Been Like This

For the Doja Cat song, see Planet Her.

"Been Like This"
A blue-tinted image of a blond woman and a man in a hat with their hands intertwined. The text "Meghan Trainor T-Pain" stands above them and "Been Like This" below them.
Single by Meghan Trainor and T-Pain
from the album Timeless
ReleasedMarch 14, 2024 (2024-03-14)
GenreDoo-wop
Length2:25
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Gian Stone
  • Grant Boutin
Meghan Trainor singles chronology
"Wrap Me Up"
(2023) 		"Been Like This"
(2024) 		"To the Moon"
(2024)
T-Pain singles chronology
"Biggest Booty"
(2024) 		"Been Like This"
(2024) 		"On This Hill"
(2024)
Music video
"Been Like This" on YouTube

"Been Like This" is a song by American singer-songwriters Meghan Trainor and T-Pain from the former's sixth major-label studio album, Timeless (2024). They co-wrote the song with Kurt Thum, Trainor's brother Ryan, and its producers, Gian Stone and Grant Boutin. Epic Records released it as the album's lead single on March 14, 2024. A doo-wop song with contemporary influences, it incorporates a jazz intro and trumpet melody and has lyrics about confidence.

"Been Like This" reached numbers 15 and 24 on the Adult Pop Airplay and Pop Airplay charts in the US, respectively. The song also peaked at number 40 in the UK and number 51 in Ireland. Phillip R Lopez and Lauren Dunn directed its music video, which was choreographed by Charm La'Donna. It features Trainor alongside background dancers, performing a dance routine afront a space-themed background. She sang the song during the 22nd season of American Idol, on Today and Capital's Summertime Ball, and she included it on the set list of her 2024 concert tour, the Timeless Tour.

Background

[edit]

After rising to mainstream popularity, Meghan Trainor cited T-Pain as one of her biggest influences in a 2014 interview: "Everything is upbeat and happy; there's no ballads and it's catchy".[1] After Trainor's popularity waned in the lead-up to the release of her third major-label studio album, Treat Myself (2020),[2] she decided to return to the doo-wop sound of her song "Title" (2014) with her fifth major-label studio album, Takin' It Back (2022).[3] The album included the single "Made You Look", which went viral on TikTok.[4][5] It became Trainor's first song since 2016 to enter the top 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100[6] and reached the top 10 in several other countries.[7][8][9]

Trainor had been a fan of T-Pain for years, which he reciprocated. T-Pain began seeking out the help of her husband, Daryl Sabara, and her manager, to bring about a meeting in 2023: "I worked with Meghan's husband and manager for months trying to surprise her for her birthday."[10] Subsequently, Trainor wrote the song "Been Like This" with Faheem Najm, Kurt Thum, her brother Ryan, and its producers, Gian Stone and Grant Boutin.[11] T-Pain described the song as "the collab you never knew you wanted but needed" and further reflected on its creation: "I think we came together in a way that's a perfect mesh of styles that will get everybody ready for us to work together again real soon."[12] He later also appeared as a featured artist on Trainor's song "Love on Hold".[11]

Composition

[edit]

"Been Like This" is two minutes and 25 seconds long.[13] Stone and Boutin produced the song and provided background vocals, and they programmed it with Thum. Trainor's brother Justin handled engineering. Tom Norris mixed the song, and Randy Merrill mastered it.[11]

"Been Like This" begins with a jazz-influenced intro, which is contrasted by a "trumpet counter melody" through the rest of the song.[14] According to Uproxx's Derrick Rossignol, the song "brings vintage doo-wop sounds to present day in a poppy and fun way",[15] and The Times's Ed Potton stated it "blends doo-wop with the Charleston".[16] Mike DeWald of Riff likened the "memorable toe-tapping rhythm" of "Been Like This" to the work of Andy Grammer and believed T-Pain assumed a classic style that strayed from his usual music.[17]

In the lyrics of "Been Like This", Trainor compliments herself and asserts her confidence: "She's cute and she's classy, thick, bold and sassy/ She knows what she do when she moves".[14] She references her 2014 single "All About That Bass" with the lyrics "Ooh-wee, she got that booty/That type of boom-boom, that bass that I like."[18] T-Pain raps the second verse included in the song, describing himself as "filthy rich" and mentioning the Grammy Awards he has won.[11][14]

Release and promotion

[edit]

Trainor and T-Pain released "Been Like This" as the lead single from the former's upcoming sixth major-label studio album, Timeless (2024), on March 14, 2024.[19][20] Sony Music serviced the song for radio airplay in Italy on March 22.[21] Following its release, Trainor bought a page-length advertisement in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, thanking T-Pain for being her "favorite artist of all time" and his musicality and lyricism. He uploaded a TikTok video expressing his elation and appreciation: "This is the craziest shit that anybody's ever done, period. Look, it's the actual fucking newspaper, bro!"[22][23][24] Trainor performed "Been Like This" alongside "To the Moon" during the 22nd season of American Idol on May 5, 2024,[25][26] and on Today on June 7, 2024.[27] She reprised "Been Like This" on Capital's Summertime Ball and included it on the set list of her 2024 concert tour, the Timeless Tour.[28][29]

Phillip R Lopez and Lauren Dunn directed the music video for "Been Like This", which was choreographed by Charm La'Donna.[30] While teasing it in a promotional appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark, Trainor stated: "He is the greatest dancer. I think we all forgot because we were like, 'Oh, he's so talented at singing and writing lyrics', but this dude was giving robot. He was like dripping sweat, giving 110%."[22] The video was released on March 27, 2024. It features Trainor alongside background dancers, performing a dance routine afront a space-themed background. Trainor and T-Pain swing on a chandelier and use blue staircases.[30]

Commercial performance

[edit]

"Been Like This" peaked at numbers 15 and 24 on the Adult Pop Airplay and Pop Airplay charts in the US, respectively.[31][32] The song debuted at number 60 on the UK Singles Chart issued for March 28, 2024. It became Trainor's ninth and T-Pain's eleventh single to enter the top 40 on the chart, reaching number 40 in its third week.[33][34] "Been Like This" charted at number 29 on the Australia Digital Tracks chart issued for March 25, 2024.[35] The song debuted at number three on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart that same week.[36]

"Been Like This" peaked at number 16 on the Japan Hot Overseas chart dated April 10, 2024.[37] The song debuted at number 79 on the Irish Singles Chart issued for March 29, 2024. It reached number 51 during the following chart week, dated April 5, 2024.[38] "Been Like This" debuted at number 58 on Nigeria's TurnTable Top 100 Songs chart issued for March 28, 2024, and peaked at number 46.[39] The song charted at number 175 on the South Korea Download chart's 12th week of 2024.[40]

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Timeless.[11]

  • Gian Stone – producer, songwriter, programming, background vocals
  • Grant Boutin – producer, songwriter, programming, background vocals
  • Meghan Trainor – songwriter
  • Faheem Najm – songwriter
  • Kurt Thum – songwriter, programming
  • Ryan Trainor – songwriter
  • Justin Trainor – engineer
  • Randy Merrill – mastering
  • Tom Norris – mixing

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Been Like This"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australia Digital Tracks (ARIA)[35] 29
Ireland (IRMA)[38] 51
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)[37] 16
Latvia Airplay (LAIPA)[41] 17
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[36] 3
Nigeria (TurnTable Top 100)[39] 46
South Korea Download (Circle)[40] 175
UK Singles (OCC)[33] 40
US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[31] 15
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[32] 24

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and format(s) for "Been Like This"
Region Date Format(s) Version Label Ref.
Various March 14, 2024
Original Epic [20]
Italy March 22, 2024 Radio airplay Sony [21]
Various June 3, 2024
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 Remixes Epic [42]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Lambe, Stacy (September 10, 2014). "Meghan Trainor Is 'All About that Bass,' T-Pain & Drunk Texting". Out. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  2. ^ Maheshwari, Sapna (June 24, 2023). "TikTok Is Our DJ Now. It's Playing a Lot of Meghan Trainor". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 24, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
  3. ^ Jones, Brian (May 12, 2022). "Meghan Trainor Reveals How She's Taking It Back for Upcoming Album". PopCulture.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  4. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (November 2, 2022). "Trending Up: Rihanna and Meghan Trainor Make Two Very Different Pop Comebacks". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  5. ^ Wert, Nicole (November 10, 2022). "Meghan Trainor 'Forces' Her Brother to Do TikTok Trend to Her Song". Parade. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  6. ^ "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  7. ^ Griffiths, George (November 6, 2022). "Taylor Swift on Track for Third Week at Number 1 with 'Anti-Hero'". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on November 22, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  8. ^ "Meghan Trainor – Made You Look". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  9. ^ "Meghan Trainor – Made You Look". Top 40 Singles. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  10. ^ Irvin, Jack (March 14, 2024). "Meghan Trainor Announces New Album Timeless and Tour with Natasha Bedingfield, Chris Olsen and More". People. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d e Epic Records (2024). Timeless (Media notes). Meghan Trainor.
  12. ^ Mier, Tomás (March 14, 2024). "Meghan Trainor Announces Timeless Album and First Tour in 7 Years". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  13. ^ "'Been Like This' — Single by Meghan Trainor & T-Pain". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c Dailey, Hannah (March 14, 2024). "Meghan Trainor Announces New Album Timeless & North American Tour". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  15. ^ Rossignol, Derrick (March 14, 2024). "Meghan Trainor Launches Her Upcoming Album Timeless with the T-Pain Collab 'Been Like This'". Uproxx. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  16. ^ Potton, Ed (June 3, 2024). "Meghan Trainor: 'Is Everyone Getting Meaner or Just Louder?'". The Times. Archived from the original on June 7, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  17. ^ DeWald, Mike (June 6, 2024). "Meghan Trainor Turns Back the Clock on Timeless". Riff. Archived from the original on June 7, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  18. ^ Sherman, Maria (June 5, 2024). "A Decade After 'All About That Bass,' Meghan Trainor Aims to Make Her Feel-good Songs Timeless". ABC News. Archived from the original on June 9, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  19. ^ "Meghan Trainor on Instagram". Instagram. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  20. ^ a b White, Logan (March 14, 2024). "Meghan Trainor Announces Album + Tour; Shares 'Been Like This'". Substream Magazine. Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Micaletto, Ylenia. "Meghan Trainor 'Been Like This'" (Press release) (in Italian). Radio Airplay SRL. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Irvin, Jack; Quinn, Dave (March 19, 2024). "Meghan Trainor Thanks T-Pain for New Single Collab with Full-Page ATL Newspaper Ad: 'Made My Dreams Come True'". People. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  23. ^ Paige, DeAsia (March 19, 2024). "Meghan Trainor Takes Out an AJC Ad to Thank T-Pain for New Single". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on March 19, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  24. ^ Dresdale, Andrea (March 15, 2024). "Meghan Trainor Takes Out Full-Page Newspaper Ad Praising T-Pain: 'You Inspired Me'". ABC Audio. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  25. ^ Whidden, Samantha (May 5, 2024). "Meghan Trainor Takes the American Idol Stage to Perform 'Been Like This' & 'To the Moon'". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on June 6, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  26. ^ Zemler, Emily (May 8, 2024). "Meghan Trainor Blasts Off in 'To the Moon' Music Video". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  27. ^ "Meghan Trainor Performs Medley of Songs Off New Album Timeless". Today. June 7, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  28. ^ Prance, Sam (June 16, 2024). "The Full Setlist for Capital's Summertime Ball with Barclaycard 2024". Capital FM. Archived from the original on June 16, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  29. ^ Swift, Megan (September 7, 2024). "Meghan Trainor Is All About the Bass — and Family — in Spirited Pittsburgh Show". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on September 7, 2024. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  30. ^ a b "Meghan Trainor, T-Pain — 'Been Like This' (Official Music Video)". Meghan Trainor. March 27, 2024. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024 – via YouTube.
  31. ^ a b "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  32. ^ a b "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  33. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
  34. ^ Griffiths, George (April 5, 2024). "Beyoncé Becomes First Black Artist Ever to Take Country Album to Number 1 in the UK". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  35. ^ a b "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 25 March 2024". The ARIA Report. No. 1777. Australian Recording Industry Association. March 25, 2024. p. 9.
  36. ^ a b "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 25, 2024. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  37. ^ a b "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of April 10, 2024". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 10, 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  38. ^ a b "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  39. ^ a b "TurnTable Nigeria Top 100: April 26th, 2024 - May 2nd, 2024". TurnTable. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  40. ^ a b "Download Chart – Week 12 of 2024". Circle Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 28, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  41. ^ "Latvijas spēlētāko dziesmu Radio Top 2024. gads – 20. nedēļa" [Latvia's most played songs Radio Top 2024 – Week 20] (in Latvian). LAIPA. May 20, 2024. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  42. ^ "'Been Like This' (Remixes) — Single — Album by Meghan Trainor & T-Pain". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
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