My Body (Young the Giant song)

According to singer Sameer Gadhia, "My Body" was conceived at the end of a frustrating day for the band. "Why don't we just jam something out, like the most ridiculous thing you could imagine?" Gadhia recalled the discussion. "It doesn't even have to make sense. Just yell it out, because it means you're releasing your tension." Ten minutes later, he said, "the entire song had been created."{{cite news

| last=Mansfield

| first=Brian

| url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2011-04-29-otv-young-the-giant_N.htm

| title=On the Verge: Young the Giant

| newspaper=USA Today

| date=2011-04-11

| accessdate=2011-09-23}}

Guitarist Eric Cannata, in a separate interview, echoed Gadhia's remarks that the song "started just as a quirky joke" to help relieve stress. Cannata added, "The dynamic between tension and liberation came from the very basic literal interpretation of the struggle we experienced directly before the creation of the song. It was a stroke of inspiration, and later appreciated insight, that cut through a relatively frustrating time for us as writers."{{cite web

| last=Jones

| first=Rob

| url=http://thedeletebin.com/2011/01/13/interview-with-young-the-giant-who-perform-my-body/

| title=Interview With Young The Giant Who Perform 'My Body'

| publisher=The Delete Bin

| date=2011-01-13

| accessdate=2011-09-23}}

Gadhia told Spinner.com that the song "really embodies Young the Giant: a combination of youthful energy and slightly naïve but optimistic determination. It captures a sense of passion, urgency and excitement that we've felt throughout the writing and recording process."{{cite web

| last=Ayers

| first=Michael D.

| url=http://www.spinner.com/2010/07/16/young-the-giant-my-body-song-premiere/

| title=Young the Giant, 'My Body' - Song Premiere

| publisher=Spinner.com (AOL)

| date=2010-07-16

| accessdate=2011-09-23

| archive-date=2011-01-03

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110103205432/http://www.spinner.com/2010/07/16/young-the-giant-my-body-song-premiere/

| url-status=dead

}}

"My Body" was released onto the internet in July 2010 in advance of the band's debut album, which was released digitally in October. The song entered the US Alternative Songs chart in January and peaked at number 5 in April.{{cite magazine

| url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=young the giant|chart=Alternative Songs}}

| title=Young the Giant Album & Song Chart History

| magazine=Billboard (Nielsen Company)

| accessdate = 2011-09-23}}

Five months later, the song reached number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.{{cite magazine

| last=Trust

| first=Gary

| url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/lil-wayne-scores-11-simultaneous-singles-1005344112.story

| title=Lil Wayne Scores 12 Simultaneous Singles on Hot 100

| magazine=Billboard (Nielsen Company)

| date=2011-09-08

| accessdate=2011-09-23

| archive-date=2011-11-07

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111107210453/http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/lil-wayne-scores-11-simultaneous-singles-1005344112.story

| url-status=dead

}}

The song also peaked at number 54 in Canada and number 56 in the Netherlands.{{cite web

|url=http://dutchcharts.nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Young+The+Giant

|title=Discografie Young the Giant

|language=Dutch

|publisher=Hung Medien

|accessdate=2011-09-23}}

Billboard's Ryan Reed complimented Gadhia's vocals and wrote that the song "is representative of the group's charms, offering an infectious mix of stainless steel electric guitars, beefy drums and mammoth hooks."{{cite magazine

| last=Reed

| first=Ryan

| url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/review/1067962/young-the-giant-my-body

| title=Billboard Review: Young the Giant - 'My Body'

| magazine=Billboard (Nielsen Company)

| date=2011-02-12

| accessdate = 2011-09-23}}

In a review of the album, Caitlin Meyer of Consequence said, "with a danceable, building beat and an explosive anthem of a chorus, it's truly difficult not to put this song on repeat, sing along, and forgo listening to the rest of the album."{{cite magazine

| last=Meyer

| first=Caitlin

| url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2010/12/album-review-young-the-giant-young-the-giant/

| title=Consequence of Sound Album Review - Young the Giant

| magazine=Consequence of Sound

| date=2010-12-21

| accessdate=2011-09-23}}

Chris Conaton of PopMatters compared the song's drumbeat to that of Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People", and said "My Body" is "one of the better tracks on the album".{{cite magazine

| last=Conaton

| first=Chris

| url=https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/136751-young-the-giant-young-the-giant/

| title=Music Reviews - Young the Giant

| magazine=PopMatters

| date=2011-02-21

| accessdate=2011-09-23}}

Drowned in Sound's Alex Yau said the sound of the song's guitars is reminiscent of that on the Kings of Leon album Come Around Sundown.{{cite magazine

| last=Yau

| first=Alex

| url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/16447/reviews/4143389

| title=Releases: Young the Giant - Young the Giant

| magazine=Drowned in Sound

| date=2011-08-23

| accessdate=2011-09-23

| archive-date=2011-12-04

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111204061053/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/16447/reviews/4143389

| url-status=dead

}}

Pitchfork{{'}}s Ian Cohen described the song as "rank Cold War Kids karaoke".{{cite web

| last=Cohen

| first=Ian|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15030-young-the-giant/

| title=Pitchfork Album Reviews - Young the Giant

| publisher=Pitchfork Media

| date=2011-02-03

| accessdate = 2011-09-23}}

The song has been covered by the Danish heavy metal band Volbeat on their album Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies.

The song featured in the fifth episode of the final season of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.

The song is featured in the sixth episode of the third season of The Vampire Diaries.

The song is featured on the series “Outer Banks”

Young the Giant performed "My Body" on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Fuel TV's The Daily Habit in January 2011, and then the BBC's Later... with Jools Holland in May.{{cite news

|last = Greenwald

|first = David

|url = http://www.thisisbrandx.com/2011/01/young-the-giant-talk-tv-debut-on-jimmy-kimmel-live.html

|title = Young the Giant Talk TV Debut on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'

|newspaper = Los Angeles Times

|accessdate = 2011-09-23

|url-status = dead

|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110111044142/http://www.thisisbrandx.com/2011/01/young-the-giant-talk-tv-debut-on-jimmy-kimmel-live.html

|archivedate = 2011-01-11

}}{{cite web

| last=Pettibone

| first=Bryan

| url=http://www.cmj.com/the-feed/news/2011/02/young-the-giant-extends-tour-new-video/

| title=Young The Giant Extends Tour; New Video

| publisher=College Music Journal

| date=2011-02-16

| accessdate=2011-09-23}}{{cite web

| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/showcase/clips/p00gsl8j

| title=BBC Music Showcase: Young The Giant - 'My Body'

| publisher=BBC

| date=2011-06-05

| accessdate=2011-09-23

| archive-date=2013-04-19

| archive-url=https://archive.today/20130419175919/http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/showcase/clips/p00gsl8j

| url-status=dead

}}

In August, they performed "My Body" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards.{{cite web

| last=Kaufman

| first=Gil

| url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1668395/young-the-giant-video-music-awards.jhtml

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718211519/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1668395/young-the-giant-video-music-awards.jhtml

| url-status=dead

| archive-date=July 18, 2012

| title=Young The Giant To Make VMA Performance Debut

| publisher=MTV

| date=2011-08-03

| accessdate=2010-09-23}}

The band invited 300 fans from their hometown of Irvine, California onstage for the performance.{{cite magazine

| last=Benjamin

| first=Jeff

| url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/467411/young-the-giant-ride-post-vmas-momentum

| title=Young The Giant Ride Post-VMAs Momentum

| magazine=Billboard (Nielsen Company)

| date=2011-09-17

| accessdate = 2011-09-23}}

The appearance resulted in a 220 percent increase in digital downloads for the song during the following week.{{cite magazine

| last=Barker

| first=Andrew

| url=https://www.variety.com/article/VR1118042128

| title=Performers Get 'VMAs' Bump

| magazine=Variety

| date=2011-09-01

| accessdate=2011-09-23}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

class="wikitable sortable"
Chart (2011) !Peak position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) | style="text-align:center;"|54
Canada Rock (Billboard) | style="text-align:center;"|1
Italy (FIMI){{cite web|url=http://www.fimi.it/classifiche#/category:digital/id:1032|publisher=Federation of the Italian Music Industry|language=Italian|accessdate=10 September 2016|archivedate=30 January 2016|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20160130124535/http://www.fimi.it/classifiche%23/category:digital/year:2015/id:1032#/category:digital/id:1032|title=Top Digital (Download e streaming) - Classifica settimanale WK 24 (dal 2012-06-11 al 2012-06-17)|url-status=dead}} |style="text-align:center;"|45
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100) | style="text-align:center;"|56
US Billboard Hot 100 | style="text-align:center;"|65
US Alternative Songs (Billboard) | style="text-align:center;"|5
US Rock Songs (Billboard) | style="text-align:center;"|16

{{col-2}}

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|relyear=2011|certyear=2012|title=My Body|artist=Young the Giant|type=single|award=Platinum|digital=true}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|relyear=2011|certyear=2017|title=My Body|artist=Young the Giant|type=single|award=Platinum|digital=true}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|format=3col | noshipments=true}}

{{col-end}}

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Young the Giant}}

{{authority control}}

Category:2010 songs

Category:2011 debut singles

Category:Young the Giant songs

Category:Roadrunner Records singles

Category:2011 singles

Category:2011 songs

Category:Music videos directed by Justin Francis