Whoops (song)
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Whoops
| cover = Meghan Trainor - Criminals.png
| alt = A woman with waist-length bleached hair in tight-fitting blue and black crossing her legs and hands above her head, with a white circle cut out of the blue behind her
| border = yes
| type = single
| artist = Meghan Trainor
| album = Timeless
| released = {{start date|2024|6|24}}
| genre =
| length = 2:28
| label = Epic
| writer =
- Meghan Trainor
- Sean Douglas
- Gian Stone
- Grant Boutin
| producer =
- Gian Stone
- Grant Boutin
| chronology = Meghan Trainor
| prev_title = To the Moon
| prev_year = 2024
| next_title = Slippin'
| next_year = 2024
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|CMmjokvZmAA|"Whoops"}}}}
}}
"Whoops" is a song by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor from her sixth major-label studio album, Timeless (2024). Trainor wrote the song with Sean Douglas and its producers, Gian Stone and Grant Boutin. Epic Records released it as the album's third single on June 24, 2024. "Whoops" is a pop-doo-wop break-up song, on which she addresses an ex-partner and derides the woman who he cheated on her with.
"Whoops" reached numbers 18 and 27 on the Adult Pop Airplay and Pop Airplay charts in the US, respectively. The song also peaked at number 94 in the UK. Phillip R Lopez directed its music video, in which Trainor dances in an empty room and destroys every piece of furniture in it with a baseball bat. She performed the song on the television shows Today and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and Capital's Summertime Ball 2024. Trainor also included it on the set list of her 2024 concert tour, the Timeless Tour.
Background
Meghan Trainor's popularity declined in the lead-up to the release of her third major-label studio album, Treat Myself (2020), which received limited live promotion due to the COVID-19 lockdowns.{{cite web |last=Maheshwari |first=Sapna |title=TikTok Is Our DJ Now. It's Playing a Lot of Meghan Trainor. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/24/business/meghan-trainor-made-you-look-tiktok.html/ |website=The New York Times |access-date=July 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230624093251/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/24/business/meghan-trainor-made-you-look-tiktok.html/ |archive-date=June 24, 2023 |date=June 24, 2023 |url-status=live |url-access=limited}} After her 2014 song "Title" attained viral popularity on video-sharing service TikTok in 2021, she announced her intention to return to its parent album's doo-wop sound on her fifth major-label studio album.{{cite web |last=Jones |first=Brian |title=Meghan Trainor Reveals How She's Taking It Back for Upcoming Album |url=https://popculture.com/music/news/meghan-trainor-reveals-taking-it-back-upcoming-album-exclusive/ |website=PopCulture.com |access-date=June 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513003131/https://popculture.com/music/news/meghan-trainor-reveals-taking-it-back-upcoming-album-exclusive/ |archive-date=May 13, 2022 |date=May 12, 2022 |url-status=live}} TikTok was highly influential on Trainor's creative process, and she began writing material that would resonate with audiences on it.{{cite web |last=Lee |first=Tionah |title=Meghan Trainor Shares Advice for New Moms and Talks 'Made You Look' Success |url=https://www.etonline.com/meghan-trainor-shares-advice-for-new-moms-and-talks-made-you-look-success-exclusive-194785 |website=Entertainment Tonight |access-date=February 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221121062254/https://www.etonline.com/meghan-trainor-shares-advice-for-new-moms-and-talks-made-you-look-success-exclusive-194785 |archive-date=November 21, 2022 |date=November 20, 2022 |url-status=live}} She gained popularity on it while regularly sharing clips and other content with influencer Chris Olsen.{{cite magazine |last=Spanos |first=Brittany |title=How Chris Olsen Became the Music World's Favorite TikTok Personality |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/chris-olsen-tiktok-meghan-trainor-1234649107/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=December 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221220193105/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/chris-olsen-tiktok-meghan-trainor-1234649107/ |archive-date=December 20, 2022 |date=December 20, 2022 |url-status=live |url-access=limited}}{{cite magazine |last=Mier |first=Tomás |title=How Meghan Trainor Mastered TikTok and Returned to Her Roots on Her New Album |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/meghan-trainor-takin-it-back-interview-1234613110/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=May 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023140626/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/meghan-trainor-takin-it-back-interview-1234613110/ |archive-date=October 23, 2022 |date=October 23, 2022 |url-status=live |url-access=limited}} Takin' It Back (2022) included the single "Made You Look", which went viral on TikTok.{{cite magazine |last=Lipshutz |first=Jason |title=Trending Up: Rihanna and Meghan Trainor Make Two Very Different Pop Comebacks |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/rihanna-lift-me-up-meghan-trainor-made-you-look-trending-up-1235165182/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=November 3, 2022 |date=November 2, 2022 |archive-date=November 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112182603/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/rihanna-lift-me-up-meghan-trainor-made-you-look-trending-up-1235165182/ |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |last=Wert |first=Nicole |title=Meghan Trainor 'Forces' Her Brother to Do TikTok Trend to Her Song |url=https://parade.com/news/meghan-trainor-brother-made-you-look-tiktok-trend-video |magazine=Parade |access-date=November 26, 2022 |date=November 10, 2022 |archive-date=November 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126201506/https://parade.com/news/meghan-trainor-brother-made-you-look-tiktok-trend-video |url-status=live }} It became Trainor's first song since 2016 to enter the top 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100{{cite magazine |title=Meghan Trainor Chart History (Hot 100) |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/Meghan-Trainor/chart-history/HSI |magazine=Billboard |access-date=November 27, 2022 |archive-date=October 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031200806/https://www.billboard.com/artist/meghan-trainor/chart-history/hsi/ |url-status=live }} and reached the top 10 in several other countries.{{cite web |last=Griffiths |first=George |title=Taylor Swift on Track for Third Week at Number 1 with 'Anti-Hero' |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/taylor-swift-on-track-for-third-week-at-number-1-with-anti-hero__37751/ |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=November 22, 2022 |date=November 6, 2022 |archive-date=November 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122074724/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/taylor-swift-on-track-for-third-week-at-number-1-with-anti-hero__37751/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Meghan Trainor – Made You Look |url=https://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Meghan+Trainor&titel=Made+You+Look&cat=s |publisher=ARIA Top 50 Singles |access-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-date=January 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102161143/https://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Meghan+Trainor&titel=Made+You+Look&cat=s |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Meghan Trainor – Made You Look |url=https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Meghan+Trainor&titel=Made+You+Look&cat=s |publisher=Top 40 Singles |access-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-date=January 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102161142/https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Meghan+Trainor&titel=Made+You+Look&cat=s |url-status=live }}
Gian Stone, who had produced four tracks on Takin' It Back, returned to produce Trainor's song "Been Like This" (2024) alongside Grant Boutin.{{cite AV media notes |title=Takin' It Back |others=Meghan Trainor |year=2022 |author=Epic Records}} It was released as the lead single from her sixth major-label studio album, Timeless (2024), in March 2024.{{cite web |last=Marquina |first=Sierra |title=Meghan Trainor Reveals She Wants More Kids, Talks T-Pain Collab & Tour! |url=https://onairwithryan.iheart.com/featured/ryan-seacrest/content/2024-03-29-meghan-trainor-reveals-she-wants-more-kids-talks-t-pain-collab-tour/ |website=On Air with Ryan Seacrest |access-date=June 25, 2024 |date=March 29, 2024 }} Trainor also wrote the song "Whoops" alongside songwriter Sean Douglas and its producers, Stone and Boutin. It was inspired by the work of Jack Harlow, as Trainor imagined what a collaboration between them would sound like. On May 22, 2024, she began teasing the song and revealed some of its lyrics through a snippet. Trainor confirmed that it was not about infidelity from her husband, Daryl Sabara, whom she had been happily married to for five years.{{cite web |title=Meghan Trainor on Instagram: '#Whoops … June 7th with the Album🥹 #Timeless |url=https://www.instagram.com/meghantrainor/reel/C7PazRyv12C/ |publisher=Instagram |access-date=May 25, 2024 }}{{cite web |title=Meghan Trainor on Instagram: 'Wait for the 'You Got Caught' Part 🤣 Riley Loves This Song! @DarylSabara #Whoops #Timeless |url=https://www.instagram.com/meghantrainor/reel/C7UY1B9pSZs/ |publisher=Instagram |access-date=May 25, 2024 }}{{cite web |last=Raven |first=Robin |title=Meghan Trainor and Daryl Sabara's Relationship Timeline |url=https://people.com/music/meghan-trainor-daryl-sabara-relationship-timeline/ |website=People |access-date=July 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240415083924/https://people.com/music/meghan-trainor-daryl-sabara-relationship-timeline/ |archive-date=April 15, 2024 |date=May 6, 2024 |url-status=live}}
Composition
"Whoops" is 2 minutes and 28 seconds long. Stone and Boutin produced, programmed, and engineered the song, and they provided background vocals alongside Douglas. Trainor handled vocal production and Boutin played keyboards. Tom Norris mixed the song at Snackworld in Los Angeles, and Randy Merrill mastered it at Sterling Sound in New York City.
Rolling Stone{{'}}s Tomás Mier characterized "Whoops" as a pop-doo-wop song, and Riff{{'}}s Mike DeWald believed it has a "modern minimalistic pop sound" reminiscent of the work of Ariana Grande.{{cite web |last=DeWald |first=Mike |title=Meghan Trainor Turns Back the Clock on Timeless |url=https://riffmagazine.com/album-reviews/meghan-trainor-timeless/ |website=Riff |access-date=June 10, 2024 |date=June 6, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-date=June 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240607051525/https://riffmagazine.com/album-reviews/meghan-trainor-timeless/ }} AllMusic's Matt Collar thought the song represented Trainor's "contemporary, hip-hop-inspired update of '50s vocal doo wop" on Timeless, which was one of the stylistic notes that popularized her.{{cite web |last=Collar |first=Matt |title=Timeless — Meghan Trainor |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/timeless-mw0004248544 |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=June 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240629013848/https://www.allmusic.com/album/timeless-mw0004248544 |archive-date=June 29, 2024 |url-status=live}} Writing for the Official Charts Company, George Griffiths believed it mixed the album's sound with "bone-crunching R&B" but was the song that most resembled a "classic Meghan track".{{cite web |last=Griffiths |first=George |title=The Official Chat with Meghan Trainor: "I'm Happy to Be the 'All About That Bass' Girl at 70" |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/meghan-trainor-timeless-interview/ |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=June 11, 2024 |date=June 7, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-date=June 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240608181359/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/meghan-trainor-timeless-interview/ }} According to Renowned for Sound{{'}}s Graeme R, "Whoops" begins like Britney Spears's song "Lucky" before it "picks up tempo and beat".{{cite web |last=R |first=Graeme |title=Album Review: Meghan Trainor — Timeless |url=https://renownedforsound.com/album-review-meghan-trainor-timeless/ |website=Renowned for Sound |access-date=February 1, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617082444/https://renownedforsound.com/album-review-meghan-trainor-timeless/ |archive-date=June 17, 2024 |url-status=live}}
Lyrically, "Whoops" is a break-up song on which Trainor addresses an ex-partner who made mistakes during their relationship. She derides the woman he cheated on her with, claiming that she is less attractive than Trainor and has small buttocks: "And she got 'bout half/Of my looks with no class." Sputnikmusic{{'}}s Benjamin Jack was critical of this and believed it contradicted Trainor's usual body-positive message, casting "doubt upon the character the singer has cultivated for herself over the years".{{cite web |last=Jack |first=Benjamin |title=Meghan Trainor — Timeless |url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/88681/Meghan-Trainor-Timeless/ |website=Sputnikmusic |access-date=June 13, 2024 |date=June 11, 2024 }}
Release and promotion
Epic Records released an Ellis remix of "Whoops" on June 5, 2024. Two days later, Trainor performed the song on Today.{{cite web |title=Watch Meghan Trainor Perform New Song 'Whoops' Live on Today |url=https://www.today.com/video/watch-meghan-trainor-perform-new-song-whoops-live-on-today-212493381704 |website=The Today Show |access-date=June 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240608022613/https://www.today.com/video/watch-meghan-trainor-perform-new-song-whoops-live-on-today-212493381704 |archive-date=June 8, 2024 |date=June 7, 2024 |url-status=live}} Phillip R Lopez directed its music video, which was released on June 10. In it, Trainor dances and poses in an empty room, and she later comes with a baseball bat and destroys every piece of furniture inside the room.{{cite magazine |last=Mier |first=Tomás |title=Meghan Trainor Drags a Dummy Who Fumbled the Bag in 'Whoops' Video |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/meghan-trainor-drops-whoops-video-timeless-album-1235036801/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=June 10, 2024 |date=June 10, 2024 |url-status=live |url-access=limited |archive-date=June 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240610172740/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/meghan-trainor-drops-whoops-video-timeless-album-1235036801/ }} In an episode of her podcast Workin' on It, she reflected that it was her favorite music video ever, except another one she had filmed with her son Riley, and it accentuated her buttocks so much that she would show it to her grandchildren one day. Although Trainor noted that she hated smashing biodegradable objects in it and was afraid she would accidentally hit someone.
On June 11, Trainor was scheduled to perform the song "To the Moon" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Upon returning to her hotel after completing all the rehearsals, she reconsidered the song choice and decided she should sing "Whoops" instead. Though the label was initially waiting for one of the songs on Timeless to gain popularity on TikTok,{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2cvuppEMyc|title=Workin' on Los Angeles Friends|via=YouTube|first=Meghan|last=Trainor|author-link=Meghan Trainor|date=May 30, 2024|access-date=June 11, 2024|url-status=live|time=15:01|archive-date=June 10, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240610132953/https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=901&v=P2cvuppEMyc&feature=youtu.be}} Trainor called and convinced them to send the song to radio stations as the third single from the album on June 24. Her stylist arranged new outfits for her six backup dancers on short notice, and Trainor ended up performing "Whoops" on the show despite facing difficulties singing it and remembering the dance moves, and later at Capital's Summertime Ball 2024.{{cite magazine |last=Zemler |first=Emily |title=Watch Meghan Trainor Showcase Pop Single 'Whoops' on Fallon |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/meghan-trainor-whoops-performance-fallon-1235038424/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=June 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612103103/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/meghan-trainor-whoops-performance-fallon-1235038424/ |archive-date=June 12, 2024 |date=June 12, 2024 |url-status=live |url-access=limited}}{{cite web |last=Prance |first=Sam |title=The Full Setlist for Capital's Summertime Ball with Barclaycard 2024 |url=https://www.capitalfm.com/news/capital-summertime-ball-setlist-songs-2024/ |publisher=Capital FM |access-date=June 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240616155256/https://www.capitalfm.com/news/capital-summertime-ball-setlist-songs-2024/ |archive-date=June 16, 2024 |date=June 16, 2024 |url-status=live}} Trainor included the song on the set list of her 2024 concert tour, the Timeless Tour.{{cite web |last=Shachnow |first=Lindsay |title=Review & Setlist: Meghan Trainor Rocks Out in Her Home State |url=https://www.boston.com/culture/concert-reviews/2024/09/21/review-setlist-meghan-trainor-xfinity-center-concert-review/|website=Boston.com |access-date=September 29, 2024 |date=September 21, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-date=September 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240921195407/https://www.boston.com/culture/concert-reviews/2024/09/21/review-setlist-meghan-trainor-xfinity-center-concert-review/ }}{{cite web |last=James |first=Théoden |title=Review: Were There Really Only That Many People at Meghan Trainor's Charlotte Concert? |url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article292528959.html |website=The Charlotte Observer |access-date=September 20, 2024 |date=September 16, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-date=September 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240917161209/https://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article292528959.html |url-access=limited }}
Commercial performance
"Whoops" peaked at numbers 18 and 27 on the Adult Pop Airplay and Pop Airplay charts in the US, respectively. The song debuted at number 25 on the Digital Song Sales chart. It entered at number 94 on the UK Singles Chart issued for June 21, 2024. "Whoops" also reached number 18 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart.
Credits and personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Timeless.{{cite AV media notes|title=Timeless|others=Meghan Trainor|year=2024|author=Epic Records}}
- Gian Stone – producer, songwriter, programming, engineer, background vocals
- Grant Boutin – producer, songwriter, programming, engineer, background vocals, keyboards
- Meghan Trainor – songwriter, vocal producer
- Sean Douglas – songwriter, background vocals
- Randy Merrill – mastering
- Tom Norris – mixing
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Chart positions for "Whoops" ! scope="col"| Chart (2024) ! scope="col"| Peak |
| scope="row"| New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ){{cite web|url=https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/hotsingles?chart=5821|title=NZ Hot Singles Chart|publisher=Recorded Music NZ|date=June 17, 2024|access-date=June 14, 2024}}
| 18 |
|---|
| {{single chart|UK|94|date=20240621|rowheader=true|access-date=June 25, 2024|refname="UK"}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardadultpopsongs|18|artist=Meghan Trainor|rowheader=true|access-date=October 2, 2024|refname="Adult"}} |
| {{single chart|Billboarddigitalsongs|25|artist=Meghan Trainor|rowheader=true|accessdate=October 2, 2024|refname="US"}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardpopsongs|27|artist=Meghan Trainor|rowheader=true|access-date=October 2, 2024|refname="Mainstream"}} |