Everything Is Embarrassing

Composition

"Everything Is Embarrassing" is a synthpop, dance-pop, and funk song, described as a "dance-worthy tune". It was written by Ferreira, Dev Hynes, and Ariel Rechtshaid, while the latter two produced the track. Hynes, a former friend of Ferreira, had sent her a demo of the song, which was inspired by a failed relationship; Ferreira then modified the original lyrics and structure along with Rechtshaid.

Release and promotion

With her debut studio album having been frequently delayed throughout the early 2010s, Ferreira released her second extended play Ghost on October 2, 2012 while simultaneously continuing production of her full-length record. "Everything Is Embarrassing" appears as the fifth of five songs on the track listing. The track was premiered through Pitchfork on August 30, 2012, and was later released as a single in the United Kingdom on April 16, 2013. It was later included on the compilation album Now That's What I Call Music! 46 compilation album, released on May 7, 2013. Remixes by Twin Shadow and Krystal Klear were released digitally on February 5 and March 25, 2013, respectively, while a remix by Unknown Mortal Orchestra was included on Ferreira's third extended play Night Time, My Time B-Sides Part 1, released on November 25, 2013.

In her debut television performance, she performed the track on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on January 7, 2013. She has also performed the track at the SXSW festival.

As of July 2013, "Everything Is Embarrassing" had sold 19,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. In Belgium, the song peaked at numbers 20 and 46 the Flanders and Wallonia Ultratip charts, respectively.

Critical response

"Everything Is Embarrassing" was met with acclaim from music critics. The single was named "Best New Track" by Pitchfork Media the day following its premiere In his review of Ghost, Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called the song "counterintuitive and brilliant" and "one of the year's unlikely pop gems". In an otherwise middling review of Ghost, Embling of Tiny Mix Tapes described the song as "so perfect, so potent that for once, you don't fear overexposure", further stating that it "transcends the present moment, not in a 'post-internet' sense, but in the way that it will soundtrack, for many people, memories of 2012".

Several publications and music blogs listed the song among the best of 2012, including Pitchfork Media, The Guardian, the Los Angeles Times, Billboard, Spin, Fact, the Bangkok Post, and New York, the latter of which named it the best song of the year. It was placed at number fifteen in the 2012 Pazz & Jop critics' poll. In 2014, Pitchfork Media placed "Everything Is Embarrassing" at number 14 on its list of "The 200 Best Tracks of the Decade So Far (2010–2014)", writing: "[The song] is ostensibly a done-with-your-shit kiss-off, and it's a glorious one", adding "she might be ready to move on, but she's still feeling a million conflicting emotions, and few songs capture that internal strife as honestly and effortlessly as "Everything Is Embarrassing" does."

Music video

Capitol Records requested that an accompanying music video for "Everything Is Embarrassing" with no budget be filmed following the track's online premiere; it was directed by Grant Singer, who had previously directed the clips for Ferreira's tracks "Sad Dream" and "Lost in My Bedroom", and was filmed in one day in Los Angeles before Ferreira was scheduled to depart for New York City shortly after. It was premiered through Pitchfork on October 1, 2012; the black-and-white clip sees Ferreira singing in various locations throughout the city, including a playground, on the Los Angeles Metro and the roof of the Capitol Records Building.