| "Speed Drive" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byCharli XCX | ||||
| from the albumBarbie the Album | ||||
| Released | 29 June 2023 (2023-6-29) | |||
| Recorded | 2023 | |||
| Genre | Hyperpop | |||
| Length | 1:57 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Easyfun | |||
| Charli XCX singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Speed Drive" onYouTube | ||||
"Speed Drive" is a song by English singerCharli XCX fromBarbie the Album, the soundtrack of the 2023 filmBarbie. The song was released on 29 June 2023 as the fourthsingle from the soundtrack and reached number nine on theUK Singles Chart, becoming Charli XCX's sixth top 10 single in the chart.
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Charli XCX was one of the first artists thatMark Ronson, the producer of theBarbie soundtrack, contacted to be featured on the album;[1] she, however, felt Ronson asked her "a little late in the game".[2] In anInstagram post on 22 June 2023, Charli XCX shared that she "always loved the escapism" that herBarbie dolls provided and that it was "kind of a full circle moment to be a part of this soundtrack and movie."[3] She revealed in a 2024Billboard cover story that she had written the song in 30 minutes.[2] Ronson talked about the work with Charli XCX:[4]
"When you’re telling someone where you want their song in the film, everyone wants to hear ‘opening credits’ or ‘closing credits,’ but not ‘car chase. [...] I remember Charli asked: ‘Where are you thinking this song is gonna go?’ And I said, ‘Err, I dunno, car chase?’ under my breath. And Charli just said: ‘This speaks to me in an immense way.’ Because Charli is just so amazing and she just loves that raw energy"
"Speed Drive" contains aninterpolation of "Mickey", written byMike Chapman andNicholas Chinn, and performed byToni Basil.[1] It also contains an interpolation of "Cobrastyle", written byKlas Åhlund,Joakim Åhlund,Patrick Arve,Ewart Brown, Fabian Torsson, Troy Rami, Paul Rota,David Parker andSylvia Robinson, and performed byRobyn; which itself is a cover of "Cobrastyle", performed byTeddybears featuringMad Cobra.[5] This caused the writing credits to be excessive in length, which Charli said "really sucks" for the writers as they didn't make much money from the publishing.[2]
"Speed Drive" was the third single to be released from theBarbie soundtrack.[1][6] Ahead of its release, Charli XCX shared a snippet of the song over a clip ofMargot Robbie from theBarbie film.[7]
Alex Gonzalez ofUproxx wrote that "Charli taps into her glimmery, pink energy, giving theBarbie universe the bop of the century."[8] Liberty Dunworth ofNME wrote that the single "may be brief—coming in at less than two minutes long—but still manages to pack a punch as one of the most energetic songs on the soundtrack."[9]
Steffanee Wang ofNylon wrote that "Speed Drive" sounded "hyperpop frenzy" and "one of the album’s highlights".[10] Cat Zhang ofPitchfork also called the track the "relative highlight" of its parent album and "more clever than the rest ofBarbie's selections".[11]
| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Guardian | The 20 Best Songs of 2023 | 12 | [12] |
| Pitchfork | The 100 Best Songs of 2023 | 56 |
On 1 August 2023, Charli filmed an official music video for the song, which was released on the 16th of August 2023. The music video for "Speed Drive", directed by Ramez Silyan, premiered via Charli XCXYouTube channel.[14] The video featured a cameo ofSam Smith andDevon Lee Carlson.[15][16][17]
In the United Kingdom, "Speed Drive" reached number nine on theOfficial Singles Chart, becoming Charli XCX's sixth top 10 single and her first as a lead artist since "Doing It" withRita Ora in 2015.[18] In the United States, the song became the singer's first entry on theBillboard Hot 100 since "Break the Rules" in 2014,[19] her fifth song to chart overall.[10]
The commercial success of "Speed Drive", which Charli dubbed "random", inspired her to write her 2024 track "Rewind".[2]
All credits are adapted from CD liner notes ofBarbie the Album.[20]
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[21] | 22 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[22] | 47 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[23] | 44 |
| CanadaCHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[24] | 48 |
| Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[25] | 37 |
| Germany (GfK)[26] | 82 |
| Global 200 (Billboard)[27] | 58 |
| Guatemala Anglo (Monitor Latino)[28] | 17 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[29] | 7 |
| Latvia (EHR)[30] | 30 |
| Netherlands (Single Tip)[31] | 9 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[32] | 22 |
| Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[33] | 39 |
| Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[34] | 61 |
| Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[35] | 9 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[36] | 89 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[37] | 9 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[38] | 73 |
| USPop Airplay (Billboard)[39] | 22 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[40] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[41] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| Poland (ZPAV)[42] | Platinum | 50,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[43] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 29 June 2023 | Atlantic | [44] | |
| Italy | 30 June 2023 | Radio airplay | Warner | [45] |
"Speed Drive" became Charli XCX's first song since 2014 to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 73
