| "Not My Fault" | ||||
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| Single byReneé Rapp andMegan Thee Stallion | ||||
| from the albumMean Girls (Music from the Motion Picture) | ||||
| Released | December 15, 2023 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:50 | |||
| Label | Interscope | |||
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| Lyricist(s) | ||||
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| Reneé Rapp singles chronology | ||||
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| Megan Thee Stallion singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Not My Fault" onYouTube | ||||
"Not My Fault" is a song by American singerReneé Rapp and American rapperMegan Thee Stallion from the 2024Mean Girls musical film adaptation, in which Rapp portraysRegina George. The song was written by the artists and theBroadway musical's original composerJeff Richmond and original lyricistNell Benjamin, alongsideRyan Tedder,Alexander 23, Billy Walsh, andJasper Harris and was released on December 15, 2023, as the lead single for thefilm soundtrack. Thedisco-funkpop rap song became the most commercially successful single off the soundtrack and a moderate chart success, peaking at number 2 on theBillboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 and charting in theUK andCanada at numbers 61 and 82, respectively.
It is one of the two songs written specially for the film, with the others songs being from the original stage musical. The song plays during theend credits scene and is the only song from the soundtrack that is not used as a musical number.
The song was first announced on December 10, 2023 by Megan Thee Stallion in a clip via Reneé Rapp'sInstagram account.[1] On December 13, Rapp posted the cover art of the single onTwitter, commenting "meg told me to put my ass out so I put my ass out".[2]
"Not My Fault" plays during the closing credits ofMean Girls. In an interview withTheWrap, Rapp revealed how the song came about:
I had one day off on tour while I was inL.A., for theOakland and then Los Angeles show, and honestly, I knew we needed an end credits [song]. And I really was just like, "Damn, I have one day off, we might as well just try. Because if we don't, then I'm not going to be able to think about anything the next month while I'm away, and I'll be stressed because I will have to do it on the road, and I'd like to be in like a studio that I feel good in. So we just went in one day, me and a couple of my friends who I work with a lot, and it was just the first song that happened. It came and it ended up being like the one that we love.[3]
A disco-funk inspired "disco-pop" song[4][5] andpop rap song[6] with themes of self-love and empowerment,[5] "Not My Fault" opens with dialogue sampled from the original 2004 filmMean Girls, in whichCady Heron yells atJanis Ian: "You know what? It's not my fault you're like in love with me or something!"[4][5][7][8][9][10][11][12] It is followed by the chorus, in which Reneé Rapp sings about leaving a party with someone else's girlfriend: "It's not my fault / You came with her but she might leave with me / It's not my fault / You've gotta pay for what I get for free".[4][5][7][8][10][11] Rapp continues to emphasize her superiority in sexual attractiveness,[9] dismissing gossip about her in the first verse[4] and hinting her sexual attraction to women in the second verse: "Get her number, get her name / Get a good thing while you can / Kiss a blonde (Kiss a blonde), kiss a friend (Okay) / Can agay girl get an, 'Amen?' (Amen; woo)".[4][7][8] In the third verse, Megan Thee Stallion similarly boasts being sexually alluring,[9] describing she is a "mood" and a "stallion but they comin' for me likeTrojan"[10][12] and claiming "Bitch so bad, dudes thought I wasA.I., ballin' likeA.I.",[4][8][12] before calling herself the "Black Regina George".[4][5][8][9][10][11][12]
An official music video premiered on January 5, 2024. Directed by Mia Barnes, it shows Reneé Rapp and Megan Thee Stallion dressed in all pink,[13][14] dancing together in a pink room,[15][16] snatching wigs off of and smashing plastic mannequins,[13][14][15][16] and mirroring each other.[15] Later on, Rapp receives "Regina George" tattoos on her body and wears darker clothes,[16][17] and Megan wears the character's white tank top outfit from the original film, with holes showing off her purple bra.[18][19] Rapp also starts a school riot in the second half of the video.[17] The video features scenes from the 2024Mean Girls film and an appearance of the "burn book".[19]
Reneé Rapp and Megan Thee Stallion performed the song for the first time onSaturday Night Live on January 21, 2024. The performance was introduced byRachel McAdams, who played Regina George in the originalMean Girls film.[20]
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