"Try" | ||||
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Single by Colbie Caillat | ||||
from the album Gypsy Heart | ||||
Released | June 9, 2014 | |||
Recorded | 2014 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 3:45 | |||
Label | Republic | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Colbie Caillat singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Try" on YouTube |
"Try" is a song by American singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat from her fifth studio album, Gypsy Heart (2014). It was released on June 9, 2014 by Republic Records as the lead single from the album. The song was written by Caillat, Jason Reeves, Babyface and Antonio Dixon and was produced by the latter two. Lyrically, the midtempo pop ballad is about not trying to be someone else to make others happy. It was written after a session where Caillat was feeling pressure to be someone she was not, both musically and image-wise. It received acclaim from music critics, who noted it was a simple, but beautiful empowering ballad.
The song charted moderately on the US Billboard Hot 100, while becoming her highest-charting single in five years in Australia and Canada. It also became a top 40 hit in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. To promote the song, a lyric video including female fans and artists, such as Sheryl Crow, Sara Bareilles, Christina Perri and others, without any makeup on, to emphasize the song message, was released on June 10, 2014. Later, an official music video was released on July 8, 2014. It features the singer alongside a diverse set of women with makeup and wigs, while removing them throughout the video, ending it natural. It went viral over the internet, accumulating over 27 million views in almost two months. The song was certified platinum by the RIAA on March 20, 2015. [1]
After releasing her first Christmas album, Christmas in the Sand (2012), and contributing to the soundtrack of the 2013 film Safe Haven , with the song "We Both Know", a duet with Gavin DeGraw, Caillat recorded during the summer of 2013 a new album with a "’70s vibe" with producer John Shanks. It was set to be released in November 2013; however, after meeting up with Ryan Tedder, Caillat decided to record a more "pop, up-tempo dancey" album. [2] Caillat also worked with record producer and songwriter Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds on the album, explaining, "We did four or five songs. I love him as a producer and writer. I just tell him any style that I’m in the mood for and we write it. It’s not like he’s pigeonholed in being an R&B producer. The first song we wrote together is a complete folk song that’s going to be on this record. It has a banjo on it! The next song is R&B-pop, and then the next one we did is completely a piano ballad, no harmonies — it’s really honest and vulnerable." [2]
The synthpop-infused track "Hold On", produced by Tedder, was released as the album's lead single. However, the song failed to make an impact on the charts, and the album was postponed. Caillat and her label thought they should keep working and see if they got anything better. The response disappointed the singer, who was told to return to the studio to find a "new sound" for the album. "To be told that your work isn't good enough -- to do better, to be more like those pop artists out there that dress sexy and use Auto-tune on their voices -- to be compared to someone so different, it hurt," she claimed. [3] Later, Caillat decided to release an EP, claiming that "12 songs is too much to listen to all at once. When I buy a record, I get to the fifth song, and then I don't get to really hear the rest of the record. People can listen to the first five songs, fall in love with them, get to know them, and then a few months later, have the rest of the record available for download." [3] To promote the EP, "Gypsy Heart: Side A", "Try" was chosen to be its lead-single, [3] being the iTunes Store single of the week from June 9 to June 16, 2014, and it would be officially released to Mainstream radio stations in early September. [4] On October 21, 2014, the song was serviced to contemporary hit radio by Republic Records; a new "Uptempo Mix" will officially impact the format on January 13, 2015. [5] [6] This version was released to digital retailers on November 24, 2014 under the official name "Alex Ghenea Remix". [7]
"Try", a pop song, was written by Colbie Caillat, Antonio Dixon, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Jason Reeves, [8] while production was done by Babyface. [9] It is written in the time signature of common time and is composed in the key of D♭ major, with a moderately slow tempo of 70 beats per minute. Caillat's vocal range span from the low-note of A♭3 to the high-note of F5. [10] As noted by Holly Williams of Contact Music, the song is "full of gently plucked acoustic guitar, twinkling synths and minimal piano that adds a pleasantly uplifting touch, while Colbie's vocals are soft, yet understated - almost as if she's inviting you to sing along with her." [11] According to Billboard , "the song resulted from a 'venting experience' for Caillat, who translated her disappointment about her scrapped album into a message of self-love aimed at women." [3] "Put your makeup on/ Get your nails done/ Curl your hair/ Run the extra mile/ Keep it slim so they like you, do they like you?" she sings in the beginning. [12] "You don’t have to try so hard/ You don’t have to give it all away/ You just have to get up, get up, get up, get up/ You don’t have to change a single thing," she sings in the chorus. [12]
In an interview for Elle, Caillat confessed that the idea for the song came after going into the recording studio with "Babyface", explaining that she told him that she was getting a lot of pressure to be someone she was not, both musically and image-wise. She claimed, "Although I don’t want to do it, I’m just going to make these people happy. He started laughing, and said, we’re not going to do that. That’s not you, and that’s ridiculous of them to ask. That right there gave me the creative freedom." He said, "Let’s write about exactly what they’re asking you to do — to change yourself." We started checking off all these things that all of us girls do everyday to get ready to go out. [...] So Babyface inspired me to write this and it's all from a personal experience." [13] Caillat explained that, "This song is not to say that we should never wear makeup, but to say that, sometimes, it's okay not to." [3] She further told People that, "[Edmonds and songwriters told me] you don't have to try to be someone else, because people like who you are." [14]
"Try" earned critical acclaim from music critics. Jason Lipshut of Billboard called it an "empowering" track [...] to bestow young girls with a stronger sense of self-worth." [3] Emileen Lindner of MTV News agreed, calling it "a super-empowering ballad." Holly Williams of Contact Music called it "a bright pop song with an admittedly overly simple melody, but the lyrics, though hackneyed and a little patronising, still have the desired effect. You can tell it's simply sung from the heart and, let's face it, Colbie doesn't even have to try." [11] Marcus Floyd of Renowned for Sound wrote that Caillat "lyrically inspires once again with 'Try', a softer side to the release where you hear the rawness in her voice as she pleads you not to try to impress others and to just be yourself." [15] Matt Collar of Allmusic chose the song as one of the highlights of the EP, [8] while Markos Papadatos of Digital Journal wrote that the song "is inspirational, and it showcases her vulnerability as an artist, becom[ing] an anthem of female empowerment due to its optimistic lyrics." [16]
"Try" entered the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on the issue date of July 26, 2014, at number 69. [17] It climbed to number 55 the following week, becoming its peak position. It is also her first entry on the Hot 100 since 2011's "Brighter Than the Sun". [18] It also debuted inside of the Top 30 at the Adult Top 40 chart, [4] peaking at number 15. [19] It debuted at number 22 on the Adult Contemporary chart and peaked at number 4. [20] The song also debuted at number 67 on the ARIA Singles Chart. [21] In Denmark, it debuted and peaked at number 13, her second song to chart after "Bubbly" (2007), [22] while in both Australia and Canada, the song became her highest-charting single in five years, peaking at numbers 67 and 56, respectively. [21] [23]
On June 10, 2014, Colbie uploaded a lyric video for the song on her YouTube page. It features Caillat, her fans and famous artists like Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert, Kelly Osbourne, Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson, Katharine McPhee, Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott, Natasha Bedingfield, Christina Perri, and Jessie J without makeup, in an effort to spread the message that beauty truly is on the inside. [9] "I have a couple celebrity friends that would be more impactful for everyday people to see what we look like normally," she claimed during an appearance on NBC's Today . [9]
Caillat commented for Elle Magazine that,
When I did the lyric video for 'Try,' and I asked some of my celebrity friends if they would send a picture of themselves, you have no idea how difficult it was. Some of them said no, some of them said they’ll send me a picture in a couple of days because they have a pimple on their chin, and they didn’t want it showing in the picture. And I was like, no, no, no! That’s good! Let’s let all of our fans know that we get them too, because otherwise they’re just think that they’re the only ones who get acne. We all get it, so let’s just kind of laugh about it together. And then some of the girls still wore makeup in the pictures because they felt like they needed to at least look – I don’t know, in their eyes, decent or something when they still look beautiful. It was so hard for them to show any degree of realness. [13]
The official music video premiered on July 8, 2014 on VEVO. According to Caillat,
We shot the video in reverse, we started bare, and by the end we finished with the full hair and makeup, and then reversed the film for the finished product. All of the women were amazing. My favorite was the woman who has no hair. I first saw her completely bald, no makeup, with a huge smile, she was just so happy and confident. She was so beautiful to me. And then we kept getting more hair and makeup on, and the next scene I saw where she’s in full make-up and wig, I was like, Who is this woman? She was not the same person. She still looked beautiful but it wasn’t the same beauty that I saw when she was liberated, showing who she really was. When I shot the first scene with no hair and makeup on in front of an HD camera in my face, flashed with bright lights, everyone was watching. I thought, "Oh my god, I bet they’re all looking at my blemishes, thinking that I should cover them up, or that I should put some volume in my hair." But it also felt really cool to be on camera with zero on, like literally nothing on. And then when it got to the full hair and makeup, I actually felt gross. I was just so caked on. [13]
As explained by Zakiya Jamal of People , "it begins by showing women from all different ages and backgrounds, including Caillat herself, wearing makeup, wigs, and fake eyelashes. As the video progresses the women remove their makeup, take off their wigs or shake out their hair, and let their natural beauty shine." [14] As noted by Emilee Lindner of MTV News, at the end, "Caillat is looking smiley and seriously at the camera, singing the last lines, 'Don’t you like you? ‘Cause I like you.'" [12] During its first week, the video went viral, [24] accumulating over nine million views, surpassing the 20-million mark on YouTube/VEVO as of August 19, 2014. [4] Robbie Daw of Idolator praised Colbie and the other women in the clip for "giv[ing] us one of the most quietly powerful visuals of the year so far." [25] Bruna Nessif of E! Online claimed that the video "embraces natural beauty and embodies a massive amount of girl power in just four minutes." [26] Lauren Valenti of Marie Claire wrote that "Caillat's bold experiment is a reminder that emancipating yourself from your beauty routine every once and a while[ sic ] can set you free — yes, even in a world filled with unrealistic beauty ideals." [27]
Caillat had given an exclusive performance of "Try" to blogger Perez Hilton. Then she performed the track officially on Today , [28] while also discussing the song and its music video. [29] Later, she also performed the track on Live with Kelly and Michael (on June 9, 2014), [30] The View (on August 12, 2014), [31] and at the Young Hollywood Awards in addition to appearing on HLN, CBS This Morning and Extra . [4] Later she performed at the Billboard Women Music Awards.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Certifications
|
Region | Date | Format | Version | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | June 9, 2014 | Digital download Adult contemporary radio | Original | Republic Records | [49] |
North America | [50] | ||||
Germany | September 26, 2014 | Digital download | UMG Recordings | [51] | |
United Kingdom | Universal-Island Records | [52] | |||
Italy | September 29, 2014 | UMG Recordings | [53] | ||
Japan | September 30, 2014 | Compact disc | [54] | ||
North America | October 21, 2014 | Contemporary hit radio | Republic Records | [5] | |
November 24, 2014 | Digital download | Alex Ghenea remix | [6] | ||
January 13, 2015 | Contemporary hit radio | Uptempo Mix | [7] | ||
Colbie Marie Caillat is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to fame through social networking website Myspace. At that time, she was the number one unsigned artist of her genre.
Coco is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat. The album was released on July 10, 2007, in the United States, debuting at number five on the US Billboard 200, selling 51,000 copies in its first week. It also became Caillat's best-selling album to date, selling 2,100,000 copies in the United States and over 3,000,000 copies around the world. Caillat supported the album with the Coco World Tour, as well as four singles. The lead single "Bubbly" was a huge international hit, while the following two singles "Realize" and "The Little Things" were minor hits. "Somethin' Special" was released as a promo support the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China and the 2009 film Bride Wars.
"Bubbly" is the debut single of American singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat from her first album, Coco (2007). Written by Caillat and Jason Reeves and produced by Mikal Blue, the song was released as the album's lead single on May 15, 2007. "Bubbly" is Caillat's only song to peak within the top ten of US Billboard Hot 100; it remains her highest-charting song. Internationally, "Bubbly" reached number one in Australia, Brazil, and the Czech Republic. It also became a top-10 hit in several European countries, including Belgium, Germany, and Norway.
"Mistletoe" is an original Christmas song written and performed by Colbie Caillat. It was co-written by Caillat's friend and former manager, Stacy Blue, and producer Mikal Blue. "Mistletoe" was released as a standalone single on November 20, 2007. A re-recorded version of the song was included on Caillat's 2012 holiday album, Christmas in the Sand.
"Realize" is a song by American singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat, taken from her debut album, Coco (2007). In the song, Caillat sings of having romantic feelings for a best friend. It was the follow-up to her worldwide debut hit, "Bubbly", and was officially released in January 2008 as the second single from the album, peaking at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming her second top-twenty hit in the US. The song also charted in Canada and the Netherlands, reaching the top 40 in both countries. It features uncredited harmony vocals by singer and songwriter Jason Reeves.
Jason Bradford Reeves is an American songwriter, singer, and guitarist. He is best known for his songwriting work for Colbie Caillat, with whom he formed the acoustic pop band Gone West in 2018.
The discography of Colbie Caillat, an American musician and singer-songwriter, contains seven studio albums, seven extended plays, one compilation album, 22 singles, 22 music videos and other album appearances and songwriting credits. Caillat rose to fame through social networking website Myspace. At that time, she was the number-one unsigned artist of her genre. After signing with Universal Republic, she released debut album in July 2007, Coco has sold 2,060,000 copies in the United States and is certified 3× Platinum. In August 2009, she released Breakthrough, her second album which became her first album to debut at number one on Billboard 200. It has been certified Platinum by RIAA. In July 2011, she released her third studio album, All of You. In October 2012 she released her first Christmas album, Christmas in the Sand. Caillat sold 11 million albums and 25 million singles worldwide.
"Lucky" is a song by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. It is the third single from Mraz's third studio album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The song also appears as a bonus track on the international edition of Caillat’s album Breakthrough. The song has been on the Billboard charts, as well as other music charts worldwide.
"Fallin' for You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat. It was written by Caillat along with Rick Nowels and produced by Nowels, John Shanks, and Caillat's father, Ken Caillat, for her second studio album, Breakthrough (2009). The song was released on June 26, 2009, as the lead single from the album, through Universal Republic. According to Caillat, the song speaks of someone falling for a man that they are friends with.
Breakthrough is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat. The album was released on August 19, 2009 through Universal Republic Records. The follow-up to her successful debut album, Coco (2007), Breakthrough was developed in late 2008 when Caillat returned to her home after two years on tour, with the singer setting up a "writing camp" with songwriters and producers in Hawaii and writing over 40 songs for the record.
"I Never Told You" is a song by the American pop singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat from her second album Breakthrough (2009). The song was released on February 16, 2010 in the United States as the second single. The song is a power ballad in E-flat major and was written by Caillat, Jason Reeves and Kara DioGuardi and produced by DioGuardi. The song talks about the love the singer still has for her lover they felt strongly about at one point in their life. The song received positive reviews from music critics. In the charts, the song has performed moderately well, it has peaked at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the Adult Pop Songs.
"Breathe" is a song by Taylor Swift featuring Colbie Caillat from Swift's second studio album, Fearless (2008). Swift wrote the song with Caillat and produced it with Nathan Chapman. A pop rock ballad, "Breathe" incorporates strummed acoustic instruments and a string section. The lyrics are about heartbreak from losing a close friend. Big Machine Records released the track onto Rhapsody on October 21, 2008. Music critics found "Breathe" a sentimental song with resonant lyrics, but some deemed it insubstantial. The song was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2010.
"I Do" is a song recorded by American recording artist Colbie Caillat. It was written by Caillat and Toby Gad, and produced by Greg Wells. The song was released as the first single from her third studio album All of You (2011). The song was released to iTunes and radios on February 7, 2011 through Universal Republic. Musically, the song is an upbeat "sunny-day" pop song, and the lyrics speak about taking relationships further, like marriage. "I Do" debuted at number 38 on the Billboard Adult Pop Songs chart. It later debuted at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. According to Nielsen Soundscan, it has sold about 154,000 copies in the US. The music video for "I Do" premiered on March 11, 2011.
All of You is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat. The album was scheduled to be released on May 3, 2011, but was pushed back by two months to a July 6, 2011, release in the United States through Universal Republic Records. The set, largely produced by Greg Wells, features one guest appearance by rapper/actor Common, who graces "Favorite Song", while her songwriting collaborators include Ryan Tedder, Toby Gad, Jason Reeves and Rick Nowels. The album's lead-single "I Do" was released on February 7, 2011, and has charted at number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and at number 11 on the Adult Pop Songs. A second single "Brighter Than the Sun" was released on May 17, 2011, and has charted at number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Brighter Than the Sun" is a song by American recording artist Colbie Caillat. It was written by Caillat and Ryan Tedder and produced by the latter. The song was released as the second single from Caillat's third studio album, All of You (2011). The song was released to digital download on May 23, 2011, through Universal Republic. The song received a positive reaction from music critics, who complimented its summer feel. The song is certified platinum in the United States and has been successful on many Billboard charts, including the Hot 100, where the song reached the top 50, the Adult Contemporary chart, where the song peaked at number one for a week. "Brighter Than the Sun" also was a top-40 hit in Austria and was the third-biggest song of 2012 on US adult contemporary radio.
"Favorite Song" is a song by American recording artist Colbie Caillat. It was written by Caillat and Ryan Tedder, and produced by Tedder and it features American rapper Common. The song was released as the third single from her third studio album All of You (2011). it was released on May 8, 2012. Musically, the song is a guitar-driven pop, hip-hop jam, and the lyrics speak about being in love with someone and desiring that the person feels the same. The song is a metaphor for wanting to be the object of someone’s affection.
"Christmas in the Sand" is a Christmas song recorded by American singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat. It was written by Caillat, Jason Reeves and Kara DioGuardi and produced by Colbie's father, Ken Caillat. The song was released as the first single from her first Christmas album Christmas in the Sand. The song was released to SoundCloud on October 15, 2012 through Universal Republic.
"Hold On" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat. It was co-written and produced by Ryan Tedder, who had previously collaborated with Caillat on her 2011 single "Brighter Than the Sun". The song was released to digital retailers through Republic Records on November 19, 2013 originally as Gypsy Heart's lead single. However, in the end, the song was only included as an international bonus track on the album and it was later announced that "Try" was the lead single of Gypsy Heart. Upon its release, "Hold On" was generally well received by critics, who complimented the new musical direction.
Gypsy Heart is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat. It was released on September 30, 2014 by Republic Records. It was produced by American record producer Babyface. It features songwriting collaborations with past co-writer, Jason Reeves, as well as new co-writers and producers Max Martin, Julian Bunetta, and Johan Carlsson. "Try" was released as the first and only single on June 9 to the 16.
The Malibu Sessions is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Colbie Caillat. It was released on October 7, 2016 under her own independent record label PlummyLou Records. "Goldmine" was released as the lead single on July 20, 2016.