Pure Grinding
{{short description|2015 single by Avicii}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Pure Grinding
| cover =
| A-side = For a Better Day
| type = single
| artist = Avicii
| album = Stories
| released = {{Start date|2015|08|28|df=y}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre = Funktronica
| length = 2:51
| label = * PRMD
| writer = * Tim Bergling
- Albin Nedler
- Earl Johnson
- Kristoffer Fogelmark
| producer = * Avicii
- Albin Nedler
- Kristoffer Fogelmark
| prev_title = Waiting for Love
| prev_year = 2015
| title2 = For a Better Day
| next_title = Broken Arrows
| next_year = 2015
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|hzdIoghbFzg|"Avicii - Pure Grinding"}}}}
}}
"Pure Grinding" is a song by Avicii, released as a single in 2015. The track appears on his album Stories and on his two-track EP Pure Grinding / For a Better Day. It was written by Tim Bergling (Avicii), Kristoffer Fogelmark, Albin Nedler and Earl Johnson. The song was previously leaked on the Internet with the title "Nothing to Lose". It is also part of the official soundtrack for the 2015 reboot of Need for Speed.{{Cite web |url=http://www.needforspeed.com/en_GB/news/soundtrack |title=Need for Speed Soundtrack |access-date=2015-10-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151030072436/http://www.needforspeed.com/en_GB/news/soundtrack |archive-date=2015-10-30 |url-status=dead }}
Reception
"Pure Grinding" received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. Will Hermes of Rolling Stone described the song as "duty-free trap music cut with polyester funk",{{cite magazine|last1=Hermes|first1=Will|title=Stories|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/avicii-stories-20151002|accessdate=11 February 2016|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=2 October 2015}} while Marcus Dowling of Insomniac noted that a "more power synth- and heavy drop-loving producer" would have benefited the song.{{Cite web |last=Dowling |first=Marcus |date=October 2, 2015 |title=Avicii 'Stories': A Track-by-Track Review |url=https://www.insomniac.com/magazine/avicii-stories-a-track-by-track-review/ |access-date=June 1, 2022 |website=Insomniac}}
Music video
The music video, directed by Avicii and Levan Tsikurishvili, was released on September 3, 2015. The video delivers a powerful message about the struggles of financial survival and the unpredictability of fate. It compares the lives of two men. One man works hard at a limestone quarry, to pay off his overdue bills. When he gets home, he was met with an argumentative wife (or mother) on the overdue bills who ultimately leaves him. Determined, he continues working tirelessly and eventually succeeds in paying the overdue bills.
On the other hand, the other man lives in a life of luxury, fueled by his criminal and gangsterism activities. They kill a gas station owner and later rob a bank. When the sirens go off, his cronies lock him in the bank's safe with a pile of the diamonds and money that he used to fuel his lifestyle. {{Cite web |last=Stumme |first=Clifford |date=12 October 2015 |title=What do the music video and song for "Pure Grinding" by Avicii mean? |url=https://www.popsongprofessor.com/blog/2015/10/12/what-do-the-music-video-and-song-for-pure-grinding-by-avicii-mean |url-status=live |website=The Pop Song Professor}}
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2015)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{singlechart|Austria|71|artist=Avicii|song=Pure Grinding|rowheader=true}} |
| {{singlechart|Germany|94|artist=Avicii|song=Pure Grinding|songid=1467760|rowheader=true}} |
| {{singlechart|Sweden|19|artist=Avicii|song=Pure Grinding|rowheader=true}} |
| {{singlechart|Billboarddanceelectronic|30|artist=Avicii|song=Pure Grinding|rowheader=true}} |
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|type=single|artist=Avicii|title=Pure Grinding|award=Gold|id=11607|certyear=2022|relyear=2015|access-date=August 23, 2022}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Sweden|type=single|artist=Avicii|title=Pure Grinding|award=Platinum|certyear=2018|certweek=17|relyear=2015|accessdate=10 July 2020}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streamsonly=true|noshipments=true|nosales=true|streaming=true}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Avicii}}
Category:Songs written by Avicii
Category:Songs written by Kristoffer Fogelmark
Category:Songs written by Albin Nedler
{{2015-single-stub}}