"Potion" | ||||
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Single by Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa and Young Thug | ||||
from the album Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 | ||||
Released | 27 May 2022 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:34 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Calvin Harris | |||
Calvin Harris singles chronology | ||||
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Dua Lipa singles chronology | ||||
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Young Thug singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Potion" on YouTube |
"Potion" is a song by Scottish disc jockey Calvin Harris,English-Albanian singer Dua Lipa and American rapper Young Thug from Harris's sixth studio album, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 (2022). The song was written by Harris,Lipa,Young Thug,Jessie Reyez and Maneesh Bidaye,with the production completed by Harris. It was released as the lead single from the album for digital download and streaming in various countries by Sony on 27 May 2022. The song combines dance,disco,EDM,and pop music to create a laidback atmosphere,accompanied by 1970s-style instrumentation of bongos,electric guitars and pianos. Its lyrics center around the essence of a potion that promises a good summer experience.
"Potion" garnered a warm reception from music critics for its music,production and Lipa and Young Thug's vocal performances. The song reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart and achieved a silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in the UK. It peaked at number 31 on the Canadian Hot 100 and number 71 the US Billboard Hot 100 as well as entering the top 50 in several countries,such as Australia,New Zealand and Ireland. The psychedelic music video premiered on Harris's YouTube channel on 27 May 2022. It was designed to combine a 1960s liquid light show with a contemporary setting and displays the journey of Lipa and Young Thug stranded in a tropical island in a purple ocean.
In April 2022,Harris announced his forthcoming studio album Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 to be released mid-year,as a continuation of his fifth album, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 (2017). [1] [2] Harris previewed the album's lead single "Potion" on the social media platform TikTok on 24 May. [3] [4] In the preview,he showcased the development of the instrumental and a FaceTime call with Lipa,who had agreed to contribute her vocals. [5] The song was released for digital download and streaming in various countries by Sony on 27 May 2022 as the lead single from Harris's sixth studio album Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 (2022). [6] Marking Harris and Lipa's second collaboration following the release of "One Kiss" (2018),he elaborated,"It's an honour to work with Dua and Thug again [...] They're both such dynamic artists who have contributed so much to today's musical landscape." [4] [7]
"Potion" was written by Harris (Adam Wiles),Lipa,Young Thug (Jeffery Williams),Jessie Reyez and Maneesh Bidaye,with the production completed by Harris. [8] The song is composed in the key of B minor and time signature of common time with a tempo ranging from 76 to 100 beats per minute. [9] It follows in the chord progression of Em9-F♯m-Gmaj7-Gmaj9-Em7-F♯m-G6-Gmaj7-F♯m in the intro and Bm7-B7-Gmaj7-Em-F♯m7-Bm7 throughout. [9] The vocal range in the song spans from a low note of A4 to a high note of G5. [9] "Potion" is a laidback [10] dance, [11] disco,EDM and pop song. [12] [13] [14] The instrumental has a 1970s-inspired tone, [15] which includes bongo,electric guitar and piano sounds. [14] [16] The song is anchored by a "steamy hook from Lipa,a nimble verse from Thug,a snaking bassline", [17] disco and retro beats, [10] [14] rhodes riff,"seductive" chorus,and synth-heavy groove. [13] [15] [18] The lyrics of the song encapsulate the essence of a potion that promises a good summer experience. [11] In the chorus,Lipa sings about,"Late night conversations,electric emotions/ Sprinkled with a little bit of sex and it's a potion [...] Late night bodies aching,mental stimulation/ Sprinkled with a little bit of sex appeal and it's a moment." [3] [14]
Upon its release,"Potion" generally garnered a positive reception from music critics. Paolo Ragusa from Consequence highlighted Lipa and Young Thug's vocals as well as Harris's production in the song as a demonstration of his competence to "work with any kind of artist to accomplish his vision". [16] Dylan Green for Pitchfork also complimented Harris's "well-engineered" production,which he described as "sturdy enough to house a steamy Lipa hook and a nimble verse from Thug". [17] Samantha Reis of We Rave You labeled the song as a "hot and sensual" song,showcasing Harris' ability to effortlessly create his "especially ones that manage to perform equally bombastically on radio and on the dancefloor". [11] Rachel Narozniak from Dancing Astronaut commended Lipa's "inimitable mezzo-soprano" and Young Thug's "flair" also feeling the song to be a "seamless continuation of the Funk Wav [Bounces Vol. 1] sound". [19] Chris Deville for Stereogum commented that the song "taps right back into the first volume's fun beachside vibe". [18] Isabel von Glahn of Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) noted the song's "electrifying vibes",with Lipa and Young Thug complementing the sound perfectly,making it an "ideal summer pop track". [20]
Starr Bowenbank from Billboard described the song as "sultry",with Lipa exuding a simmering sensuality,predicting it to be a "sweltering,soon-to-be hit that's primed for dominating party playlists". [21] Katie Bein from the same publication characterised the song as a "summer jam",commenting that it fuses "Santana vibes with a lounge mood". [22] Alex Gonzalez of Uproxx labeled the song as "funky",aligning with the "disco and synth-pop sounds of Lipa's Future Nostalgia " that is "edgy enough to serve as a bridge to her next". [15] In reviewing the album Funk Wav Bounces Vol.2,Ryan Bulbeck from Renowned for Sound found "Potion" to "effectively encapsulate the record's direction". [23] Izzy Sigston for The Line of Best Fit regarded the song to be "the perfect potion for a unwinding on a sticky summer evening". [24] Maura Johnston of Rolling Stone believed Lipa and Young Thug to "dissemble the art of seduction" on the song. [25] While Hannah Mylrea from NME described it as a "sultry,carefree jam",Arwa Haider for Financial Times labeled the song as "tuneful" and "intoxicating". [26] [27] However,Ben Devlin of MusicOMH rendered the song as "nice" but opined that it "seems to lack impact". [28] Owen Myers from Pitchfork viewed the song as Lipa's "weakest [...] underwhelming post-Future Nostalgia singles". [29]
In the United Kingdom,"Potion" reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart in the issue dated 3 June 2022,remaining on the ranking for 12 consecutive weeks. [30] In September 2022,the song received a silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shifting more than 200,000 units in the UK. [31] In Australia,it peaked at number 32 on the ARIA Singles Chart and at number 35 on the New Zealand Singles Chart in New Zealand. [32] [33] In Canada,"Potion" reached number 31 on the Canadian Hot 100 and entered the top 50 on the CHR/Top 40 and Hot AC rankings,respectively. [34] [35] [36] In the United States,the song debuted and peaked at number 71 the US Billboard Hot 100 in the issue dated 11 June 2022. [37] It also reached the top 40 on the Adult Top 40 and Mainstream Top 40 charts,respectively. [38] [39] Reaching the top 10 in Croatia and Ireland, [40] [41] "Potion" reached the top 50 in the Czech Republic, [42] Denmark, [43] Greece, [44] Hungary, [45] Iceland, [46] Lithuania, [47] the Netherlands, [48] Norway, [49] Slovakia,Sweden and Switzerland. [50] [51] [52] Furthermore,the song peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Global 200 ranking,having spent a total of nine weeks on the chart. [53]
An official music video for "Potion" premiered to Harris' official YouTube channel on 27 May 2022. [54] The video was directed by Emil Nava,with whom Harris has established a longstanding partnership. [4] [11] Kris Smale of The Mill was enlisted to color-grade the video,with the aspiration to incorporate a "1960s liquid light show into a digital and contemporary setting". [55] [56] At the opening of the psychedelic video, [11] a camera is panning towards a tropical island in an ocean,gradually transitioning from a purple sunset ambiente to a darker twilight setting. [10] [55] [57] Following that,Lipa is showcased singing the song from an overturned vintage car situated against a backdrop displaying a brightly illuminated sunset. [54] Then,the singer and a troupe of dancers are seen dancing and walking down a hallway lit with neon lights. [54] The appearance of Young Thug follows after that,where he can be seen performing alongside a band of four women in a setting adorned with shades of pink and red. [54] As the video closes,a shot of Lipa leaning her head against Harris's shoulder can be seen. [54] Reis from We Rave You commented that the video replicates the concept of the song and the "Funk Wav Bounces Project itself". [11] Tomás Mier for Rolling Stone highlighted Lipa's appearance as "magically sexy" in the video. [14]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [71] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada) [72] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [31] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [73] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
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Various | 27 May 2022 |
| Sony | |
France | Radio airplay | |||
Italy | ||||
United Kingdom | Various | |||
United States | 6 June 2022 | Adult contemporary radio | Columbia | |
7 June 2022 | Contemporary hit radio |
Adam Richard Wiles, known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter. His debut studio album, I Created Disco (2007) was preceded by the singles "Acceptable in the 80s" and "The Girls", both of which peaked within the top ten of the UK singles chart. His second album, Ready for the Weekend (2009), debuted atop the UK Albums Chart; its lead single, "I'm Not Alone", became his first song to peak the UK Singles Chart.
Scottish DJ Calvin Harris has released seven studio albums, one mix album, nine extended plays, 57 singles, 12 promotional singles and 47 music videos. As of November 2014, Harris had sold 8,176,180 singles and tracks in the United Kingdom.
Dua Lipa is a British and Albanian singer and songwriter. Her accolades include seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards. Time magazine included her in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2024.
Dua Lipa is the debut studio album by singer Dua Lipa. It was released on 2 June 2017 through Warner Bros. Records. The album is a dance-pop, electropop, and R&B record with elements of disco, hip hop, and tropical house. It includes a sole guest appearance from Miguel, as well as additional vocals from Chris Martin of Coldplay.
English singer Dua Lipa has released three studio albums, two reissues, one remix album, five extended plays (EPs), thirty-four singles, ten promotional singles, two charity singles, and thirty-five music videos. After signing with Warner Bros. Records, she released her debut single "New Love" in 2015. The following year, she gained recognition through the singles "Hotter than Hell" and "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)". In 2017, Lipa released her self-titled debut studio album, which reached the top 10 charts in Australia, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The album's chart-topping hits "Be the One", "New Rules" and "IDGAF" propelled Lipa to international fame.
"Slide" is a song by Scottish DJ Calvin Harris featuring American musicians Frank Ocean and Migos as the lead single from the former's fifth studio album, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1, released on 23 February 2017 through Sony Music.
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Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 is the fifth studio album by Scottish DJ and record producer Calvin Harris. It was released on 30 June 2017 by Columbia Records. The album features guest appearances by Frank Ocean, Migos, Schoolboy Q, PartyNextDoor, DRAM, Young Thug, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, Future, Khalid, Travis Scott, Snoop Dogg, John Legend, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Big Sean, Kehlani, Lil Yachty, and Jessie Reyez, as well as prominent writing contributions from Starrah. It is also Harris' first album not to feature his vocals.
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"Don't Start Now" is a song by English-Albanian singer Dua Lipa. Lipa wrote the song with Caroline Ailin, Emily Warren, and its producer Ian Kirkpatrick. The song was released for digital download and streaming by Warner Records on 31 October 2019, as the lead single from her second studio album, Future Nostalgia (2020). A nu-disco song, it features a funk bassline, inspired by music by the Bee Gees, Daft Punk and Two Door Cinema Club. Elements used in the production include handclaps, a crowd noise, cowbells, synth bursts and accented strings. Lyrically, Lipa celebrates her independence and instructs a former lover to forget about their past relationship.
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