Don't Matter Now

"Don't Matter Now" is a song by English singer-songwriter George Ezra. The song was written by Joel Pott and George Ezra, with production handled by Charles Hicks, Cam Blackwood and Joel Davies. It was released to digital retailers on 16 June 2017, as the lead single from Ezra's second studio album Staying at Tamara's (2018).[1]

"Don't Matter Now"
Single by George Ezra
from the album Staying at Tamara's
Released16 June 2017 (2017-06-16)
Length2:57
LabelSony
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
George Ezra singles chronology
"Barcelona"
(2015)		 "Don't Matter Now"
(2017)		 "Paradise"
(2018)
Music video
"Don't Matter Now" on YouTube

Background

On 12 June 2017, Ezra announced the song's release date through a tweet, along with a video teaser.[2] On 15 June 2017, the song premiered on Annie Mac's Radio 1 show.[3][4]

When asked by NME magazine about when the song was written, Ezra said: "I actually wrote the song at the tail end of 2015. I tell crowds at gigs that I wrote this song when the biggest thing we had to worry about was whether David Cameron had a sleepover with a pig. That gets a little chuckle. But it's true – those were the headlines. And in the last 18 months, the song has made more sense to me."[5]

Talking about the song's background, he said: "I wrote 'Don't Matter Now' to remind myself, primarily, that it's okay to want to take yourself away from situations from time to time," said Ezra. "It was one of the first new songs I wrote after 'Wanted On Voyage', all the way back in sunny 2015. Events from back then can seem quite trivial at this point, but the song has made more sense to me as time has gone on. In time I realised that it wasn't just me that was suffering from anxiety, it wasn't just me that was confused, and that there's no harm in not always understanding what's going on in the world around you."[1]

Music video

A music video was released alongside the single. Shot in Barcelona, it was produced by Canada and directed by Marc Oller.[3] Ezra can be seen going on a road trip with a dog,[6] it also revealed Ezra's life with anxiety. Ezra said: "The dog had a bloody agent! The dog was getting more care than I was. And on the second day of filming, it bared its teeth at me! That put me on edge. I'm still learning when it comes to music videos. But I wanted this to express a feeling, which I think it does." [5] The video has over 8 million views as of December 2018.[7]

Live performances

On 7 June 2017, Ezra performed five new songs in Bath on his "Top Secret" tour, with "Don't Matter Now" being one of them.[8][9] On 21 June, Ezra performed the song on The One Show,[10] then again three days later at Glastonbury Festival 2017.[11][12]

Critical reception

Andrew Trendell of NME regarded the song as an "anthemic showcase of Ezra's songcraftsmanship" and the "cathartic ode to being honest about how you're really feeling".[1] Gabriel Aikins of Substream Magazine wrote that the song "combines Ezra's trademark acoustic guitar with horns on a track about letting go of the things that don't matter to more fully enjoy life".[6] Kirstie Sutherland of Redbrick wrote: 'Don't Matter Now' is typical George – happy-go-lucky, care-free and just really bloody lovely."[13] Heather Carrick of The National Student wrote: "George's famously low vocals blend seamlessly into the mid-tempo melody, backed up by an old timey trumpet-infused backing track creating a chilled-out, seaside-inspired song."[4]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[14]

  • George Ezra – composer, lyrics, vocals, guitar, percussion, synthesizer
  • Joel Pott – composer, lyrics
  • Charles Hicks – mixer
  • Cam Blackwood – producer, engineer, vocals, guitar, organ, programming, synthesizer
  • Joel Davies – mixer
  • Dan Grech-Marguerat – mixing engineer, programming
  • Dave Kutch – mastering engineer
  • Liam Thorne – engineer, vocals, programming, synthesizer
  • Florrie Arnold – vocals
  • Billie Marten – vocals
  • The Atlantic Horns – brass
  • Matthew Racher – drums, percussion, programming

Charts
Charts (2017) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[15] 5
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[16] 12
Iceland (RÚV)[17] 19
Netherlands (Single Tip)[18] 23
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[19] 42
Slovenia (SloTop50)[20] 33
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[21] 66

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Gold 400,000

sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

gollark: I mean, there's a difference between "actually causes significant problems" and "violates social norms a bit"...
gollark: :/
gollark: *there is a velociraptor behind you*
gollark: Ah, but the thing may not be a complex thing.
gollark: Down with facebook!

References
  1. Andrew Trendell (16 June 2017). "George Ezra addresses battles with anxiety on new single 'Don't Matter Now'". NME. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  2. Liam Konemann (12 June 2017). "George Ezra is releasing a new single 'Don't Matter Now' on Friday". Dork. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  3. "George Ezra is back! Listen to 'Don't Matter Now'". DIY. 16 June 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  4. Heather Carrick (17 June 2017). "Hear This: George Ezra - Don't Matter Now". The National Student. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  5. Jamie Milton (19 June 2017). "George Ezra on being an "anxious person" and the optimism behind his new album". NME. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  6. Gabriel Aikins (16 June 2017). "George Ezra hangs out with a dog in "Don't Matter Now"". Substream Magazine. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  7. GeorgeEzraVEVO, George Ezra - Don't Matter Now (Official Video), retrieved 2018-12-07
  8. Jamie Milton (8 June 2017). "George Ezra previews new album on 'Top Secret' tour". NME. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  9. Stephen Ackroyd (8 June 2017). "George Ezra played five new songs in Bath last night as he celebrated his birthday". Dork. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  10. "The One Show: 21/06/2017". Radio Times. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  11. "George Ezra makes a Geoff-tastic return at Glastonbury 2017". DIY. 24 June 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  12. Ackroyd, Stephen (24 June 2017). "Watch George Ezra bring the old and the new to Glastonbury 2017". Dork. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  13. Kirstie Sutherland (19 June 2017). "Single Review: George Ezra – Don't Matter Now". Redbrick. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  14. "Don't Matter Now / George Ezra TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  15. "Ultratop.be – George Ezra – Don't Matter Now" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  16. "Ultratop.be – George Ezra – Don't Matter Now" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  17. "TOPP20 LISTINN 18. JÚNÍ - 1. JÚLÍ 2017". RÚV. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  18. "Dutchcharts.nl – Dutch Single Tip – 12/08/2017" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  19. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201734 into search. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  20. "SloTop50: Slovenian official singles weekly chart" (in Slovenian). SloTop50. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  21. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  22. "British single certifications – George Ezra – Don't Matter Now". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 17, 2020. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Don't Matter Now in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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