Try (Colbie Caillat song)
"Try" is a song by American singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat from her fifth studio album, Gypsy Heart (2014). It was released on June 9, 2014 by Republic Records as the lead single from the album. The song was written by Caillat, Jason Reeves, Babyface and Antonio Dixon and was produced by the latter two. Lyrically, the midtempo pop ballad is about not trying to be someone else to make others happy. It was written after a session where Caillat was feeling pressure to be someone she was not, both musically and image-wise. It received acclaim from music critics, who noted it was a simple, but beautiful empowering ballad.
"Try"
June 9, 2014
2014
3:45
- Babyface
- Antonio Dixon
The song charted moderately on the US Billboard Hot 100, while becoming her highest-charting single in five years in Australia and Canada. It also became a top 40 hit in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. To promote the song, a lyric video including female fans and artists, such as Sheryl Crow, Sara Bareilles, Christina Perri and others, without any makeup on, to emphasize the song message, was released on June 10, 2014. Later, an official music video was released on July 8, 2014. It features the singer alongside a diverse set of women with makeup and wigs, while removing them throughout the video, ending it natural. It went viral over the internet, accumulating over 27 million views in almost two months. The song was certified platinum by the RIAA on March 20, 2015.[1]
Background[edit]
After releasing her first Christmas album, Christmas in the Sand (2012), and contributing to the soundtrack of the 2013 film Safe Haven, with the song "We Both Know", a duet with Gavin DeGraw, Caillat recorded during the summer of 2013 a new album with a "’70s vibe" with producer John Shanks. It was set to be released in November 2013; however, after meeting up with Ryan Tedder, Caillat decided to record a more "pop, up-tempo dancey" album.[2] Caillat also worked with record producer and songwriter Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds on the album, explaining, "We did four or five songs. I love him as a producer and writer. I just tell him any style that I’m in the mood for and we write it. It’s not like he’s pigeonholed in being an R&B producer. The first song we wrote together is a complete folk song that’s going to be on this record. It has a banjo on it! The next song is R&B-pop, and then the next one we did is completely a piano ballad, no harmonies — it’s really honest and vulnerable."[2]
The synthpop-infused track "Hold On", produced by Tedder, was released as the album's lead single. However, the song failed to make an impact on the charts, and the album was postponed. Caillat and her label thought they should keep working and see if they got anything better. The response disappointed the singer, who was told to return to the studio to find a "new sound" for the album. "To be told that your work isn't good enough -- to do better, to be more like those pop artists out there that dress sexy and use Auto-tune on their voices -- to be compared to someone so different, it hurt," she claimed.[3] Later, Caillat decided to release an EP, claiming that "12 songs is too much to listen to all at once. When I buy a record, I get to the fifth song, and then I don't get to really hear the rest of the record. People can listen to the first five songs, fall in love with them, get to know them, and then a few months later, have the rest of the record available for download."[3] To promote the EP, "Gypsy Heart: Side A", "Try" was chosen to be its lead-single,[3] being the iTunes Store single of the week from June 9 to June 16, 2014, and it would be officially released to Mainstream radio stations in early September.[4] On October 21, 2014, the song was serviced to contemporary hit radio by Republic Records; a new "Uptempo Mix" will officially impact the format on January 13, 2015.[5][6] This version was released to digital retailers on November 24, 2014 under the official name "Alex Ghenea Remix".[7]
Critical reception[edit]
"Try" earned critical acclaim from music critics. Jason Lipshut of Billboard called it an "empowering" track [...] to bestow young girls with a stronger sense of self-worth."[3] Emileen Lindner of MTV News agreed, calling it "a super-empowering ballad." Holly Williams of Contact Music called it "a bright pop song with an admittedly overly simple melody, but the lyrics, though hackneyed and a little patronising, still have the desired effect. You can tell it's simply sung from the heart and, let's face it, Colbie doesn't even have to try."[11] Marcus Floyd of Renowned for Sound wrote that Caillat "lyrically inspires once again with 'Try', a softer side to the release where you hear the rawness in her voice as she pleads you not to try to impress others and to just be yourself."[15] Matt Collar of Allmusic chose the song as one of the highlights of the EP,[8] while Markos Papadatos of Digital Journal wrote that the song "is inspirational, and it showcases her vulnerability as an artist, becom[ing] an anthem of female empowerment due to its optimistic lyrics."[16]
Commercial performance[edit]
"Try" entered the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on the issue date of July 26, 2014, at number 69.[17] It climbed to number 55 the following week, becoming its peak position. It is also her first entry on the Hot 100 since 2011's "Brighter Than the Sun".[18] It also debuted inside of the Top 30 at the Adult Top 40 chart,[4] peaking at number 15.[19] It debuted at number 22 on the Adult Contemporary chart and peaked at number 4.[20] The song also debuted at number 67 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[21] In Denmark, it debuted and peaked at number 13, her second song to chart after "Bubbly" (2007),[22] while in both Australia and Canada, the song became her highest-charting single in five years, peaking at numbers 67 and 56, respectively.[21][23]
Live performances[edit]
Caillat had given an exclusive performance of "Try" to blogger Perez Hilton. Then she performed the track officially on Today,[28] while also discussing the song and its music video.[29] Later, she also performed the track on Live with Kelly and Michael (on June 9, 2014),[30] The View (on August 12, 2014),[31] and at the Young Hollywood Awards in addition to appearing on HLN, CBS This Morning and Extra.[4] Later she performed at the Billboard Women Music Awards.