I Used to Think I Could Fly
Studio album by
Tate McRae
ReleasedMay 27, 2022 (2022-05-27)
Genre
Length36:42
LabelRCA
Producer
Tate McRae chronology
Too Young to Be Sad
(2021)		 I Used to Think I Could Fly
(2022)		 Think Later
(2023)
Singles from I Used to Think I Could Fly
  1. "Feel Like Shit"
    Released: November 11, 2021
  2. "She's All I Wanna Be"
    Released: February 4, 2022
  3. "Chaotic"
    Released: March 25, 2022
  4. "What Would You Do?"
    Released: May 13, 2022

I Used to Think I Could Fly is the debut studio album by Canadian singer and songwriter Tate McRae, released on May 27, 2022, through RCA Records.[4] It was preceded by the singles "Feel Like Shit", "She's All I Wanna Be", "Chaotic" and "What Would You Do?".[5] McRae embarked on a tour in support of the album in June 2022.[6] The album was met with positive reviews from music critics, and saw commercial success, entering the top 10 in various countries, while debuting at number thirteen on the US Billboard 200.

Background

McRae told NME in 2021 that she analysed the "structures" of albums like Frank Ocean's Blonde (2016), Billie Eilish's When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019) and After Hours by the Weeknd (2020) as possible inspirations for the structure of her upcoming album.[5] She explained to People in February 2022 that a number of her songs were "just [her] diary entries" and that when she has "ugly feelings" she writes them down.[7]

McRae announced that she had finalized the track listing for the album and submitted it to her label on March 8, 2022,[5] and she revealed the title and cover on April 1, 2022.[8] After the album was originally set to have 12 tracks,[7] McRae confirmed the inclusion of the track "What's Your Problem?" when the official track list was announced on April 11, 2022, bringing the total number of tracks up to 13.[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.9/10[10]
Metacritic75/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Clash7/10[1]
DIY[12]
The Independent[13]
The Line of Best Fit7/10[14]
Pitchfork6.8/10[15]
Rolling Stone[3]
The Telegraph[16]

I Used to Think I Could Fly received generally positive reviews from critics, praising the production, lyrical content, McRae's vocal performance and maturity in content. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 75 based on 9 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11]

Ims Taylor of DIY wrote that McRae "pulls out all the emotional stops" on the album, calling her "confiding her deepest feelings in us [...] comfortingly universal". Taylor further complimented McRae's "lush" vocals and concluded that her "arsenal of jagged pop weapons is extensive, and can be expertly wielded when she wants".[12] John Amen wrote in The Line of Best Fit that "While McRae's previous outings may have been more complexly assembled, her new songs are more immediately accessible." He went on to conclude, "The new album is, in essence, McRae's first major step in forging a distinct pop presence."[14] Writing for The Independent, Roisin O'Connor found there to be "angst aplenty" on the album, stating that McRae "trades in the R&B and pop punk sounds that were prevalent in the Noughties" while "emulating the hard-hitting lyrical truths of her Gen-Z peers, Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo". O'Connor felt that McRae "sings like she's falling apart, but the quality of the album suggests she's got it together".[13]

Brady Bickner-Wood from Pitchfork wrote that "even when she's singing about self-loathing, the 18-year old pop star and dancer exudes a swagger. Her full-length debut proves she's capable of transcending online virality".[17]

Track listing

I Used to Think I Could Fly track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."?"Tate McRaeDavid Cook0:16
2."Don't Come Back"
2:32
3."I'm So Gone"
2:26
4."What Would You Do?"
2:46
5."Chaotic"
Kurstin2:55
6."Hate Myself"
  • McRae
  • Zaro
  • Puth
  • Slatkin
  • Puth
  • Slatkin
2:53
7."What's Your Problem?"
  • KBeaZy
  • Foote
2:47
8."She's All I Wanna Be"
  • McRae
  • Kurstin
Kurstin3:27
9."Boy X"
  • McRae
  • Glantz
Alexander 233:46
10."You're So Cool"
2:50
11."Feel Like Shit"
  • McRae
  • Zaro
  • Jacob Kasher Hindlin
  • Russell Chell
  • Harris
  • Chell
3:23
12."Go Away"
Harnage3:33
13."I Still Say Goodnight"
3:08
Total length:36:42

Notes

  • On some versions of the album, "What's Your Problem?" is excluded from the tracklist.[18]
  • "Don't Come Back" interpolates "Ride wit Me" (2001) performed by Nelly.[19]

Personnel

Musicians

  • Tate McRae – lead vocals
  • Alexander 23 – background vocals, drums, guitar (4, 9); synthesizer (4); bass, keyboards, percussion, programming (9)
  • Greg Kurstin – bass, drums, keyboards, piano, synthesizer (5, 8); guitar (8)
  • Sean Kennedy – guitar (9)
  • David Cook – background vocals (13)

Technical

  • Dave Kutch – mastering
  • David Cook – mixing (1, 11), engineering (5, 8, 10, 11), engineering assistance (9, 12)
  • Denis Kosiak – mixing (2)
  • Jon Castelli – mixing (3, 4, 6)
  • Mark Stent – mixing (5, 8)
  • Clint Gibbs – mixing (6)
  • Jeff Juliano – mixing (9, 11–13)
  • Manny Marroquin – mixing (10)
  • Henrique Andrade – engineering (2)
  • James Keeley – engineering (2)
  • Greg Kurstin – engineering (5, 8)
  • Julian Burg – engineering (5, 8)
  • Joey Raia – engineering (8)
  • Daniel Cullen – engineering assistance (2)
  • Ingmar Carlson – engineering assistance (3, 4, 6)
  • Ryan Nasci – engineering assistance (3, 4, 6)
  • Matt Wolach – engineering assistance (5, 8)
  • Eric Kirkland – engineering assistance (9, 12)
  • Chris Galland – engineering assistance (10)
  • Jeremie Inhaber – engineering assistance (10)
  • Robin Florent – engineering assistance (10)

Charts

Chart performance for I Used to Think I Could Fly
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[20] 10
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[21] 22
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[22] 15
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[23] 102
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[24] 3
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[25] 40
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[26] 37
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[27] 16
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[28] 36
French Albums (SNEP)[29] 174
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[30] 44
Irish Albums (IRMA)[31] 9
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[32] 53
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[33] 5
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[34] 5
Scottish Albums (OCC)[35] 7
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[36] 43
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[37] 28
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[38] 39
UK Albums (OCC)[39] 7
US Billboard 200[40] 13

Certifications

Certifications for I Used to Think I Could Fly
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[41] Gold 40,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 Miller, Isabella (May 27, 2022). "Tate McRae – I used to think I could fly". Clash. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Collar, Matt (May 2022). "Tate McRae - I Used to Think I Could Fly". AllMusic. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Kaplan, Ilana (May 27, 2022). "Review: Tate McRae's 'I Used to Think I Could Fly'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  4. ↑ Stone, Megan (April 1, 2022). "Tate McRae unveils debut album, 'i used to think I could fly'". ABC Audio. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 Richards, Will (March 9, 2022). "Tate McRae previews new song 'chaotic' and reveals her debut album is done". NME. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  6. ↑ Ackroyd, Stephen (March 8, 2022). "It looks like Tate McRae might have just finished her debut album". Dork. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  7. 1 2 Moore, Julia (April 1, 2022). "Tate McRae Announces Debut Album i used to think i could fly". People. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Tate McRae details debut album 'i used to think i could fly'". DIY. April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Tate McRae reveals debut album track list". DIY. April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  10. ↑ "I Used To Think I Could Fly by Tate McRae reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  11. 1 2 "I Used to Think I Could Fly by Tate McRae Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  12. 1 2 Taylor, Ims (May 25, 2022). "Tate McRae – I Used To Think I Could Fly". DIY. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  13. 1 2 O'Connor, Roisin (May 26, 2022). "Album reviews: Tate McRae – I Used To Think I Could Fly, and Just Mustard – Heart Under". The Independent. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  14. 1 2 Amen, John (May 27, 2022). "Tate McRae – I Used To Think I Could Fly | Album Review". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  15. ↑ Brickner-Wood, Brady (June 2, 2022). "Tate McRae: I Used to Think I Could Fly Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  16. ↑ French-Morris, Kate (May 27, 2022). "Tate McRae, I used to think I could fly". The Telegraph. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  17. ↑ Herrera, Isabella (March 24, 2020). "The Weeknd: After Hours Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 24, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
  18. ↑ "i used to think i could fly by Tate McRae on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  19. ↑ Assaly, Richie; Grant, Demar; Passafiume, Alessia; Ejiofor, Annette (May 27, 2022). "8 new songs you need to hear: Tate McRae, Yves Jarvis, Kanye West and more". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Tate McRae – I Used to Think I Could Fly". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Tate McRae – I Used to Think I Could Fly" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Tate McRae – I Used to Think I Could Fly" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Tate McRae – I Used to Think I Could Fly" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Tate McRae Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 23.Týden 2022 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  26. ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – Tate McRae – I Used to Think I Could Fly". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  27. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tate McRae – I Used to Think I Could Fly" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  28. ↑ "Tate McRae: I Used to Think I Could Fly" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  29. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Tate McRae – I Used to Think I Could Fly". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  30. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Tate McRae – I Used to Think I Could Fly" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  31. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Tate McRae". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  32. ↑ "2022 22-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. June 3, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  33. ↑ "Charts.nz – Tate McRae – I Used to Think I Could Fly". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  34. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Tate McRae – I Used to Think I Could Fly". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  35. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  36. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Tate McRae – I Used to Think I Could Fly". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  37. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Tate McRae – I Used to Think I Could Fly". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  38. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Tate McRae – I Used to Think I Could Fly". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  39. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  40. ↑ "Tate McRae Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  41. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Tate McRae – I Used to Think I Could Fly". Music Canada. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
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