Say My Name (Tove Styrke song)

"Say My Name" is a song performed by Swedish singer Tove Styrke from her third studio album, Sway (2018). It was released as the album's lead single on 28 April 2017, through Sony Music. The song was written by the singer, Elof Loelv and Tinashe "T Collar" Sibanda, with production by Loelv. "Say My Name" is a minimal pop song with a prominent ukulele riff that Styrke convinced Loelv to integrate as a central part. She described the song as musically and lyrically different from the material of her previous studio album Kiddo (2015), and explained that working with Loelv helped her evolve her sound.

"Say My Name"
Single by Tove Styrke
from the album Sway
Released28 April 2017 (2017-04-28)
Genre
Length3:23
LabelSony Music
Songwriter(s)
  • Tove Styrke
  • Elof Loelv
  • Tinashe "T Collar" Sibanda
Producer(s)Loelv
Tove Styrke singles chronology
"Number One"
(2015)		 "Say My Name"
(2017)		 "Mistakes"
(2017)

"Say My Name" received positive reviews from music critics, who noted its simplicity and praised its catchiness. Music magazine Rolling Stone selected the single as the eleventh-best song of 2017. It was also nominated for Song of the Year at the 2017 Swedish MPA Awards. Commercially, the song managed to peak at number 85 on the Swedish singles chart, and marked Styrke's return to the chart following a six-year absence. The song's accompanying music video, directed by Daniel Skoglund, portrays the singer in colorful and simple sets with infinity mirror effects.

Background
Styrke at Malmöfestivalen in August 2018

For her third studio album Sway (2018), Tove Styrke wanted to "strip down production" while keeping the songs "interesting" with "[their] own I.D.[s]". She said "it's important to keep production sparse but make each song special".[2] In the summer of 2016, Styrke met with Elof Loelv and Tinashe "T Collar" Sibanda for a session that resulted in "Say My Name" being written.[3] It was the session's first conceptualized song to be finished.[4] Initially, Loelv presented the song's eventual bass line, which made Styrke burst into laughter as "it wasn't even a beat, it was two notes", she revealed to Out.[5] While writing, the trio were experimenting with various metaphors for saying somebody's name, including "Wear it out like a sweater that you love", which became part of the chorus.[3] Styrke enjoyed the lyric to the point that they began forming the song around it, stating that the lyric "really set the tone for the whole thing".[3][5] Loelv came up with the ukulele riff by accident and was reluctant to include it, but Styrke liked it and had to convince him to integrate it as a central part of the track.[4][6]

Styrke and Loelv reportedly spent several months "perfecting" the song,[2][6] as Styrke wanted to ensure they would put their best effort into it.[4] She told Pigeons & Planes that "it usually takes [them] a long time to complete a song but in the end it's so worth it".[4] In an interview for Time, she described "Say My Name" as "like a starting point of a new era", and further elaborated on working with Loelv, "I had been writing a lot prior to that, but it wasn't until I met Elof that it really clicked for me. Sometimes you need somebody to snap you out of your comfort zone to get better at whatever it is you're doing."[3] Styrke explained that the song differs from the material of her second studio album Kiddo (2015), which was "all about being loud and big", whereas "Say My Name" is "close and simple".[3] She said, "The trick is to be expressive and chill at the same time. For example, finding nuances in the voice instead of adding another instrument. And to me there's edginess in being just annoyingly damn sparse as well."[3]

Release

Styrke said to Pigeons & Planes that selecting "Say My Name" as the lead single for Sway was a "no-brainer", stating that "it really raised the bar in every way".[4] In the days prior to its release, the singer posted lyrics and snippets of the song on her social media.[7] The full track became available for digital download and streaming on 28 April 2017 through Sony Music.[8] The single's artwork depicts an illustrated cherry, which Styrke chose because she was "really into that emoji" and believed it fit well with the song.[9] An acoustic version produced by Swedish musician Björn Yttling premiered on 16 June 2017.[10][11] Another digital release subtitled Remixes was made available on 14 July 2017. The set includes three remixes by Franklin, Kretsen and Leon Lour.[12] Additionally, RCA issued a CD single of "Say My Name" for promotional purposes.[13]

Composition and lyrics

Musically, "Say My Name" is a pop song with dancehall and funk influences and a prominent ukulele riff.[4][14][15] Erica Russell, writing for PopCrush, said the track includes "a textural, strummy string riff and a follow-the-bouncing-ball beat".[16] Music commentators characterized the production as "deceptively simple",[4][5][17][18] and Styrke described it as "minimal".[19] Writer Issy Beech of Noisey viewed the track as "bouncing" and "offbeat",[14] while Idolator's Mike Wass noted a change of pace from Kiddo, writing that Styrke "explores a warmer, more organic soundscape".[18] Lyrically, "Say My Name" speaks of an instant infatuation.[20] The chorus includes the lines "Say my name / Wear it out like a sweater that you love / 'cause I can't get enough when you / Say my name".[17] Styrke elaborated to Time that the song's protagonist is "just completely comfortable with themselves".[3] Regarding its love theme, she explained to NME that she had previously avoided writing about the topic as she did not want to pen "another love song".[21] However, she changed her mind for "Say My Name" as she was "tired of being angry", opting for music that makes her "feel good".[21] She said, "There's a reason why so much music is about sex and love. It is linked to one's worst and best experiences."[21]

Reception

"Say My Name" was met with positive reviews. Issy Beech, writing for Noisey, wrote positively of the song and complimented the lyrical content, arguing that "[Styrke] has practically bottled warm weather and lust for life. She's bottled sex. She's bottled having a crush. She's bloody well managed to bottle how it feels to be a full, feeling human being."[14] Mike Wass of Idolator viewed the single as "devastatingly catchy",[18] and Variance's Lindsay Howard described it as a "glossy, summery cut".[22] Thomas Smith of NME opined that the song "oozes confidence and a star power that is ready to permeate and resonate with a wider audience".[21] Rolling Stone included "Say My Name" on their "50 Best Songs of 2017" list compiled by several writers, placing it at number 11. The writers deemed it a "fiendishly catchy" song "sung with wild Nordic verve".[20] Regarding the chorus, they wrote, "It's the best pop hook about cozy winterwear since Weezer's "Undone (The Sweater Song)."[20] In a separate article, Rolling Stone's Maura Johnston wrote that its "triumphant chorus ... makes love seem like the best kind of high".[23]

In 2017, "Say My Name" was nominated for the Song of the Year award at the Swedish MPA Awards,[24] hosted annually by the Swedish Music Publishers Association in honor of Swedish songwriters, lyricists and composers.[25] Ultimately, "Sexual" by Neiked and Dyo won the award.[26] Upon its release, "Say My Name" debuted at number 85 on the Swedish singles chart and remained on the ranking for a week. This marked Styrke's first appearance on the chart since "Call My Name" entered in 2011.[27] The single also charted below the top 50 of the Flemish Ultratip chart as an "extra tip" for four weeks.[28]

Music video

Daniel Skoglund directed the accompanying music video for "Say My Name".[29] It was produced by ACNE Production, with Tim Mardell as the producer, William Tornwall as the production manager and Stefan Ström as the editor. David Grehn was the cinematographer and Nicke Lund was in charge of the set design.[29] In an interview for Out, Styrke said she envisioned the video as "bold, bright and crisp", as well as "simple, but also playful and not boring".[5] Mirrors play a central part in the video as she deemed them symbols of self-appreciation.[5] She worked extensively with the color scheme as she wanted the visual to "pop".[3] The video sees Styrke dancing in minimal sets of various saturated colors. Several shots has the singer dancing among parallel mirrors, which create an infinity mirror effect.[3][29] The visual premiered on 11 May 2017 via Styrke's YouTube channel.[3]

Formats and track listing
  • Digital download[8]
  1. "Say My Name" – 3:23
  • Digital download[11]
  1. "Say My Name" (acoustic version) – 3:23
  • Digital download – Remixes[12]
  1. "Say My Name" (Franklin remix) – 3:11
  2. "Say My Name" (Kretsen remix) – 2:49
  3. "Say My Name" (Leon Lour remix) – 3:44
  • Promotional CD single[13]
  1. "Say My Name" – 3:23

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from Tidal.[30]

  • Songwriting – Tove Styrke, Elof Loelv, Tinashe "T Collar" Sibanda
  • Production – Elof Loelv
  • Mixing – Henrik Edenhed
  • Mastering – Tom Coyne

Charts
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[28] —[upper-alpha 1]
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 85

Release history
Country Date Format Label Ref.
Various 28 April 2017 Digital download Sony Music [8]
16 June 2017 Digital download (acoustic) [11]
14 July 2017 Digital download (remixes) [12]

Notes
  1. "Say My Name" did not enter the Ultratip 50, but charted below it as an "extra tip".[28]
gollark: I assume znepb also wants it zero-padded at the start, which your thing lacks.
gollark: Stop wanting that.
gollark: Do you literally want a *string* of 0s and 1s?
gollark: Use string.byte to change it to a number, then convert it to bits. Weird thing to want, though.
gollark: PotatOS only allows you to use strings as arguments to `load` anyway, for security reasons.

References
  1. Wass, Mike. "From 'Golden Hour' To 'Caution,' The 25 Best Albums Of 2018". Idolator. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  2. Garrick, David (12 March 2018). "Tove Styrke Brings Her Minimalist Pop To Houston". Houston Press. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  3. Bruner, Raisa (11 May 2017). "Swedish Pop Singer Tove Styrke Reintroduces Herself with a Bold New Video". Time. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  4. Skelton, Eric (28 April 2017). "Tove Styrke Returns With Bright, Summer-Ready Single 'Say My Name'". Pigeons & Planes. Complex Media. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  5. Moran, Justin (27 June 2017). "Say Her Name: Tove Styrke, the Biggest Pop Star You've Never Heard". Out. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  6. Feeney, Nolan (2 November 2017). "Breaking Big: Lorde opener Tove Styrke is worth showing up early for". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  7. O'Mance, Brad (25 April 2017). "Tove Styrke's shared a bit of her new single 'Say My Name' with the world". Popjustice. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  8. "Say My Name – Single av Tove Styrke" (in Swedish). iTunes Store (Sweden). Apple. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  9. Kent, Matthew (28 April 2017). "Tove Styrke returns with her best song yet". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  10. "Tove Styrke releases 'Say My Name (Acoustic Version)'" (Press release). Radioandmusic.com. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  11. "Say My Name (Acoustic Version) – Single av Tove Styrke" (in Swedish). iTunes Store (Sweden). Apple. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  12. "Say My Name (Remixes) – Single av Tove Styrke" (in Swedish). iTunes Store (Sweden). Apple. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  13. "Say My Name" (promo CD). RCA. 2017.
  14. Beech, Issy (5 June 2017). "I May Never Listen to Anything Other Than Tove Styrke's 'Say My Name' Again". Noisey. Vice Media. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  15. Mylrea, Hannah (4 May 2018). "Tove Styrke – 'Sway'". NME. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  16. Russell, Erica (20 September 2017). "Tove Styrke on Breaking Away from Being Perfect". PopCrush. Townsquare Media. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  17. Savage, Mark (9 May 2017). "Tove Styrke: 'Writing a pop song is like solving a puzzle'". BBC News. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  18. Wass, Mike (28 April 2017). "The Drop: Your Guide To New Music Friday". Idolator. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  19. Conner, Shawn (5 March 2018). "Q&A: Sweden's Tove Styrke sways with new electro-pop sounds". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  20. Various contributors (29 November 2017). "Tove Styrke, 'Say My Name'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  21. Smith, Thomas (28 April 2017). "New Music Of The Day: Tove Styrke: 'Say My Name'". NME. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  22. Howard, Lindsay (28 April 2017). "Listen: Tove Styrke Releases Glossy New Single 'Say My Name'". Variance. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  23. Weingarten, Christopher R.; Reeves, Mosi; Johnston, Maura (4 May 2018). "10 New Albums to Stream Now: Liz Phair, Rae Sremmurd, Leon Bridges and More Editors' Picks". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  24. TT (9 November 2017). "'Say my name' kan bli årets låt" ['Say my name' may become song of the year]. Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  25. "Swedish MPA Awards". Swedish Music Publishers Association. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  26. "The Swedish Music Publishers Association Prize 2017". Swedish Music Publishers Association. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  27. "Swedishcharts.com – Tove Styrke – Say My Name". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  28. "Tove Styrke – Say My Name" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  29. Bather, Luke (12 May 2017). "Tove Styrke 'Say My Name' by Daniel Skoglund". Promo News. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  30. "Say My Name / Tove Styrke". Tidal. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
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