Vulnerable (Selena Gomez song)
"Vulnerable" is a song by American singer Selena Gomez from her third studio album, Rare (2020). The track was written by Gomez, Amy Allen, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson, and Jonathan Bellion, with the latter handling production alongside the Monsters & Strangerz.
"Vulnerable" | |
---|---|
Song by Selena Gomez | |
from the album Rare | |
Released | January 10, 2020 |
Studio | Interscope Studios (Santa Monica, California) |
Genre | |
Length | 3:12 |
Label | Interscope |
Songwriter(s) |
|
Producer(s) | |
Lyric video | |
"Vulnerable" on YouTube |
The song received acclaim from music critics, who praised Gomez's vocals and the songwriting.
Background
["Vulnerable" is] actually one of my favorites as well, for that reason (the strength involved with taking and retaking leaps of faith, even when it doesn't work out). It is saying, after completely being depleted from life or whatever... I turned bitter for a while. I was extremely bitter and very dry. I was just disconnected to my feelings for so long. But I go to therapy, I talk about everything that I'm walking through. I felt like, "Why do I do this? Why do I give myself away to people, even if it's just friends or random people? Why do I do that?"
And I realized it is because one of my strengths, that I thought was a weakness, is being vulnerable. So when we worked on the song, that's exactly where it started. If I can give you all of myself, are you able to take that, and take care of that? And if you're not, then I'm still gonna be who I am. I'm just not gonna have you in my life, but I'm gonna continue to be who I am.
That is one of the favorite [things] that I've been hearing so far, from multiple people saying they love it, so that's super exciting. Because you never know -- it could be a single, you know? I don't know.
Composition
Musically, "Vulnerable" is a disco,[2][3] electropop,[4] and synth-pop song[5] with elements of italo disco and tropical house genres.[6] The song features a "moody synth groove",[7] a "chugging rhythm",[6] and vocoded vocals[6] with a "ghostly edge".[6] In terms of music notation, "Vulnerable" was composed using 4
4 common time in the key of G minor, with a tempo of 100 beats per minute.[8]. Gomez's vocal range spans from the low note F3 to the high note of D5, giving the song one octave and four tones of range.[8]
Critical reception
"Vulnerable" received critical acclaim. Quinn Moreland of Pitchfork called the song Gomez's "best performance" stating that she "sounds firm and assured even when she dips into a whisper."[9] Idolator highlighted the song as a "delight" from Rare.[10] Mike Wass from the website wrote that "Vulnerable" ranks "as one of best synth-pop offerings of 2020", calling it as "frighteningly addictive" as "musical heroin".[11]
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Rare.[12]
Recording locations
- Recorded at Interscope Studios (Santa Monica, California)
- Mixed at MixStar Studios (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
- Mastered at Sterling Sound (Edgewater, New Jersey)
Personnel
- Selena Gomez – lead vocals, songwriting
- The Monsters & Strangerz – production, instrumentation
- Jon Bellion – production, songwriting, instrumentation, backing vocals
- Amy Allen – songwriting, backing vocals
- Jordan Johnson – songwriting
- Stefan Johnson – songwriting, engineering
- Bart Schoudel – vocal production, engineering
- Gian Stone – additional vocal production
- Andrew Boyd – assisting
- John Hanes – engineering
- Serban Ghenea – mixing
- Chris Gehringer – mastering
- Will Quinnell – mastering
Charts
Chart (2020) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[13] | 87 |
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[14] | 13 |
Portugal (AFP)[15] | 129 |
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[16] | 14 |
Release history
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various | January 10, 2020 | Interscope | [17] |
References
- "Selena Gomez Has Found Peace With 'Rare': 'I'm in the Happiest Place I've Ever Been in My Life'". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- Wood, Mikael (January 9, 2020). "Selena Gomez has 165 million Instagram followers. Now she has her first great pop album". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- Greenblatt, Leah (January 9, 2020). "Selena Gomez's Rare is a danceable lesson in self-love and acceptance". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- Wass, Mike (January 13, 2020). "Album Review: Selena Gomez's 'Rare' Is A Pop Revelation". Idolator. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- Emma Maliborski (April 22, 2020). "Selena Gomez Learns the Language of Self-Advocacy on "Rare"". The Fordham Ram.
- Kheraj, Alim (January 10, 2020). "Every Song Ranked on Selena Gomez's 'Rare'". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- DeVille, Chris (January 9, 2020). "Selena Gomez's Rare Was Worth The Wait". Stereogum. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- "Selena Gomez "Vulnerable" Sheet Music in G Minor". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- Moreland, Quinn (January 14, 2020). "Selena Gomez: Rare Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- Wass, Mike (July 2, 2020). "The 20 Best Pop Albums Of 2020 (So Far)". Idolator. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- Wass, Mike (June 4, 2020). "Lost Hit: Selena Gomez's'Vulnerable' Should Have Been A Single". Idolator. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- Rare (CD booklet). Selena Gomez. Interscope Records. 2020.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "Selena Gomez Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 20, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- "Portuguesecharts.com – Selena Gomez – Vulnerable". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- "Selena Gomez Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- "Rare (Deluxe) by Selena Gomez". Apple Music. Retrieved April 21, 2020.