"Prom Queen" is a song recorded by American rock band Beach Bunny. The song was released on August 10, 2018.
| "Prom Queen" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Beach Bunny | ||||
| from the EP Prom Queen | ||||
| Released | August 10, 2018 | |||
| Studio | Lubeck Studios (Mount Prospect, Illinois) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:17 | |||
| Label | Self-released | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Lili Trifilio | |||
| Beach Bunny singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background edit
Trifilio wrote the track for a friend that was struggling with body issues.[1] The song has been called "a protest of Euro-centric beauty standards."[2] Trifilio was nervous to release the song, with it lacking a romantic theme that was commonplace for many of her songs:[3] "I was scared it would be listened to in the wrong way, like I was encouraging eating disorders. In general, I think there’s a void (in pop music) in discussing social issues, and I hope to write more songs like that."[1] The song is the namesake of the band's fourth extended play, first issued in August 2018.
"Prom Queen" is one of many songs that went viral on the Chinese video-sharing service TikTok, with hundreds of thousands of user-generated videos featuring the song as its soundtrack. Abby Jones at Pitchfork described many of these clips as featuring "a girl posing in front of a phone camera to illustrate Trifilio's opening lines: 'Shut up, count your calories/I never looked good in mom jeans.'"[2] The song first went viral in April 2019, months after its release.
Reception edit
Greg Kot from the Chicago Tribune said the track "distills tween anxiety and self-doubt with a rare directness. It’s a survivor’s manual dressed up in dark wit and a sharp, guitar-driven melody."[1] Jones from Pitchfork called it indicative of the band's formula: "sentimental and wistful, with a plainspokenness that prompts immediate sympathy."[2] Paper's Eli Enis said the song "radiates a sense of emotional victory, as if Trifilio has expelled the unpleasant subject matter and is now singing from a place of resilience."[3]
Personnel edit
Credits adapted from the group's Bandcamp.[4]
- Beach Bunny
- Lili Trifilio - vocals, guitar, songwriting
- Jonathan Alvarado - drums
- Matt Henkels - lead guitar
- Aidan Cada – bass guitar
- Production
- Ray Riot – recording engineer
- Nick Reuille – assistant recording engineer
- Aaron Cada – mixing, mastering
Charts edit
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[5] | 26 |
Certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[6] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References edit
- ^ a b c Kot, Greg (February 5, 2020). "Meet Chicago's newest rising band Beach Bunny". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ a b c Jones, Abby (February 13, 2020). "Beach Bunny: Honeymoon". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ a b Enis, Eli (February 24, 2020). "Don't Call Beach Bunny a TikTok Band". Paper. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ "Prom Queen – Beach Bunny". Bandcamp. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ "Beach Bunny Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ "British single certifications – Beach Bunny – Prom Queen". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 27, 2022.