Takin' It Back | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 21, 2022 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 45:36 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Producer |
| |||
Meghan Trainor chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Takin' It Back | ||||
|
Takin' It Back is the fifth major-label studio album by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor. Epic Records released the album on October 21, 2022. Trainor worked with producers including Federico Vindver, Gian Stone, Kid Harpoon, and Tyler Johnson. Featured artists include Scott Hoying, Teddy Swims, Theron Theron, Natti Natasha, and Arturo Sandoval. It is a doo-wop and bubblegum pop album, which Trainor conceived as a return to the sound of her debut major-label studio album, Title (2015), after its title track went viral on TikTok. Takin' It Back's lyrical themes revolve around motherhood and self-acceptance.
Trainor promoted Takin' It Back with public appearances and televised performances on programs such as The Today Show and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon . The album was supported by two singles, "Bad for Me" and "Made You Look". The latter peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Trainor's first song to enter its top 20 since 2016, and reached the top 10 in other countries. Reviewers thought the album effectively showcased Trainor's maturity and growth over her career as well as her musicality, but they were divided on whether it was a progression from her earlier work. Takin' It Back debuted at number 16 on the US Billboard 200 and reached the top 40 in Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway. A deluxe edition of the album, supported by the single "Mother", was released on March 10, 2023.
Meghan Trainor achieved commercial success with her debut major-label studio album, Title (2015), [2] which produced three top-10 singles on the US Billboard Hot 100. [3] She struggled while creating her third album with Epic Records, Treat Myself (2020), and rewrote it four times in an attempt to respond to market shifts in the music industry after the preceding singles underperformed. [4] After the song "Title" attained viral popularity on video-sharing service TikTok in 2021, Trainor announced her intention to return to its parent album's doo-wop sound on her fifth major-label studio album. [5] TikTok was highly influential on her creative process, and she began writing material that would resonate with audiences on it. [6] Trainor gained popularity on it while regularly sharing clips and other content with influencer Chris Olsen. [7] [8] She used TikTok to engage with global audiences, after traditional methods of promotion were ineffective for her last album, and started planning "TikTok days" on which she would film videos. [9]
Producers of Takin' It Back include Trainor and her brother Justin, Federico Vindver, Gian Stone, Teddy Geiger, Afterhrs, Rafa, Kid Harpoon, and Tyler Johnson. [1] Vindver, producer of three tracks for Trainor's Christmas album A Very Trainor Christmas (2020), contributed eight tracks. [1] [10] Stone, whom she had wished to work with since hearing his production on Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber's 2020 single "Stuck with U", produced four tracks for the standard edition of Takin' It Back. [1] [11] Trainor would write a chorus for each song before going into sessions, but she doubted the quality. [12] Her collaborators on previous albums would dismiss ideas she had conceived prior to sessions, but Trainor started the material worked on for Takin' It Back alone. [5] [12] Trainor believed her songwriting improved since having a caesarean section during the birth of her son, as she learned to love her body again after sustaining stretch marks and a scar. [12]
After songwriter Mozella told Trainor that other artists wished to emulate her signature doo-wop sound, they wrote the song "Don't I Make It Look Easy". Trainor felt the song would delight listeners, reminiscent of her feelings after writing "Dear Future Husband" (2015), and she decided on Takin' It Back as the album title. [12] She described the album's material as "big, powerful songs that mean a lot"; the subject matter revolves around her experiences with motherhood and embracing "not [being] perfect all the time". [5] [12] Trainor stated: "it's true to myself in all the weird genres that I go to, but also modern with my doo-wop in there. The lyrics are stronger than ever, and it's still a party." [12]
The digital edition of Takin' It Back contains 16 tracks; [13] on physical editions, the track "Remind Me" is exclusive to the Target version. [14] [15] It predominantly has a doo-wop [16] [17] and bubblegum pop sound. [18] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that Takin' It Back minimally employs electronic elements and comprises mainly old-timey but contemporarily presented tracks. [19] Peter Piatkowski of PopMatters thought that along with the 1950s, the album was influenced by Motown, Carole King's Brill Building music, and the 1970s. [20]
The opening track, "Sensitive", is a 1950s-influenced a cappella song, built on harmonies and featuring vocals by American singer Scott Hoying. [20] "Made You Look" is a doo-wop song [21] [22] that recalls earlier styles of popular music, [23] inspired by Trainor's body image insecurities after pregnancy and a challenge from her therapist to look at herself naked for five minutes. She wrote the title track about bringing back old-school music which featured more real instruments. [12] Its production incorporates digital components and modern R&B beats. [19] The fourth track, "Don't I Make It Look Easy", has percussion instrumentation and R&B elements; [24] its lyrics are about how Trainor makes her duties as a new mother look easy, akin to people only posting their best experiences on social media. [12] [25] "Shook" is about her confidence in her looks and references her posterior. [24] "Bad for Me", featuring Teddy Swims, is a pop song [26] with gospel influences [27] and an instrumentation of piano and an acoustic guitar. [28] It is about distancing oneself from a toxic family member. [27] The seventh track, "Superwoman", is a ballad on which Trainor emphasizes the various identities and spaces women steer through. [20] Piatkowski described it as "an achingly open and vulnerable poem about a woman trying to be everything to everyone", that dismisses typical narratives about women being "girlboss[es]" and acknowledges difficulties faced by them. [20] "Rainbow", a song about coming out and self-acceptance, opens as a slow piano ballad and transitions into a doo-wop song midway. [24]
The ninth track, "Breezy", is a reggae song which features Theron Theron, incorporating debonair horns and clinking piano riffs. [1] [18] "Mama Wanna Mambo" features guest appearances by Natti Natasha and Arturo Sandoval, and was inspired by Perry Como's 1954 single "Papa Loves Mambo". [12] It is a reggaeton song about mothers wanting a dance break in the middle of caring for their children. [12] [18] Trainor demands loyalty from her partner and assures him that her excessively dramatic behavior is "all out of love" on "Drama Queen". [1] On the 12th track, "While You're Young", she assures her adolescent self her dreams will come true and asks people who feel inadequate and face insecurities to learn through experience: "Make mistakes, give your heart a break." [8] [24] "Lucky" is about the gratitude one feels for having someone else in their life. [24] "Dance About It" is a 1970s-influenced midtempo disco funk song, which has a "glitter-ball disco pulse" according to Erlewine. [20] [19]
"Remind Me" was the first song Trainor wrote for the album at a time when she was struggling with self-doubt: "I was like, I'm lost. I feel like I lost my power. I can't look at myself right now. I'm struggling more than ever. And I need my husband and people who love me to remind me that I'm awesome because I don't feel awesome." [29] Takin' It Back closes with "Final Breath", a downtempo love song which Piatkowski described as "moody, ruminative"; [20] inspired by death anxiety, Trainor contemplates spending her final moments with her husband after living a long life: "If I could, I'd do it all over again". [8] [17] The doo-wop-influenced deluxe edition track "Mother" samples the Chordettes's 1954 single "Mr. Sandman". In the song, Trainor addresses men who dismiss her opinions and asks them to stop mansplaining and to listen to her. [30] [31] [32] This edition also includes "Special Delivery" featuring Max, "Grow Up", and a remix of "Made You Look" featuring Kim Petras. [30]
On May 11, 2022, Trainor uploaded an episode dedicated to the album's creation process, titled "Workin' on Making an Album", on her podcast Workin on It. [33] On June 22, 2022, Rolling Stone announced the album, titled Takin' It Back, would be released on October 21, 2022, and Trainor shared its official artwork on social media. [12] "Bad for Me" was released as its lead single two days later. [34] The song reached the top 30 on the Adult Contemporary and Adult Top 40 radio-format charts in the US, [35] [36] and entered digital sales charts in Canada and the UK. [37] [38] Trainor and Swims performed it on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Late Late Show with James Corden in the summer of 2022. [39] [40] The second single, [41] "Made You Look" impacted hot adult contemporary radio stations in the US on October 31, 2022. [42] The song went viral on TikTok. [43] [44] It peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Trainor's first song to enter its top 20 since 2016, [45] and reached the top 10 in other countries, including Australia, [46] Canada, [47] New Zealand, [48] and the UK. [49]
On October 21, 2022, Trainor performed "Bad for Me", "Don't I Make It Look Easy", and "Made You Look" on The Today Show . [50] She reprised "Made You Look" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon , [51] The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration , [52] The Drew Barrymore Show , [53] and Australian Idol . [54] The deluxe edition was released on March 10, 2023. [30] Its lead single, [55] "Mother", was sent to hot adult contemporary radio stations in the US on March 27, 2023, [56] and it reached the top 40 in Ireland and the UK. [57] [58] The song's music video includes an appearance from Kris Jenner. [30] [31]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
PopMatters | 7/10 [20] |
According to Martina Inchingolo of the Associated Press, Takin' It Back featured a more adult version of Trainor, showcasing her growth since marriage and motherhood; Inchingolo described it as an edifying therapy session and a "fluctuation of genres and feelings" that made the listener feel less solitary. [17] Renowned for Sound 's Max Akass described it as Trainor's "most complete album to date" and appreciated her intention to take more power over her career after being controlled on previous releases; he considered that Trainor ventured into new musical territory and took her music to "more interesting places". [18] Piatkowski felt that Takin' It Back reflected the confidence Trainor had gained from becoming a "major pop star" and believed it inaccurate to label it a retread of her debut record. He wrote that the album did not constitute a definitive return to form for Trainor, some of its catchier parts sounding flimsy and breezy "to the point of candy floss", but that its ballads were more meaningful and the high points of the album. [20]
Erlewine wrote that Takin' It Back was not necessarily a cutting-edge pop album, as Trainor's commitment to resurrecting Title's spirit "means that the attitude and melody can occasionally seem preserved in amber", but that overall it effectively demonstrated her gift for hooks and musical theater flair. [19] Writing for Riff, Piper Westrom opined that the album "largely sticks to what [Trainor] knows" and would not shock fans of her previous work, "check[ing] all the boxes for listeners and mak[ing] for a solid pop album". [24]
Takin' It Back was Trainor's highest-charting album since her second major-label studio album, Thank You (2016), in some countries. [43] [59] In the US, Takin' It Back debuted at number 16 on the Billboard 200. [43] The album debuted at number 21 and charted for 20 weeks on the Canadian Albums Chart, recording an improvement from her last two albums which only charted two weeks each. [59] It reached number 30 in Australia and number 67 in the UK. [60] [61] Takin' It Back charted at number 12 in Norway and number 19 in the Netherlands, becoming Trainor's highest-peaking album since Title in both countries. [62] [63] The album peaked at number 37 in Denmark, [64] number 82 in Spain, [65] number 98 in Switzerland, [66] and number 99 in Ireland. [67]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Sensitive" (featuring Scott Hoying) |
| M. Trainor | 2:58 |
2. | "Made You Look" |
| Vindver | 2:14 |
3. | "Takin' It Back" |
|
| 2:21 |
4. | "Don't I Make It Look Easy" |
| Vindver | 2:34 |
5. | "Shook" |
| Stone | 2:23 |
6. | "Bad for Me" (featuring Teddy Swims) |
| 3:33 | |
7. | "Superwoman" |
|
| 2:25 |
8. | "Rainbow" |
|
| 3:21 |
9. | "Breezy" (featuring Theron Theron) |
|
| 3:04 |
10. | "Mama Wanna Mambo" (featuring Natti Natasha and Arturo Sandoval) |
|
| 2:56 |
11. | "Drama Queen" |
| Vindver | 3:08 |
12. | "While You're Young" |
|
| 2:30 |
13. | "Lucky" |
| 3:08 | |
14. | "Dance About It" |
| J. Trainor | 3:16 |
15. | "Remind Me" |
| Vindver | 3:20 |
16. | "Final Breath" |
|
| 2:25 |
Total length: | 45:36 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Mother" |
| Stone | 2:27 |
2. | "Don't I Make It Look Easy" |
| Vindver | 2:34 |
3. | "Made You Look" |
| Vindver | 2:14 |
4. | "Shook" |
| Stone | 2:23 |
5. | "Takin' It Back" |
|
| 2:21 |
6. | "Special Delivery" (featuring Max) |
| Vindver | 3:04 |
7. | "Bad for Me" (featuring Teddy Swims) |
| 3:33 | |
8. | "Superwoman" |
|
| 2:25 |
9. | "Rainbow" |
|
| 3:21 |
10. | "Breezy" (featuring Theron Theron) |
|
| 3:04 |
11. | "Mama Wanna Mambo" (featuring Natti Natasha and Arturo Sandoval) |
|
| 2:56 |
12. | "Dance About It" |
| J. Trainor | 3:16 |
13. | "While You're Young" |
|
| 2:30 |
14. | "Sensitive" (featuring Scott Hoying) |
| M. Trainor | 2:58 |
15. | "Drama Queen" |
| Vindver | 3:08 |
16. | "Lucky" |
| 3:08 | |
17. | "Grow Up" |
| Stone | 2:56 |
18. | "Remind Me" |
| Vindver | 3:20 |
19. | "Made You Look" (featuring Kim Petras) |
| Vindver | 2:27 |
20. | "Final Breath" |
|
| 2:25 |
Total length: | 56:38 |
Notes
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Takin' It Back. [1]
Musicians
Technical
Chart (2022) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [60] | 30 |
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [59] | 21 |
Danish Albums (Tracklisten) [64] | 37 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [63] | 19 |
Irish Albums (IRMA) [67] | 99 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [62] | 12 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [65] | 82 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [66] | 98 |
UK Albums (OCC) [61] | 67 |
US Billboard 200 [69] | 16 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [70] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Edition | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Various | October 21, 2022 | Epic | Original | [71] [72] | |
March 10, 2023 |
| Deluxe | [73] [74] |
"Doo Wop (That Thing)" is a song by American recording artist Lauryn Hill for her debut solo studio album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998). It was written and produced by Hill. The song was released as her solo debut and lead single from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on August 10, 1998, by Ruffhouse Records and Columbia Records. No commercial release was originally intended for the single in the US, but limited-quantity physical formats were issued two months later, on October 27.
Doo-Wops & Hooligans is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. It was released on October 4, 2010, by Atlantic and Elektra Records and was made available to listen before its official release on September 24, 2010. After the release of the EP It's Better If You Don't Understand, Mars's writing and production team, the Smeezingtons, began working on the album with Needlz, Supa Dups and Jeff Bhasker as producers. The album title was chosen to reflect simplicity and appeal to both males and females.
Meghan Elizabeth Trainor is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She rose to prominence after signing with Epic Records in 2014 and releasing her debut single "All About That Bass", which reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and sold 11 million copies worldwide. Trainor has released five studio albums with the label and has received various accolades, including the 2016 Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
Title is the debut EP by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor. Kevin Kadish produced all of its songs and wrote them with Trainor. The two conceived the EP shortly after Trainor signed with Epic Records in 2014. The label released it on September 9, 2014, and replaced it with a pre-order for Trainor's 2015 debut major-label studio album of the same name the following month.
American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor has released five studio albums, four extended plays (EP), 35 singles, 31 music videos, three independent albums, and 20 promotional singles. She self-released the albums Meghan Trainor (2009), I'll Sing with You (2011), and Only 17 (2011); they were pulled from circulation after she signed with Epic Records in February 2014. Trainor's debut single, "All About That Bass", was released on June 30, 2014, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight consecutive weeks. The single became the longest-reigning number-one by an Epic recording artist in the United States, surpassing the seven-week record held by Michael Jackson's songs "Billie Jean" (1983) and "Black or White" (1991). It topped the national charts of 58 countries and became one of the best-selling singles of all-time. As of 2015, it had sold over 11 million units internationally. "All About That Bass" was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and preceded Trainor's debut EP, Title (2014), which peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 in September 2014.
Title is the debut major-label studio album by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor. It was released on January 9, 2015, by Epic Records. Initially a songwriter for other artists in 2013, Trainor signed with the label the following year and began recording material she co-wrote with Kevin Kadish. They were dissatisfied with the electronic dance music predominant in contemporary hit radio and drew influence from retro-styled 1950s and 1960s music.
"Like I'm Gonna Lose You" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor from her debut major-label studio album Title (2015), featuring guest vocals from John Legend. Trainor wrote the song with Justin Weaver and Caitlyn Smith, and produced it with Chris Gelbuda. Epic Records released it as the album's fourth single on June 23, 2015. A soul love ballad, "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" is about savoring moments spent with loved ones and not taking them for granted.
"Title" is a song by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor from her 2014 debut extended play of the same name. Kevin Kadish produced the track and wrote it with Trainor. Epic Records considered it for release as Trainor's second single but eventually decided on "Lips Are Movin" (2014). The song is in a doo-wop style with Caribbean influences. Lyrically, Trainor demands that her partner define their relationship more clearly and call her his girlfriend.
Thank You is the second major-label studio album by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor. Epic Records released it on May 13, 2016, after a week of exclusive streaming on Apple Music. Trainor wrote most of its material with songwriter Jacob Kasher Hindlin and the album's producer Ricky Reed. Influenced by various genres including dance, hip hop, funk, and Caribbean music, Trainor conceived the album to showcase her versatility. It features guest appearances by Yo Gotti, LunchMoney Lewis, Trainor's mother, and R. City.
"No" is a song by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor from her second major-label studio album, Thank You (2016). Ricky Reed produced the song and wrote it with Trainor and Jacob Kasher Hindlin; Epic Records released it as the album's lead single on March 4, 2016. A dance-pop song inspired by 1990s pop music and R&B, "No" has lyrics about sexual consent and empowerment, encouraging women to reject unwanted advances from men.
Treat Myself is the third major-label studio album by the American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor. Epic Records released it on January 31, 2020, after delaying it for over a year from its originally scheduled release date. Trainor worked with producers including Mike Sabath, Tyler Johnson, Ojivolta, and Andrew Wells. Initially inspired by pop artists and her experiences with panic disorder, Trainor rewrote the album to adapt to changing trends in the music industry and the rising popularity of hip-hop. It features guest appearances by Sabath, Nicki Minaj, Lennon Stella, Sasha Sloan, the Pussycat Dolls, and AJ Mitchell.
"Wave" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor, featuring the producer Mike Sabath, from her third major-label studio album Treat Myself (2020). The track, which was written and produced by the duo, was released on September 27, 2019, as the second single from the album. Backed by panoramic piano and ostentatious background vocals, the electropop and house song lyrically tells the story of the emotional fallout of a failed relationship.
A Very Trainor Christmas is a Christmas album and the fourth major-label studio album by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor. Honest OG Recording and Epic Records released it on October 30, 2020. Trainor involved her family members in the creation, co-writing its songs with her brothers, Ryan and Justin, among others. Featured artists include Earth, Wind & Fire, Seth MacFarlane, Trainor's cousins Jayden, Jenna, & Marcus Toney, and her father, Gary. The album includes cover versions of Christmas standards, such as "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" (1951) and "Last Christmas" (1984), as well as six original recordings.
"Bad for Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor, featuring guest vocals from Teddy Swims. Trainor, Stephen Wrabel, Ajay Bhattacharyya, and Federico Vindver wrote it, and Vindver handled the production. The song was released on June 24, 2022, as the lead single from her fifth major-label studio album, Takin' It Back (2022). A pop song with gospel influences, it has lyrics about a toxic relationship with a family member and distancing oneself from them.
"Made You Look" is a song by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor from her fifth major-label studio album, Takin' It Back (2022). Trainor wrote it with songwriter Sean Douglas and its producer, Federico Vindver. Epic Records released it as the album's second single on October 31, 2022. A doo-wop song that recalls earlier styles of popular music, it was inspired by Trainor's insecurities about body image and encourages listeners to embrace their natural beauty and confidence.
"Mother" is a song by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor from the deluxe edition of her fifth major-label studio album, Takin' It Back (2022). She co-wrote the song with Sean Douglas and its producers, Gian Stone and her brother Justin. Epic Records released it to US hot adult contemporary radio stations as the deluxe edition's lead single on March 27, 2023. A pop song with doo-wop influences, it interpolates the Chordettes' single "Mr. Sandman". Inspired by men who said Trainor's pregnancy would end her career, the song is about women's empowerment; in its lyrics, she asks the male subject to stop mansplaining and to listen to her.
"Hands on Me" is a song by American singer Jason Derulo, featuring American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor. It was released as a single by Atlantic Records on October 13, 2023. Derulo performed a medley of it with his 2020 single "Take You Dancing" at the finale of season 18 of America's Got Talent. The music video for "Hands on Me" features an appearance by Paris Hilton and depicts Derulo and Trainor adapting to living on a farm.
"Wrap Me Up" is a song by American comedian Jimmy Fallon and singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor. Fallon and Trainor wrote it with songwriter Sean Douglas and its producer, Gian Stone. Republic Records released it as a single on November 17, 2023.
"Been Like This" is a song by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor and singer and rapper T-Pain from the former's upcoming sixth major-label studio album, Timeless (2024). They co-wrote the song with Kurt Thum, Trainor's brother Ryan, and its producers, Gian Stone and Grant Boutin. Epic Records released it as the album's lead single on March 14, 2024. A doo-wop song with contemporary influences, the song incorporates a jazz intro and trumpet melody and has lyrics about confidence.