All in My Head (Flex)

Background and release

Prior to the release of their second studio album 7/27, Fifth Harmony member Dinah Jane Hansen shared on Instagram her thoughts on her favorite album track "All in My Head (Flex)": "The vibe and rhythm to this I feel represents me best as a South Pacific Islander [...] This is just one of those feel-good songs that you can't help but jam to, no matter where you're at or who you're with!"

Composition

"All In My Head (Flex)" is a reggae-pop song with a length of three minutes and thirty seconds. The track samples the song "Flex" by Jamaican DJ Mad Cobra which itself interpolated elements of The Temptations' "Just My Imagination". The song opens with the member Dinah singing the chorus features a "reggae guitar" chords and "crisp clicks". Following the rap performed by Fetty Wap, Ally Brooke belts out on the first verse: "Curtains like waves closing in all around us, dimming the lights just so that they don't blind us." backed by the percussion and guitar chords, Lauren start to sing: "I wanna feel you un- feel you under my body", followed by the guitar dropping off and the synths-backed bridge.

Critics analysis

Peter Meister from the site Sputnikmusic call the song of "sassy and badass, who flexes his muscle with might within the funky, glowing synths crashing with the industrialized percussion which breaks free and explodes at all angles." In a brief album review, the New York Post described the song as having "a jaunty electronic reggae-ish beat." In review of the album "Lewis Corner" of Digital Spy described the song an "urban-pop undertone, which is brought to life with light reggae guitar plucks and crisp clicks." Rolling Stone's Christopher R. Weingarter wrote that the song share the same "island rhythm" of "Them Girls Be Like" from Reflection (2015;).

Commercial performance

"All in My Head (Flex)" debuted at number 78 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart dated July 9, 2016, in the same week the song climbed from the number 32 to the number 26 on US Pop Songs. Following the release of its accompanying music video, the song rose from number 78 to number 40 on the Hot 100–prompted by a 115% sales increase sold (17,000 downloads sold) and a 42% to a 24 million in radio audience that week– and also debuted at number 32 on US Streaming Songs chart with 7,1 million streams in US (up 112 percent) winning Streaming Gainer honors. For the week ending August 6, 2016, the song rocketed from number 37 to 29 on the Hot 100, giving the group the third top 30 song. The song peaked number 24 on the chart dated August 20, 2016. It has sold over 1 million units in the United States being certified as platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The song debuted at number 42 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart for the week ending July 16, 2016. In its ninth charting week, the song jumped one position peaking 21 on the chart. In Australia, it entered the ARIA Singles Chart at number 66 on the chart dated June 4, 2016 and peaked at number 19 on the chart. The song debuted at number 35 on the New Zealand Singles Chart for the week ending Jund 20, 2016, and has since peaked at number 8. It debuted at number 82 on UK Singles Charts issued for July 8, 2016 and has since peaked number 25.

Development and release

The music video, directed by Director X (who was also behind the camera for Fifth Harmony's "Work From Home" video) was filmed in Malibu, California on May 17, 2016. The music video premiered on Vevo on June 23, 2016. Set on a beach and tropical environment, the group dance on top of rocks and pose in different ways barefooted during their individual solos and wearing different swimsuits as they frolic on the sand and tides.

Synopsis

The video begins with the member Dinah singing the chorus accompanied of the group dancing on the beach, Fetty Wap is also seen performing his solo isolated from the group. Ally Brooke is showing singing the first verse lying in the sand following of Lauren, who sings the bridge, the chorus back and the group sings together on the beach again. The scene change to Camila singing the second verse choreographing on the sand (shirtless men appear briefly throughout the video during each of the member' moments). As day turns to night and five men encounter the girls walking up the beach, as they join them in a party sporting beach wraps. After the second chorus, Fetty Wap is seen sing-rapping his parts of the song on the rocks of the shore accompanied of the scenes where the group dancing at night.

Reception

Gil Kaufman from Billboard describing the video, wrote: The clip finds the ladies of 5H dancing and serving up their best surfside poses while singing the reggae-tinged song on a picturesque beach." According with, just hours after its debut, the video had already racked up nearly 460,000 views. Lucas Villa from the site AXS said, "Fifth Harmony flexes its grown woman side freely in this video, which arrives just in time for summertime." Bianca Gracie of the site Fuse TV noted that the group "strutting on the beach, proudly showing off their curvaceous bodies and letting their smiles glow as bright as their tans." On August 11, 2016, the video reached 100 million view and received a certified in the digital platform VEVO, becoming the sixth video of the group to reached the mark.

Live performances

The group performed the song for the first time on television on May 22, 2016, during a special encore performance on Xfinity following the 2016 Billboard Music Awards, where they also performed "Work from Home". On May 24, 2016 the group performed the song on the season 22 finale of Dancing with the Stars. The quintet also performed the single on June 13, 2016 on the iHeart Radio Honda Stage in Los Angeles. While promoting in Australia, they performed the song at the Grand Finale of the fifth season of The Voice and on Sunrise.