"Left and Right" is a song by American singer Charlie Puth featuring South Korean singer Jungkook of BTS,released through Atlantic Records on June 24,2022,as the third single from Puth's third studio album Charlie. It was written by Puth and Jacob Kasher Hindlin with the former also serving as producer. Available digitally and as a limited edition CD and cassette,the duet marks the second time Puth and Jungkook have collaborated,the first being their performance of "We Don't Talk Anymore" at the Genie Music Awards in 2018.
A catchy,upbeat pop song,the lyrics of "Left and Right" focus on memories of a past love and how consumed by thoughts of that former relationship one can become. An accompanying music video was released the same day as the song and depicts Puth and Jungkook visiting a therapist's office for help with their lovesickness.
The single debuted at number one in India,the Philippines,and Vietnam;number two in Malaysia and Singapore;and number three in Hungary,Indonesia,and Taiwan. It peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and debuted at number five on the Billboard Global 200,earning Puth and Jungkook their first top-10 entries on the latter. The single also spent three consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Japan Hot Overseas chart. It has been certified Platinum in Canada and Gold in the US.
Background and release
Jungkook's appreciation for Charlie Puth's music has been documented numerous times,going as far back as 2015.[1][2] He first released a solo cover of Puth's "We Don't Talk Anymore" in 2016,which caught the singer's attention. A history of subsequent communication between the two via Twitter,[1] and a second cover with bandmate Jimin in mid-2017,culminated in a joint performance of the song at the Genie Music Awards in 2018.[2][3]
Puth originally teased "Left and Right" as a solo track in February 2022 on TikTok.[4] In April,he tweeted about a dream he had,of BTS featuring on the song,increasing speculation that a project between both parties was in the works.[5] He began hinting at an upcoming collaboration with an unnamed artist through various clues in subsequent videos on the platform in June. During an interview at iHeartRadio's Wango Tango on the 5th of that month,Puth revealed he had indeed collaborated with a K-pop artist,but did not know when the song would be released;the collaborator remained unnamed at the time.[6] On June 17,Puth simultaneously confirmed the collaboration's occurrence and that the contributing artist was Jungkook of BTS,with the release of the first official teaser on TikTok. In the clip,he video-calls the aforementioned,who is in a recording studio,and asks him to sing various lines from the song—the full snippet plays at the end—while standing to the left of the microphone,and then the right. Puth also announced that the single would be released on the 24th if it reached 500,000 pre-saves.[7][8] In a later interview with Billboard,Puth commented on the process saying,"The song was done. I sat on it for a couple of weeks and then I texted him the mp3. We were able to really get it done."[9]
Two additional teasers followed via Puth's Instagram on the 23rd. In the first,he sings the lines "Memories follow me left and right/ I can feel you over here/ I can feel you over here/ You take up every corner of my mind". The second showed both singers "bob[bing] their heads while seated in an old sedan and beatbox[ing] along to the song's beat while using the click of the car door locks as an additional rhythm track". The single was released as promised the following week,at midnight.[4][10]
Music and lyrics
"Left and Right" is a "breezy,sentimental","bubbly pop tune" with Puth "croon[ing] in his signature falsetto" and featured vocals from Jungkook of BTS. It was written by Puth and Jacob Kasher Hindlin,with the former also responsible for production. The song's lyrics find both singers "pining over a past relationship" and "overwhelmed with thoughts of their respective exes" as they sing the lines "Memories follow me left and right/ I can feel you over here/ I can feel you over here/ You take up every corner of my mind".[10][11] The song's "minimalistic pop production accentuates the singers' mellow,dulcet vocalizations",meshing "fresh percussion-guitar sounds" with a "bright,rhythmic melody". The chorus and hook both utilize panning,with the audio moving from left to right,in a similar vein to "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen.[3] According to Puth,the song should be listened to with headphones "to get the full effect" of the audio technique.[12]
Reception
Commercial performance
"Left and Right" debuted at number 49 on the Week 26 issue of the South Korean Gaon Digital Chart as the highest-charting new entry for the period dated June 19 to 25.[13] It also entered the corresponding issues of the Download and Streaming charts at numbers five[14] and 181[15] respectively. Two weeks later,it peaked at number 15 on both the Digital and Streaming charts.[16][17] In Japan,the single debuted at number two on the Oricon Daily Digital Single Chart for June 24,with 6,236 downloads,[18] and number four on the subsequent weekly chart issue dated July 4,with 9,981 cumulative downloads for the period June 20 to 26.[19] It entered the top 20 of the Weekly Streaming Chart in its second week,with 3,304,935 streams.[20] "Left and Right" also debuted on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart issue dated June 29 at number 24—its peak.[21] It was the second most-downloaded song of the week,accumulating 9,907 sales with only three days of availability.[22] The single also debuted atop the Hot Overseas chart for the same issue date and spent three consecutive weeks at number one.[23]
In the United States,"Left and Right" debuted at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100,for the week post-dated July 9,2022,as the highest new entry on the chart. It was the best-selling song of its release week and topped the corresponding issue of the component Digital Song Sales chart.[24] The single charted for 17 consecutive weeks on the ranking,[25] and received Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in November,for surpassing 500,000 sales in the country.[26]
Globally,"Left and Right" accumulated 76.5million streams and debuted at number five on the Billboard Global 200,earning Puth and Jungkook their first top-10 entries on the chart. It also entered the Global Excl. US chart at number two,Puth's first top-10 in territories outside of the US and Jungkook's second after "Stay Alive".[27] The single sold 45,000 downloads worldwide and was the best-selling song for the week ending June 30,surpassing the next best-performing single,Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill",which sold 21,000 downloads,by a margin of two-to-one.[28]
Accolades
In July,Esquire ranked "Left and Right" at number nine on its list of the "11 Best Songs for Summer '22",[29] while Cleveland.com included it at number 15 on its "Song of the Summer 2022" list published in August.[30]Billboard included the song on its year-end list of the 17 best collaborations of 2022.[31]
Puth shared a teaser clip from the music video a day prior to its release. The montage featured both singers dressed in "a series of outfits as they sing back-to-back and Jungkook tries to listen to a conversation on the other side of a wall using a glass and hangs on to a car hood for dear life as it speeds through town".[10]
Initially announced for a simultaneous debut alongside the single,[10] the music video premiered on YouTube an hour after the single went live on digital platforms on June 24.[36] Directed by Drew Kirsch,[11] the "colourful" visual opens with Puth visiting the office of an elderly male therapist identified as "The Love Doctor" in an attempt to fix his heartache.[37] He narrates his thoughts about his ex to the man through the song's lyrics. Jungkook appears next,in solo shots for his verse and joint scenes with Puth at the doctor's office,as the passenger in a car driven by the latter—at one point he is seen "playfully seated on the hood of the car" before sliding off the moving vehicle[3]—and singing back-to-back with Puth in a white room about their lovesickness.[12][36][38] A QR code and special phone number are later shown on-screen,encouraging fans to text it to receive bonus content from Puth. The video also contains product placement for Chime,a Gen Z-targeted financial company.[11]
Rolling Stone India's Divyansha Dongre wrote that the music video "captures the duo's mischievous,playful aura vividly."[3] Jason P. Frank of Vulture felt that "the idea behind this video is not super-clear. What is clear is that Jung Kook is overflowing with charisma and also that his lip ring is hot."[39]
Live performances
Puth performed "Left and Right" live for the first time—he sang the song solo—during his appearance on the Today Show on July 8,2022,as part of the Citi Concert Series.[40] On September 24,he performed the song solo again,as part of his set at the Global Citizen Festival in New York City for the event's 10th anniversary.[41] The following month,Puth appeared on the October 12 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and performed the song together with "Loser".[42] He was the guest performer for the November 15 episode of Season 22 of The Voice and sang a medley comprising "Left and Right" and "That's Hilarious".[43]
Track listing and formats
Cassette/CD single (Original and Alternate Cover)/Digital download/Flexi disc
↑ Kwak, Hyeon-soo (June 30, 2022). 아이브·임영웅, 26차 가온차트서 각각 2관왕 영예[Ive and Lim Young-woong, honored with 2 crowns each in the 26th Gaon Chart]. YTN (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022– via Naver.
↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 10. týden 2023 in the date selector. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). IFPI ČR. Note: Select SK - RADIO - TOP 100 and 202230 from search bar drop-down menu then tap/click "Zobrazit" to view chart. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). IFPI ČR. Note: Select SK - SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and 202227,28 from search bar drop-down menu then tap/click "Zobrazit" to view chart. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
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