Lips Are Movin

Background and release

"Lips Are Movin" is a bubblegum pop, doo-wop and R&B song. It includes half-sung, half-rapped vocals and a retro-soul melody with beats and a percussion-heavy arrangement. VH1 described it as "a feisty, upbeat track" that "has some spunky lyrics". According to James Cowan of Canadian Business, the song "shares the same girl-group-influenced harmonies, wry lyrics and candy palette" of its predecessor, "All About That Bass". Musically, "Lips Are Movin" was likened to Christina Aguilera's "Candyman" (2007) by Carl Smith of Sugarscape.com. The song's tempo is 139 beats per minute. It is composed in the key G major. Trainor's vocals span the tonal nodes F₃ to B₅. The song's chord progression is G–Am–C–G.

The song's lyrics are about a philandering, untruthful man; they include, "if your lips are movin', then you're lyin', lyin', lyin, babe". It was reportedly written in eight minutes by Kevin Kadish and Meghan Trainor and produced by the former.

On October 14, 2014, the song's artwork and a full-length low-quality version were leaked online. The same day, it was announced by the label that "Lips Are Movin" would be released to contemporary hit radio in the U.S. on October 21, 2014, as Trainor's second single. The song was offered first on Shazam, and also premiered on MTV News the following day. The song garnered radio play from three radio stations the same day, six days before its radio release date. The song was released as a download on the same date in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. It was later released worldwide—except in the United Kingdom—instantly made available to those who pre-ordered Title, In the United Kingdom, the song was released as a download on January 18, 2015.

Critical reception

Critics compared it to Trainor's previous single, "All About That Bass". Christina Garibaldi of MTV News referred to "Lips Are Movin" as a catchy ladies' anthem. 4Music's Jessica Lever called it "another pop classic", and said, "with the same sass as her debut song, we're sure this one's also going to rock the music world". Billboard said "Lips Are Movin" "is definitely in the same vein as 'All About That Bass,' which spells great things for the song ... ". Megan Friedman of Seventeen enjoyed the song's references to its predecessor, saying, "when you need a pick-me-up song to help you brush off the haters, you can count on Meghan Trainor".

Some reviewers noted that the song made Trainor from a one-hit wonder to a successful pop artist: one of them included Brian Mansfield of USA Today, who called it much better than "All About That Bass", and Stefan Kyriazis of the Daily Express. Sarah Lipoff of PopSugar ranked "Lips Are Movin" as the ninth-best song of 2014. In a negative review, Ben Rayner of the Toronto Star said "Lips Are Movin" is "whitewashed into a fairly anodyne mush ... the hip-hop bump and plush basslines that intrude ... are pure cosmetic window dressing". Nolan Feeney of Time said the track sounded too similar to its predecessor; she wrote,"From its retro sound to its handclaps and post-chorus chant, 'Lips Are Movin' seems designed to milk the success of [Trainor's] breakout hit". Slant Magazine's Alexa Camp compared "Lips Are Movin" to its predecessor, writing that it "strictly adheres to the same beat sheet as its predecessor (doo-wop throwback, girl-group harmonies, bubblegum-pop hooks)".

Chart performance

"Lips Are Movin" debuted at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100 issued for November 8, 2014. The song became the "Most Added" in the Mainstream Top 40 format that week. It reached number 50 in its third week on the Billboard Hot 100. On December 10, 2014, "Lips Are Movin" rose from number 13 to eight. Its increase was aided by an eight–five position (two percent) rise on Digital Songs (110,000 copies), 13–7 position (20%) rise on Streaming Songs (7.8 million streams), and a 44–36 (26%) rise on Radio Songs (36 million radio audience) charts. "Lips Are Movin" peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Trainor's second consecutive top-five hit in the U.S., and peaked at number four on the Mainstream Top 40 chart. The single peaked at number seven on the Canadian Hot 100, and at number five on that country's Digital Songs chart.

"Lips Are Movin" debuted at number seven on the Australian Singles Chart on November 9, 2014, peaked at number three the following week, and spent 11 weeks in the chart's top ten. It was Trainor's second consecutive top-three single in Australia, and was certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for sales of 140,000 copies."Lips Are Movin" entered the New Zealand Singles Chart at number 30 on November 10, 2014. It reached number eight in its sixth week and peaked at number five, becoming Trainor's third consecutive top-ten hit in that country. In the UK, the song rose from number 50 to number two on January 25, 2015, but was blocked from the top spot by Mark Ronson's song "Uptown Funk". "Lips Are Movin" debuted at number 96 on the Irish Singles Chart issued for November 20, 2014, and peaked at number five on the chart dated January 29, 2015. In Germany, the song peaked at number ten, becoming her second top-ten song there, and was certified gold for shipments of 200,000 copies. Elsewhere in Europe, "Lips Are Movin" peaked within the top-ten in Austria, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Spain, and peaked at number three on Billboard's Euro Digital Songs. In France, the song peaked at number 154.

Background and concept

Philip Andelman directed the music video for "Lips Are Movin". It was filmed in Los Angeles. It premiered on Trainor's Vevo account on November 19, 2014. Trainor told MTV News, "Here's me being sassy and other people dancing with me and having just a good time and trying to get through this feeling of, Ugh he's cheating on me again". The video was commissioned by information technology corporation Hewlett-Packard. It features several "influencers"—actors, dancers and set designers with large social media followings. The influencers featured in the video include set designer Bri Emery; actors Marcus Johns, Cody Johns, and Robby Ayala; YouTube and Vine star Liza Koshy; dancers Les Twins; Spanish stylist Sara Escudero; hair stylist Kristin Ess; Japanese nail artist Mei Kawajiri; American dancer Chachi Gonzales; and Pomeranian dog Barkley the Pom. Andelman suggested showcasing behind-the-scenes events occurring during a music video shoot, which was used as the video's theme. Trainor's team asked the ad agency 180LA to make the music video similar to "All About That Bass" and not stray too far from it.

Synopsis

In the song's music video, Trainor sings into a red microphone in front of a pastel blue wall. She is sometimes flanked by backup dancers and television screens. Lips are used as a motif throughout the video; they appear as closeups of Trainor's mouth and as a large drawing of lips used as a backdrop. Yahoo! Music writer Lyndsey Parker compared the video to the poster for The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Trainor wears lip-shaped earrings and sunglasses in the video, and is seen reclining on a lip-shaped sofa. Parker compared the sofa in the video to the sofas used in the American television program So You Think You Can Dance. The video's set changes constantly; props are lifted on-and-off screen by workers throughout the clip.

Reception

The music video received over 2,500,000 YouTube views in less than two days. Billboard writer Andrew Hampp said its production was a "historic milestone in the realm of YouTube creators". Cowan of Canadian Business said, "Cynics will view this as a decidedly stodgy brand trying to make itself hip by hanging out with cool kids. But a less-jaded eye might call it something else—arts patronage for the 21st century". Writing for music website Idolator, Bradley Stern called the video a "squeaky-clean visual," and praised its bright and colorful imagery, while Daily Express writer Stefan Kyriazis called it "red hot". Mike Pell of MTV UK wrote that the clip continued the bubbly, bright themes of Trainor's "All About That Bass" video, and that the singer's sequinned kitty top resembled one Katy Perry wore for the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards. Yahoo! writer Lyndsey Parker remarked about Trainor's fashion in the video; and said it "seems to be an unofficial campaign to land her own M.A.C. Viva Glam endorsement deal". Fuse's Hilary Hughes wrote that the video was a bold and sassy sentiment, and that its style shift from "All About That Bass" "definitely made a statement". Hughes described the video's dance routine as "fierce"; she called it "a super-meta technicolor dance party". Mashable's Brian Anthony Hernandez wrote, "The visuals are what you would expect from a bouncy pop song: young dancers, colorful backgrounds, quirky outfits and exaggerated expressions".

Live performances

Trainor performed "Lips Are Movin" live on NBC's Today on November 5, 2014, at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 27, and on the season 7 finale of America's The Voice on December 16. She performed a medley of "Lips Are Movin" and "All About That Bass" on the season 19 finale of America's Dancing with the Stars. She performed an acoustic version of "Lips Are Movin" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on January 15, 2015. Trainor included the song in her set list for the Jingle Ball Tour 2014, as well as the sets of her 2015 That Bass and MTrain Tours.

Formats and track listings

1. "Lips Are Movin" – 3:01

1. "Lips Are Movin" – 3:03
2. "Lips Are Movin" (instrumental) – 3:03