Call Me What You Like (Lovejoy song)

"Call Me What You Like"
A toy aeroplane on fire in the sky about to crash into the ground, with the plane, fire and surrounding clouds held by strings
Single by Lovejoy
from the EP Wake Up & It's Over
Released10 February 2023 (2023-02-10)
Recorded2022[1]
GenreIndie rock
Length3:46
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Lovejoy singles chronology
"Knee Deep at ATP"
(2021) 		"Call Me What You Like"
(2023) 		"Normal People Things"
(2023)
Music video
"Call Me What You Like" on YouTube

"Call Me What You Like" is a song by English indie rock band Lovejoy. It was released independently through Anvil Cat Records and AWAL on 10 February 2023, as the lead single from their third EP, Wake Up & It's Over, which was released on 12 May 2023. It is their first original song since 2021. It debuted at number 32 on the UK Singles Chart.

Background and composition

Notably "heavier than their previous album" with a "bass line that thrums viciously",[2][3] the song was described by Sima Shakeri of the Toronto Star as "an upbeat self-deprecating tune about the anxiety and desperation of an uneven relationship".[4] A press release called the song a "punchy lament about a confusing relationship".[5] Frontman William Gold stated upon its release:

It's about the phase in any kind of relationship that isn't a relationship yet, where you're not sure of the 'what are we?' That idea that you want it to be more than just a fling but you're struggling with the commitment.[5]

Gold's vocals switch "between honeyed crooning and frenetic monologuing" throughout the track.[4] Dave Brooks of Billboard noted the song "demonstrates how much progress the group has made", citing their "surprise hooks, lyrical bridges and stop-on-a-dime change-ups" in helping find the band's voice. The writer praised the frontman's approach to songwriting, continuing "he refuses to melt into a floor puddle with a kitschy breakup song".[6] Upon the release of the full Wake Up & It's Over EP, Gold stated that it took a while for the lyrics to "Call Me What You Like" to be written, saying:

I think that was our longest-ever lyric writing time; we had the tune down for about ten months before I even penned the lyrics that ended up going in the final release.[1]

Bassist Ash Kabosu said the song was originally called "Hemlock", being written "about drinking poison (metaphorically)" and having "very different verses".[7][8] Frontman and lead singer William Gold stated the song was also referred to by the working title "Awake Forever".[9]

In 2023 the band recorded a Simlish cover of the song that was featured in the Horse Ranch expansion pack for The Sims 4.

Music video

A music video was premiered on YouTube alongside the song's release on 10 February.[3] It was directed by Gold and bass guitarist Ash Kabosu. Online publication The Honey Pop praised the video for encapsulating the song's meaning, starting "with a seemingly normal plane ride" before it "escalates into utter chaos".[2]

Personnel

Lovejoy

  • Ash Kabosu – bass guitar, writing
  • Joe Goldsmith – lead guitar, writing
  • Mark Boardman – drums, writing
  • William Gold – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, writing

Production

Charts

Release history

Release formats for "Call Me What You Like"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various 10 February 2023
[3]

References

  1. ^ a b "Lovejoy have dropped their much-anticipated new EP 'Wake Up & It's Over', and yes – it has a surprise". Dork. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b Aera (12 February 2023). "We're Calling Lovejoy's New Single, 'Call Me What You Like' Our New Favorite Song". The Honey Pop. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b c McCarthy, Neive (10 February 2023). "Lovejoy have returned with an explosive new track, 'Call Me What You Like'". Dork. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  4. ^ a b Shakeri, Sima (10 February 2023). "Depeche Mode return with vintage goth-pop single, plus new music from Maddy Hicks, Lovejoy, Linkin Park and more". Toronto Star. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b Major, Michael (10 February 2023). "Lovejoy Release New Single 'Call Me What You Like'". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  6. ^ Brooks, Dave (10 February 2023). "British Indie Rockers Lovejoy Announce 20-City U.S. Tour". Billboard. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  7. ^ Kabosu, Ash [@AshKabosu] (15 October 2023). "watching through some year old rehearsal recordings& its so interesting to see how our songs developed over time CMWYL used to be Hemlock & had very different verses (missing the new titles lyrics) Parts of Coronado were used to make a song called Choke which then became Warsaw"" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Kabosu, Ash [@AshKabosu] (15 October 2023). "it was about drinking poison (metaphorically)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ Gold, William (13 February 2023). "Awake Forever". Twitch. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  10. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 20 February 2023". The ARIA Report. Australian Recording Industry Association. 20 February 2023.
  11. ^ "Canada Rock: Week of September 23, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  12. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  13. ^ "2023 7-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  14. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 20 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  15. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  16. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  17. ^ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs: Week of February 25, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  18. ^ "Rock & Alternative Airplay: Week of August 26, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  19. ^ "Rock & Alternative Airplay Songs – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2023.