Format Digital download Length 3:52 | Recorded 2013 Label earMUSIC | |
Released May 31, 2015 (2015-05-31) (UK) Genre J-pop, heavy metal, avant-garde metal | ||
"Gimme Chocolate!!" (ギミチョコ!!, Gimi Choko!!), is a song by the band Babymetal from their self-titled debut album. Though it was not released as a single in Japan, the song became an international success, with its music video gaining over 50 million views on YouTube. Later, it was released via earMusic in the United Kingdom on May 31, 2015 as a digital single. The song also was featured in the video game Rock Band 4 as a downloadable song.
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Background and release
The song premiered on December 21, 2013 at Makuhari Messe, nearly coinciding with Nakamoto's 16th birthday. The song was first released in Japan as part of the band's debut album Babymetal on February 26, 2014, with a live music clip of the premiere uploaded to YouTube the day before, on February 25, 2014. The song received a release in the United Kingdom as a digital single on iTunes on May 31, 2015, one day before the physical rerelease of the album.
Composition
"Gimme Chocolate!!" is composed and arranged by Takeshi Ueda of The Mad Capsule Markets. The song begins with elements of thrash metal. During the verses, Mizuno and Kikuchi shout onomatopoeias such as "Atata tatata zukkyun!" while the chorus showcases the vocals of Nakamoto with a quick transition to pop melodies and a major key, with the phrases transitioning back and forth several times. The lyrics talk about girls struggling with the pressure to maintain their figures. Nakamoto explained "[The lyrics of the song are] about girls and women who love to eat chocolate. But they are (…) afraid about putting on weight."
Reception
"Gimme Chocolate!" received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Journalist Brian Mansfield of USA Today called it "a bizarre blend of death-metal, EDM rhythms and sugary J-pop melodies", as the song "begins with a speaker-shredding guitar assault that quickly gives way to machine-gun-rapid chirpy vocals and a chorus as addictive as chocolate-covered cereal and Saturday morning cartoons." In addition, Fuse listed the song as one of the nine most experimental girl group songs of all time, stating that "it's totally jarring upon first listen. But you'll catch yourself humming along with the chorus soon enough."
The song peaked at number 5 on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart. After the release of the band's second album Metal Resistance, in the week of May 14, 2016, the song charted at number 54 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.
Music video
Directed by Ryosuke Machida, the music video was filmed during the first live performance of the song at Makuhari Messe on December 21, 2013 as part of the concert Legend "1997" Su-metal Seitansai. The music clip was first teased on YouTube on February 3, 2014; the video was released in its entirety on the official YouTube channel, coinciding with the release of Babymetal (in Japanese time). The video brought the band to global success and has been viewed over 50 million times (as of September 2016) and has been featured in commercials for Chromecast in Japan. The video also appears in the limited editions of Babymetal in the DVD, along with music videos of other Babymetal songs.
Live performances
After the release of their debut album, the band performed the song live regularly at venues, including an opening act for Lady Gaga at ArtRave: The Artpop Ball. On June 12, 2015, the band made a surprise performance of the song, as well as "Road of Resistance" in collaboration with the band DragonForce in Download Festival. On September 20, 2015, the band performed a version of the song remixed by Skrillex at Ultra Japan. On April 5, 2016, Babymetal made their U.S. television debut, performing the song on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Track listing
Digital download
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from Babymetal album liner notes.