| "In the City" | ||||
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| Single by Charli XCX and Sam Smith | ||||
| Released | 19 October 2023 | |||
| Genre | Dance-pop | |||
| Length | 2:56 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
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| Charli XCX singles chronology | ||||
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| Sam Smith singles chronology | ||||
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"In the City" is a song by English singers Charli XCX and Sam Smith. It was released on 19 October 2023 through Atlantic Records.
History between the two artists dates back as far as 2014, when both would hang out together at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards as well as a subsequent cover of "Stay with Me" by Charli. [1] Nine years later, in the music video for her single "Speed Drive", Charli hinted at an upcoming collaboration through a phone call with Smith in which they ask whether she heard the "new mix" and prompt her to "submit" it. [2]
On 7 October, Charli shared a snippet of a track she had been working on in the studio, described as "upbeat dance-pop". The news came shortly after she confirmed to be working on the successor of Crash (2022). [3] Smith confirmed the collaboration on 11 October through a post on Instagram where they are seen strutting down an alleyway in Osaka, Japan, to another snippet of the track. [4] Charli announced the track on her social media on 13 October. [5]
The roughly 3-minute dance track is in the tech house genre. It starts with a thumping beat before Charli starts solo-singing. On the third beat-shift, the vocals drop off and Smith starts their solo part 80 seconds into the track, lasting less than 15 seconds before the two start singing together.
They claim to have found something they never thought they would find "in the city, in the dark", a phrase which is repeated throughout the chorus of the song. The narrative of the duet weaves between the two performers: Charli in her verse sings about becoming like water as she dances beneath the lights; Smith in their verse sings how they feel about the other person when they met them in New York City.
| Chart (2023–2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| CIS (TopHit) [8] | 198 |
| Croatia (HRT) [9] | 36 |
| Ireland (IRMA) [10] | 47 |
| Japan Hot Overseas ( Billboard Japan ) [11] | 10 |
| Latvia Airplay (LAIPA) [12] | 16 |
| Netherlands (Tipparade) [13] | 24 |
| New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) [14] | 8 |
| San Marino (SMRRTV Top 50) [15] | 47 |
| Slovakia (Rádio Top 100) [16] | 53 |
| South Korea BGM (Circle) [17] | 115 |
| South Korea Download (Circle) [18] | 182 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [19] | 49 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [20] | 41 |
| UK Dance (OCC) [21] | 24 |
| US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs ( Billboard ) [22] | 6 |
| Region | Date | Format | Version | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 19 October 2023 | Original | Atlantic | [6] | |
| Italy | 20 October 2023 | Radio airplay | Warner | [23] | |
| Various | 1 December 2023 |
| DJ HEARTSTRING remix | Atlantic | [7] |
Charlotte Emma Aitchison, known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery by a promoter who invited her to perform at warehouse raves. In 2010, she signed a recording contract with Asylum Records, releasing a series of singles and mixtapes throughout 2011 and 2012.
"I Love It" is a song by Swedish synth-pop duo Icona Pop featuring vocals from British singer Charli XCX. It was released as a single in May 2012 as a digital download in Sweden, where it peaked at number two on the singles chart. The song was added to their debut studio album, Icona Pop, as well as their EP Iconic and their debut international album, This Is... Icona Pop. "I Love It" was written by Charli XCX, Patrik Berger, and Style of Eye, with production handled by the latter two.
"Fancy" is a song by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea featuring British singer Charli XCX, taken from the former's debut studio album, The New Classic (2014). It was released on 17 February 2014 by Def Jam Recordings as the fourth single from the album. "Fancy" was described as an electro-hop, electropop, and pop rap song. It was written by Azalea and XCX, composed and produced by production team the Invisible Men, alongside additional producers the Arcade. It was leaked under the title "Leave It" in December 2013.
"Boom Clap" is a song by English singer Charli XCX, released as the first single from the soundtrack album of The Fault in Our Stars (2014) and is also featured on her second studio album, Sucker. There are two existing mixes of this song: the first and original one is heard in the film, the film's soundtrack, and the music video shot in Amsterdam; the second mix is heard on the music video shot in Japan and in Sucker.
"Break the Rules" is a song by English singer Charli XCX from her second studio album, Sucker (2014). It was released on 19 August 2014 as the album's second single. In a 2020 interview with Red Bull, XCX stated that she regrets recording the track.
"Doing It" is a song by English singer Charli XCX from her second studio album, Sucker (2014). An alternative version of the song featuring English singer Rita Ora was released on 3 February 2015 as the album's third single. The single peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart. "Doing It" was named "Best New Track" the week of its release by Pitchfork.
"Dirty Sexy Money" is a song by French music producer David Guetta and Dutch music producer Afrojack featuring English singer Charli XCX and American rapper French Montana. It was released on 3 November 2017 as a bonus track from the former's seventh studio album, 7 (2018). Noonie Bao and A. G. Cook assisted the artists in writing the song with Skrillex being listed as a co-producer.
"1999" is a song by English singer Charli XCX and Australian singer Troye Sivan, released as the lead single from the former's third studio album Charli on 5 October 2018. The single cover was inspired by the 1999 film The Matrix. It follows several singles released earlier in 2018 by Charli XCX and Sivan's 2018 album Bloom. The track reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart dated 22 November 2018, becoming Charli XCX's tenth top 40 single and first top 15 single since 2015, as well as Sivan's fourth top 40 single and his first top 20 single.
"Blame It on Your Love" is a song by English singer Charli XCX featuring American singer and rapper Lizzo. It was released on 15 May 2019 as the second single from Charli XCX's third studio album, Charli, and soon after debuted on BBC Radio 1 as Annie Mac's "Hottest Record in the World". It is Charli XCX's first single since her 2018 collaboration with Troye Sivan, "1999". The single is a reworked version of "Track 10", the final track from Charli XCX's mixtape Pop 2 (2017). The music video was released on 13 June 2019.
"Gone" is a song by British singer Charli XCX and French singer Christine and the Queens. It was released on 17 July 2019 as the third single from Charli XCX's third studio album Charli. The music video was released alongside the track.
"Out of My Head" is a song by English singer Charli XCX, featuring Swedish singer Tove Lo and Finnish singer Alma. It was released as the lead single from her fourth mixtape Pop 2 on 8 December 2017 by Asylum Records and Atlantic Records UK.
"Spinning" is a song by Filipino recording artist No Rome, English musician Charli XCX and band the 1975. The song was written by Andrew Wyatt, Charli XCX, No Rome and the 1975 members Matty Healy and George Daniel, while the production was handled by the latter three. It was released as a standalone single by Dirty Hit on 4 March 2021. Creation of the song began in 2018 when the producers developed its chorus, beat and production. Charli XCX received the song the following year, writing and recording her portion in one night. The singer later recorded vocals with Healy and Daniel in Sydney, while the song was completed remotely in early 2021.
"Good Ones" is a song by English singer Charli XCX, released as the lead single from her fifth studio album, Crash (2022). The song was released on 2 September 2021. It is a synthwave, electropop, dance, and synth-pop song that discusses the singer's incapacity to maintain healthy relationships, instead being drawn inexorably back to the dysfunctional and destructive. It received critical acclaim from critics who praised its production and Charli's vocal performance, while also lamenting its short run-time.
"Out Out" is a song by British DJs Joel Corry and Jax Jones, featuring British singer Charli XCX and American rapper Saweetie performing vocals. The single was released on 13 August 2021 by Asylum Records UK. "Out Out" peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart.
Crash is the fifth studio album by English singer Charli XCX, released on 18 March 2022. It was her last album to be released under her record contract with Asylum Records. Charli announced the album title, release date, and artwork on 4 November 2021. Her website was also updated with information about the album's 2022 tour. The album was preceded by the four singles "Good Ones", "New Shapes" featuring Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek, "Beg for You" featuring Rina Sawayama, "Baby" and two promotional singles, "Every Rule" and "Used to Know Me", the latter released as the fifth single in April 2022.
"Beg for You" is a song by English singer Charli XCX featuring Japanese-British singer Rina Sawayama. It was released on 27 January 2022 as the third single from XCX's fifth studio album, Crash (2022). The song interpolates Swedish singer September's 2006 single "Cry for You". The song received widepsread acclaim from music critics. It peaked at number 3 in Malta and number 24 in the UK.
"Love Me More" is a song by British singer Sam Smith, released as a single on 28 April 2022 through Capitol Records. It is included on Smith's fourth studio album, Gloria (2023). Written and produced by Smith, Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Hermansen of Stargate and Jimmy Napes, the song was announced on 20 April 2022.
"Hot In It" is a song by Dutch DJ Tiësto and English singer Charli XCX, released on 30 June 2022 through Musical Freedom and Atlantic Records as the fourth single from Tiësto's seventh studio album Drive. It marks the pair's first direct collaboration, with Tiësto having previously remixed Charli's 2012 collaboration with Icona Pop, "I Love It", and her 2014 single "Break the Rules".
"Speed Drive" is a song by English singer Charli XCX from Barbie the Album, the soundtrack of the 2023 film Barbie. The song was released on 29 June 2023 as the fourth single from the soundtrack and reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Charli XCX's sixth top 10 single in the chart.
"Guess" is a song by British singer Charli XCX taken from Brat and It's the Same but There's Three More Songs So It's Not, the deluxe edition of her sixth studio album, Brat (2024). A remix version featuring American singer Billie Eilish was released on 1 August 2024 as a single from Brat and It's Completely Different but Also Still Brat, the remix album of Brat. The song interpolates the Daft Punk song "Technologic". Released alongside a music video from which 10,000 pairs of underwear were donated to I Support the Girls, the remix marked the first studio collaboration by Eilish in several years and was the fourth remix from Brat.