ABCDEFU
2021 single by Gayle
"ABCDEFU" (also known by its radio-edited title "ABC (Nicer)"; stylized in all lowercase) is the major-label debut single by American singer Gayle, released on August 13, 2021, through Atlantic and Arthouse Records. It was co-written by Gayle with Sara Davis and David Pittenger, and produced by Pete Nappi. The song is the lead single from Gayle's debut EP A Study of the Human Experience Volume One.
"ABCDEFU" reached number one on the Billboard Global 200 and, in the United States, peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside the US, "ABCDEFU" topped the charts in 16 countries.
In 2022, the song was nominated for Song of the Year for the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.
01Background and promotion
The song marks the first single release since the Nashville-based singer signed with Atlantic Records/Arthouse Records in 2021. On her TikTok account, Gayle uploaded a video where she stated "I'm out of [song] ideas" and asked followers to comment song ideas. She said, "Comment anything and I'll try my best to turn it into a song." Nancy Berman, a marketing manager at Atlantic Records, commented, asking for a song that incorporates the alphabet. Within a few days, Gayle uploaded another video of her strumming the chorus of the song.
According to Gayle, the song "came from a place of trying so hard to be the nice, respectful ex-girlfriend, to the point where it was negatively affecting me". In an interview with Tongue Tied Mag, Gayle explained the inspiration behind the song: "After the breakup, I was trying really, really hard to be a nice person. Like overcompensating for it. Like the week after we broke up, I called him and was like, 'hey bud!' and 'what's up my friend?!'." On March 31, 2021, Gayle stated on Instagram that she had dislocated her middle finger, and the X-ray scan from the hospital was used for the single's cover art.
The song achieved mainstream success within a few months after release, surpassing over 500 million global streams as of March 2022. Gayle has since released different versions of the song, including the demo, a "chill version", and an "angrier version". The original song reached 1 billion streams on July 9, 2023.
02Music video
The accompanying music video was released alongside the single. The video was shot via a camcorder at a low resolution to evoke early 2000s home videos. In the music video, the singer and her friends break into and look around her ex's home.
03Composition
According to the digital sheet music published at musicnotes.com by Warner Music Publishing, "ABCDEFU" is written in the key of E major with a tempo of 122 beats per minute, with Gayle's vocals ranging from G♯3 to C♯5. The song's title and lyrical content are a play on words incorporating the first six letters of the alphabet with the addition of the twenty-first, to form an initialism for the profane phrase "Fuck yoU". In the "angrier" version, Gayle sings in the hook "A-B-C-D-E fuck you" to represent its meaning.
Sonically, the song is characterized by "minimalistic sonics" and "jagged guitar work", while it "reaches its climax with a massive sing-a-long chorus".
04Critical reception
The song has been a viral hit on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. Emily Zemler of Rolling Stone praised the passion of Gayle's live renditions of the piece. April Bredael of Tongue Tied Magazine thought the song "adds to a growing list of accomplishments" of the singer with tracks that are "authentic, honest, and unapologetic".
05Track listing
Digital download and streaming (Nicer version)
- "ABC" (nicer) , 2:48
Digital download and streaming (Demo version)
- "ABCDEFU" (demo) , 2:35
Digital download and streaming (Chill version)
- "ABCDEFU" (chill) , 2:56
Digital download and streaming (Angrier version)
- "ABCDEFU" (angrier) , 2:39
Digital download and streaming (featuring Royal & the Serpent)
- "ABCDEFU" (featuring Royal & the Serpent) , 2:49
Digital download and streaming ABC (The Wild Remix)
- "ABC" (The Wild Remix) , 3:02
06Charts
Weekly charts
|
Monthly charts
Year-end charts
|
07Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) | 3× Platinum | 210,000‡ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria) | 4× Platinum | 120,000‡ |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) | 2× Platinum | 80,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada) | 4× Platinum | 320,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark) | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| France (SNEP) | Diamond | 333,333‡ |
| Germany (BVMI) | 3× Gold | 600,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI) | 3× Platinum | 300,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| Poland (ZPAV) | 4× Platinum | 200,000‡ |
| Portugal (AFP) | 2× Platinum | 20,000‡ |
| Spain (Promusicae) | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA) | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
08Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Version | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | August 13, 2021 |
|
Original | Atlantic | |
| August 14, 2021 | Nicer | ||||
| September 10, 2021 | Demo | ||||
| September 13, 2021 | Cartoonito Version | ||||
| September 17, 2021 | Chill | ||||
| September 24, 2021 | Angrier | ||||
| November 19, 2021 | Royal & the Serpent remix | ||||
| Italy | November 26, 2021 | Radio airplay | Original | Warner | |
| United States | December 7, 2021 | Contemporary hit radio | Atlantic | ||
| Various | December 31, 2021 |
|
The Wild remix | ||
| February 18, 2022 | CD single |
|
|
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “ABCDEFU”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Gayle - ABCDEFU (higher resolution).png by Gayle / Atlantic Records, Public domain
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