Take Me (Aly & AJ song)

Last updated
"Take Me"
Aly&AJ TakeMe.jpg
Single by Aly & AJ
from the album Ten Years
ReleasedAugust 18, 2017
Genre
Length3:32
Label Aly & AJ Music
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Ryan Spraker - Jamie Sierota
Aly & AJ singles chronology
"Hothouse"
(2013)
"Take Me"
(2017)
"I Know"
(2017)

"Take Me" is a song recorded by American music duo Aly & AJ. It was released on August 18, 2017 [3] as the lead single from the duo's debut EP Ten Years (2017). [4] [5] It serves as their first release since their name change from 78Violet to Aly & AJ, as well as their first release as Aly & AJ in ten years. [6] The single was silently released on June 2, 2017, but was taken down quickly after. [6] [7] [8] "Take Me" was penned by the duo, along with Jamie Sierota and Ryan Spraker. [9]

Contents

Background

Aly & AJ released three studio albums under Hollywood Records, [4] [2] the most recent being Insomniatic (2007), which peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200, [10] and contained single "Potential Breakup Song", which reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. [11] The duo left the label in 2010, and began releasing music under 78violet. The released the single "Hothouse" in 2013, [12] before returning to the name Aly & AJ. Despite this, the two were tired by the music business and subsequently stuck to acting. Aly currently plays Peyton Charles on iZombie , while AJ plays Lainey Lewis on The Goldbergs . [4] In April 2016, the duo began recording music again, writing with Mike Elizondo and Ryan Spraker. [13] In April 2017, the duo confirmed new music was on the way. [14]

Composition

"Take Me" is a 1980s-inspired synth-pop [1] and alternative pop [2] song with a length of three minutes and thirty two seconds. The single's instrumentation consists of synthesizers, vintage vocal processing and electronic drum kits. The song lyrically is about wanting a crush to make a move, and the nerves that come with it. [2]

Aly spoke about the song to Elite Daily [15]

"It's cheeky ... no pun intended. It encompasses, I think the song and what it stands for and strong, female empowerment. And it's very west coast, like this is us. We are west coast girls, we've grown up in California and that's very much our music."

Aly Michalka, interview with Elite Daily

Critical reception

John Tucker of The Indie Sound gave the single a positive review, writing that the duo "have successfully found a way to rebrand their sound without losing their signature name." Tucker additionally wrote that the single could "guarantee them a spot in today’s ever-so changing market." [2] Kristin Rohwedder writing for Bustle magazine also praised the song, writing that it holds up to the duo's older singles such as "Potential Breakup Song" and "Chemicals React". [1] Bradley Stern of MuuMuse wrote that the single "sounds fresh and nostalgic all at once, fitting into today’s indie-pop soundscape pretty seamlessly." [16]

Music video

The music video for "Take Me" was released on September 14, 2017, and was directed by Alex Ross Perry, with Sean Price Williams handling the video's cinematography. It additionally contains cameo appearances from Amanda Crew, Madeline Zima, and Josh Pence. [17] The vampire-themed video takes place in the streets of Los Angeles, with each of the guest actors falling prey to the duo's blood lust. The video was shot on 16mm film. [18]

Track listing

Digital download [19]
No.TitleLength
1."Take Me"3:32
Matthew Dear Remix [20]
No.TitleLength
1."Take Me" (Matthew Dear Remix)3:14

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2017)Peak
pos.
US Digital Songs ( Billboard ) [21] 107

Release history

RegionRelease dateFormatRef.
VariousAugust 18, 2017 Digital download [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Rohwedder, Kristie. "Aly & AJ's New Song 'Take Me' Is So Worth The 10-Year Wait — Listen". Bustle. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Tucker, John. "The Diverse Ear: Aly & AJ Are Back in the '80s?". The Indie Sound. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Take Me – Single by Aly & AJ on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Bailey, Alison (August 21, 2017). "Aly & AJ on Their 10-Year Break, New Sound, And Life After Disney". Elle. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  5. Koman, Tess (August 19, 2017). "Oh My God, Alert: Aly & AJ Just Dropped Their First Single in 10 Years". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  6. 1 2 King, Eric (August 18, 2017). "Aly & AJ are back! Listen to their first single in 10 years, 'Take Me'". EW.com. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  7. Elizabeth, De. "Aly & AJ Released Their First Single In TEN YEARS". Teen Vogue. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  8. Zamora, Christian (August 18, 2017). "Aly & AJ Officially Released Their Comeback Single And Gave The Gays What They Wanted". BuzzFeed. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 Lindsay, Kathryn. "Aly & AJ Have Released Their First New Song In 10 Years" . Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  10. "Aly & AJ – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  11. "Aly & AJ - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  12. Mandel, Lauren (July 9, 2013). "78Violet Start Their Comeback With 'Hothouse': Watch Now!". MTV News. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  13. Aly & AJ (April 5, 2016). "P.S. We'll be writing and recording this upcoming record with Mike Elizondo and Ryan Spraker". Twitter. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  14. Norwin, Alyssa (August 18, 2017). "Aly & AJ Just Released A New Song & Everyone's Freaking Out — Listen To 'Take Me'". Hollywood Life. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  15. Kolokathis, Tina (August 18, 2017). "Aly & AJ Dropped Their First Single In 10 Years Called "Take Me" And It's Everything". Elite Daily. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  16. Stern, Bradley (August 18, 2017). ""Take Me": Aly & AJ Are Back, and They're Tired of Waiting For You". MuuMuse. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  17. "Aly + AJ Release Their Bewitching New 'Take Me' Video, Look Back With This Week's Lip-Sync Friendly #TBT Mixtape". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  18. BWW News Desk. "Musical Duo Aly & AJ Release Bewitching Video for 'Take Me'" . Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  19. "Take Me / Aly & AJ TIDAL". listen.tidal.com. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  20. "Take Me (Matthew Dear Remix) - Single by Aly & AJ on Apple Music". itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
  21. "Take Me - Digital Songs Chart History" (PDF).