Blow That Smoke

"Blow That Smoke" is a song by American electronic music group Major Lazer featuring Swedish singer Tove Lo, released on October 17, 2018 as the seventh and final single from Major Lazer Essentials, released two days later. It was premiered on Zane Lowe's show on Beats 1.[1] It marks the first collaboration between the group and Lo.

"Blow That Smoke"
Single by Major Lazer featuring Tove Lo
from the album Major Lazer Essentials
Released	October 17, 2018
Genre	Dance electropop Afropop
Length	3:42
Label	Mad Decent
Songwriter(s)	Maxime Picard Phillip Meckseper Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson Clement Picard Jakob Jerlström Ludvig Söderberg Sibel Redžep Thomas Wesley Pentz
Producer(s)	Diplo Jr Blender The Picard Brothers
Major Lazer singles chronology
"Loyal" (2018) "Blow That Smoke" (2018) "Can’t Take It From Me" (2019)
Tove Lo singles chronology
"Bitches" (2018) "Blow That Smoke" (2018) "Win Win" (2019)

Composition

"Blow That Smoke" is a tropical dance and electropop song rooted in Afropop with elements of dancehall and reggaeton.[2][3][4][5] Tove Lo said she and the group "had a few sessions and tried to find more days together, but we're never in the same place long enough to actually make it work", so she sent Diplo her vocals for a song, which he liked and put to a track. Lo told Zane Lowe that she later heard the finished version of the song, which had been sped up about 10 BPM from what was a "very slow, moody song to begin with".[6]

Critical reception

Billboard's Marina Pedrosa called the song a "tropical dance anthem" as well as an "electropop tune" containing a "sultry beat with a dash of reggaeton" that Lo's "angelic voice" sings lyrics like "I got the keys to heaven now/Babes all around and they got my mind spinning" over.[2] Mike Wass of Idolator positively contrasted the song with Lo's solo material, noting that on "Blow That Smoke" it sounds like she is having fun. Wass also stated that the song "sounds like a hit" and said Lo "coos over a mellow, island-inspired beat".[3]

Writing for Dancing Astronaut, Chris Stack named it a continuation of Major Lazer's recent output "celebrating their Afrobeat roots" and also judged it had a "sultry island beat".[4] Patrick Doyle of Rolling Stone felt that the song had "Afropop roots" as well as being a "bouncey stomper with a West African guitar riff and heavy groove".[7] Winston Cook-Wilson of Spin named it a "Caribbean-flavored track that fits with Major Lazer's usual stylistic M.O. more closely than Tove Lo's usual, more acerbic sensibility".[8] Jael Goldfine of Stereogum said it "might just be the lowest-key song either artist has ever made".[9]

Promotion

Both Lo and Major Lazer announced on social media that they would be releasing a collaboration in the same week, with Lo calling it a "sweet surprise" and sharing a snippet of the track.[3]

Charts

Chart (2018–19)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[10]	42
Bolivia (Monitor Latino)[11]	20
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[12]	25
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[13]	54
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[14]	71
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[15]	21

References

1. @majorlazer (October 16, 2018). "blow that smoke is the world record tmrw. tune in at 9AM PT/12PM ET @zanelowe @beats1 💨 💨" (Tweet). Retrieved October 17, 2018 – via Twitter.
2. Pedrosa, Marina (October 16, 2018). "Major Lazer Teams Up With Tove Lo for Steamy 'Blow That Smoke': Listen to Preview". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
3. Wass, Mike (October 15, 2018). "Tove Lo Teams Up With Major Lazer For New Single, 'Blow That Smoke'". Idolator. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
4. Stack, Chris (October 16, 2018). "Major Lazer and Tove Lo preview new dancehall joint 'Blow That Smoke'". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
5. Doyle, Patrick (17 October 2018). "Hear Major Lazer, Tove Lo's New Afropop Anthem 'Blow That Smoke'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
6. Price, Joe (October 17, 2018). "Listen to Major Lazer and Tove Lo's New Song 'Blow that Smoke'". Complex. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
7. Doyle, Patrick (October 17, 2018). "Hear Major Lazer and Tove Lo's New Afropop Anthem 'Blow That Smoke'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
8. Cook-Wilson, Winston (October 17, 2018). "Major Lazer – 'Blow That Smoke' ft. Tove Lo". Spin. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
9. Goldfine, Jael (October 17, 2018). "Major Lazer & Tove Lo Team Up On "Blow That Smoke": Listen". Stereogum. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
10. "Ultratop.be – Major Lazer feat. Tove Lo – Blow That Smoke" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
11. "Bolivia General" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
12. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 29, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
13. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201849 into search. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
14. "Swedishcharts.com – Major Lazer feat. Tove Lo – Blow That Smoke". Singles Top 100. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
15. "Major Lazer Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2018.