No Excuses (Meghan Trainor song)

"No Excuses"
A blonde woman standing in front of a pink background with "No Excuses" written above and behind her in white font.
Single by Meghan Trainor
from the album Treat Myself
Released March 1, 2018 (2018-03-01)
Format Digital download
Recorded January 17, 2018[1]
Genre Pop
Length 2:32
Label Epic
Songwriter(s)
  • Meghan Trainor
  • Andrew Wells
  • Jacob Kasher Hindlin
Producer(s) Andrew Wells
Meghan Trainor singles chronology
"I'm a Lady"
(2017)		 "No Excuses"
(2018)		 "Let You Be Right"
(2018)

"I'm a Lady"
(2017)		 "No Excuses"
(2018)		 "Let You Be Right"
(2018)
Music video
"No Excuses" on YouTube

"No Excuses" (stylized in all caps) is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor. Trainor co-wrote it with Jacob Kasher Hindlin and Andrew Wells, who produced it as well. Epic Records released it on March 1, 2018, as the lead single from Trainor's third major-label studio album, Treat Myself. "No Excuses" was announced in February 2018 along with its official single artwork. "No Excuses" is a pop song with country influences. It has lyrics against sexism. Critics noted that "No Excuses" was a return to the sound of Trainor's album Title. The song's feminist lyrics were well-received, and it was referred to as a girl-power anthem.

"No Excuses" debuted and peaked at #46 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It peaked within the top 40 of few countries such as Latvia, Slovakia, Hungary and Scotland. Colin Tilley directed the music video for it, which accompanied the song's release on March 1, 2018. It features visual effects showing Trainor with two carbon copies of herself and donning various outfits that are inspired by the 1980s, in pastel-colored backdrops. She performed "No Excuses" live on several shows, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Sport Relief, Sounds Like Friday Night and The TODAY show.

Background and release

Meghan Trainor co-wrote "No Excuses" with Jacob Kasher Hindlin and Andrew Wells, who also handled the song's production.[2][3] It was written and recorded on January 17, 2018.[1] She revealed the song's title and overall vibe on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon by saying, "don't disrespect me. I'm a woman, have you never met one before?"[4] In the following days, Trainor revealed song lyrics including: "I don't disrespect you, don't you disrespect me", and "Have you lost your mind...open up your eyes."[5] On February 25, 2018, Trainor referenced the song in a letter she published on her site and social media, followed by unveiling of the single's artwork the next day.[6][7] It is composed in the key B major with a tempo of 115 beats per minute in common time. The chords in the verses alternate between F♯7 and B, while Trainor's vocals span from F♯3 to C♯5.[8]

"No Excuses" was one of the last songs written for the album. While describing the song, Trainor said "it needs to be heard right now -- the world could use a song like this. It's about respect -- we need a little more R-E-S-P-E-C-T in the world, especially right now," and called it the "sassiest" song on its parent album.[9] Sonically, "No Excuses" is a pop song with country influences.[10][11] It was described as a sexism-blasting empowerment anthem. It features Trainor singing over a "funky, retro" beat.[12] Trainor sings the lyrics, "What you sipping on that got you talking crazy? Looking at me sideways, always coming at me," over an incandescent beat. According to Idolator writer Mike Nied, the song is a confident take-down of a disrespectful suitor, that has "fiery" production and playful lyrics and Trainor sounds "right at home" on it.[10]

Critical reception

Writing for the Daily Express, Shaun Kitchener thought that "No Excuses" was Trainor returning to the "bouncy pop roots" of her first studio album, Title (2015).[13] Entertainment Tonight Canada writer Shakiel Mahjouri noted that the song is taking an aim at sexism, and added that the funky and retro song showcases Trainor's "trademark wit and attitude".[14] MTV News' Sam Prance described the song as "amazing" and "incredible" and dubbed it a "stomping girl-power anthem" with a brilliant and catchy chorus.[15]

Writing for Bustle, Emily Czachor praised the track, writing that it "touts a marked air of female grit," which seems "particularly relevant right now."[16] It was described as a "newly minted, funk-laden" song.[16] Jezebel's Clover Hope likened it to Aretha Franklin's rendition of "Respect" and called it a "sassy Time's Up-inspired jam", adding "the orchestrated sass is built into Trainor's voice."[17] A Plus writer Jill O'Rourke was positive of the song, calling it "empowering" and adding, "it's all about demanding respect."[18]

Chart performance

"No Excuses" debuted and peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent a total of 12 weeks on the chart.[19] The song peaked at number 17 on the Adult Contemporary chart and at number 16 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart.[20][21] "No Excuses" peaked at number 49 on the Canadian Hot 100, and at number eight on the Canada Hot AC chart.[22][23] It reached number 60 in Australia and number 4 on the New Zealand Heatseekers chart.[24][25] It made the top 40 in a few countries: number 21 in Hungary, number 13 in Latvia, number 26 in Scotland and number 20 on Slovakia's Radio Hot 100 chart.[26][27][28][29]

Music video

The song's music video, directed by Colin Tilley, premiered on the same day as the song's release, which Trainor had previously teased on her Instagram account along with a short behind the scenes look at it.[30][31] The video features visual effects showing the singer with two "carbon copies" of herself.[32] The video features looks inspired by the '80s, including Trainor donning a denim jacket and another one that looks like a cheerleader outfit. Patrick Hosken of MTV News noted that the looks "belong in a mall-pop video from 1987."[33]

An official choreography video for "No Excuses" was released in collaboration with Zumba, on March 5, 2018.[34] It was directed by Tim Milgram. The visual features a "fun, easy" and empowering routine.[35] It made Trainor the first recording artist to star in an official Zumba choreography video. Describing the initiative, the singer stated "I always hear my music playing in Zumba classes when I'm at the gym so I thought—let's reach out to Zumba and create something special for 'No Excuses,' We both believe in empowerment! I want this choreography to empower everyone out there to get on their feet, and I want them to think about respect and sassiness and loving yourself."[36][37][38] The VP of marketing for Zumba said, "Zumba has always been focused on inspiring others to feel empowered and confident, and this is something we hear in all of Meghan's music that makes her the ideal partner for us."[36]

On April 3, 2018, Trainor released a dance video to her Vevo page featuring a group of children and young adults performing "energetic" choreography to the song; Trainor herself does not feature in the video. Meghan and her creative director, Charm LaDonna, hand-selected the dancers to portray strong women empowering themselves through dance and performance.[39]

Live performances

Trainor performed "No Excuses" live on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on March 2, 2018. During this performance, the singer wore white trousers and a denim jacket, and was accompanied by a vocal quartet.[40] According to Idolator's Mike Nied, Trainor delivered "pitch-perfect" vocals in front of the simple stage that featured a lot of glitter.[41] She also performed it on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on March 5, 2018. Trainor wore a glitter-infused top with a "dazzling" jacket and wide-legged pants, joined by a group of four backup dancers and vocalists who were black, crystallized outfits. A spacey background was projected on a screen and it ended with the group chanting in unison.[42][43] On March 23, 2018, Trainor performed the song during the 2018 Sport Relief telethon on BBC One.[44] On April 6, 2018, Trainor performed the song on Sounds Like Friday Night, also in early April, Trainor performed an acoustic version of the song during an appearance on The TODAY Show alongside her backup singers and a guitarist playing the song.[45][46] "No Excuses" was performed as part of a medley with "All About That Bass", "Let You Be Right" and "Me Too" at the 2018 iHeartRadio MMVAs, held on August 26, 2018.[47]

Charts

Chart (2018) Peak
position
Argentina Anglo (Monitor Latino)[48] 17
Australia (ARIA)[25] 60
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[22] 49
Canada AC (Billboard)[49] 13
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[50] 24
Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[23] 8
Croatia ARC Top 100 (HRT)[51] 20
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[52] 77
Ecuador (National-Report)[53] 69
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[54] 36
Hungary (Single Top 40)[27] 21
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard)[55] 18
Latvia (Latvijas Top 40)[26] 13
New Zealand Heatseekers (RMNZ)[24] 4
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[28] 26
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[29] 20
Slovenia (SloTop50)[56] 46
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[57] 6
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[58] 73
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[59] 70
US Billboard Hot 100[19] 46
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[20] 17
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[60] 10
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[61] 45
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[21] 16

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[62] Gold 35,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various March 1, 2018 Digital download Epic [63]
United States March 5, 2018 Adult contemporary radio [64]
March 6, 2018 Contemporary hit radio [65]

References

  1. 1 2 "The Making of No Excuses (60 Seconds)". YouTube. Meghan Trainor. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  2. ↑ Prance, Sam (February 28, 2018). "Meghan Trainor Shares BTS Video of Writing 'No Excuses'". MTV News. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  3. ↑ Wass, Mike (February 24, 2018). "She's Back! Meghan Trainor Announces New Single 'No Excuses'". Idolator. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Meghan Trainor Left 'The Four' Set Crying After an Intense Run-In with Diddy". YouTube. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Meghan Trainor teases single 'No Excuses'". Malay Mail. February 27, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  6. ↑ Macke, Johnni (February 26, 2018). "Meghan Trainor teases new single art". People's Choice. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  7. ↑ Wass, Mike (February 26, 2018). "Meghan Trainor Reveals The Cover Of 'No Excuses,' Teases The Video". Idolator. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Meghan Trainor 'No Excuses' Sheet Music". Musicnotes. Universal Music Publishing Group. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  9. ↑ Weatherby, Taylor (March 1, 2018). "Meghan Trainor Details How Her Family & Fiance Reassured She's 'Built to Be a Pop Star' After Vocal Surgery". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  10. 1 2 Nied, Mike (March 1, 2018). "Meghan Trainor's 'No Excuses' Is The Sassy Pop Bop We Need In 2018". Idolator. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  11. ↑ McIntyre, Hugh (March 1, 2018). "Meghan Trainor Has Crafted A Stellar Pop Hook On New Single 'No Excuses'". Forbes. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  12. ↑ Nelson, Jeff (March 1, 2018). "Meghan Trainor Demands Respect in Video for Sassy Time's Up-Inspired Single 'No Excuses'". People. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  13. ↑ Kitchener, Shaun (March 1, 2018). "Meghan Trainor RETURNS with new single No Excuses from upcoming third album". Daily Express. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  14. ↑ Mahjouri, Shakiel (March 1, 2018). "Meghan Trainor Releases Sassy 'No Excuses' Music Video". Entertainment Tonight Canada. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  15. ↑ Prance, Sam (March 1, 2018). "Meghan Trainor Wows In Amazing 'No Excuses' Music Video". MTV News. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  16. 1 2 Czachor, Emily (March 1, 2018). "Meghan Trainor's New Song Was Inspired By Both Time's Up & Her Little Cousins". Bustle. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  17. ↑ Hope, Clover (March 1, 2018). "Meghan Trainor's Latest 'Sassy' Anthem Is About Mansplaining". Jezebel. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  18. ↑ O'Rourke, Jill (March 1, 2018). "There Are 'No Excuses' For Disrespect In Meghan Trainor's Fierce New Song". A Plus. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  19. 1 2 "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  20. 1 2 "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  21. 1 2 "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  22. 1 2 "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  23. 1 2 "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  24. 1 2 "NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 12, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  25. 1 2 "ARIA Chart Watch #463". auspOp. March 10, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  26. 1 2 "Latvijas Top 40". Latvijas Radio. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  27. 1 2 "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  28. 1 2 "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  29. 1 2 "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201821 into search. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  30. ↑ Braca, Nina (February 26, 2018). "Meghan Trainor Teases New Song 'No Excuses' and Third Album: 'It's My Best Work Yet'". Billboard. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  31. ↑ Smith, Brian (February 23, 2018). "Meghan Trainor's new single is called 'No Excuses'". ABC News Radio. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  32. ↑ Maher, Natalie (February 27, 2018). "Meghan Trainor Teases 'No Excuses' Video & Reveals Single Artwork". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  33. ↑ Hosken, Patrick (March 1, 2018). "Meghan Trainor Goes Back To The Future In Sparkly 'No Excuses' Video". MTV News. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  34. ↑ Wass, Mike (March 5, 2018). "Meghan Trainor Teams Up With Zumba For 'No Excuses' Dance Video". Idolator. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  35. ↑ George, Rachel (March 5, 2018). "Meghan Trainor Performs Zumba Routine for Official 'No Excuses' Choreography Visual". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  36. 1 2 Fitness, Zumba (March 5, 2018). "Grammy-Award Winning Singer, Songwriter And Multi-Platinum Artist Meghan Trainor Teams With Zumba To Promote Latest Single 'No Excuses' And Empower Women Everywhere". PR Newswire. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Meghan Trainor Launches 'No Excuses' Zumba® Choreography". ZLife. Zumba. March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  38. ↑ Messina, Victoria (March 5, 2018). "Meghan Trainor 'No Excuses' Zumba Choreography Video". PopSugar. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  39. ↑ "Watch now: Meghan Trainor releases new dance video for "No Excuses"". WJBD Radio. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  40. ↑ George, Rachel (March 2, 2018). "Meghan Trainor Delivers Sassy First Performance of 'No Excuses' on 'Ellen'". Billboard. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  41. ↑ Nied, Mike (March 2, 2018). "Meghan Trainor Delivers Her First Performance Of 'No Excuses' On 'Ellen'". Idolator. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  42. ↑ Hussein, Wandera (March 6, 2018). "Watch Meghan Trainor's Glitter-Splashed First TV Performance of 'No Excuses'". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  43. ↑ Nied, Mike (March 6, 2018). "Meghan Trainor Brings 'No Excuses' To 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'". Idolator. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  44. ↑ "Meghan Trainor performs No Excuses". BBC. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  45. ↑ "Meghan Trainor - No Excuses". BBC. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  46. ↑ Today (April 7, 2018). "Meghan Trainor performs acoustic version of 'No Excuses' live on TODAY". The Today Show. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  47. ↑ abowsher (August 26, 2018). "We're All About Meghan Trainor's Amazing Performance". iHeartRadio MMVAs. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  48. ↑ "Top 20 Anglo Argentina – Del 9 al 15 de Abril, 2018" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  49. ↑ "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  50. ↑ "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  51. ↑ "Croatia ARC TOP 100". HRT. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  52. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201817 into search. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  53. ↑ "Top 100 Ecuador – Semana 13 del 2018 – Del 23/03/2018 al 30/03/2018" (in Spanish). National-Report. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  54. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  55. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas — March 26, 2018" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. March 26, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  56. ↑ "SloTop50: Slovenian official singles chart". SloTop50. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  57. ↑ "Veckolista Heatseeker – Vecka 10, 9 mars 2018". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  58. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Meghan Trainor – No Excuses". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  59. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  60. ↑ "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  61. ↑ "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  62. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2018 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  63. ↑ "Meghan Trainor on Twitter". February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  64. ↑ "Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases - Hot Adult Contemporary Rock Songs and Release Dates". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on March 2, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  65. ↑ "Top 40/Mainstream > Future Releases". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
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