Sick Boy (song)

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"Sick Boy"
Single by The Chainsmokers
from the album Sick Boy
ReleasedJanuary 17, 2018 (2018-01-17)
GenrePop
Length3:13
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
The Chainsmokers singles chronology
"Honest"
(2017) 		"Sick Boy"
(2018) 		"You Owe Me"
(2018)
Music video
"Sick Boy" on YouTube

"Sick Boy" is a song by American electronic music duo the Chainsmokers. It was written by the Chainsmokers, Tony Ann and Emily Warren, with production handled by the Chainsmokers and Shaun Frank. The song was released by Disruptor Records and Columbia Records on January 17, 2018, as the lead single from the duo's second studio album of the same name.

Release[edit]

On the first day of 2018, the Chainsmokers teased new material by revealing their new logo on social media. They captioned the post: "How many likes is my life worth?"[1] On January 16, 2018, the song was promoted on a Spotify-branded billboard in Times Square, which reads: "How many likes is my life worth?"[2] "Sick Boy" was described as "a song about self-identity in today's world and standing tall in the face of what you can and can't control" in press materials.[3]

Music video[edit]

The accompanying music video, directed by Brewer, features both members of the Chainsmokers and Matt McGuire performing the song on an empty soundstage. Throughout the video, their internals are exposed by stage lights.[4]

Critical reception[edit]

"Sick Boy" received mixed reviews from critics.[5] Kat Bein of Billboard opined that the song "sounds like a big departure from the New York City duo's usual romantic pop flair".[2] Dave Holmes of Esquire called it the duo's version of Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" with a twist. He continued: "It is the sound of two men coming to terms with having worked at a Hollister for a summer in college. It is the worst of EDM, with all of the fun surgically removed. It is, for me, a baw-eest."[4] Mike Watkins of The Michigan Daily praised the song, calling it "another diatribe against society" with "scathingly sarcastic criticism" expressed throughout the song. He wrote that "the song's chorus is big and somewhat catchy" and expect it to be a radio hit.[6] Matthew Schnipper of Pitchfork described the song as "a turn toward the meaningful" for the duo. "In practice, though, the song comes off more like a parody than a parable," he wrote.[7]

Madeline Roth of MTV News regarded the song as "a catchy but gloomy slice of pure pop that sounds more like Twenty One Pilots than anything on their 2017 debut album, Memories...Do Not Open". She felt the duo has "abandoned the romantic, wistful flair" of previous songs and instead took "a decidedly darker" approach, writing that the song is "basically the opposite of '#Selfie'".[8] Hugh McIntyre of Fuse noted that the song is "pure pop", unlike songs from their beginnings which made them popular. He furthered: "The Chainsmokers are now unabashedly trafficking in the laptop-made pop that most stars churn out, which they've been heading towards for some time." Comparing to party tracks like "Don't Let Me Down", he noticed the song of being "darker in tone", describing it as "downright gloomy", which strays away from their "wistful and melancholy" style.[9] Similarly, Tom Skinner of NME found the song unexpectedly dark.[1] Derrick Rossignol of Uproxx wrote: "Musically, it strays further away from their EDM roots and more towards the successful pop sound they've developed for themselves, albeit with a more aggressive edge this time around."[3]

Track listing[edit]

Digital download[10]
No.TitleLength
1."Sick Boy"3:14
Digital download – remixes EP[11]
No.TitleLength
1."Sick Boy" (Zaxx remix)3:39
2."Sick Boy" (Prismo remix)3:44
3."Sick Boy" (Owen Norton remix)3:14
4."Sick Boy" (Kuur remix)3:27
5."Sick Boy" (Trobi remix)2:49
6."Sick Boy" (neutral. remix)2:55

Credits and personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from Tidal.[12]

  • Andrew Taggart - production, record engineering, composition, voice.
  • Alex Pall – production, record engineering, composition.
  • Tony Ann – piano, composition.
  • Shaun Frank – production, mix engineering, programming
  • Chris Gehringer – master engineering

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[52] Platinum 70,000‡
Austria (IFPI Austria)[53] Gold 15,000‡
Belgium (BEA)[54] Gold 10,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[55] 2× Platinum 80,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[56] Platinum 80,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[57] Platinum 90,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[58] Platinum 400,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[59] Gold 25,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON)[60] Gold 30,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[61] Platinum 20,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[62] Gold 10,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[63] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[64] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format Version Label Ref.
Various January 17, 2018 Digital download Original
[10]
Italy January 18, 2018 Contemporary hit radio Sony [65]
United States January 23, 2018 Columbia [66]
February 9, 2018 Digital download Remixes
  • Disruptor
  • Columbia
 [11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Skinner, Tom (January 17, 2018). "Listen to The Chainsmokers' new single 'Sick Boy'". NME. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Bein, Kat (January 17, 2018). "The Chainsmokers Drop New Brooding Hymn 'Sick Boy': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Rossignol, Derrick (January 17, 2018). "The Chainsmokers' New Single 'Sick Boy' Confronts The 'Narcissism' Of America". Uproxx. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Holmes, Dave (January 18, 2018). "The Chainsmokers Bravely Ask You Not to Hate Them in Their Very Serious New Song". Esquire. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  5. ^ Nied, Mike (February 15, 2018). "The Chainsmokers Share A Snippet Of New Single "You Owe Me"". Idolator. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  6. ^ Watkins, Mike (January 17, 2018). "Single Review: Ugh. Another Single From The Chainsmokers". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  7. ^ Schnipper, Matthew (January 17, 2018). ""Sick Boy" by The Chainsmokers Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  8. ^ Roth, Madeline (January 17, 2018). "The Chainsmokers Are Darker Than Ever On Their First New Song Of 2018". MTV News. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  9. ^ McIntyre, Hugh (January 17, 2018). "The Chainsmokers Embrace True Pop with Dark New Single 'Sick Boy': Listen". Fuse. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Sick Boy - Single by The Chainsmokers on iTunes". iTunes Store. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  11. ^ a b "Sick Boy (Remixes) - EP by The Chainsmokers on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  12. ^ "Sick Boy...Everybody Hates Me / The Chainsmokers TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  13. ^ "The Chainsmokers – Sick Boy". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
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  30. ^ "The Official Lebanese Top 20". The Official Lebanese Top 20. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  31. ^ "RIM CHARTS Top 20 (International & Domestic) Week #8" (PDF). Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  32. ^ "Mexico Airplay: Feb 24, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  33. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 10, 2018" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
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  35. ^ "NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. February 19, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  36. ^ "VG-lista – Topp 20 Single uke 6, 2018". VG-lista. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  37. ^ "The Chainsmokers – Sick Boy". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  38. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  39. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201819 into search. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  40. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201808 into search. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  41. ^ "Top 100 Canciones – Semana 4: del 19.1.2018 al 25.1.2018" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
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  47. ^ "Ö3 Austria Top 40 Jahrescharts 2018: Singles". Ö3 Austria Top 40. Archived from the original on December 28, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
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  53. ^ "Austrian single certifications – The Chainsmokers – Sick Boy" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
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  57. ^ "Danish single certifications – The Chainsmokers – Sick Boy". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
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  65. ^ "THE CHAINSMOKERS "Sick Boy" | (Radio Date: 18/01/2018)". Radio Airplay S.R.L. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
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