expressionless delivery and its joyful nature, finding it a clever update on its retro influences.[25] Yahoo! writer Paul Grein called "All About That Bass" one of the greatest and most successful contemporaneous "message songs".[56] Evan Sawdey of PopMatters called the song optimistic, lively, and "absolutely delightful", and concluded that it was one of the most enjoyable songs of 2014.[17]
Accolades[edit]
"All About That Bass" reached number 23 on The Village Voice's annual year-end Pazz & Jop critics' poll of 2014.[57] The song was nominated for Best Song with a Social Message at the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards and for Favorite Song at the 41st People's Choice Awards.[58][59] At the 2015 Billboard Music Awards, it received three nominations, winning Top Hot 100 Song and Top Digital Song.[60] At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in 2015, "All About That Bass" was nominated in the categories Record of the Year and Song of the Year.[61][62] The song was also nominated for the Dorian Awards,[63] iHeartRadio Music Awards,[64] LOS40 Music Awards,[65] Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards,[66] Radio Disney Music Awards,[67] and the Teen Choice Awards.[68]
Chart performance[edit]
"All About That Bass" was a sleeper hit;[69] it debuted at number 84 on the US Billboard Hot 100 issued for July 26, 2014,[70] and reached number one on September 20, making Trainor the 21st female artist in Billboard Hot 100 chart history to do so with her debut single.[71] "All About That Bass" spent eight consecutive weeks at number one, the longest run for a female artist in 2014, and any Epic Records artist in the chart's history.[72][73] During the first six weeks at number one, the song led an all-female top five, breaking the record for the longest time women occupied the top five.[74] It was also the first debut single to spend at least 15 weeks in the top two and the 10th song to spend 25 weeks in the top 10.[75][76] "All About That Bass" was the best-selling song by a female artist in the 2010s, selling 5.8 million digital downloads in the United States.[77] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the song Diamond, which denotes 10 million units based on sales and track-equivalent on-demand streams.[78] On the Canadian Hot 100, "All About That Bass" peaked at number one, sold 408,000 copies in the country, and was certified 8× Platinum by Music Canada.[79][80][81]
In the United Kingdom, "All About That Bass" accumulated 1.17 million local streams and reached number 33 on the singles chart, becoming the first song in the chart's history to reach the top 40 based on streams alone.[82] Following its release for digital download, the song peaked at number one and sold 884,000 copies;[83][84] the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified it 3× Platinum.[85] It also reached number one in Australia and New Zealand,[86][87] attaining 9× Platinum and 3× Platinum certifications respectively,[88][89] and peaked at number one in 58 other countries,[90][91] including 12 in Europe.[b] The song also peaked at number two in Belgium (Wallonia),[104] Czech Republic,[105] Israel,[106] Norway,[107] and South Africa;[108] number three in the Netherlands[109] and Sweden;[110] number five in Belgium (Flanders)[111] and Italy;[112] number six in Romania;[113] number eight in Finland[114] and France;[115] and number 10 in Japan.[116]
The song received a 4× Platinum certification in Mexico,[117] 3× Platinum in Norway,[118] Sweden,[119] 2× Platinum in Denmark,[120] Italy,[121] Spain,[122] and Platinum in Austria,[123] Belgium,[124] Germany,[125] Switzerland.[126] According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), "All About That Bass" was the fourth best-selling song of 2014 with 11 million copies sold worldwide.[127]
Music video[edit]
Background and concept[edit]
Fatima Robinson directed the music video for "All About That Bass".[128] Trainor described Robinson as "the best of the best" and that Robinson made her "a rock star in two days".[128] Trainor wanted to make the video enjoyable to reflect the fun nature of the song. To that end, Robinson suggested using subdued pastel colors, which would popularize the video during summer, and depicting Trainor as an ingénue doing "booty-bumping dance moves and just shaking it up".[129] Trainor told The Boston Globe she considered the caricature "a cartoon" that she only ever intended to portray in the video.[3] She felt pressured to retain the look after the video became popular.[3] The first time Trainor watched the video, she cried because she felt insecure about her appearance in it.[7] As a result, Trainor "edited the crap out of it", changing the scenes in which she thought her face looked awkward, and said the final version made her "look like a pop star".[7] Music website Idolator premiered it on June 10, 2014.[130] Social media played an important role in the video's creation and marketing. Robinson cast Sione Kelepi as a dancer after discovering his popular dance videos on social media platform Vine. Kelepi shared the music video with his followers, which led to initial public interest in the video and it being recommended to more YouTube users.[131]
Synopsis[edit]
The music video has a 1950s visual theme.[48] Trainor is dressed in a pink sweater and long, white socks; she sings and dances in front of a pink backdrop.[3] In following scenes, she dances with female dancers and exaggerates her facial expressions.[22][48] Kelepi appears throughout the video; in one scene he pirouettes and performs a full split. Two girls are shown playing with dolls in a dollhouse, dancing in a bedroom, and riding bicycles. During a repetition of the line "I won't be no stick-figure, silicone Barbie doll", Trainor throws away a doll.[131] Writing for Out, Stacy Lambe stated the video delivers a "retro pop world" that "makes you want to dance in your seat".[132]
Cover versions[edit]
The Roots covered "All About That Bass" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on August 20, 2014; Chris Payne of Billboard called the performance "angelic".[176] Maejor's remix of the song featured Justin Bieber, and it was released on October 15.[177] In September, Kate Davis released a 1940s-jazz-style version of the song, on which she played double bass with pianist Scott Bradlee; within three months, it had received 8 million views on Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox YouTube channel.[178][179][180] On October 24, Avi Kaplan, a member of the American group Pentatonix, released his cover version of "All About That Bass"; James Grebey of Spin gave the cover a positive review and said the song "sounds very different a few octaves lower" and that Kaplan's rendition "might just be an improvement".[181] Jamaican-American singer Anita Antoinette covered the song on the seventh season of the American talent television series The Voice, receiving praise by the show's judges Pharrell Williams and Adam Levine. Ashley Lee of Billboard wrote Antoinette provided the song with "a reggae twist".[182] Cover versions of the song recorded by Power Music Workout and Meghan Tonjes reached number 13 and number 70 on the UK Singles Chart, respectively.[183]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Title.[184]