Circles (Post Malone song)
{{Short description|2019 single by Post Malone}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Circles
| type = single
| cover = Post Malone - Circles.png
| artist = Post Malone
| album = Hollywood's Bleeding
| released = {{start date|2019|08|30}}
| recorded = {{start date|2018|08|08}}
| genre =
| length = 3:35
| label = Republic
| writer = {{hlist|Austin Post|Adam Feeney|William Walsh|Kaan Güneşberk|Louis Bell|Tyler Armes}}
| producer = {{hlist|Post Malone|Louis Bell|Frank Dukes}}
| prev_title = Goodbyes
| prev_year = 2019
| next_title = Enemies
| next_year = 2019
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|wXhTHyIgQ_U|"Circles"}}}}
}}
"Circles" is a song by American rapper Post Malone. It was released through Republic Records on August 30, 2019, as the third single from Malone's third studio album Hollywood's Bleeding (2019). It reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the week of November 30, 2019, topping the chart for three weeks, marking Post Malone's fourth number-one song, as well as his first solo effort to top the chart.
The song also reached number one in Iceland, Malaysia, and New Zealand, as well as the top 10 in 20 additional countries. It was the most played song of 2020 on adult contemporary radio in the US and was also the second best-selling song in 2020 in the country. It is also certified Diamond in the US and Canada, 16× Platinum in Australia, and Gold or higher in 11 additional countries. It was also nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 2021 Grammy Awards.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/awards/9489062/grammy-nominations-2021-full-list|title=2021 Grammy Nominations: See the Full List|magazine=Billboard|last=Warner|first=Denise|date=November 24, 2020|access-date=November 24, 2020}}
Promotion
Post Malone premiered the song live during his Bud Light Dive Bar Tour show in New York City on August 5, 2019, where he claimed it would be released the following week.{{cite web|url=https://uproxx.com/music/post-malone-circles-new-album-release-date/|title=Post Malone Performs A New Song Called 'Circles' And Shares Details About His Next Album|website=Uproxx|last=Rossignol|first=Derrick|date=August 6, 2019|access-date=August 29, 2019}} A snippet of the track was posted to Malone's YouTube channel the same day.{{cite web|url=https://www.altpress.com/news/post-malone-circles-release-date/|title=Post Malone confirms "Circles" release date following previous live debut|work=Alternative Press|last=Shoemaker|first=Whitney|date=August 28, 2019|access-date=August 29, 2019}} He previewed the song in August on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/post-malone-drops-new-song-circles-listen/|title=Post Malone Drops New Song Circles|website=Pitchfork|date=August 30, 2019|access-date=August 30, 2019}}
Composition
"Circles" is a downtempo soft rock song that draws from elements of pop rock and consists of a "bouncy, melancholy" melody, alongside a "gentle acoustic groove". The chorus has been described as "compulsory singalong".{{cite web |last1=Arnold |first1=Brendan |title='Hollywood's Bleeding' Exhibits Post Malone's Unique Affinity for Pop Artistry |url=https://entertainmentvoice.com/2019/09/06/hollywoods-bleeding-exhibits-post-malones-unique-affinity-for-pop-artistry/ |website=Entertainment Voice |date=September 6, 2019 |access-date=9 December 2020}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/list/8545893/best-songs-of-2019-top-100|title=The 100 Best Songs of 2019: Staff List|magazine=Billboard|author=Billboard staff|date=December 11, 2019|access-date=December 11, 2019}} It is written in the key of C major, in common time, at a tempo of 120 beats per minute. It follows a chord structure of Cmaj7–Em/B–Fmaj7–Fm, followed by Cmaj7–Em/B–Fmaj7–G6.{{cite web|url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0200477|title=Post Malone "Circles" Sheet Music in C Major (transposable) - Download & Print|last=Post|first=Austin|website=Musicnotes.com|date=September 3, 2019|access-date=June 8, 2020}}
Critical reception
The song received critical acclaim. Billboard described it as being "backed by sunny acoustic guitars, swirling percussion, and infectious melodies",{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8526255/post-malone-bud-light-dive-bar-tour-show-recap|title=Post Malone Debuts New Song 'Circles,' Shares New Album Details at Intimate Bud Light Concert|magazine=Billboard|last=Spruch|first=Kirsten|date=August 6, 2019|access-date=August 29, 2019}} and that while it has a "funky feel, the meaning is a bit more somber, detailing a relationship gone cold".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8528658/post-malone-circles-single-release-date|title=Post Malone Announces 'Circles' Single Release Date|magazine=Billboard|last=Aniftos|first=Rania|date=August 28, 2019|access-date=August 29, 2019}}
R Dub, Z90.3 director of programming, told Billboard, "For me, the staying power of 'Circles' is due to a combination of an absolutely addicting, fun, emotional, and at the same time, non-fatiguing hook, combined with relatable lyrics. Who can't relate to going in circles in so many aspects of life? Young, old, rich, poor, black, white… We're all going through it".
The song's musical backing has been frequently compared to that of Tame Impala – so much so, that Tame Impala's Kevin Parker was originally believed to be one of the song's co-writers prior to the song's release.{{cite web |last1=Gallagher |first1=Alex |title=Looks Like Tame Impala's Kevin Parker Co-Wrote And Produced The New Post Malone Song |url=https://musicfeeds.com.au/news/looks-like-tame-impalas-kevin-parker-produced-the-new-post-malone-single/ |website=Music Feeds |date=August 29, 2019 |publisher=Evolve Media |access-date=6 October 2020}}
Chart performance
On the chart dated November 30, 2019, "Circles" became Post Malone's fourth number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and his first unaccompanied by another artist.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8544750/post-malone-circles-number-one-hot-100|title=Post Malone's 'Circles' Hits No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100, Billie Eilish's 'Everything I Wanted' Blasts to Top 10|magazine=Billboard|last=Trust|first=Gary|date=November 25, 2019|access-date=November 25, 2019}} It also marked his second Hot 100 number one of 2019, following "Sunflower" with Swae Lee, which led the chart in January. On the chart dated May 2, 2020, "Circles" broke the record for the most weeks spent in the Hot 100's top 10; 34 weeks {{endash}} surpassing his own song, "Sunflower" (2019), Maroon 5 and Cardi B's "Girls Like You" (2018), and Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" (2017), which all logged 33 weeks each in that region.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/post-malone-circles-hot-100-top-10-record|title=Post Malone's 'Circles' Breaks Record for Most Weeks in Hot 100's Top 10|magazine=Billboard|last=Trust|first=Gary|date=April 27, 2020|access-date=April 27, 2020}} It simultaneously passed the latter for the most weeks spent in the top 10 from a song's debut. It later extended its record to 39 weeks.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/9411108/dababy-rockstar-number-one-hot-100-third-week|title=DaBaby & Roddy Ricch's 'Rockstar' Returns to No. 1 on Hot 100, Jack Harlow & Lil Mosey Earn Their First Top 10s|magazine=Billboard|last=Trust|first=Gary|date=June 29, 2020|access-date=June 29, 2020}} "Circles" would keep the record for five more months before The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" broke the record by reaching 40 weeks (and then 57 in total); it would later be surpassed again in 2021 by Dua Lipa's "Levitating," which spent a total of 41 weeks in the top 10. "Circles" spent 61 weeks on the chart before leaving in November 2020. It was also the most-played radio song of 2020.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2020/radio-songs|title = Radio Songs|magazine = Billboard|date = January 2, 2013}}
Additionally, it became the first song to spend 30 weeks in the top 10 of Billboard{{'}}s Mainstream Top 40 radio airplay chart, where it also ranked at number one for 10 weeks, becoming the first single by a solo male artist (no features) to achieve double-digit frames at number one on that chart.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2020/02/18/post-malone-makes-history-on-the-pop-songs-chart/#3684f5a76ce9|title=Post Malone Makes History On The Pop Songs Chart|last=McIntyre|first=Hugh|date=February 18, 2020|website=Forbes|access-date=February 25, 2020}}
Elsewhere, the song also peaked at number one in Iceland, Malaysia, and New Zealand, number two in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Norway, Singapore, and Slovakia, number three in Czech Republic, Denmark, Lithuania, Slovenia, and the UK, while reaching the top 10 in several other nations.
Lawsuit
Malone filed a lawsuit against songwriter Tyler Armes for "falsely claiming that he is a co-author of the musical composition contained in the 'Circles' track". According to the complaint from Malone, he continued to work with songwriters Walsh, Gunesberk, and Bell in subsequent sessions after August 8, while Armes wasn't present in either of those sessions.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/legal-and-management/9353540/post-malone-songwriter-circles-lawsuit|title=Post Malone & Songwriter File Dueling Lawsuits Over 'Circles' Credit|last=Rosenbaum|first=Claudia|date=April 7, 2020|magazine=Billboard|access-date=April 12, 2020}} The issue was settled out of court in 2023.{{Cite web |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |date=2023-03-22 |accessdate=2023-03-22 |last=Beaumont-Thomas |first=Ben |title=Post Malone settles Circles songwriting lawsuit out of court |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/mar/22/post-malone-settles-circles-songwriting-lawsuit-out-of-court}}
Music video
The music video, directed by Colin Tilley, was released on September 3, 2019. As of September 2024, it has over 700 million views on YouTube. It is a medieval-style metaphor of the main theme of the song, "running in circles" in a relationship and failing to put an end to it, thus ending up getting hurt. Post Malone plays a knight in armor who has to rescue a princess locked up in a tower (but endowed with magical powers). The princess, seeing the future through a magic mirror, discovers that Post will be defeated by the enemies and burned alive. Meanwhile, Post has a hallucination in which he sees the same future and is then buried alive by zombies, but the princess awakens him with a magic blue rose (which symbolizes the unattainable). Post goes to rescue her, succeeding. But the director's choice to show again, at the end of the video, Post staring at that tragic future during the hallucination, suggests that it is bound to happen.
Personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.{{cite web|url=https://listen.tidal.com/album/116483937|title=Circles / Post Malone|date=August 30, 2019 |publisher=Tidal|access-date=September 13, 2019}}
Musicians
- Post Malone – vocals, programming, guitar
- Frank Dukes – programming
- Louis Bell – programming
- Kaan Gunesberk – guitar
Production
- Frank Dukes – production, songwriting
- Louis Bell – production, vocal production, songwriting
- Post Malone – production, songwriting
- Billy Walsh – songwriting
- Kaan Gunesberk – songwriting
Technical
- Louis Bell – recording
- Manny Marroquin – mixing
- Chris Galland – mixing assistant
- Robin Florent – mixing assistant
- Scott Desmarais – mixing assistant
- Jeremie Inhaber – mixing assistant
- Mike Bozzi – mastering
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
{{col-2}}
=Monthly charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Monthly chart performance for "Circles" ! scope="col"| Chart (2019) ! scope="col"| Peak |
| scope="row"| Latvia Airplay (LaIPA){{cite web |date=6 January 2020 |title=Latvijas Radiostaciju Top 100, Decembris 2019 |trans-title=Top 100 Latvian Radio Stations, December 2019 |url=https://parmuziku.lv/muzikas-zinas/latvija/latvijas-radiostaciju-top-100-decembris-8295 |access-date=3 November 2024 |publisher=LaIPA |language=lv}}
| 2 |
|---|
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2022)
! scope="col"| Position |
|---|
| scope="row"| Australia (ARIA){{cite web|url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/2022/singles-chart|title=ARIA Top 100 Singles Chart for 2022|publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association|access-date=January 4, 2023}}
| 79 |
| scope="row"| Global 200 (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2022/billboard-global-200/|title=Billboard Global 200 – Year-End 2022|magazine=Billboard|access-date=December 2, 2022}}
| 72 |
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2023)
! scope="col"| Position |
|---|
| scope="row"| Australia (ARIA){{cite web|url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/2023/singles-chart|title=ARIA Top 100 Singles Chart for 2023|publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association|access-date=January 12, 2024}}
| 87 |
| scope="row"| Global 200 (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2023/billboard-global-200/|title=Billboard Global 200 – Year-End 2023|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 22, 2023}}
| 105 |
=All-time charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart !Position |
| scope="row"|US Billboard Hot 100{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/the-weeknd-blinding-lights-all-time-hot-100-1235001770/|title=The Weeknd & The Beatles Top Billboard's All-Time Hot 100 Charts|magazine=Billboard|last=Trust|first=Gary|date=November 23, 2021|access-date=December 6, 2021}}
| 19 |
|---|
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|award=Platinum|number=16|type=single|relyear=2019|certyear=2024|access-date=September 28, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Austria|artist=Post Malone|title=Circles|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2019|certyear=2021|access-date=January 29, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Belgium|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2019|certyear=2020|access-date=March 27, 2020}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|artist=Post Malone|title=Circles|award=Diamond|number=4|type=single|relyear=2019|certyear=2024|access-date=July 11, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|artist=Post Malone|title=Circles|award=Diamond|type=single|relyear=2019|certyear=2023|access-date=April 14, 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|artist=Post Malone|title=Circles|award=Platinum|number=3|type=single|relyear=2019|certyear=2024|id=13507|accessdate=February 28, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=France|artist=Post Malone|title=Circles|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2019|certyear=2022|access-date=May 17, 2022}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|artist=Post Malone|title=Circles|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2019|certyear=2021|access-date=February 3, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|artist=Post Malone|title=Circles|award=Platinum|number=2|type=single|relyear=2019|certyear=2021|id=8925|access-date=October 14, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Post Malone|title=Circles|award=Platinum|number=6|type=single|relyear=2019|relmonth=8|id=2023-07-21|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|certyear=2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Poland|artist=Post Malone|title=Circles|award=Platinum|number=3|type=single|relyear=2019|certyear=2021|certmonth=8|access-date=October 1, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Portugal|artist=Post Malone|title=Circles|award=Platinum|number=4|type=single|relyear=2019|certyear=2022|id=file_2022-07-11-08-56-28.pdf|access-date=July 13, 2022}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|artist=Post Malone|title=Circles|award=Platinum|number=2|type=single|relyear=2019|certyear=2024|id=post-malone-circles|access-date=April 8, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Post Malone|title=Circles|award=Platinum|number=3|type=single|relyear=2019|certyear=2024|id=15959-4413-1|access-date=February 19, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|access-date=April 20, 2023|artist=Post Malone|award=Diamond|certyear=2023|region=United States|relyear=2019|title=Circles|type=single}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}
Release history
Covers
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2025}}
Sheryl Crow covered the song in 2022, with it getting airplay on Pat Monahan's Train Tracks program on SiriusXM's The Pulse.
Of Monsters And Men covered the song in 2020 under Republic Records.
Goose covered the song during night 2 of Goosemas X on December 9, 2023, at Hampton Coliseum.
See also
- List of Billboard Adult Contemporary number ones of 2020
- List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 2019
- List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 2020
- List of Billboard Mexico Airplay number ones
- List of highest-certified singles in Australia
- List of number-one singles from the 2010s (New Zealand)
- List of number-one songs of 2019 (Malaysia)
References
{{reflist}}
{{Post Malone}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Songs written by Frank Dukes
Category:Songs written by Louis Bell
Category:Songs written by Post Malone
Category:Song recordings produced by Louis Bell
Category:Song recordings produced by Frank Dukes
Category:Song recordings produced by Post Malone
Category:Republic Records singles
Category:American soft rock songs
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Number-one singles in Iceland