| "She's So Mean" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byMatchbox Twenty | ||||
| from the albumNorth | ||||
| Released | June 12, 2012 (2012-06-12) | |||
| Recorded | 2011 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:50 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Matt Serletic | |||
| Matchbox Twenty singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "She's So Mean" onYouTube | ||||
"She's So Mean" is a song by Americanalternative rock bandMatchbox Twenty. It was released on June 12, 2012, as the first single from their fourth studio albumNorth (2012). The song received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who complimented its fun content and catchiness. The song performed moderately well on the charts, peaking inside the top 20 in Austria and New Zealand and the top 40 in Australia, Canada, and the United States. A music video was released for the song on July 30, 2012.
After a decade without releasing a new studio album, the band gathered to work on a full-length studio album, since their compilationExile on Mainstream, released in 2007, featured seven new songs.[2] Its vocalist,Rob Thomas, stated that, "It could sound like theKinks, it could sound likeMaroon 5, but follow that thread, follow it all the way through."[2] The two-year writing and recording sessions (started in 2010 and ended in 2012) led to over 60 ideas that longtime producerMatt Serletic helped the group chop down to the 12 songs that madeNorth.[2] Among the 12 tracks, "She's so Mean" was included. Speaking toArtist Direct, Matchbox Twenty drummerPaul Doucette commented,
"This one came out of a simple chord progression. We had to write an entire song over this chord progression. Everyone would come up with a section. The basic melodic structure was written in a few minutes. We were fairly drunk at the time [Laughs]. We were recording everything we were doing. We traded off singing different melodies over it. It's pretty funny to listen to, I have to say."[3]
Thomas says the song's about "the wrong kind of girls that we've probably all dated," though as a band of mostly married men for the last decade, they turned to other sources of inspiration. "Luckily, you have single friends who are making really bad decisions, so you can draw on their experiences," he laughed.[2]
"She's So Mean" was released asNorth's lead-single on June 12, 2012,[4] while anEP featuring 3 remixes was released on August 1, 2012.[5]
"She's So Mean" was written by Matchbox Twenty members, Rob Thomas,Kyle Cook andPaul Doucette, while production was handled byMatt Serletic.[6] It is apower pop song, with handclap intro and catchy guitar refrain.[1] David Greenwald ofBillboard Magazine commented that the song "recalls the band's late '90s early days," and that "With lyrics about a bad girl who "drinksBacardi in the morning," it's ready to soundtrack a future 'Jersey Shore' episode, or at least a summer at the beach."[2] For Melinda Newman ofHitFix opined, "The song is redolent of ‘70s power pop—that territory thatFountains of Wayne has mined so successfully — yet it never sounds overly retro."[1]
Lyrically, it talks about wanting something that's not good for you. According to the band, it can be interpreted in two ways; a guy wanting a girl who's not nice to him or wanting things that are bad for you, not knowing they're bad for you, and saying, 'I still want it'."[3] “Every now and then she makes you a little bit crazy/she’ll insert a knife in your back and then she’s calling you baby," Thomas sings.[1] For Paul Doucette, "'She's So Mean' is more lighthearted and tongue-in-cheek than we usually do because we haven't done that yet."[3]
"She's So Mean" received generally favorable reviews from music critics. Melinda Newman ofHitFix was positive, calling it "an ear worm waiting to invade your brain and not let go for the rest of the year." She also complimented the production, calling it "deceptively simple, but each drumbeat, every little yelp by Rob Thomas, only makes the song more seductive."[1] Glenn Gamboa ofNewsday wrote that the song "works, picking up the pace, adding some snark and turning up the drums in the mix so they're almost dueling with Thomas' vocals."[7] James Hunter ofRolling Stone named it "a droll look at addiction and a master class in snappiness."[8]
While reviewing the album, Steve Lapore ofPopMatters was mixed, writing that the song "sounds like Matchbox Twenty are trying to teach young whippersnappers likeAdam Levine a thing or two about this hit-makin’ business. The problem is, sadly, that they can't and don't. They sound uncomfortable and too old to be singing about an 'uptown/downtown/anything-goes-girl'."[9]
In the United States, the song debuted at number 91 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart week of June 30, 2012.[10] It fell off the chart the following week, but re-entered at number 90 on the week of July 21, 2012.[11] After climbing for weeks, the song peaked at number 40, in its tenth week, on the chart issue dated September 15, 2012.[12] In Canada, the single proved to be even more successful, debuting at number 61 on theCanadian Hot 100 chart week of June 30, 2012,[13] and peaking at number 31, on the week of September 15, 2012.[14] In Austria, the single debuted at number 65 on theÖ3 Austria Top 40 chart, on the week of August 31, 2012, and peaked at number 19, on the week of September 21, 2012.[15]
"She's So Mean" debuted on theAustralian ARIA Charts at number 48, on the week of July 1, 2012. Later, the song climbed to number 36. After weeks of rises and falls, the song peaked at number 26, on the week of August 12, 2012, remaining at the peak position for another week. After two weeks of falling, the song climbed again to number 26.[16] The song spent 20 weeks on the Aria Charts and was certifiedPlatinum by theAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for selling more than 70,000 units of the song.[17] The song performed well on theNew Zealand Singles Chart, debuting at number 39, on the week of July 16, 2012. It re-entered at number 35 on the week of July 30, 2012, while in its third week, it jumped to number 29, remaining for two further weeks at the same position. The song kept climbing for two weeks, before peaking at number 19, on the week of September 10, 2012.[18]
The official music video was uploaded toYouTube on July 31, 2012. It features the band singing while a beautiful woman (Danish model and actressStephanie Corneliussen) walks in and causes mayhem. She is seen constantly teasing the band with their equipment. She discovers firecrackers, an old Mason jar filled with moonshine, andvinyl records. Soon, she opens the jar, smells it and drinks it. She starts throwing the records, but the band dodges the records. She finds firecrackers, lights it and throws it towards the band. She rides a bicycle, before crashing it intoPaul Doucette's drum kit. Later, she rips wires out of thecircuit breaker, causing the lights to flicker and sparks. She then pours coffee on themixing console, causing more sparks. She finds matches and lights one, before she discards it throwing it towards Paul's drums setting the kit on fire. She then grabs a fire extinguisher and sprays it at the band. As of April 2024, it has over 37 million views.
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[33] | 3× Platinum | 210,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[34] | Gold | 40,000* |
| United States (RIAA)[35] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
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