Don't Call Me Up

Mabel wrote "Don't Call Me Up" with Camille Purcell, and Steve Mac, who also produced the song.{{cite web|url=https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/ivy-to-roses-mabel/m89sg6krnohta|title=Ivy To Roses – Mabel|website=Qobuz|access-date=23 January 2019}} Unlike her previous writing and recording sessions, Mabel only had one day to work with Mac and Purcell, and the recording excluded the harmonies and ad-libs common in her previous material.{{cite interview|subject=Mabel|subject-link=Mabel (singer)|title=Mabel is Over Her Ex on 'Don't Call Me Up'|url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=RhT4lMI5d20|publisher=Music Choice|date=25 March 2019|access-date=5 April 2019|via=YouTube}} She went into the session feeling sad about a previous relationship and wanted to write a positive breakup song to feel better.{{cite web|url=https://planetradio.co.uk/kiss/entertainment/celebrity/mabel-neneh-cherry-cameron-mcvey/|title=Mabel reveals what it's like to have famous parents|last=Hulton|first=Anna Sky|website=Kiss|date=17 January 2019|access-date=23 January 2019}}

The song stemmed from the refrain's "Don't Call Me Up" hook which was brought up during a discussion they had about ignoring a phone call from a former lover and how good that felt. Finding the hook simple and relatable, they decided to use it in the verses as well. It was the first song Mabel recorded where her lead vocals from the final and demo versions sounded nearly identical.

Written in the key of B Dorian mode, "Don't Call Me Up" runs at a tempo of 99 beats per minute.{{cite web|url=http://read.tidal.com/article/mabel-dont-call-me-up|title=Anatomy of the Hit: Mabel's 'Don't Call Me Up'|last=Bennett|first=Joe|website=Tidal|date=20 March 2019|access-date=5 April 2019}} It is a tropical house pop song with bounce and bass-heavy production,{{cite news|title=Mable's 'Don't Call Me Up' highest climber on the UK charts|newspaper=The Sunday Times|date=10 February 2019|page=8}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thefader.com/2019/01/19/mabel-vide-dont-call-me-up|title=Mabel drops her latest video 'Don't Call Me Up'|last=Elder|first=Sajae|website=The Fader|date=19 January 2019|access-date=23 January 2019}} and dancehall and R&B undertones.{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/mabel-mcvey-another-bite-of-the-cherry-pfqq7h3dz|title=Mabel McVey: another bite of the Cherry|last=Potton|first=Ed|website=The Times|date=19 February 2019|access-date=5 April 2019|url-access=subscription}} The track has a midtempo dance groove.{{cite web|url=https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/black-keys-mabel-wiley-1.28691107|title=3 songs to stream this week: Mabel, Wiley, Black Keys|last=Gamboa|first=Glenn|website=Newsday|date=19 March 2019|access-date=8 April 2019}} Mabel starts the first verse one second into the song accompanied by a three side-clave keyboard riff introducing the main chord progression of Bm–A–E. The chord sequence changes to Dmaj7–A–E in the pre-chorus, while Mabel's vocal increases from A to C{{sharp}}. Conversely, she performs in a monotonous style in the chorus,{{cite web|url=https://muumuse.com/2019/01/mabel-dont-call-me-up.html/|title='Don't Call Me Up': Mabel Continues the Great Pop Tradition of Telephonic Turmoil|last=Stern|first=Bradley|website=MuuMuse|date=21 January 2019|access-date=8 April 2019}} and her vocals have a parallel lower octave with additional Auto-Tune. A reggaeton groove is introduced in the chorus with an extended reverberation percussive hit, and a single D chord is played for two full measures at the end.

In the second verse, a high snare drum plays a frequent two and four backbeat before reintroducing the kick drum which dominates the second pre-chorus. Cabasa, handclaps, and shakers are added in this section, ahead of the second chorus that includes a snare drum triplet fill in the final measure. The breakdown has the same music as the chorus, but uses a heavily pitch shifted vocal doubled with an octave halfway through. In the final pre-chorus, a high-pass filter cuts bass frequencies while the final chorus keyboard riff is doubled and a shaker is added.

According to Mabel, the track is about being strong and saying, "no, you had your chance", after a breakup with someone who took you for granted and started to call you again.{{cite web|url=https://www.metro.news/brits-hopeful-mabel-on-gongs-harry-styles-and-r-patz/1397041/|title=Brits hopeful Mabel on gongs, Harry Styles and R-Patz|last=Harmsworth|first=Andrei|website=Metro|date=17 January 2019|access-date=23 January 2019}} She explained that it is "where you give everything to a relationship but they don't appreciate you back. You get to the point, 'That's it, walk away.'"{{cite news|title=Mabel fires back|newspaper=Daily Star Sunday|page=29|date=20 January 2019}}

Prior to its Polydor Records single release on 18 January 2019, Mabel debuted "Don't Call Me Up" live during her These Are the Best Times Tour in December 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/live/mabel-proves-pop-powerhouse-riotous-manchester-gig|title=Mabel proves a pop powerhouse at riotous Manchester gig|last=Ryan|first=Gary|website=NME|date=9 December 2018|access-date=24 January 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Call-Me-Up/dp/B07MQ9PZQB|title=Don't Call Me Up|publisher=Amazon|access-date=23 January 2019}} On 22 January 2019, the single was promoted with its own lens filter on Snapchat.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/Mabel/status/1087740924594073600|title=DCMU lens is LIVE on Snapchat now, @ me in your videos 📵❤|author=Mabel|website=Twitter|date=22 January 2019|access-date=24 January 2019}} Capitol Records sent the song to contemporary hit radio in the US on 19 February 2019.{{cite web|url=http://fmqb.name/chr-available-for-airplay/|title=CHR Available For Airplay|website=FMQB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227132233/http://fmqb.name/chr-available-for-airplay/|archive-date=27 February 2019|access-date=5 April 2019|url-status=live}} In Italy, it impacted mainstream radio on 22 February 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.earone.it/news/mabel_don_t_call_me_up_radio_date_22_02_2019_33696840/|title=Mabel - Don't Call Me Up (Radio Date: 02.22.2019)|language=Italian|last=Gimigliano|first=Filippo|website=EarOne|date=19 February 2019|access-date=5 April 2019}} A remixes extended play (EP) was released the same day.{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/gb/album/dont-call-me-up-remixes-ep/1452801951|title=Don't Call Me Up (Remixes) – EP by Mabel|website=iTunes Store|access-date=5 April 2019}} On 1 March 2019, an acoustic version was made available.{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/gb/album/dont-call-me-up-acoustic-single/1453111349|title=Don't Call Me Up (Acoustic) – Single by Mabel|website=iTunes Store|access-date=5 April 2019}}

Upon release, "Don't Call Me Up" was well received by most music critics. In his review for Clash, Robin Murray called the song Mabel's "most potent pop moment yet", noting her "surging vocal, and the addictive, nuanced songwriting".{{cite web|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/mabel-is-moving-on-with-new-pop-banger-dont-call-me-up|title=Mabel Is Moving On With New Pop Banger 'Don't Call Me Up'|last=Murray|first=Robin|website=Clash|date=18 January 2019|access-date=23 January 2019}} The Line of Best Fit{{'}}s Cerys Kenneally found the track "huge" and said it "ignites that Friday feeling",{{cite web|url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/latest-news/mabel-lets-her-hair-down-on-huge-new-pop-number-dont-call-me-up|title=Mabel lets her hair down on huge new pop number 'Don't Call Me Up'|last=Kenneally|first=Cerys|website=The Line of Best Fit|date=18 January 2019|access-date=23 January 2019}} while a reviewer for DIY deemed it "a bit of an empowerment anthem".{{cite web|url=http://diymag.com/2019/01/18/mabel-new-single-dont-call-me-up-listen|title=Mabel Shares New Single 'Don't Call Me Up'|website=DIY|date=18 January 2019|access-date=23 January 2019}} Roisin O'Connor, a music correspondent for The Independent, included the song in her list of favourite new releases, calling it "a self-love banger".{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/new-music-releases-james-blake-aj-tracey-little-simz-playlist-stream-spotify-a8734221.html|title=New music: James Blake, Little Simz, AJ Tracey, and Loyle Carner, plus spotlight artist Bang Bang Romeo|last=O'Connor|first=Roisin|website=The Independent|date=19 January 2019|access-date=24 January 2019}} In The Times, Ed Potton described the track as "an ex-slaying epic of mega-lunged pop melodies". Writing for The Sunday Times, Dan Cairns regarded "Don't Call Me Up" as "a hook-filled kiss-off that's both anthemic and irrefutable."{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/pop-album-reviews-this-week-trevor-horn-trevor-horn-reimagines-the-eighties-srsq70zvz|title=On record: Pop, rock and jazz, Jan 20|last=Cairns|first=Dan|website=The Sunday Times|date=20 January 2019|access-date=24 January 2019|url-access=subscription}}

Billboard named it an early contender for song of the summer in the US with writer Gab Ginsberg likening its "infectious" beat to Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" and its empowerment message to "New Rules" by Dua Lipa.{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8502414/emerging-artists-spotlight-mabel|title=Emerging Artists Spotlight: Mabel|last=Ginsberg|first=Gab|website=Billboard|date=14 March 2019|access-date=5 April 2019}} Glenn Gamboa of Newsday said the groove is similar to "Shape of You", but its attitude "sets it apart" and Mabel "definitely knows how to deliver a kiss-off." In a less favourable review, Michael Cragg of The Guardian found the pre-chorus "exquisite" but the song too "risk-free", and said it "rips [off]" the "plinky-plonky" beat from "Shape of You".{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jan/25/unperfect-gots-to-give-the-girl|title=The tracks of the weeks reviewed: Joss Stone, Health, Mabel|last=Cragg|first=Michael|website=The Guardian|date=25 January 2019|access-date=25 January 2019}}

"Don't Call Me Up" became the biggest hit of Mabel's career. Following its release, the track debuted at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart with first-week sales of 23,325 units.{{cite web|url=http://www.musicweek.com/analysis/read/charts-analysis-ariana-grande-storms-to-singles-summit/075105|title=Charts analysis: Ariana Grande storms to singles summit|last=Jones|first=Alan|website=Music Week|date=25 January 2019|access-date=25 January 2019|url-access=subscription}} It rose four spots to number seven in its second week, before entering the top five in its third, holding the fifth position for four consecutive weeks. "Don't Call Me Up" eventually peaked at number three for three consecutive weeks in March 2019, making it Mabel's highest-charting single in the UK and her second to reach the top ten following 2017's "Finders Keepers".{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-official-top-40-biggest-singles-of-2019-so-far__25951/|title=The Official Top 40 biggest singles of 2019 so far|last=Copsey|first=Rob|website=Official Charts Company|date=2 April 2019|access-date=5 April 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://www.musicweek.com/analysis/read/charts-analysis-ariana-grande-scores-easy-second-week-at-summer/075179|title=Charts analysis: Ariana Grande scores easy second week at summit|last=Jones|first=Alan|website=Music Week|date=1 February 2019|access-date=5 April 2019|url-access=subscription}} The track also topped the UK R&B Chart for ten consecutive weeks, tying "Old Town Road" as the longest running number-one of 2019. In April 2019, the song was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for selling 400,000 units, and in 2022 it was certified triple platinum for selling 1,800,000 units.

In the United States, "Don't Call Me Up" became Mabel's first single to enter the Billboard Hot 100. The song initially debuted at number 21 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart before entering the Hot 100 two weeks later, where it debuted at number 97 with 12.3 million radio impressions, six million streams, and 3,000 digital downloads sold on the chart issue dated April 2, 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8505326/mabel-scores-first-billboard-hot-100-hit-dont-call-me-up|title=Mabel Scores First Billboard Hot 100 Hit With 'Don't Call Me Up'|last=Zellner|first=Xander|website=Billboard|date=2 April 2019|access-date=5 April 2019}} The track moved up to number 92 in its second week and reached a peak of number 66 on the issue dated May 25, 2019. "Don't Call Me Up" also peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 airplay chart and number 18 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs.

Mabel first teased the music video for "Don't Call Me Up" by posting two GIFs from the clip on Twitter on 14 January 2019.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/Mabel/status/1084851596964610048|title=Mabel McVey on Twitter|author=Mabel|via=Twitter|date=14 January 2019|access-date=24 January 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/Mabel/status/1084868380996321280|title=Mabel McVey on Twitter|author=Mabel|via=Twitter|date=14 January 2019|access-date=24 January 2019}} She shared another image from video on 16 January 2019.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/Mabel/status/1085599758100692993|title=*The person you are calling is currently unavailable* Don't Call Me Up... 2 DAYS TO GO 📵|author=Mabel|via=Twitter|date=16 January 2019|access-date=24 January 2019}} The following day, Mabel released a preview of the clip and hosted a live chat on YouTube, ahead of the music video's premiere on the platform at 08:00 GMT on 18 January 2019.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/Mabel/status/1085953111477374976|title=Don't Call Me Up video premiering on YouTube at 8am tomorrow HERE: mabel.lnk.to/DCMUvideo 📵 Come chat with me at 6pm tonight 💘|author=Mabel|via=Twitter|date=17 January 2019|access-date=24 January 2019}} According to Sajae Elder of The Fader, "the colorful clip finds the singer surrounded by a gang of her girls, dancing through parking lots, joyriding and smashing phones to help with the heartbreak."

On 13 February 2019, Mabel performed "Don't Call Me Up" and a cover of "Touch" by Little Mix for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p070ntkc|title=Mabel Brits Live Lounge|website=BBC|date=13 February 2019|access-date=5 April 2019}} She performed the song on Norwegian-Swedish television programme Skavlan on 22 February 2019.{{cite web|url=https://tv24.se/b/pncfk0-1hkm|title=Skavlan på TV|language=Swedish|website=TV24.se|date=22 February 2019|access-date=5 April 2019}} On 7 March 2019, the singer performed the track along with "Fine Line" at the 2019 Global Awards.{{cite web|url=https://www.capitalfm.com/events/global-awards/little-mix-anne-marie-mark-ronson-mabel-blossoms/|title=Watch: All The Global Awards Performances, From Little Mix And Anne-Marie To Blossoms And Mark Ronson|website=Capital|date=7 March 2019|access-date=5 April 2019}} Mabel also performed "Don't Call Me Up" during the second series semi-final episode of Ireland's Got Talent on 30 March 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.nova.ie/irelands-got-talent-live-hosted-radio-nova-lucy-kennedy-presenter-colm-lucy-breakfast-show-126606/|title=Ireland's Got Talent Goes Live This Saturday And Sunday|last=Stenson|first=Elaine|website=Radio Nova 100FM (Ireland)|date=27 March 2019|access-date=5 April 2019}} She performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on 22 May 2019. Mabel also performed "Don't Call Me Up" at the 2019 MTV Europe Music Awards and LOS40 Music Awards 2019. In 2020, she performed the song during The Brits are Coming in January. The song was also performed at the 2020 Brit Awards as the opening act for the award ceremony, where Mabel won her first ever BRIT Award. Following the performance the song climbed the UK Single Charts at #34, being the 46th week of the single on the UK Official Charts.

{{Track listing

| headline = Digital download

| title1 = Don't Call Me Up

| length1 = 2:58

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Digital EP – Remixes

| title1 = Don't Call Me Up

| note1 = R3hab Remix

| length1 = 2:33

| title2 = Don't Call Me Up

| note2 = ADP Remix

| length2 = 3:14

| title3 = Don't Call Me Up

| note3 = Burak Yeter Remix

| length3 = 3:12

| title4 = Don't Call Me Up

| note4 = Zac Samuel Remix

| length4 = 3:28

| title5 = Don't Call Me Up

| note5 = Conducta Remix

| length5 = 3:27

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Digital download – Acoustic

| title1 = Don't Call Me Up

| note1 = acoustic

| length1 = 3:32

}}

• Mabel – vocals
• Steve Mac – production, keyboards
• Chris Laws – drums, engineering
• Spike Stent – mixing
• Stuart Hawkes – mastering
• Tim Laws – guitar
• Camille Purcell – background vocals
• Dan Pursey – engineering

Credits adapted from Qobuz.

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{{Certification Table Entry|region=Sweden|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2019|certyear=2019|artist=Mabel|source=artist|access-date=29 June 2021}}

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Category:2019 singles

Category:2019 songs

Category:Mabel (singer) songs

Category:Polydor Records singles

Category:Song recordings produced by Steve Mac

Category:Songs about telephone calls

Category:Songs written by Kamille (musician)

Category:Songs written by Steve Mac

Category:Tropical house songs

Category:British contemporary R&B songs

Category:British pop songs

Category:Songs written by Mabel (singer)