Hurt Feelings (Mac Miller song)

Last updated
"Hurt Feelings"
Song by Mac Miller
from the album Swimming
ReleasedAugust 3, 2018
Genre Hip hop
Length4:05
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Music video
"Hurt Feelings" on YouTube

"Hurt Feelings" is a song by American rapper Mac Miller from his fifth studio album Swimming (2018). It was produced by J. Cole, with additional production from Dev Hynes and Jon Brion. The song contains a sample of "Nigerian Knight" by O'Donel Levy and interpolation of "We've Only Just Begun" by The Carpenters.

Contents

Background

Mac Miller made the song in Hawaii, with one of two beats that J. Cole sent him. He brought it back to Los Angeles and began experimenting with it. Jon Brion played on it. Miller tried to add a piano section on the second part of the hook, playing a grand piano, and when he found no success he asked Dev Hynes to try it. Hynes played it in the same manner as Miller and then tried another approach, which they decided to use. [1]

Composition

The song contains synths [2] and backing vocals. It further develops the style of his song "Come Back to Earth" and album The Divine Feminine , consisting of "shimmering instrumentals" and "trippy beats". Mac Miller raps in a "lackadaisical", relaxed manner, [3] but still with a tone of resilience, [4] about his battle with substance abuse and break from social media following his breakup with singer Ariana Grande. [5] He responds to the controversy surrounding him in the months prior to the album's release, [3] especially referencing his driving under the influence and hit and run incident in May 2018 and detailing his mental state at the time. [6] It combines "shimmering instrumentals", similar to those from his album The Divine Feminine, with "trippy beats".

Critical reception

Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic considered the song a highlight from Swimming. [7] The Independent wrote that on the song, "Miller blends his persona with his extensive knowledge of music to often impressive degrees." [4] A.D. Amorosi of Variety called it "pained, but weirdly cocksure". [8]

Charts

Chart (2018)Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [9] 74
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) [10] 7
UK Singles (OCC) [11] 99
US Billboard Hot 100 [12] 70
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard ) [13] 29

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ) [14] Gold15,000
United States (RIAA) [15] Platinum1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. "Mac Miller Describes the Making of J. Cole-Produced "Hurt Feelings"". DJBooth. July 23, 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  2. Mullin, Kyle (August 9, 2018). "Mac Miller: Swimming". Exclaim! . Archived from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Mylrea, Hannah (August 3, 2018). "Mac Miller – 'Swimming' album review". NME . Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  4. 1 2 O'Connor, Roisin; Shepherd, Jack; Robertson, Derek; Stolworthy, Jacob; Aubrey, Elizabeth (August 2, 2018). "Album reviews: Miles Kane, James, Amanda Shires, Mac Miller, Helena Hauff". The Independent . Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  5. Centeno, Tony (August 8, 2018). "Mac Miller Battles His Inner Demons on 'Swimming' Album". XXL . Archived from the original on September 8, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  6. Rytlewski, Evan (August 3, 2018). "Mac Miller: Swimming Album Review". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  7. Yeung, Neil Z. "Swimming – Mac Miller". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  8. Amorosi, A.D. (August 3, 2018). "Album Review: Mac Miller's 'Swimming'". Variety . Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  9. "Mac Miller Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  10. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 14, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  12. "Mac Miller Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  13. "Mac Miller Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  14. "New Zealand single certifications – Mac Miller – Hurt Feelings". Radioscope. Retrieved September 8, 2025.Type Hurt Feelings in the "Search:" field.
  15. "American single certifications – Mac Miller – Hurt Feelings". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved September 8, 2025.