My Body (Young the Giant song)

"My Body" is a 2010 song by American alternative rock band Young the Giant from their eponymous debut album. Written by the band and released as a single in 2011, it peaked at number five on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and number 65 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Young the Giant performed "My Body" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards and the song was featured in NHL 15.

"My Body"
Single by Young the Giant
from the album Young the Giant
ReleasedJuly 2010 (digital download)
January 10, 2011 (US radio)
Recorded2010
Genre
Length4:05
LabelRoadrunner
Songwriter(s)
  • Sameer Gadhia
  • Jacob Tilley
  • Eric Cannata
  • Payam Doostzadeh
  • Francois Comtois
Producer(s)
Young the Giant singles chronology
"My Body"
(2010)		 "Cough Syrup"
(2011)

Background and composition

According to singer Sameer Gadhia, "My Body" was conceived at the end of a frustrating day for the band. "Why don't we just jam something out, like the most ridiculous thing you could imagine?" Gadhia recalled the discussion. "It doesn't even have to make sense. Just yell it out, because it means you're releasing your tension." Ten minutes later, he said, "the entire song had been created."[1] Guitarist Eric Cannata, in a separate interview, echoed Gadhia's remarks that the song "started just as a quirky joke" to help relieve stress. Cannata added, "The dynamic between tension and liberation came from the very basic literal interpretation of the struggle we experienced directly before the creation of the song. It was a stroke of inspiration, and later appreciated insight, that cut through a relatively frustrating time for us as writers."[2]

Gadhia told Spinner.com that the song "really embodies Young the Giant: a combination of youthful energy and slightly naïve but optimistic determination. It captures a sense of passion, urgency and excitement that we've felt throughout the writing and recording process."[3]

Release and critical reception

"My Body" was released onto the internet in July 2010 in advance of the band's debut album, which was released digitally in October.[3] The song entered the US Alternative Songs chart in January and peaked at number 5 in April.[4] Five months later, the song reached number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.[5] The song also peaked at number 54 in Canada and number 56 in the Netherlands.[6]

Billboard's Ryan Reed complimented Gadhia's vocals and wrote that the song "is representative of the group's charms, offering an infectious mix of stainless steel electric guitars, beefy drums and mammoth hooks."[7] In a review of the album, Caitlin Meyer of Consequence of Sound said, "with a danceable, building beat and an explosive anthem of a chorus, it's truly difficult not to put this song on repeat, sing along, and forgo listening to the rest of the album."[8] Chris Conaton of PopMatters compared the song's drumbeat to that of Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People", and said "My Body" is "one of the better tracks on the album".[9] Drowned in Sound's Alex Yau said the sound of the song's guitars is reminiscent of that on the Kings of Leon album Come Around Sundown.[10] Pitchfork's Ian Cohen described the song as "rank Cold War Kids karaoke".[11] The song has been covered by the Danish heavy metal band, Volbeat on their album Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies.

Live performances

Young the Giant performed "My Body" on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Fuel TV's The Daily Habit in January 2011, and then the BBC's Later... with Jools Holland in May.[12][13][14] In August, they performed "My Body" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards.[15] The band invited 300 fans from their hometown of Irvine, California onstage for the performance.[16] The appearance resulted in a 220 percent increase in digital downloads for the song during the following week.[5][17]

Charts and certifications
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References
  1. Mansfield, Brian (2011-04-11). "On the Verge: Young the Giant". USA Today. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  2. Jones, Rob (2011-01-13). "Interview With Young The Giant Who Perform 'My Body'". The Delete Bin. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  3. Ayers, Michael D. (2010-07-16). "Young the Giant, 'My Body' - Song Premiere". Spinner.com (AOL). Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  4. "Young the Giant Album & Song Chart History". Billboard (Nielsen Company). Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  5. Trust, Gary (2011-09-08). "Lil Wayne Scores 12 Simultaneous Singles on Hot 100". Billboard (Nielsen Company). Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  6. "Discografie Young the Giant" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  7. Reed, Ryan (2011-02-12). "Billboard Review: Young the Giant - 'My Body'". Billboard (Nielsen Company). Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  8. Meyer, Caitlin (2010-12-21). "Consequence of Sound Album Review - Young the Giant". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  9. Conaton, Chris (2011-02-21). "Music Reviews - Young the Giant". PopMatters. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  10. Yau, Alex (2011-08-23). "Releases: Young the Giant - Young the Giant". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  11. Cohen, Ian (2011-02-03). "Pitchfork Album Reviews - Young the Giant". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  12. Greenwald, David. "Young the Giant Talk TV Debut on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2011-01-11. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  13. Pettibone, Bryan (2011-02-16). "Young The Giant Extends Tour; New Video". College Music Journal. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  14. "BBC Music Showcase: Young The Giant - 'My Body'". BBC. 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  15. Kaufman, Gil (2011-08-03). "Young The Giant To Make VMA Performance Debut". MTV. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
  16. Benjamin, Jeff (2011-09-17). "Young The Giant Ride Post-VMAs Momentum". Billboard (Nielsen Company). Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  17. Barker, Andrew (2011-09-01). "Performers Get 'VMAs' Bump". Variety. Retrieved 2011-09-23.
  18. "Top Digital (Download e streaming) - Classifica settimanale WK 24 (dal 2012-06-11 al 2012-06-17)" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  19. "Alternative Songs – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  20. "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  21. "Canadian single certifications – Young the Giant – My Body". Music Canada.
  22. "American single certifications – Young the Giant – My Body". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 

Watch the "My Body" video on YouTube

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