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Criminals (Meghan Trainor song)

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"Criminals"
A woman with waist-length bleached hair in tight-fitting blue and black crossing her legs and hands above her head, with a white circle cut out of the blue behind her
Single by Meghan Trainor
from the album Timeless (Deluxe)
Written2017
ReleasedSeptember 20, 2024 (2024-09-20)
Length2:34
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Justin Trainor
Meghan Trainor singles chronology
"Chasin'"
(2024) 		"Criminals"
(2024)
Audio
"Criminals" on YouTube

"Criminals" is a song by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor from the deluxe edition of her sixth major-label studio album, Timeless (2024). Trainor wrote it with songwriters Tyler Johnson and Josh Kear, and her brother Justin handled production. The song was initially written for her third major-label studio album, Treat Myself (2020), but was not included on it after Trainor rewrote the album to make it a pop record that feels relevant in an era when hip-hop reigns. "Criminals" became available as Timeless's deluxe edition's second track on August 16, 2024, when it was released by Epic Records. Sony Music released the song as the deluxe edition's lead single on September 20, 2024.

"Criminals" reached number seven on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. The song peaked at number eight on the Polish Airplay Top 100 and in the top twenty on the Adult Pop Airplay and Pop Airplay charts in the US, also reaching the top twenty on digital sales charts in various countries. It gained popularity after becoming the opening theme for the 2024 Netflix miniseries The Perfect Couple. Critical reception focused on the song's usage in the show's dance sequence, with some finding it catchy. Trainor included it on the set list of her 2024 concert tour, the Timeless Tour.

Background

[edit]

Meghan Trainor began recording songs for her third major-label studio album, Treat Myself (2020), while still recovering from her second vocal cord surgery.[1] She wrote a track called "Call Us Criminals" with songwriters Tyler Johnson and Josh Kear.[2] In January 2018, Trainor stated that it was her favorite song on the album, which she called her "best work yet" two months later.[1][3] In 2024, Trainor recalled that the song was written seven years ago, and she immediately thought it "was a smash". Her team asked her not to put it on the album, and Trainor held onto it in hopes that it could have a "special moment" in the future.[4] She eventually rewrote Treat Myself four times to make it a pop record that feels relevant in an era when hip-hop reigns.[5]

Trainor returned to her doo-wop sound on her fifth major-label studio album, Takin' It Back (2022), after the song "Title" attained viral popularity on video-sharing service TikTok in 2021.[6] The album included the single "Made You Look", which went viral on TikTok[7][8] and became her highest-charting single in years.[9][10][11] Trainor continued the sound on her sixth major-label studio album, Timeless (2024), which was a doo-wop and bubblegum pop record.[12][13] "Criminals" became available as the album's deluxe edition's second track on August 16, 2024, when it was released by Epic Records.[14] Sony Music sent the song for radio airplay in Italy as the deluxe edition's lead single on September 20, 2024.[15] Epic sent it to contemporary hit radio stations in the United States three days later.[16] She included "Criminals" on the set list of her 2024 concert tour, the Timeless Tour.[17][18] On October 24, 2024, an extended play containing Chromeo, Ellis, and J.Bird's remixes of the song was released alongside its live performance from the tour's Madison Square Garden stop.[19][20]

Composition

[edit]

"Criminals" is two minutes and 34 seconds long.[14] Trainor's brother Justin produced and programmed the song, and he engineered it with Andrew Wells and Bo Bodnar. Wells and Taubenfeld play guitar. Johnson, Kear, Bodnar, Trainor and her brother Ryan, and Daryl Sabara provided background vocals. Trainor handled vocal production, Randy Merrill mastered the song, and Jeremie Inhaber mixed it. Wells provided additional production.[2]

In the lyrics of "Criminals", Trainor acknowledges that she has behaved in a bad way but intends to repeat this, and she addresses a partner as her best one ever: "Lock me up cause I've been bad, and I know I'll do it again / You're the best I ever had, I'm guilty, I confess." Trainor continues to discuss a romantic relationship in subsequent lyrics and believes that the satisfaction it brings her must equate to a crime because of how good it is: "Anything that feels this good / Well, it must be illegal, it must be illegal, illegal."[21]

Inclusion in The Perfect Couple

[edit]

"Criminals" appears as the theme song in the American mystery drama miniseries The Perfect Couple. Susanne Bier wanted to incorporate a dance sequence with the show's cast into its opening sequence, and she liked "Criminals" from a list of songs sent by the music supervisor. Charm La'Donna created a choreography set to it.[22] Bier believed that the repetition of the words "Call us criminals, criminals" would lead viewers to speculate even more about who might be the culprit in the plotline's murder.[23][24] Trainor expressed excitement about its inclusion in the show and the dance sequence: "It has been a life long dream of mine to have one of my songs be used as the intro for a show and to have this many icons dancing along is just too good to be true."[25] Many cast members objected to the dance sequence and even created a WhatsApp group to avoid doing it,[26][27] but they ended up enjoying it after the filming.[28]

Capital's Katie Louise Smith believed the song succeeded in fulfilling Bier's intention and stimulated viewers to think more about the perpetrator of the murder: "It worked out perfectly to set the tone of the entire show. The routine serves as a perfect closer for the series too."[23] Dusty Baxter-Wright of Cosmopolitan referred to the dance routine and "Criminals" as "both catchy and a little bit jarring".[21] Writing for Glamour, Stephanie McNeal stated: "Every time the song and dance routine would come on, we'd groove on the couch, attempting the moves (badly) and singing the song. Predictably, the song soon got hopelessly stuck in my head."[29]

Commercial performance

[edit]

The inclusion of "Criminals" in The Perfect Couple caused its Spotify streams to increase by 1770%, prompting Trainor to add it to the set list of the Timeless Tour.[30] The song debuted at number seven on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 issued for November 9, 2024.[31] It peaked at numbers 18 and 17 on the Adult Pop Airplay and Pop Airplay charts in the US, respectively.[32][33] "Criminals" entered at number 19 on the Digital Song Sales chart.[34] In Canada, the song debuted at number 18 on the Canadian Digital Song Sales chart.[35]

"Criminals" reached number 18 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart and number 19 on Singles Sales.[36][37] The song entered at number 21 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart.[38] It charted at number eight on the Polish Airplay Top 100.[39] "Criminals" also peaked at number 21 on San Marino's SMRRTV Top 50 chart,[40] number 41 on Lithuania Airplay,[41] number 49 on Commonwealth of Independent States Airplay,[42] and number 71 on the Russian Airplay chart.[43]

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Timeless (Deluxe).[2]

  • Justin Trainor – producer, engineer, programming
  • Meghan Trainor – lead vocals, background vocals, songwriter, vocal producer
  • Tyler Johnson – songwriter, background vocals
  • Josh Kear – songwriter, background vocals
  • Andrew Wells – engineer, guitar, additional producer
  • Drew Taubenfeld – guitar
  • Bo Bodnar – engineer, background vocals
  • Ryan Trainor – background vocals
  • Daryl Sabara – background vocals
  • Randy Merrill – mastering
  • Jeremie Inhaber – mixing

Charts

[edit]

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for "Criminals"
Region Date Format Version Label Ref.
Italy September 20, 2024 Radio airplay Original Sony [15]
United States September 23, 2024 Contemporary hit radio Epic [16]
Various October 24, 2024
Remixes [19]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Weatherby, Taylor (March 1, 2018). "Meghan Trainor Details How Her Family & Fiance Reassured She's 'Built to Be a Pop Star' After Vocal Surgery". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 2, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Epic Records (2024). Timeless (Deluxe) (Media notes). Meghan Trainor.
  3. ^ Trainor, Meghan [@Meghan_Trainor] (January 19, 2018). "Yes, a few. My fave right now is 'Call Us Criminals' 😏" (Tweet). Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ Trainor, Meghan (October 3, 2024). Workin' on Tour Pt. 4 (Franklin, TN & Raleigh, NC). Event occurs at 24:15 and 34:10. Archived from the original on November 18, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2024 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ Feeney, Nolan (January 14, 2020). "Pop Music Is Changing, So Meghan Trainor Did Too". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  6. ^ Jones, Brian (May 12, 2022). "Meghan Trainor Reveals How She's Taking It Back for Upcoming Album". PopCulture.com. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  7. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (November 2, 2022). "Trending Up: Rihanna and Meghan Trainor Make Two Very Different Pop Comebacks". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  8. ^ Wert, Nicole (November 10, 2022). "Meghan Trainor 'Forces' Her Brother to Do TikTok Trend to Her Song". Parade. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  9. ^ "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  10. ^ Griffiths, George (November 6, 2022). "Taylor Swift on Track for Third Week at Number 1 with 'Anti-Hero'". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on November 22, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  11. ^ "Meghan Trainor – Made You Look". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  12. ^ Jack, Benjamin (June 11, 2024). "Meghan Trainor — Timeless". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  13. ^ Meagher, John (June 6, 2024). "Meghan Trainor: 'I Compare Myself to Other People Online All the Time… I Want to Protect My Kids From All That'". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on June 6, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Timeless (Deluxe) — Album by Meghan Trainor". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Sisti, Sara. "Meghan Trainor 'Criminals'" (Press release) (in Italian). Radio Airplay SRL. Archived from the original on September 20, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Your Radio Add Recaps". Hits. September 24, 2024. Archived from the original on September 25, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  17. ^ Nguyen, Jacob (September 14, 2024). "Concert Review: Meghan Trainor's Empowering Pop Shines at Ameris Bank Amphitheater". Rough Draft Atlanta. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  18. ^ James, Théoden (September 16, 2024). "Review: Were There Really Only That Many People at Meghan Trainor's Charlotte Concert?". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on September 17, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  19. ^ a b "'Criminals' (Remixes) — EP — Album by Meghan Trainor". Apple Music (US). Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  20. ^ Trainor, Meghan (October 24, 2024). "Meghan Trainor — 'Criminals' (Live from Madison Square Garden)". Archived from the original on November 18, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2024 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ a b Baxter-Wright, Dusty (September 6, 2024). "The Perfect Couple: What Song Are They Dancing to in the Intro?". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  22. ^ O'Connell, Mikey (September 6, 2024). "How The Perfect Couple Director Talked Her Mutinous Cast Into That Choreographed Dance". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 11, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  23. ^ a b Louise Smith, Katie (September 6, 2024). "The Perfect Couple Boss Explains Opening Credits Dance Scene Meaning". Capital. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  24. ^ Gularte, Alejandra (September 6, 2024). "How a Meghan Trainor Song Ended Up in The Perfect Couple's Intro". Vulture. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  25. ^ Kaplan, Anna (September 5, 2024). "Why Does The Perfect Couple Start with a Choreographed Dance? Stars Explain". Today. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  26. ^ Pilley, Max (September 6, 2024). "Nicole Kidman and Co-stars Used Whatsapp Group to Protest Dance Scene in The Perfect Couple". NME. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  27. ^ Yossman, K. J.; Malkin, Marc (September 5, 2024). "Nicole Kidman, Meghann Fahy and The Perfect Couple Stars Started a WhatsApp Group to Protest Opening Credits Dance Sequence: 'The Entire Cast Had a Mutiny'". Variety. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  28. ^ Rowan, Iona (September 8, 2024). "The Perfect Couple Cast Protested Against Show's Dance Sequence". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  29. ^ McNeal, Stephanie (September 5, 2024). "I Can't Stop Thinking About the Perfect Couple Dance". Glamour. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  30. ^ Gomez, Dessi; Campione, Katie (September 24, 2024). "The Perfect Couple Showrunner Eyes More Elin Hilderbrand Adaptations Following Outsized Success of Netflix Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  31. ^ a b "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  32. ^ a b "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  33. ^ a b "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  34. ^ a b "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  35. ^ a b "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Canadian Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  36. ^ a b "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  37. ^ a b "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  38. ^ a b "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 23, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  39. ^ a b "OLiS – oficjalna lista airplay" (Select week 02.11.2024–08.11.2024.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  40. ^ a b "Top 50 – Radio San Marino RTV – 04/11/2024" (in Italian). San Marino RTV. November 4, 2024. Archived from the original on November 4, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  41. ^ a b "Top Radio Hits Lithuania Weekly Chart: Sep 19, 2024". TopHit. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  42. ^ a b Meghan Trainor — Criminals. TopHit. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  43. ^ a b "Top Radio Hits Russia Weekly Chart: Nov 14, 2024". TopHit. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  44. ^ "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  45. ^ "Top Radio Hits Global Monthly Chart: October 2024". TopHit. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
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