Mood Swings (Pop Smoke song)

"Mood Swings" is a song by American rapper Pop Smoke featuring rapper and singer Lil Tjay, released on July 3, 2020, as track 13 from Pop Smoke's posthumous debut studio album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon. The "raunchy" R&B track marks the fifth collaboration between the rappers. Although the song charted in certain regions following the release of the album, it garnered even further success due to a TikTok trend.

"Mood Swings"
Song by Pop Smoke featuring Lil Tjay
from the album Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon
ReleasedJuly 3, 2020
GenreR&B[1]
Length3:33
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Beat Menace
  • Dizzy Banko
  • Kiwi
Audio video
"Mood Swings" on YouTube

Background and production

Pop Smoke and Lil Tjay previously collaborated on the tracks "War", "Mannequin", "Mary Jane" and "Zoo York", the latter from Lil Tjay's May 2020 EP State of Emergency.[2][3][4] Tjay also released "Forever Pop" in February 2020, a tribute track to Pop Smoke.[4]

The song originally had a different beat. Producer Beat Menace was contacted by Pop Smoke's team to create a new beat as the label wanted his "flavor". Because Pop Smoke's cadence was over the old beat, the producers had to work with the same flow, but managed to create a completely new sound. Producer Dizzy Banko, who incorporated drums and snares into the song, was personally contacted by Pop Smoke mere weeks before his murder. Pop's team approved of the new beat and the producers worked together with the label's engineer to further work on it. Lil Tjay was then added to the track.[5]

Composition

"Mood Swings" is a "sultry"[6] and "raunchy",[7] "heavy" R&B track.[1] The song contains gently percussive production which The Atlantic's Hannah Giorgis said "complements the artists amorous lyrics".[8] Pop "effortlessly" raps about having sex with women off their birth control, while issuing them a reminder that he is not interested in a relationship.[9] Arguing that the song is certainly "not romantic", Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork described it as "being pushed as a sweet-sounding love song with an edge, which seems about right, until you get to the unsettling lyrics".[10]

Critical reception
"[Mood Swings] tug at the heartstrings, not simply because Pop plays a convincing romantic, but also because they gesture towards his untapped potential, his eagerness to develop artistic range, even though he didn't need to."

— Rolling Stone's Danny Schwartz.[11]

Comparing it to Kanye West's sound on 808s and Heartbreak, Variety's A.D. Amorosi said the song, along with "Something Special", is so romantic, "they wind up as corny, but in a genuinely touching fashion". Amorosi concluded that "Having such delicious melodies to guide Smoke is what lifts these tracks. Whether he's barking about acquisition, ire or desire, Pop Smoke gets the art of song".[12] Roisin O'Connor of The Independent called the track "surprisingly tender" in comparison to other tracks on the album "that detail sexual encounters with a cold detachment".[13] NME's Dhruva Balram opined the song shows that Pop Smoke "had ambitions to break into multiple genres".[1] Similarly, Danny Schwartz of Rolling Stone praised Pop Smoke's versatility, stating, "It is endearing to hear him lower his guard, soften his rasp, trade his boundless swagger for tenderness, and offer the mushy overtures of a kid who loves cuddling nearly as much as sex.[11] The Atlantic's Hannah Giorgis said the song is one of the "surprising suite of tracks late in the album [that] finds Pop Smoke playing with a softer, more melodious sound, at times nearly singing, calling it "the most original" of its kind.[8] HipHopDX's David Aaron Brake criticized Lil Tjay's verse for being "half-assed" and poorly mixed, attributing this to his verse being a late addition to Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon.[14]

TikTok trend

In late July 2020, the song started trending on video-sharing app TikTok,[10] with videos set to the refrain "Shorty a lil' baddie/Shorty my lil' boo thing/And shorty got the fatty/Shorty be catching mood swings". These skits usually involve multiple people watching someone and commenting on their attractiveness. The videos also tend to showcase the humour when friends or family members join in while someone is eyeing a significant other. Another trend sees participants switching from more feminine to masculine attire, as Pop Smoke's deep vocals set in after Lil Tjay's.[15]

Charts
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[16] 10
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[17] 44
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[18] 30
Ireland (IRMA)[19] 15
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20] 43
New Zealand (RMNZ)[21] 6
Norway (VG-lista)[22] 23
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 27
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[24] 8
US Billboard Hot 100[25] 25
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[26] 19
US Rolling Stone Top 100[27] 9
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References
  1. Balram, Dhruva (July 3, 2020). "Pop Smoke – 'Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon review: Brooklyn rapper's posthumous debut matches rising star's ambition". NME. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  2. Espinoza, Joshua (February 21, 2020). "Lil Tjay Honors Pop Smoke With Tribute Song "Forever Pop"". Complex. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  3. Williams, Kyann-Sian (May 8, 2020). "Lil Tjay – 'State Of Emergency' EP review: trap'n'b star makes cynical grab for New York drill hype". NME. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  4. Darville, Jordan (February 20, 2020). "Lil Tjay shares Pop Smoke tribute "Forever Pop"". The Fader. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  5. Skelton, Eric; Setaro, Shawn; McKinney, Jessica. "The Making of Pop Smoke's 'Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon'". Complex. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  6. Giorgis, Hannah (July 17, 2020). "The Atlantic Daily: Is There a Song of the Summer?". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  7. Gee, Andre (August 10, 2020). "Posthumous Rap Albums and the Shattered Myth of Closure". Complex. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  8. Giorgis, Hannah (July 7, 2020). "Pop Smoke Made the Soundtrack of a Lost Summer". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  9. Gomez, Jade (July 8, 2020). "Pop Smoke Transcends on Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon". Paste. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  10. Pierre, Alphonso (July 31, 2020). "The Best and Worst of Rap This Week: The Arrival of Flo Milli and More". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  11. Schwartz, Danny (July 6, 2020). "Pop Smoke's Endless Summer Continues on 'Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  12. Amorosi, A.D. (July 2020). "Pop Smoke's 'Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon': Album Review". Variety. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  13. O'Connor, Roisin (July 3, 2020). "Pop Smoke – Shoot For the Stars Aim For the Moon review: Late rapper's album is brilliant and bittersweet". The Independent. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  14. Brake, David Aaron (July 16, 2020). "Review: Pop Smoke's No. 1 Album Proves He Was A Star Outside Of 50 Cent & Quavo's Help". HipHopDX. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  15. Sommer, Liz (August 13, 2020). "'Shorty A Lil Baddie'/Mood Swings By Pop Smoke On TikTok". StayHipp. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  16. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  17. "Ultratop.be – Pop Smoke feat. Lil Tjay – Mood Swings" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  18. "Pop Smoke Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  19. "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  20. "Dutchcharts.nl – Pop Smoke feat. Lil Tjay – Mood Swings" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  21. "NZ Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  22. "VG-lista – Topp 20 Single uke 33, 2020". VG-lista. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  23. "Swisscharts.com – Pop Smoke feat. Lil Tjay – Mood Swings". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  24. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  25. "Pop Smoke Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  26. "Pop Smoke Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  27. "Top 100 Songs, July 31, 2020 - August 6, 2020". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
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