"Friends"
Single by Justin Bieber and BloodPop
ReleasedAugust 17, 2017 (2017-08-17)
Genre
Length3:09
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)BloodPop
Justin Bieber singles chronology
"2U"
(2017)		 "Friends"
(2017)		 "Hard 2 Face Reality"
(2018)
BloodPop singles chronology
"Friends"
(2017)		 "Capital Letters"
(2018)

"Friends" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber and American record producer BloodPop. It was released through Genpop Corporation, RBMG Records, School Boy Records, Def Jam Recordings and Republic Records as a single on August 17, 2017. Bieber and BloodPop wrote the song alongside Justin Tranter and Julia Michaels, with production solely handled by BloodPop. "Friends" peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. On October 20, 2017, Bieber and BloodPop released a remix of the song, which features Michaels.[1]

Background

In July 2017, Bieber played fans a clip of the song at Milan Airport.[2] On August 13, 2017, Bieber first teased the single by tweeting the line: "Can we still be friends". The following day, Bieber announced an upcoming release on social media, the accompanied artwork featured a monochrome illustration of two birds tearing apart a worm in front of highlighter yellow text,[3][4][5][6] captioning: "New music. Thursday noon".[7][8][9] Justin Tranter and Julia Michaels later revealed on social media that they co-wrote the single alongside Bieber and BloodPop.[10][11]

Critical reception

Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic called the single "sleek electro" and "the zillionth child of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" to approach the public in the past three decades". He wrote that BloodPop provided "an insistent beat", "a tight verse-prechorus-chorus structure" and "an on-trend wordless hook".[12] Jordan Sargent of Spin thinks that the four songwriters "seem to nod overtly at that song", and that the song "has the same little between-beat drum fills as 'Sorry', as well as its pitched-up vocal counterpoints".[13] Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone felt that Bieber "traded in the tropical house leanings of his previous solo hits for a more pop direction" with this song.[14] Maeve McDermott of USA Today opined that the song "finally jailbreaks Bieber from the soulless trop-house prison of his other EDM one-offs".[15] Phil Witmer of Vice wrote that the song "pretty much sounds like a synth-disco remix" of "Sorry", in which "the chord progression is the exact same".[16] Beatrice Hazlehurst of Paper called the song "a shameless club banger".[17]

Commercial performance

In Canada, "Friends" charted on the Canadian Hot 100 within a day of release, debuting at number 96 and jumping to number 4 the following week, marking Bieber's 19th top 10 song. It received a double platinum certification from Music Canada for more than 80,000 downloads in the country. In the United States, the song had 16,000 downloads counted only on its release day.[18] The following week, the single debuted at US Adult Contemporary (No. 28), Adult Top 40 (No. 17), Dance Club Songs (No. 42), Mainstream Top 40 (No. 11) and Rhythmic (No. 19). Consequently, it debuted and peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 with 32 million impressions on the radio, 39,000 downloads and 13.3 million streams and being his 23rd Top 20 in the country.[19] It also received a platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

In Europe, the song debuted at the top of the charts in Denmark, Norway and Slovakia, dethroning the remix of "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, which features Bieber, in the second place of five nationalities, including the United Kingdom, in addition to the top 10 of fourteen. He has received platinum certifications from the Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI), gold from the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), IFPI Denmark, Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI), Productores de Música de España (PROMUSICAE), the Swedish Recording Industry Association (GLF) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). In Oceania, "Friends" reached at number two both in Australia and New Zealand, receiving double platinum certifications from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and gold from Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ).

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[20]

  • Justin Bieber – vocals, songwriting
  • BloodPop – production, songwriting, keyboard, background vocals, bass, synthesizer
  • Julia Michaels – songwriting, background vocals
  • Justin Tranter – songwriting
  • Josh Gudwin – engineering, recording engineering
  • Michael Freeman – mixing assistance
  • Spike Stent – mixing

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[97] 2× Platinum 140,000‡
Belgium (BEA)[98] Gold 10,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[99] Platinum 60,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[100] 2× Platinum 160,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[101] Platinum 90,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[102] Platinum 400,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[103] 2× Platinum 100,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON)[104] Platinum 60,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[105] Gold 15,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway)[106] 2× Platinum 120,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[107] Platinum 10,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[108] Gold 20,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[109] Gold 20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[110] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[111] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Various August 17, 2017
[20]
Italy August 18, 2017 Contemporary hit radio Universal [112]
United Kingdom August 19, 2017 Virgin EMI [113]
United States August 22, 2017
  • RBMG
  • School Boy
  • Def Jam
  • Republic
 [114]
Rhythmic contemporary radio [115]

References

  1. ↑ Reed, Ryan (October 20, 2017). "Justin Bieber, BloodPop Recruit Julia Michaels for 'Friends' Remix". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  2. ↑ Jack, White (August 14, 2017). "Justin Bieber's new single Friends is out this Friday". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  3. ↑ Alex, Ungerman (August 14, 2017). "Justin Bieber Teases New Music Weeks After Canceling Tour: 'Can We Still Be Friends?'". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  4. ↑ Alexandra, Whittaker (August 14, 2017). "Justin Bieber Has New Music—and It's All About Friends". InStyle. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Justin Bieber & BloodPop Announce 'Friends' Collaboration". Rap-Up. August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  6. ↑ Mike, Nied (August 14, 2017). "Justin Bieber Readies New BloodPop Collaboration "Friends," Releases Cover". Idolator. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  7. ↑ Johnni, Macke (August 14, 2017). "Justin Bieber Makes A Big Announcement". People's Choice Awards. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  8. ↑ Julia, Hunt; Vicki, Newman (August 14, 2017). "Justin Bieber sends fans into a frenzy as he teases new music weeks after cancelling Purpose world tour". Daily Mirror. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  9. ↑ Wade, Sheridan (August 15, 2017). "Justin Bieber announces new song 'Friends' will release on Thursday". United Press International. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  10. ↑ Sadie, Bell; Taylor, Weatherby (August 14, 2017). "Justin Bieber Has a New Song Coming This Thursday". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Justin Bieber teases release of new track 'Friends'". Malay Mail. August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  12. ↑ Spencer, Kornhaber (August 17, 2017). "Justin Bieber Has Another Question for the Pop World". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  13. ↑ Jordan, Sargent (August 17, 2017). "Justin Bieber and BloodPop's "Friends" Might Be the One That Makes You Tired of Justin Bieber". Spin. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  14. ↑ Brittany, Spanos (August 17, 2017). "Hear Justin Bieber Make Amends With Ex on Upbeat 'Friends'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  15. ↑ Maeve, McDermott (August 17, 2017). "Justin Bieber's 'Friends' is his best song in ages". USA Today. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  16. ↑ Phil, Witmer (August 18, 2017). "Justin Bieber's New Song "Friends" Is Not About the TV Show, Still Goes Off". Noisey. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  17. ↑ Beatrice, Hazlehurst (August 17, 2017). "Here is Justin Bieber's New Single "Friends," His 2017 Answer to "Sorry"". Paper. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  18. ↑ Trust, Gary (August 21, 2017). "'Despacito' on Hot 100: Second Song Ever to Lead for at Least 15 Weeks". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  19. ↑ Trust, Gary (August 29, 2017). "Hot 100 Chart Moves: Justin Bieber & BloodPop Bow, Demi Lovato Doubles Up". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  20. 1 2 "Credits / Friends - Justin Bieber". Retrieved August 17, 2017 – via Tidal.
  21. ↑ "Top 20 Argentina – Del 18 al 24 de Septiembre, 2017" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Justin Bieber %2B BloodPop%AE – Friends". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Justin Bieber %2B BloodPop%AE – Friends" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Justin Bieber %2B BloodPop%AE – Friends" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Justin Bieber %2B BloodPop%AE – Friends" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Justin Bieber Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  27. ↑ "Justin Bieber Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Justin Bieber Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Justin Bieber Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Top 100 Colombia" (in Spanish). National-Report. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Costa Rica General" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  32. ↑ "ARC 100 - datum izlaska: 23. listopada 2017". HRT. Archived from the original on November 2, 2017. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  33. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201750 into search. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  34. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201734 into search. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  35. ↑ "Justin Bieber %2B BloodPop%AE – Friends". Tracklisten. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  36. ↑ "Top 100 Ecuador" (in Spanish). National-Report. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  37. ↑ "El Salvador General" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  38. ↑ "Euro Digital Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  39. ↑ "Justin Bieber, Bloodpop®: Friends" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  40. ↑ "Justin Bieber %2B BloodPop%AE – Friends" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  41. ↑ "Justin Bieber + BloodPop® – Friends" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  42. ↑ "Greece Digital Song Sales, 2 September 2017". billboard.com. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  43. ↑ "Honduras General" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Archived from the original on May 9, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  44. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  45. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  46. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  47. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Justin Bieber". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  48. ↑ "מדיה פורסט - לדעת שאתה באוויר". Mediaforest.biz. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  49. ↑ "Justin Bieber %2B BloodPop%AE – Friends". Top Digital Download. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  50. ↑ "Justin Bieber Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  51. ↑ "The Official Lebanese Top 20 - Justin Bieber". The Official Lebanese Top 20. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  52. ↑ "Top 20 Most Streamed International & Domestic Singles in Malaysia" (PDF). Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  53. ↑ "Mexico Airplay: Nov 4, 2017". Billboard. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  54. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 37, 2017" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  55. ↑ "Lijst van 16-09-2017 - MEGA TOP 50 Archived 2017-09-16 at the Wayback Machine" (in Dutch). Mega Top 50
  56. ↑ "Justin Bieber %2B BloodPop%AE – Friends" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  57. ↑ "Justin Bieber %2B BloodPop%AE – Friends". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  58. ↑ "Justin Bieber %2B BloodPop%AE – Friends". VG-lista. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  59. ↑ "Panamá Top 20 - Del 25 de Septiembre al 01 de Octubre, 2017". Monitor Latino. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  60. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  61. ↑ "Justin Bieber %2B BloodPop%AE – Friends". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  62. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  63. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201741 into search. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  64. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201734 into search. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  65. ↑ "SloTop50 – Slovenian official singles chart". slotop50.si. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  66. ↑ "Justin Bieber %2B BloodPop%AE – Friends" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  67. ↑ "Justin Bieber %2B BloodPop%AE – Friends". Singles Top 100. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  68. ↑ "Justin Bieber %2B BloodPop%AE – Friends". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  69. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  70. ↑ "Uruguay General" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  71. ↑ "Justin Bieber Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  72. ↑ "Justin Bieber Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  73. ↑ "Justin Bieber Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  74. ↑ "Justin Bieber Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  75. ↑ "Justin Bieber Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  76. ↑ "Justin Bieber Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  77. ↑ "Justin Bieber Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  78. ↑ "Top 100 Venezuela" (in Spanish). National-Report. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  79. ↑ "ARIA End of Year Singles 2017". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  80. ↑ "Ö3 Austria Top 40 – Single-Charts 2017". oe3.orf.at. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  81. ↑ "Top 200 faixas em streaming - 2017" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  82. ↑ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  83. ↑ "Croatia ARC 100 – Year-End 2017". HRT. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
  84. ↑ "Track Top-100 2017". Hitlisten. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  85. ↑ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  86. ↑ "Rádiós Top 100 – hallgatottsági adatok alapján – 2017". Mahasz. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  87. ↑ "Single Top 100 – eladási darabszám alapján – 2017". Mahasz. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  88. ↑ "Stream Top 100 – 2017". Mahasz. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  89. ↑ "Classifiche annuali dei dischi più venduti e dei singoli più scaricati nel 2017" (in Italian). FIMI. Archived from the original (Click on "Scarica allegato" and open the "Classifica annuale 2017 Singoli digital" file) on January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  90. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2017". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  91. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2017". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  92. ↑ "Top AFP - Audiogest - Top 100 Singles 2017" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  93. ↑ "Årslista Singlar – År 2017" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  94. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2017 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  95. ↑ "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2017". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  96. ↑ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  97. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2017 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  98. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2017". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  99. ↑ "Brazilian single certifications – Justin Bieber – Friends" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  100. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Justin Bieber & Bloodpop – Friends". Music Canada. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  101. ↑ "Danish single certifications – Justin Bieber & Bloodpop – Friends". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  102. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Justin Bieber & BloodPop; 'Friends')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  103. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Justin Bieber & Bloodpop – Friends" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  104. ↑ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved July 4, 2021. Type Justin Bieber & Bloodpop in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Friends in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
  105. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Justin Bieber and BloodPop – Friends". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  106. ↑ "Norwegian single certifications – Justin Bieber, BloodPop® – Friends" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  107. ↑ "Portuguese single certifications – Justin Bieber and BloodPop – Friends" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  108. ↑ "Spanish single certifications – Justin Bieber & BloodPop® – Friends (remix)". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  109. ↑ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 37, 2017 | Sverigetopplistan" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  110. ↑ "British single certifications – Justin Bieber & Bloodpop – Friends". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  111. ↑ "American single certifications – Justin Bieber – Friends". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  112. ↑ "JUSTIN BIEBER & BLOODPOP® - Friends RadioDate". Radio Airplay. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  113. ↑ "BBC – Radio 1 – Playlist". BBC Radio 1. 18 August 2017. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  114. ↑ "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access. All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  115. ↑ "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases". AllAccess Music Group. 17 August 2017. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.