Good for You (Selena Gomez song)
"Good For You" is the lead single from American singer Selena Gomez's second studio album, Revival (2015). It features vocals by American rapper ASAP Rocky. The song was written by Gomez, Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter, ASAP Rocky, Hector Delgado, and its producers Nick Monson and Nolan Lambroza. Originally, the track was conceived by the writers in 45 minutes, during a session booked by the latter. The singer then received the song through the trio's A&R and was entirely involved in its creative session, helping to develop it as a representation of her process of self-realization, her confidence as a young woman, and her feelings of vulnerability. After it was reworked by Lambroza, she sent the song to Rocky, who added new instruments and co-produced it with his frequent collaborator Hector Delgado, who was in charge of Rocky's vocal production.
"Good for You"
June 22, 2015
2015
- Interscope Studios
- (Santa Monica, California)
- Downtown Studios
- (New York City, New York)
3:41
- Julia Michaels
- Justin Tranter
- Nick Monson
- Nolan Lambroza
- Rakim Mayers
- Hector Delgado
- Selena Gomez
- Nick Monson
- Sir Nolan
After anticipation by Gomez, "Good for You" was digitally released on June 22, 2015 by Interscope and Polydor Records, serving as Revival's lead single as well as the first song by the singer to be released through those labels. A torch song, it is a pop and electro-R&B slow jam with hip hop elements that comprises a mellow, low-key snap-drop hip hop beat reminiscent of modern, pitched-down Southern hip hop productions, minor sound bursts, percussion instrumentation, drum machines, airy and transparent synthesizer, and a minimalistic bass. Gomez sings atypically with breathy vocals and a plaintive timbre in the track, which was noted for being her first collaboration with a rapper. Its come-hither lyrics have intensity, psychodrama, self-confidence, and female empowerment as main themes, dealing with pleasing her lover and being the perfect complement for him. Rocky raps his verse at the end of the song, which is written from a male, player perspective and features braggadocio, profanity, and sexual innuendos.
"Good for You" received acclaim from music critics, who praised its minimalistic production, sex appeal and Gomez's vocals, as well as her maturity and artistic growth; some of them, however, had mixed reactions towards Rocky's contribution. Reviewers also compared her vocals to those of Lana Del Rey, Imogen Heap and Lorde, while noting similarities to the works of Del Rey; it was later included in many year-end lists of best songs. Commercially, the song reached the top twenty of countries as Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, New Zealand, and Spain, as well as Czech Republic and Slovakia's digital charts. In the United States, it debuted at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and later peaked at number five, becoming her highest-charting single until 2019 when "Lose You to Love Me" topped the chart, as well reaching Pop Songs' summit, where it became her first song to do so.
Its accompanying music video was directed by Sophie Muller and premiered on Times Square screens on June 26, 2015. The project uses a new and slower version of the song, which omits Rocky's verse and features string instrumentation. Highlighted for its provocative imagery, it follows a low-key premise with Gomez wallowing on several vignettes wearing a number of casual outfits. A second version was later released using the explicit edition of the track and features Rocky rapping his verse with Gomez's scenes and dynamic visuals in the background; new shots also are present in this version. Both videos received positive feedback from critics, who praised the singer's sensuality and the growth in her artistic imagery, describing the first as her "most intimate" to date and comparing it to Del Rey's works. To promote "Good for You", Gomez made interviews for radios and a few live performances in shows as Today and Taylor Swift's The 1989 World Tour (2015), where she made its first live performance and served as a special guest.
Release and artwork[edit]
Originally, "Good for You" was not intended to be the lead single from Revival.[18] Michaels and Tranter thought the song would "never be a single in a million years", and was better suited as an album track, though Gomez insisted: "Nope, this is my first single, motherfucker".[2] Interscope CEO John Janick also questioned its strength as a lead single, as well as Gomez's collaboration with Rocky, which he felt may be perceived as odd.[8] Gomez did not want the lead single to be "the obvious, huge song", and instead wanted it to set the tone for Revival and a new phase in her artistry.[18] In an interview for iHeartRadio, she explained: "I have become more comfortable with my sexuality, and who I am, and my body, and I feel really proud of that. That's why it was the one to kick off the album".[9] As a result, besides serving as the first single from the album, the song also was the first by Gomez to be released through Interscope and Polydor Records.[19][20][21] She created anticipation for its release, posting several teasers in her Instagram account.[22][23] On June 12, 2015, the singer announced that the song would be released ten days later.[24]
On June 17, 2015, a radio host from KDND stated that "Good for You" would be featuring ASAP Rocky.[25] On the next day, On June 18, 2015, Gomez posted a short spoken-word snippet which music journalists widely speculated to be the song's intro.[19][22][23] In the snippet, Gomez said: "But I'm blinded by the sun. I'm reborn at every moment, so who knows what I'll become?"[23] A heavy bass beat featured for a few seconds before the snippet, in which Gomez captioned, "I feel like I can exhale".[23] According to Christina Garibaldi of MTV News the snippet echoed an earlier statement Gomez made on Instagram where she said her listeners would learn the truth about what she had been experiencing on her upcoming album.[23] On June 20, 2015, the song leaked online.[26] On June 22, 2015, "Good for You" received its radio premiere across all iHeartRadio contemporary hit radio stations at 06:00 EST (11:00 UTC) — which also played the track at the top of every hour in that day —, and was released as a digital download at 00:00 EST (05:00 UTC).[27] The websites of these stations, as well iHeart.com, made it available on-demand.[27] "Good for You" impacted contemporary hit radio in the United States on June 23, 2015,[28] being added to rhythmic contemporary playlists on July 7, 2015.[29] An explicit version of the song was released on August 19, 2015,[30] and a download digital containing three remixes was available for purchase on September 9.[31] On the following 23, the Phanthoms Remix was digitally released.[32]
Gomez revealed the artwork for the single on June 19, 2015.[33] On it, she is seen striking a risqué pose, on a bar stool against a bare wall.[33][34] The singer sports a natural look in the artwork; barefoot and wearing only an oversized, thin white T-shirt as she runs her hands through her hair.[19][35] Jonathan Borge of InStyle opined that the cover art was enough to cause excitement on its own. Eric Diep from Complex said Gomez "slays the cover artwork" and felt it implied her upcoming album would substantiate her maturity as an artist.[36] Idolator's Mike Wass opined that the artwork was a good look for Gomez which manifested maturity, and said that it was "yet another indication that the next phase of her career will come as something of a shock to long-term fans".[37] Laura Beck of Cosmopolitan called the cover art "insanely sexy" and "gorgeous", and added: "All this lady needs to look amazing is a T-shirt and a stool. Impressive".[38] Wass, Corrine Heller of E! and Amanda Bell of MTV News all commended Gomez's sex appeal in the cover art,[35][37][39] while other critics complimented the artwork's beauty and simplicity.[19]
Composition and lyrical interpretation[edit]
"Good for You" is a pop and electro-R&B slow jam,[40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47] which contains elements of hip hop in its structure.[48] A dark and restrained record, "Good for You" represents a new sound for Gomez,[47][49][50][51] and a transition from the primarily pop influences of her previous releases.[6][51] It takes on a more stripped-down, starked, sleek, sad noir and minimalist sound,[52][53] while also comprising a mellow,[54] low-key snap-drop, hip hop drum beat[48][55][56] and a slow, R&B-like chorus.[57] Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Rather than jack the tempo, though, Gomez here slows the beat to a woozy crawl that owes something to the pitched-down sound of recent Southern hip hop".[48] Musically, "Good for You" was compared to the works of Lana Del Rey.[49][56][58][59]
The track's ambient, sparse and pitched-down production contains minor sound bursts and finger clicks,[23][48][55][56][60][61] comprising percussion instrumentation,[26] drum machines,[62] a transparent and airy synthesizer,[40][61] and minimalistic bass.[60] Its production was noted to recall Rocky's discography, namely At.Long.Last.A$AP.[55] This song is composed in the common time signature and is played in the key of F minor, with a moderate tempo of 89 beats per minute. It follows a basic sequence of Fm–A♭–B♭–Fm–E♭ as its chord progression, except in the bridge, which has a sequence of C♯m and the lyrics "Trust me, I can take you there / Trust me, I / Trust me, I / Trust me, I", and during Rocky's verse, where the chords of C♯, E♭ and D are repeated in sequence.[63] Gomez solicits a slightly raspy,[57] deliberate, slow and breathy vocal in the song,[58] while making use of mumbling,[64] crooning and cooing techniques,[24][54] and a plaintive timbre.[65] Her vocal range spans the low note of C3 to the high note of B♭4.[63] Her voice was compared to that of Imogen Heap,[40] Lana Del Rey,[49] and Lorde;[62] she clips her enunciation and breaks her vowels on words such as "good" which she phrases as "guh-eeed".[66]
Lyrically, "Good for You" is a torch song and a come-hither[59][67] with themes of intensity,[68] psychodrama,[59] self-confidence[60] and female self-empowerment,[15][67] with Gomez singing the hook "I just wanna look good for you, good for you", as a plea.[69] According to the singer, the track "reps women in a good way" and "does something to a woman when they look good".[7] In an interview for People magazine, she stated: "This song represents the confidence that I truly have inside of me, and I think it's the vulnerable side that I've expressed, but it's also the combination of just feeling myself".[70] It was noted to showcase a shift towards more mature and sexually suggestive subject matter than in Gomez's previous releases.[34] A number of the lyrics attribute syllables as a means of poetry, namely, "leave this dress a mess on the floor" and "syncopate my skin to your heart beating".[60] Gomez's lyrics specifically deal with pleasing and being the perfect complement for her significant other,[55] by means of wearing skin-tight dresses and doing her "hair up real, real nice".[57] Gomez references the Greek myth of Midas and jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co in the lines "Doing it up like Midas, mmm" and "I'm on marquise diamond / I'm a marquise diamond / Could even make that Tiffany jealous, mmm".[50][56] Gomez's lyrics deal with pleasing her lover and being the perfect complement for him,[55] seen in lyrics as "Gonna wear that dress you like, skin-tight / Do my hair up real, real nice".[57] The line "You say I give it to you hard / So bad, so bad / Make you never wanna leave / I won't / I won't" represents a shift towards more mature and sexually suggestive subject matter than Gomez's previous releases.[34]
A verse rapped by Rocky occurs towards the end of the song.[40] His lyrics are written from a male, player perspective to affirm Gomez's intentions;[46][60] the verse comprises braggadocio, profanity, and sexual innuendo.[17][71] Rocky's inclusions were noted to add to the sense of maturity Gomez portrays in the song.[48][72] Dee Lockett of New York described the track as Gomez's own version of Beyoncé's "Partition" (2014), a "striptease that has her both exploring and enjoying her sexuality",[73] while Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield deemed it a "deranged obsessive Lana-like torch song about Selena dressing the part to transform herself into the girl of her dreams".[59] Sheffield also said the track contains psychodrama reminiscent of PJ Harvey's "Dress" (1991), and wrote, "A$AP Rocky does the guest rap, but the song has nothing to do with him or any other guy — all Selena cares about is seducing the demon lover she sees in the mirror".[59]
Promotion and cover[edit]
"Good for You" was accompanied by minimal promotion;[8][151] Interscope focused on radio interviews for its promotion, instead of scheduling many TV performances.[8][151] The first live performance of the song took place during Taylor Swift's 2015 The 1989 World Tour. On the concert of August 26, 2015 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Gomez served as a special guest and performed it together with Swift.[152] On September 16, the singer made the "Revival Event", where a group consisting of 800 fans watched her performing "Same Old Love" for the first time, as well "Good for You" and a piece of "Revival". During the event, made in the Palace Theater in Los Angeles, Gomez also revealed a preview of the music video for "Same Old Love" and stated that the fans would be part of the video.[153] Still without performing it at the American TV, Gomez started the European promotion for the single on September 25, when she sang it and performed a cover of MAGIC!'s "Rude" at the BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge.[154] Two days later, she performed the song on British talk show Alan Carr: Chatty Man,[155] singing it on French Le Grand Journal.[156]
On October 12, Gomez made a performance for Today, which was broadcast live from Rockefeller Center in New York City. She opened the show singing "Good for You" in a set amid the audience and rose to the main stage, where she sang "Same Old Love" and a medley consisting of "Me & the Rhythm" and "Come & Get It".[157][158] Gomez served as the musical guest in the edition of January 23, 2016 of Saturday Night Live, hosted by Ronda Rousey. She performed a medley of "Good for You" and "Same Old Love", as well as a snippet of "Come & Get It", and made the first TV performance of "Hands to Myself".[159] The song was also featured on the set list of Revival Tour, that began on May 6, 2016 and ended on August 13, 2016 due to lupus.[160] American singer Eli Lieb posted a cover of "Good for You" on his YouTube channel on July 8, 2015.[161]
Credits adapted from Revival album liner notes.[10]