"Unholy" is a song by British singerSam Smith and German singerKim Petras. It was released on 22 September 2022 throughEMI Records andCapitol Records as the second single from Smith's fourth studio albumGloria (2023) and as a bonus track on Petras' debut studio albumFeed the Beast (2023). It was teased by Smith on theirTikTok account a month before its release and went viral due to its use inthirst trap-style videos. Produced byIlya,Omer Fedi,Blake Slatkin,Jimmy Napes, andCirkut and written by them alongside Smith and Petras, "Unholy" is a sexually chargedelectropop,dance-pop, andsynth-pop song with choral andhyperpop influences. It uses thePhrygian dominant scale and its lyrics are about a family man who cheats on his wife at a strip club.
"Unholy" received mostly positive reception from critics, many of whom considered the song a standout fromGloria and praised its sound as catchy yet unusual, while others found the song less transgressive than it was intended to be and criticized Petras's verse. Its win forBest Pop Duo/Group Performance at the65th Annual Grammy Awards made Petras the first openlytransgender artist to win a major-category Grammy Award. "Unholy" topped theUK Singles Chart for four weeks and theBillboard Hot 100 for one week, making Smith and Petras the first openlynon-binary and openly transgender solo artists, respectively, to have a number-one song on the latter chart. The song replacedSteve Lacy's track "Bad Habit" at number one on theBillboard Hot 100, making it the first time in the charts history that two tracks by openlyLGBTQ+ artists topped the chart consecutively.[1][2] It also topped the charts in 18 other countries and theBillboard Global 200 chart, and became the sixteenth best-selling global single of 2023, earning 1.17 billion subscription streams equivalents globally according to theInternational Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).
The music video for "Unholy", directed by Italian-Canadian directorFloria Sigismondi, depicts Smith and Petras performing at an erotic cabaret with burlesque dancers to a woman who follows her adulterous husband there. It features cameos from American drag queensViolet Chachki andGottmik and gay pornographic actorPaddy O'Brian. "Unholy" was performed live by Smith on their 2023 headlining concert tour,Gloria the Tour, on an episode ofSaturday Night Live, at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards–where Smith and Petras's Satanic performance caused controversy among American conservatives, who accused the artists ofdevil worship–and at theBrit Awards 2023.
Petras agreed to work with Smith on "Unholy" after being sent a rough draft of the song and the two first met atCapitol Studios in Los Angeles a week later.[4] "Unholy" was recorded in Jamaica and produced byIlya,Omer Fedi,Blake Slatkin,Jimmy Napes, andCirkut, all of whom co-wrote the song with Smith and Petras.[7] Napes had previously collaborated with Smith on their hit songs "Stay with Me", "Too Good at Goodbyes", "Latch", "Lay Me Down", and "Writing's on the Wall".[3] It was first teased in mid-August through a clip onTikTok, which shows Smith and Petras dancing in a recording studio to a snippet of it that went viral and spurred a trend of sexually charged,thirst trap-style videos on the platform.[8][5] Disclosure also teased the song, playing their remix of it in live sets.[9] On 25 August, Smith announced the track's title and a pre-save link.[10] On 22 September 2022, it premiered onBBC Radio 1 and was released as a single throughEMI Records andCapitol Records.[11][12][6] It was included on their fourth studio album,Gloria, which was released on 27 January 2023.[13]
Its lyrics are about anadulterous[14] heterosexual[29] family man who goes to a strip club behind his wife's back to have sex.[18][30] Smith described it as being about "liberating oneself from the clutches of others' secrets".[7] In its hook, Smith sings, "Mummy don't know Daddy's getting hot/At the Body Shop/Doing something unholy"—referencing the Body Shop, the first all-nude strip club on theSunset Strip inHollywood—accompanied by an "oh-wee-oh-wee-oh" chant popularized by thewinged monkeys from the 1939 filmThe Wizard of Oz.[24][5] Petras's verse featuresbraggadocio and sees her asking her lover to buy her luxury clothing.[25] Chris Molanphy ofSlate remarked upon the song's "sinister edge" and "high-camp energy" and compared it to "early-2010s peak-EDM era"pop music by artists such asAvicii andKesha.[5] Neil McCormick ofThe Telegraph described it as "a cross between aBrecht &Weillcabaret showstopper and aPet Shop Boyselectro stomp".[31]
ForThe New York Times, Lindsey Zoladz wrote that "Unholy" "sounds like the most fun [Smith has] ever had on a song".[15] In a review ofGloria, Helen Brown ofThe Independent called "Unholy" the "stand-out banger" of the album, while Elly Watson ofDIY picked it as an "undoubted standout" from the album, where, according to her, its "catchy melodies" were "elsewhere untouchable".[25][32]The Sydney Morning Herald's Annabel Ross called it "promising" compared to other "inoffensive" songs on the album.[33] ForVariety, Jem Aswad wrote that "Unholy" was "one of the most musically innovative and unusual songs in years" to top theBillboard Hot 100.[30] It was praised as an "inescapably catchy" "masterpiece of oversexualised nonsense" that "leaves everything else [onGloria] feeling rather grey" by theEvening Standard's David Smyth.[34] Lauren Murphy ofThe Irish Times called it a "musical banger... that booms, clatters and pings in all the right places", whileAllMusic's Andy Kellman called the song "[Smith's] most distinctive dance-pop song since 'Latch'" and "without doubt anomalous in Smith's songbook".[35][18]
Slant's Paul Attard described "Unholy" as the "towering centerpiece" ofGloria with lyrics that were "a little too cutesy to ever feel as truly transgressive as the music itself".[26]Vulture's Jason P. Frank wrote that it was "a difficult song to get excited about" and "impressively un-tantalizing, the most basic kind of infraction", also asking, "Is this truly the best gender transgression we have to offer right now?"[29]Slate's Chris Molanphy wrote that "Unholy" was "serviceable radio fodder" that was "almost conventional in its adherence toTop 40 trends" and that he "waver[ed] between delight and annoyance at [the song's] hook".[5] ForPitchfork, Jamieson Cox wrote that "Unholy" "sound[ed] worse in an album-length context" and that "its transgressive glee scann[ed] as shallow and theatrical up against more grounded, mature material" onGloria.[36] Kyndall Cunningham, writing forThe Daily Beast, stated that she "vehemently disliked" the song, which she referred to as "a little too intense and, conversely, unserious" with an "unbearably cheesy" opening line, before hearing it onGloria, where "the intensity of the track finally made sense in [her] ears" after hearing its transition from "Perfect", the previous song on the album.[37]
BuzzFeed News's Alessa Dominguez commended the song's "zany originality" compared to the rest ofGloria, which she called "uneven". Petras's verse was praised by Dominguez, who wrote that she "plays her sugar baby role to perfection", though it was called "trite" by Mark Richardson ofThe Wall Street Journal and "unimpressive" by Riley Moquin ofThe Line of Best Fit.[38][23][39]
"Unholy" entered atop theUK Singles Chart on 30 September 2022, becoming Smith's eighth UK number-one to date—tying them withOasis andthe Rolling Stones onthe list of artists with the most number-one singles in the UK—and Petras's first, having racked up 5.9 million streams in the UK in its first week.[50] It spent a total of four weeks at the top of the chart.[3] The song also debuted at number one on theARIA Singles Chart, making it Smith's second number-one single in Australia and Petras's first.[51] It also topped the charts in Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Greece, Ireland, Hungary, Lithuania, Malaysia, Netherlands, and Slovakia.[52]
In the United States, the song debuted at number three on theBillboard Hot 100 for the chart issue dated 8 October 2022.[53] It earned Petras her first career entry on the chart.[53] In its fourth week, it reached number one, becoming the first song from either artist to reach the top of the charts and Smith's highest-charting single, surpassing 2014's "Stay With Me", which peaked at number two.[12] Petras and Smith became the first openly transgender and openlynon-binary soloists, respectively, to reach number one on the chart.[54] It also became the first Capitol Records single to top the chart sinceLewis Capaldi's song "Someone You Loved" did in 2019 and the first EMI Records single to top the chart since British bandEMF's song "Unbelievable" did in 1991. The collaboration tallied 25.3 million streams, 21.5 million radio airplay audience impressions and 19,000 downloads sold.[12] It was alsocertified double platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in March 2023.[55] The song surpassed one billion streams onSpotify on 3 April 2023, making it a part of the platform's Billions Club and becoming Smith's fifth song, after "Stay With Me", "I'm Not the Only One", "Too Good at Goodbyes", and "Dancing With a Stranger" (featuringNormani), and Petras's first song to reach the milestone.[56] "Unholy" also spent four weeks atop both theBillboard Global 200 and theBillboard Global Excl. US charts.[57]
The music video for "Unholy" depicts, from top to bottom: A man putting a coat on his wife after they exit a car; Smith dancing with androgynous backup dancers; Petras in a heart-shaped ring; and the video's cast, including the wife, taking a bow next to the man
The music video for "Unholy" was released on 30 September 2022.[12] Inspired byA Clockwork Orange andBob Fosse, it was directed byFloria Sigismondi and choreographed by the French dance collective (La)Horde.[58][59] The video opens on a man, played by Henry Davis, opening a car door for his wife (Maren Fidje Bjørneseth), who exits and is given a coat by the man after she starts shivering. The two part ways as she enters a strange building and looks at a condom-themed invitation to a club called the Body Shop. Her husband enters the club, which is disguised as an auto shop but is actually a sex club and cabaret for which Smith, who wears a leather harness[28] and is accompanied byandrogynousburlesque dancers, is theMC. Drag queensViolet Chachki andGottmik, both of whom were contestants onRuPaul's Drag Race, and pole-dancing strippers also appear at the club, along with gay pornographic starPaddy O'Brian. Petras soon arrives onstage in a heart-shaped ring and dances atop a car. The man is brought onto the stage before his wife arrives at the club to find him laid out in front of a suspended car with the words "liar", "cheat", and "fumier"—the French word for "shit"—spray painted on it. The woman walks down an aisle and gets on stage, taking off her wig and coat to reveal that she was part of the cast all along before taking a bow.[60][61]
Smith and Petras performed "Unholy" live upon its release on 22 September 2022 forBBC Radio 1.[11] The two gave their first public live performance of "Unholy" at theiHeartRadio Music Festival inLas Vegas the day after its release.[6] The two also performed the song at theJingle Bell Ball in December 2022.[62] In January 2023, Smith was the musical guest on aseason 48 episode ofSaturday Night Live hosted by actressAubrey Plaza the week before the release ofGloria, where they performed "Unholy" in a top hat with devil horns and a large, pink, and ruffled dress designed by Tomo Koizumi that revealed Petras sitting inside of it; the performance also featured hooded dancers.[63][64] Michael Cragg ofThe Face wrote that the performance "felt exciting" as "an emblem of Smith's journey from purveyor ofmiddle EnglandMarks & Spencers music... to something, perhaps, more genuinely groundbreaking."[28] They also performed the song live at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2023, where they were introduced by Madonna. TheSatanic performance showed Smith in red leather clothing and a top hat with horns, surrounded by pyrotechnics and backup dancers dressed similarly toSamara Morgan (Daveigh Chase) from the 2002 horror filmThe Ring, as well as Petras dancing in a cage. According to Petras, it was inspired by the two artists feeling excluded from religion.[65] American conservative politicians and pundits, such asTed Cruz,Marjorie Taylor Greene, andMatt Walsh, and online conspiracy theorists espoused the idea that the performance was a form ofdevil worship, with dozens of people filing complaints with theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) for that reason.[66][67]Elon Musk tweeted that the performance had "end of days vibes".[68] David Harris, aChurch of Satan magister, called people offended over the performance "delicatesnowflakes" and described it as "nothing particularly special".[69] A week later, they gave a performance of the song at the Brit Awards 2023 in an industrial set with black leathermechanic outfits, which was delayed due to technical issues and received 106 complaints toOfcom.[70] As of 2023[update], "Unholy" was additionally part of the setlist for Smith's headlining 2023 concert tour,Gloria the Tour.[71]
After teasing their remix of "Unholy" in August 2022, Disclosure'shouse remix of the song was released in October of that year.[72] Remixes by Dxrk ダーク and Acraze followed.[73] Anacid house remix of "Unholy" byDavid Guetta and anu metal remix of the song by Englishrock duoNova Twins were both released in December 2022.[74][75][76] An acoustic version of the song was performed by American singerCharlie Puth forSiriusXM to promote his studio album,Charlie, in October 2022.[77] English singerAnne-Marie and American singerLizzo both performed "Unholy" for their BBC Radio 1Live Lounge performances in November 2022 and February 2023, respectively, with Anne-Marie's performance including significant lyrical changes to the song.[78] Lizzo's performance included a live band and a 30-second-long flute solo from her; Justin Curto ofVulture stated that her cover was "better" and "more soulful" than the original.[79]
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 39. týden 2022 in the date selector. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
^"Media Forest – Weekly Charts".Media Forest. Retrieved 25 September 2024.Note: Romanian and international positions are rendered together by the number of plays before resulting an overall chart.
^"Media Forest – Weekly Charts".Media Forest. Retrieved 24 September 2024.Note: Select 'Songs – TV'. Romanian and international positions are rendered together by the number of plays before resulting an overall chart.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 4. týden 2023 in the date selector. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
^"ČNS IFPI". IFPI ČR. Note: Select SK SINGLES DIGITAL TOP 100 and insert 202239 into search.Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved3 October 2022.
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