Really Don't Care

Composition

"Really Don't Care" is an uptempo dance-pop song, with influences of bubblegum pop, that runs for three minutes and twenty-one seconds. Lloyd makes a brief appearance during the bridge. Lyrically, the song is a message of defiance to a former lover, with Lovato confidently singing such lines as "Even if the stars and moon collide, I never want you back into my life." The song was written in the key of G major. Lovato originally wrote the song as a breakup song. She wanted to make it a more empowering song. Lovato said in an interview, "I wanted to make it more empowering. When I thought of the lyrics 'really don’t care', it made me think of bullying, and made me think of the LGBT community, who deal with that so often, but they accept themselves."

Critical reception

Billboard writer Jason Lipshutz praised Lovato's "sassy" confidence on the track, which effectively showcases her "overpowering pipes". He also commented positively on the placement of the song on the track list, noting that "Really Don't Care" serves a "buoyant reprieve" after more emotionally heavy tracks. Sam Lansky of Idolator described the song as "irresistibly spunky", but found Lloyd's short feature to be superfluous. 4Music called the song "a brilliant break-up survival anthem that sticks it to every annoying ex ever". On the other hand, Melinda Newman of HitFix found the song to be too generic, comparing it to Icona Pop's breakout hit "I Love It" (2012).

Commercial performance

Before it was released as a single, "Really Don't Care" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 98. After it was released as a single, it peaked at number 26 making it Lovato's eighth top 40 entry on the Hot 100 and making Cher Lloyd's third entry on that chart and second top 40 single since her song "Want U Back". On the US Dance Chart, it became Lovato's third number one and Lloyd's first number one on that chart.

Background and synopsis

The official music video was released on June 26, 2014, although few teasers for the video were previously uploaded on Lovato's official YouTube channel. The video starts off with Lovato expressing her support for the LGBT community and saying that "[her] Jesus loves all." After that, the music starts and Lovato is seen singing her single at the parade. The video was filmed on June 8, 2014 at the LA Pride Parade and features cameo appearances from Perez Hilton, Kat Graham, Shane Bitney Crone, Bria Kam and Chrissy Chambers, John Taylor, Travis Barker and Wilmer Valderrama. Cher Lloyd also appears during the bridge part of the song. The video was directed by Ryan Pallotta.

Lyric video

The lyric video was uploaded on May 14, 2014 on Lovato's Vevo account. The video features the lyrics of the song above several shots of Brazilian fans lip syncing the song as well as some scenes from concerts where Lovato performs the song during the concert tour. During the video, Lovato makes an appearance to surprise some of the fans. At the end, a message is displayed to thank the Brazilian fans for helping out with the filming of the lyric video.

Live performances

Lovato performed the song on several occasions before its official release as a single. Once released in May 2014, performances include on the Season 13 Live Final of American Idol, Good Morning America Summer Concert Series, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and the 2014 Teen Choice Awards. The song was also included in the setlists for The Neon Lights Tour and the Demi World Tour. Furthermore, the song was part of Lovato's setlist at the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Festival on September 18–19, 2015. Was lipsynced to on episode 9of RuPaul's Drag Race (season 7)

Certifications

Since May 2013 RIAA certifications for digital singles include on-demand audio and/or video song streams in addition to downloads.