Released 11 February 2016 Genre Synthpop | Format Digital download Length 3:44 | |
Label Inertia
Monkey Puzzle
RCA Writer(s) Sia Furler
Greg Kurstin
Sean Paul Henriques (remix only) | ||
"Cheap Thrills" is a song recorded by Australian recording artist Sia for her seventh studio album, This Is Acting (2016). It was written by Sia and Greg Kurstin, while solely produced by Kurstin. An official remix version of "Cheap Thrills" features vocals by Jamaican performer Sean Paul and was made available for digital download on 11 February 2016 as the record's second single. This version was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. The song is a "bouncy", "reggae-tinged" synthpop song that incorporates "a constant tropical beat and electropop-style synth layers". Paul added his own lyrics to the remix of the song.
Contents
- Background and composition
- Critical reception
- Live performances
- Music videos
- Commercial performance
- Usage in other media
- References
In the United States, "Cheap Thrills" became Sia's first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Paul's first since "Temperature" in 2006; it also topped the national Mainstream Top 40 and Radio Songs charts. Among other countries, it also reached the top position in France, Germany, Canada and Italy, whilst going top ten in Australia. In the United Kingdom, the song reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart, marking Sia's highest peak as a lead artist in the region.
Background and composition
"Cheap Thrills" was written by Sia and Greg Kurstin, and produced by Kurstin. It was originally intended to be performed by Rihanna for her album Anti (2016), but was rejected by her. It is a "bouncy", "reggae-tinged" synthpop song. The song features "a constant tropical beat and electropop-style synth layers".
The remix of the track features a toast from Jamaican reggae recording artist Sean Paul.
"Cheap Thrills" is written in common time with a tempo of 90 beats per minute. The song's chord progression, F♯m–D–A–E, may be read either as i-VI-III-VII in F♯ minor or, more likely, as vi-IV-I-V in A major; it is a variant of the I–V–vi–IV progression. Sia's vocal range in the song spans an octave, from B3 to D5.
Critical reception
Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone called it a "bouncy party anthem", whilst The Guardian described it as "a perfectly serviceable party tune". Nick Levine of NME praised the track's production "and there's no denying this is another superior slab of on-trend ear candy from one of pop's finest songwriters." A CBS affiliate's critic wrote that the song was the No. 3 song that "saved 2016", calling it a "formidable hit".
Live performances
Sia has performed "Cheap Thrills" on various television shows and concerts, with a group of dancers usually led by either Maddie Ziegler or Stephanie Mincone dancing to the same choreography as in the music video, including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in January 2016, American Idol in March, Coachella in April, and YouTube's Brandcast event in New York City and the season finale of The Voice, both in May.
Music videos
A lyric video featuring Sean Paul performing a new verse was released on 10 February 2016. In the video, a faceless couple wearing wigs (the dancers Minn Vo and Stefanie Klausman), which have become part of Sia's signature look, win a dance contest on a black-and-white television show reminiscent of American Bandstand. The video, directed by Lior Molcho, has been viewed more than 780 million times.
Sia and Daniel Askill directed a performance video featuring Maddie Ziegler dancing with two male dancers to Ryan Heffington's choreography, which was released on 21 March 2016. The three dancers wear beige, with black and blonde hairstyles and gloves in the half-and-half style used in most of Sia's videos for This Is Acting. They dance on a bare stage, with Sia at a rear corner singing into a microphone while wearing a similar bobbed two-toned wig, a large bow and a white dress. Billboard wrote that "the video features the same type of intense, captivating choreography as some of [Sia's] other work. This time, Ziegler is backed by two other dancers, and the trio seems to blend as one". Teen Vogue said that Ziegler "delivers another powerful performance". The video has been viewed more than 240 million times.
Commercial performance
The song reached No. 1 in over 20 countries, including Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. In Australia, it was eventually certified quadruple platinum for shipments of over 280,000 copies, and reached No. 6. In New Zealand, the song reached No. 3, and was certified double platinum for sales of over 30,000 copies. The song reached the top three in European countries, and was awarded with various certifications, including Quadruple Platinum in Sweden, Five time Platinum in Spain, and Double Diamond in Poland. In the UK, it peaked at No. 2 for four weeks, and was certified double platinum for shipments of over 1.2 million copies. The song became the best selling and highest certified single of all time in Italy, Reaching Nine-time Platinum status, with sales of over 450,000 copies.
In South and Central America, the song reached the top 10 in Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela, top 5 in Guatemala, and No. 1 in Argentina.
In the United States, the song debuted at No. 81 and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the issue dated 6 August 2016. The song became Sia's first number-one single in the country, and Sean Paul's fourth; he returned to the top 10 after ten years. With "Cheap Thrills," Sia became the first woman over 40 to top the Hot 100 since Madonna topped the Hot 100 with "Music" in 2000. It became the tenth best-selling song in the US in 2016, and has sold 1.7 million copies in the country as of December 2016.
Usage in other media
The song is featured in the television series Rosewood. The song is also included in the 2016 dance video game Just Dance 2017.