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On the Regular

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"On the Regular"
Single by Shamir
from the album Ratchet
ReleasedOctober 28, 2014 (2014-10-28)
GenreHip house[1]
Length2:56
LabelXL
Songwriter(s) [2]
Producer(s)Nick Sylvester[3]
Shamir singles chronology
"If It Wasn't True"
(2014)
"On the Regular"
(2014)
"Call It Off"
(2015)

"On the Regular" is a song recorded by American musician Shamir. It was released by XL Recordings on October 28, 2014. "On the Regular" is also featured on Shamir's 2015 debut album Ratchet.[4]

The song features a prominent rhythm with cowbell and heavy bass.[5][6] Shamir uses an androgynous falsetto, delivering rhymes in contrast to his singing on Northtown.[5][7] The lyrics are an unrelated set of observations.[5] Shamir taunts others and brags about his style. In the song's bridge, he switches from rapping to innocent, soulful singing.[8] Music critics referenced Azealia Banks' 2011 debut single "212" for its bassline, dance beat, and playful reinvention of urban music.[7][9][10] The Fader likened the song's "bubblegum hip-hop" to a younger-sounding Leif.[11]

It had viral success in the United Kingdom,[12] and it reached number 36 on the Billboard Twitter Emerging Artists chart.[13] The attention brought by "On the Regular" allowed Shamir to embark on a European tour in late 2014.[14] It placed 68th on the 2014 Pazz & Jop poll of music critics.[15] Pitchfork Media named it the 11th best track of 2014,[16] Drowned in Sound placed the song 18th on its year-end list,[17] and BlackBook magazine ranked the song 12th.[18]

The music video for "On the Regular" was directed by Anthony Sylvester,[19] brother of the song's producer Nick Sylvester.[3][20] It shows Shamir with different hairstyles, flashy patterns, and a fringe jacket.[11] He plays with a rubber band gun and makes balloons burst into color.[19]

Cover Versions

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The French-Israeli duo Shirane Music [Wikidata] released a cover version of the song in 2015. It was first aired on Israel's national radio station Reshet Gimmel during the duo's weekly radio show "Under the Cover" [he] on August 21, 2015.[21] Shamir reacted to the release on his official Twitter account calling it "Amazing".[22]

References

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  1. ^ Treble staff (January 21, 2016). "10 Essential hip house tracks".
  2. ^ "ASCAP Songview repertory entry for this song". Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Werthman, Christine. "Shamir 'On the Regular'". Complex. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  4. ^ Lathan, Ryan (May 20, 2015). "Ratchet". PopMatters.
  5. ^ a b c King, Jason (October 30, 2014). "Shamir, 'On The Regular'". NPR. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  6. ^ Oliver, Genevieve (October 29, 2014). "New: Shamir – 'On the Regular'". Pretty Much Amazing. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  7. ^ a b Lester, Paul (December 24, 2014). "The playlist: the best new bands of 2014, with Shamir and Prada Mane". The Guardian. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  8. ^ Gordon, Jeremy (October 30, 2014). "Shamir: 'On the Regular'". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  9. ^ "Shamir airs infectious new video for 'On the Regular'". DIY. October 29, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  10. ^ "Shamir + Yvette + Mister Small". Time Out New York. November 13, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  11. ^ a b McDermott, Patrick D. (October 28, 2014). "Shamir Is An Angel And XL Knows It". The Fader. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  12. ^ "Spotify's Top 10 Most Viral Tracks". The New York Times. December 16, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  13. ^ "Shamir - Chart history". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  14. ^ Bland, Pete (January 2, 2015). "Singles 2014: 'She wears my favorite color/every day in her eyes'". Columbia Daily Tribune. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  15. ^ "The Village Voice's 42nd Pazz & Jop Music Critics' Poll: The Last Word on the Year in Music". The Village Voice. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  16. ^ Torres, Eric (December 2014). "The 100 Best Tracks of 2014". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  17. ^ Leedham, Robert (December 8, 2014). "Drowned In Sound's 40 Favourite Songs of 2014". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  18. ^ Rosenzweig, Mathias (2014). "The 20 Best Songs of 2014: From Nick Minaj and BANKS to Sam Smith and Sylvan Esso". BlackBook. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  19. ^ a b Minsker, Evan (October 28, 2014). "Shamir Shares 'On the Regular' Video, Signs to XL". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  20. ^ "Channel Tres shares "Topdown" video". HighClouds. 2018-10-11. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  21. ^ "Under The Cover radio show recording". SoundCloud. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  22. ^ "Shamir's reaction to the release of the cover on his Twitter profile". Twitter. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
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