The song served as the theme song for the original show and the 2021 revival. A pop and punk song,it is about seeing the brighter side of every situation. It peaked at number 100 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 83 on the Pop 100 chart. A music video was released for the song in 2008 and was later uploaded to Cosgrove's YouTube channel in September 2010. Cosgrove performed "Leave It All to Me" during her debut solo tour the Dancing Crazy Tour in 2011.
Background and release
The revival's opening sequence
Cosgrove was asked by the producers of iCarly if she wanted to record a theme song for the show when she was 13. The actress explained she had never made a song or been in a recording studio,but agreed and was very excited. She recalled that she had a good time making the song and wanted to record more of it.[1][2][3] The song was written by Michael Corcoran.[4][5] After it was written and recorded,"Leave It All to Me" ended up being the theme song for iCarly.[6][7][8]
"Leave It All to Me" was released on December 18,2007,as the lead single on the soundtrack albumiCarly,through Nickelodeon and Columbia Records."[9][10] A remix by Billboard was released on the soundtrack album iCarly:iSoundtrack II on January 24,2012.[11][12] Cosgrove told Seventeen that "Leave It All to Me" would serve as the theme song for the 2021 iCarly revival. She clarified that although they talked about re-recording the original theme or writing a new song,they wanted to keep the original theme song. She explained that she had worked hard to maintain the original theme.[13][14][15]
"Leave It All to Me" has Cosgrove on vocals and features Drake Bell, who co-starred with her in Drake & Josh, on background vocals and lead guitar.[17][18][19] Heidi Kotansky for Common Sense Media opined that Bell's vocals are "muted backup accompaniment that can't really be heard throughout most of the song". She stated that Cosgrove's voice was "surprisingly decent and mature, perhaps a bit altered".[16]
The track is an upbeat pop and punk song.[5][16][20][21] "Leave It All to Me" is driven by a steady drumbeat, and its bridge features a guitar riff that transitions into the chorus.[16][20] Lyrically, the song is about seeing the positives of every situation, giving the best effort possible, taking some chances, and realizing that some things are just intended to be: "Live life, breathe air/I know somehow we're gonna get there, and feel so wonderful."[16][20]
"Leave It All to Me" debuted and peaked at number 100 on the US Billboard Hot 100, giving Cosgrove and Bell their first Hot 100 hit in the United States.[22][23][24] The song lasted for one week on the chart.[22] The single also charted at number 83 on the US Pop 100 chart.[25]
Kotansky labeled the song as "positive" and "peppy", mentioning that it "contains nothing that's at all inappropriate for kids". Kotansky thought while the song "isn't the most innovative or talented pop single", she stated it "definitely beats a lot of what's out there for tweens today".[16] Katie Louise Smith of Capital and Fletcher Peters of Paste described "Leave It All to Me" as "iconic".[26][27] P. Claire Dodson, writing for Teen Vogue, called the song "instantly catchy".[28] Jake Viswanath for Bustle opined that the track "still knocks to this day", stating that Bell's feature on the song "was a nice nod to Drake & Josh".[29]
Danny Mills of Collider said the song is "catchy and upbeat".[21] For The Ringer, Aric Jenkins labeled the track as "deceptively catchy", opining that the "Beach Boys–esque harmonizing adds a lovely feeling of cohesion and togetherness".[20] Writing for MTV News, Crystal Bell ranked "Leave It All to Me" at number 12 on her "The 17 Best Nickelodeon Theme Songs, Ranked" list, saying that "the only thing that makes this better is knowing Drake Bell provided the background vocals".[30] Jacquez Printup for Yardbarker placed "Leave It All to Me" at number 12 on his "20 original songs from fictional shows and movies that are actually fire" list, stating that while it isn't a "club banger", it is "fun, light-hearted, and a core childhood memory".[31]
Promotion and impact
The official music video for "Leave It All to Me" was released in 2008.[32][33] The video was later released to Cosgrove's YouTube channel on September 28, 2010.[34] Cosgrove would perform "Leave It All to Me" during her first headlining 2011 concert tour the Dancing Crazy Tour.[35][36][37] Bell joined Cosgrove to perform the song at Club Nokia, with his appearance gathering cheers from the crowd.[38]
In January 2017, it had been around six years since Cosgrove released her second extended play High Maintenance, and took a break from making music to attend college at the University of Southern California. Bell wished she came back to making music and shared a throwback video of him and Cosgrove dancing to the song.[38] In April 2017, Noah Cyrus revealed that she was a huge fan of iCarly. Cyrus made a video of herself lip-syncing the song and would later post it on her Instagram account.[39] In July 2023, during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, Jaidyn Triplett, who starred in the show's remake, posted a video on Twitter of herself singing the show's theme song. The video also featured Cosgrove, Nathan Kress, and Jerry Trainor dancing.[40][41]
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