The Greatest (Sia song)

"The Greatest"

The artwork portrays the head and shoulders of a teenage girl wearing a black bobbed wig, with rainbow colours on her cheeks

Single cover, featuring Maddie Ziegler
Single by Sia featuring Kendrick Lamar
from the album This Is Acting (Deluxe Edition)
Released 5 September 2016 (2016-09-05)
Format Digital download
Recorded 2016
Genre Pop
Length 3:30
Label
  • Monkey Puzzle
  • RCA
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
  • Kurstin
Sia singles chronology
"Cheap Thrills"
(2016)		 "The Greatest"
(2016)
Kendrick Lamar singles chronology
"Holy Key"
(2016)		 "The Greatest"
(2016)		 "Freedom"
(2016)
Music video
"The Greatest" on YouTube

"The Greatest" is a song recorded by Australian recording artist Sia for the deluxe edition of her seventh studio album, This Is Acting (2016). Being made available for digital consumption as the record's third single on 5 September 2016 through Monkey Puzzle and RCA Records, "The Greatest" features the vocal collaboration of American rapper Kendrick Lamar. The electropop and tropical house song was written by Sia, Lamar and Greg Kurstin, while production was solely handled by Kurstin.

An accompanying music video for the single was filmed by Sia and Daniel Askill, and portrays American dancer Maddie Ziegler among 48 others.[1] Although the singer has not provided an interpretation of the video's plot, numerous media outlets have perceived it as a tribute to the 49 victims of the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting.[2] Commercially, "The Greatest" reached the top five in several countries and was awarded with certifications in various territories.

Composition

Billboard editor Gil Kaufman described "The Greatest" as a "uplifting, poppy song with a subtle island vibe."[3]

The song is written in the key of C minor with a cut common time tempo of 96 beats per minute. The vocals span from B♭3 to E♭5 in the song.[4]

Critical reception

Jessica Goodman from Entertainment Weekly found the chorus "massive and catchy."[5] Once the critics had picked up on the song's connection with the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic wrote:

Making pop about a specific tragedy is necessarily a tricky job. So it's no crime that some of the other mainstream original songs memorializing Orlando have been as rote as issue-oriented singles are often stereotyped as being. ... But "The Greatest" is very potent, a work of art, not charity. ... There's no break here from the rest of Sia's catalogue about pain and release in everyday life: You hear a sad voice wailing about bucking up, very stark emotional peaks and valleys, and a danceable backing of explosive drums, toy-box melodies, and reggae grooves. Sia and Greg Kurstin may have written the song even before the massacre. But in the context of Orlando, the possible platitude of the chorus becomes gutting: "I'm free to be the greatest / I'm alive." She's pepping the listener up, but she's also defining the value of life, marking the human potential that's been lost.[6]

The Orlando shooting commemoration was also praised by Bruno Russell from The Edge, who called the song's concept "inspirational" as "the message is clear: that we can make a difference and be 'The Greatest,' but we have to act now." Russell awarded a 5-star review for the song, praising her performance as having "somewhat of a narrative feel, especially from the childish nature of the instrumental backing, which emphasises the vulnerability there to be exposed and challenged (though, at the same time, there is also a power within this from the more powerful chorus)." Russell also praised Lamar's rap in the single release of the track.[7]

Chart performance

Upon the song's release, "The Greatest" debuted on several charts worldwide, including the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 52, UK Singles Chart at 49, and Australian Singles Chart at number 25, and achieved top ten debuts in France,[8] New Zealand,[9] Scotland, Finland, Norway,[10] Hungary, Spain, and Sweden.[11] In its second week on UK Singles Chart, the song climbed to number 5, making it Sia's ninth top ten single on that chart, and Kendrick's second.[12][13] It later rose to number 2 in Australia,[14] number 1 in Switzerland,[15] and number 18 in the US.[16] In its fourth week on the singles chart, "The Greatest" was certified Gold in both Australia and Canada. [17]

Music video

The music video was directed by Sia and Daniel Askill[18] and choreographed by Ryan Heffington. It was released on 5 September 2016 and has been viewed on YouTube more than 250 million times.[19]

Writers from numerous media outlets, including E! Online, Cosmopolitan, Variety, People magazine, concluded that the video was a tribute to the victims of the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting. The video opens with a low drone and cuts between shots of a fraught Maddie Ziegler smearing rainbow colors on her cheeks. She frees 48 other young people trapped in a cage (49 being the number of people killed in the shooting); their freedom is shortlived, however. Later, a wall is seen riddled with bullet holes as everyone falls to the ground, and tears stream down Ziegler's face.[18][2] Kornhaber wrote:

Absent of any social context, it's all striking and beautiful and ineffably sad. With the knowledge that it was inspired by queer youths and friends gunned down in the act of coming together and enjoying themselves, it becomes almost unbearably poignant. Sia keeps singing about having stamina; Kendrick Lamar's verse, omitted from the video, is all about surviving adversity and haters. What’s so potent about the video—and so specifically awful about this massacre—is that its subjects do seem to have struggled and triumphed to find the freedom to flip out together, and they are still cut down. It's bookended by Ziegler crying: As is appropriate, there's no take-home moral to make what happened seem okay.[6]

Live performances

On 7 September 2016, Sia, Ziegler and several other dancers performed "The Greatest" live for the first time at the 2016 Apple launch of the iPhone 7 at San Francisco's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.[20][21] Sia and Ziegler performed the song during her performance at the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival on 23 September 2016. The song is included on Sia's Nostalgic for the Present Tour.[22]

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[14] 2
Australia Dance (ARIA)[23] 2
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[24] 4
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[25] 7
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[26] 1
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[27] 6
Canada AC (Billboard)[28] 22
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[29] 8
Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[30] 15
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[31] 2
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[32] 2
Denmark (Tracklisten)[33] 5
Denmark Airplay (Tracklisten)[34] 1
Euro Digital Songs (Billboard)[35] 2
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[36] 4
France (SNEP)[8] 3
Germany (Official German Charts)[37] 3
Greece Digital Songs (Billboard)[38] 2
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[39] 1
Hungary (Single Top 40)[40] 2
Ireland (IRMA)[41] 3
Israel (Media Forest)[42] 2
Israel (Media Forest TV Airplay)[43] 1
Italy (FIMI)[44] 5
Japan (Japan Hot 100)[45] 54
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard)[46] 3
Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20)[47] 6
Luxembourg Digital Songs (Billboard)[48] 2
Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard)[49] 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[50] 4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[51] 8
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[52] 5
Norway (VG-lista)[10] 2
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[53] 2
Portugal (AFP)[54] 5
Romania (Airplay 100)[55] 17
Russia Airplay (Tophit)[56] 30
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[57] 4
Serbia (IFPI)[58] 1
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[59] 11
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[60] 2
Slovenia (SloTop50)[61] 7
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[62] 4
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[11] 5
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] 1
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[12] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[63] 18
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[64] 25
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[65] 40
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[66] 12
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[67] 34
Venezuela English (Record Report)[68] 3
Solo version
Chart (2016) Peak
position
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[69] 51

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[70] Platinum 70,000^
Belgium (BEA)[71] Gold 15,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[72] Gold 40,000^
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[73] Gold 30,000^
France (SNEP)[74] Gold 75,000*
Germany (BVMI)[75] Gold 200,000^
Italy (FIMI)[76] Platinum 50,000double-dagger
New Zealand (RMNZ)[77] Gold 15,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[78] Platinum 40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[79] Gold 400,000double-dagger

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

Release history

Region Date Format Version Label Ref.
Worldwide 5 September 2016 Digital download Duet
[80][81][82]
Italy 16 September 2016 Contemporary hit radio Sony [83]
United States 27 September 2016 RCA [84]
Italy 29 September 2016 Solo Sony [85]
United States 18 October 2016 Rhythmic contemporary Duet RCA [86]
24 October 2016 Hot adult contemporary [87]

References

  1. ↑ "The greatest 9 moments of Sia's career". BBC Radio 1. 6 September 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  2. 1 2 Sources about the music video:
  3. ↑ Kaufman, Gil (6 September 2016). "Sia Drops 'The Greatest' Feat. Kendrick Lamar, Video Starring Maddie Ziegler". Billboard. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  4. ↑ "Sia feat. Kendrick Lamar "The Greatest" Sheet Music in C Minor". Musicnotes.com. Musicnotes, Inc. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  5. ↑ Goodman, Jessica (6 September 2016). "Sia drops new song 'The Greatest' with Kendrick Lamar". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  6. 1 2 Kornhaber, Spencer. "Sia's Wonderful and Sad Music Video for Orlando", The Atlantic, 7 September 2016
  7. ↑ Russell, Bruno (7 September 2016). "Review: Sia feat. Kenderick Lamar - 'The Greatest'". The Edge. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés - SNEP (Week 37, 2016)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  9. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 26 September 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  10. 1 2 "VG-lista - Sia / The Greatest (feat. Kendrick Lamar)". VG-lista. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  11. 1 2 "Sverigetopplistan - Sveriges Officiella Topplista". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  12. 1 2 "Sia: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  13. ↑ "Kendrick Lamar Full Official Chart History". Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  14. 1 2 "Australian-charts.com – Sia feat. Kendrick Lamar – The Greatest". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  15. 1 2 "Swisscharts.com – Sia feat. Kendrick Lamar – The Greatest". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  16. ↑ "Billboard Top 100". Billboard. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  17. ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  18. 1 2 Blistein, Jon (6 September 2016). "Hear Sia, Kendrick Lamar on Rapturous New Song 'The Greatest'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  19. ↑ Furler, Sia. "Sia – 'The Greatest'", Sia Vevo, 5 October 2016
  20. ↑ "Watch Sia Debut 'The Greatest' Live at iPhone 7 Event". Rolling Stone. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  21. ↑ Moss, Rachel. "13-Year-Old Dancer Maddie Ziegler Totally Stole The Show At The Apple iPhone 7 Launch", Huffington Post, 8 September 2016
  22. ↑ Harrington, Jim (2 October 2016). "Review: Sia delivers performance-art masterpiece in Oakland". The Mercury News. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  23. ↑ "australian-charts.com - Sia - The Greatest" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  24. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Sia feat. Kendrick Lamar – The Greatest" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  25. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Sia feat. Kendrick Lamar – The Greatest" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  26. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Sia feat. Kendrick Lamar – The Greatest" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  27. ↑ "Sia – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Sia. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  28. ↑ "Sia – Chart history" Billboard Canada AC for Sia. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  29. ↑ "Sia – Chart history" Billboard Canada CHR/Top 40 for Sia. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  30. ↑ "Sia – Chart history" Billboard Canada Hot AC for Sia. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  31. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201645 into search. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  32. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201637 into search. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  33. ↑ "Track Top-40 Uge 41, 2016". Hitlisten.NU. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  34. ↑ "Sia feat. Kendrick Lamar – The Greatest Hitlisten.nu" (in Danish). Tracklisten. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Sia – Chart history". Billboard Euro Digital Songs for Sia. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  36. ↑ "Sia: The Greatest (Feat. Kendrick Lamar)" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  37. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sia feat. Kendrick Lamar – The Greatest". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  38. ↑ "Greece Digital Songs". Billboard Greece Digital Songs for Sia. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  40. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  41. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 39, 2016". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  42. ↑ "Sia – The Greatest Media Forest". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  43. ↑ "מדיה פורסט – לדעת שאתה באוויר". Mediaforest.biz. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  44. ↑ "Classifica settimanale WK 41" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  45. ↑ "Sia – Chart history" Japan Hot 100 for Sia. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  46. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  47. ↑ "The Official Lebanese Top 20 - Sia". The Official Lebanese Top 20. 6 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  48. ↑ "Luxembourg Digital Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  49. ↑ "Sia – Chart history". Billboard Mexico Ingles Airplay for Sia. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  50. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 46, 2016" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  51. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Sia feat. Kendrick Lamar – The Greatest" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  52. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  53. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  54. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Sia feat. Kendrick Lamar – The Greatest". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  55. ↑ "Romania's Airplay 100 – 6 November 2016". Media Forest. Kiss FM. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  56. ↑ "Official Russia Top 100 Airplay Chart (week 45)" (in Russian). Tophit. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  57. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2016-09-16". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  58. ↑ "Sia - The Greatest SERBIA". www.poptoplista.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  59. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201647 into search. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  60. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201645 into search. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  61. ↑ "SloTop50 – Slovenian official singles chart". slotop50.si. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  62. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Sia feat. Kendrick Lamar – The Greatest" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  63. ↑ "Sia – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Sia. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  64. ↑ "Sia – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Sia. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  65. ↑ "Sia – Chart history" Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs for Sia. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  66. ↑ "Sia – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Sia. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  67. ↑ "Sia – Chart history" Billboard Rhythmic Songs for Sia. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  68. ↑ "Pop" (in Spanish). Record Report. October 15, 2016. Archived from the original on October 15, 2016.
  69. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2016-10-28". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  70. ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  71. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2016". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  72. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Sia – The Greatest". Music Canada. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  73. ↑ "Sia Feat. Kendrick Lamar "The Greatest"" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
  74. ↑ "French single certifications – Sia – The Greatest" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  75. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Sia feat. Kendrick Lamar; 'The Greatest')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  76. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Sia – The Greatest" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 7 November 2016. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter Sia in the field Filtra. Select 2016 in the field Anno. The certification will load automatically
  77. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Sia feat. Kendrick Lamar – The Greatest". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  78. ↑ "Spanish single certifications – Sia – The Greatest" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 1 December 2016. Select the "Chart", enter 2016 in the field "Year". Select '' in the field "Semana". Click on "Search Charts"
  79. ↑ "British single certifications – Sia feat. Kendrick Lamar – The Greatest". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 November 2016. Enter The Greatest in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  80. ↑ "The Greatest (feat. Kendrick Lamar) - Single by Sia". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  81. ↑ "The Greatest (feat. Kendrick Lamar) - Single by Sia". iTunes Store (Australia). Apple Inc. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  82. ↑ "The Greatest (feat. Kendrick Lamar) - Single by Sia". iTunes Store (UK). Apple Inc. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  83. ↑ "Sia - The Greatest ft. Kendrick Lamar RadioDate". Radioairplay.fm. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  84. ↑ "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on 8 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  85. ↑ "Sia - The Greatest (No Rap Version) RadioDate". Radioairplay.fm. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  86. ↑ "Top 40/Rhythmic-Crossover > Future Releases". Radioairplay.fm. October 18, 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  87. ↑ "Hot/Modern/AC > Future Releases". Radioairplay.fm. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.

External links

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