I'm Not Famous
| "I'm Not Famous" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by AJR | ||||
| from the EP What Everyone's Thinking and the album The Click | ||||
| B-side | "Weak" | |||
| Released | March 24, 2016 | |||
| Genre | Indie pop[1] | |||
| Length | 3:40 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Ryan Met | |||
| AJR singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "I'm Not Famous" on YouTube | ||||
| Trick Shot music video | ||||
| "I'm Not Famous" on YouTube | ||||
"I'm Not Famous" is a song by American indie pop band AJR. It was released as the lead single of their fourth EP What Everyone's Thinking via the band's label AJR Productions on March 24, 2016. It would later appear as the tenth track on their second studio album The Click (2017). The song lyrically takes pride in not being famous, listing positives while using upbeat pop instruments. Two music videos were released for the song.
Background and composition
[edit]After the success of their single "I'm Ready" and their debut studio album Living Room (2015), AJR received various fan questions about being famous.[2] The band would reply with "we're not famous", which inspired them to develop the song concept of "I'm Not Famous". The song aims to weaken society's obsession with fame, commentating on it to have listeners think less positively of it.[3]
"I'm Not Famous" was released on March 24, 2016, as the lead single of What Everyone's Thinking.[citation needed] The song utilizes elements of jazz while maintaining the band's standard indie pop sound.[4] It additionally uses a V–vi–IV–I chord progression in the key of F major.
Music videos
[edit]A video for "I'm Not Famous" was directed and edited by AJR, and released on April 25, 2016.[5] The video primarily takes place in the streets of New York City, with lead singer Jack Met publicly traversing the city in a onesie to prove that he's not famous.[6] The video was filmed with a budget of $100, using a local YouTube Space to film some scenes.[7] Another video for "I'm Not Famous" featuring Legendary Shots was released on September 6, 2016, with the band performing in front of various stunts.[8]
Commercial performance
[edit]"I'm Not Famous" placed at number 25 on Sirius XM's Weekend Countdown for the week of August 27, 2016.[9] The song had little streaming success upon release, amassing 1.6 million plays on Spotify within its first six months of release.[4] It received higher commercial performance after the band released "Weak", with the success of the single echoing onto "I'm Not Famous".[10]
Track listings
[edit]Digital download
- "I'm Not Famous" – 3:40
US vinyl single[11]
- "I'm Not Famous" – 3:40
- "Weak" – 3:21
Personnel
[edit]Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[12]
- Adam Met – bass guitar, backing vocals, composer
- Jack Met – lead vocals, guitar, melodica, percussion, ukulele, composer
- Ryan Met – backing vocals, keyboards, trumpet, ukulele, composer, producer
- Chris Gehringer – mastering engineer
- Delbert Bowers – audio mixing
Release history
[edit]| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | March 24, 2016 | AJR | ||
| United States | June 2016 | Radio airplay | BMG | [13] |
| October 7, 2016 | 7-inch | [14] |
References
[edit]- ^ ABC News (April 14, 2017). "5 things to know about indie-pop band AJR". ABC News. Archived from the original on April 14, 2017. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
- ^ Espiritu, Camille (October 26, 2016). "Interview: AJR". The Young Folks. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ Mastrogiannis, Nicole (July 7, 2016). "INTERVIEW: AJR Lists Five Advantages Of Not Being Famous". iHeartRadio. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ a b Beyond The Stage (September 21, 2016). "'What Everyone's Thinking' – AJR EP Review". Beyond the Stage Magazine. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ Lauren G (April 26, 2016). "AJR release music video for "I'm Not Famous"". Listen Here Reviews. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ idobi (April 27, 2016). "AJR Releases New Music Video For "I'm Not Famous"". idobi Radio. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ AJR (March 13, 2016). Making The Music Video - AJR "I'm Not Famous" (YouTube video). Red Music. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ Kaufmann, Andy (May 24, 2021). "Q&A with AJR". Music Connection. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
- ^ Carter, Caitlin (August 29, 2016). "The Weekend Countdown with Spyder Harrison (8/27/2016)". Sirius XM. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ AJR [@AJRBrothers] (December 16, 2016). "Woahh Weak just hit 10 MILLION on Spotify what is happening" (Tweet). Retrieved April 16, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ I'm Not Famous / Weak (US vinyl single liner notes). AJR. AJR Productions. 2016.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ The Click (Media notes). AJR. AJR Productions. 2017.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Clark, Jeff (June 5, 2016). "Gulfport native on tour with millennial indie rockers AJR". SunHerald. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
- ^ AJR [@AJRBrothers] (September 25, 2016). "Gonna be selling these vinyl singles on tour, you know you want it" (Tweet). Retrieved January 7, 2024 – via Twitter.