Me and the Rhythm

Recording and release

Following the unexpected success of "Good for You" on music charts worldwide, Gomez met with label representatives to request that the album's mixing be delayed in order to record additional music with "Good for You" songwriters Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter. After their previous collaboration, Gomez became "super obsessed" with Michaels and Tranter, and felt that they created "magic" in the studio, with the singer going on to say she "felt like Julia was me and I was Julia." Her label authorized the delay and the team worked for four days, ultimately creating three songs, two of which appeared on the record: "Hands to Myself" and "Me & the Rhythm". As the last song to be created for Revival, Gomez has called "Me & the Rhythm" a personal favorite from the record. When asked about collaborating with Gomez, Michaels commented: "I think Selena is a lot like Justin and I, in the way that…when you find something that you feel connected to, and it’s real and it’s honest, you don’t let it go. You see where it can lead you." A snippet of the track was first teased along with the official artwork on September 26, 2015, which depicts Gomez gazing into a mirror while wearing a black bondage-style bra. Later, the song was fully released as the album's first and only promotional single on October 2, 2015, followed by the album's two singles, "Good for You" and "Same Old Love". During her Today concert, Gomez performed the song on a medley with previous hit "Come & Get It".

Composition

"Me & the Rhythm" was written by Selena Gomez, Justin Tranter, Julia Michaels and production team Mattman & Robin (Mattias Larsson and Robin Fredriksson), who also produced the track. They were also the song's vocal producers, as well as being responsible for programming, drums, percussion, synths and bass, while Michaels provided background vocals. It was described as a dance, disco, R&B and synthpop song, with its instrumentation consisting in deep house beats, steel drums, smoky synths and pulsating percussion, while Gomez delivers a "heightened" and whispered vocals. Its opening "pulsing beats" were compared to "70's Donna Summer disco jams" by Samantha Schnurr of E! Online, while Zach Dionne of Fuse compared to Carly Rae Jepsen's Emotion album. Meanwhile, Mike Wass of Idolator noted that the song is "the most obvious link between the 'Stars Dance' and 'Revival' eras," as well as compared it to Kylie Minogue circa 'Fever', mostly 'Come into My World', and 'Body Talk'-era Robyn.

Lyrically, "Me & the Rhythm" talks about letting go and losing yourself on the dance floor, while being free within that moment and yourself. According to Gomez, "[I]t's not about love. It's just about feeling that moment and being present. Everyone's on their phones, everyone's doing this, and it's just about you and what you're experiencing in that moment." During the pre-chorus, she sings with a sense of "drippy" sexuality: "And everybody wants to be touched / Everybody wants to get some / But don't you play a song about love / When I move my body / I don't have to talk about none / Let the chemicals do its stuff / 'Til the energy is too much." During the chorus, she declares: "I’d be lying/ If I said I didn’t need/ Yeah the rhythm, me and the rhythm." During the bridge, Gomez gives "a Janet Jackson-esque speaking verse, where she speaks: "If you feel like you're the spark, then come out of the dark."

Critical reception

"Me & the Rhythm" received acclaim from contemporary music critics. Tim Sendra of AllMusic picked the song as one of the album's highlights, noting that Gomez "sounds most at home" on the track, "where the smoothness of her voice fits in with the vacant abandon of the beat." Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone applauded the song for "find[ing] her sounding completely in control of her own euphoria", while appreciating "[h]er brand of sexiness" for having "a coy, subtle quality that never tries too hard." Mike Wass of Idolator called it "another breathy synth-pop adventure, the genre she conquered on album number four, but there’s a simplicity and sophistication to the production that sets it apart." Wass also praised the fact that "her casual disinterest is perfectly suited to the icy, quintessentially Scandinavian arrangement." In another review, he also highlighted that the song is "a pop anthem with an unexpected twist" and that it has "an air of sophistication to the arrangement and vocal delivery that sets it apart." Carolyn Menyes of Music Times named it "the most straightforward dance track from 'Revival'," adding that it "begs to be played at the next club night."

Alex Kritselis of Bustle was also positive, noticing that "[it] doesn't sound like anything else Gomez has ever recorded — and that's really exciting. She's experimenting with different genres and [...] using her voice in new ways." Samantha Schnurr of E! Online remarked that Gomez "has definitely found her rhythm" on the track, calling it "[e]qually as catchy as her first single," also observing that "Gomez's signature airy vocals are on full blast backed by an upbeat tempo perfect for strutting out on the dance floor in a pair of platform heels." Ali Szubiak from Popcrush also commented about her vocals, writing that they are "as sultry as ever here, with a Lana Del Rey-inflection she’s affected that doesn’t feel as artificial as it could — the more speak-sing attempt works for her, and she knows it." He also perceived that it "maintains the sleek and sexy appeal of Selena’s first Revival single 'Good for You', but it’s far less crawling-on-the-ground seductive and more subtle in its appeal." Writing for Fuse, Zach Dionne was very positive, defining the song as "[e]qual parts romantic and club-ready," while declaring that the song "might be our favorite 'Revival' tune to date."

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.