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Unlock It

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"Unlock It"
Promotional single by Charli XCX featuring Kim Petras and Jay Park
from the album Pop 2
Released2017
Length3:52
LabelAsylum
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Unlock It" is a 2017 song by Charli XCX featuring Kim Petras and Jay Park from XCX's mixtape Pop 2. It samples A. G. Cook's "Beautiful", and was renamed "Unlock It (Lock It)" in 2021 after going viral on TikTok. In 2022, Piri & Tommy released a cover that Vice rated as the 14th best song of 2022.

Background and release

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The song was released on 11 December 2017,[1] four days before the release of its parent mixtape Pop 2.[2] The song samples "Beautiful" by A. G. Cook, who also produced the album,[3] and features a spoken word chorus.[4] XCX met Petras at a Sophie concert and got Park into the studio after he appeared in the music video for "Boys".[5] Clash Magazine described it as having "[a] power chorus, pure electronic happiness, bold, computerized melodies, and lyrics that offer cosmic escapism", and offered particular praise for the line "cosmic kiss, tastes like cherry maraschino", calling it "sweetly satisfying".[6]

Later versions

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"Piri’s vocals are silky smooth, laced in AutoTune, bathed in reverb and delay. The drums have a low fidelity edge, a nod toward the ‘bedroom DnB’ that has become so popular in recent times. Tommy’s production is clean and polished, opting for a less-is-more approach with a batch of gloss synthesisers and a deep sub bass."

Clash in November 2022[7]

A mashup remix of the song by American DJ/producer Jeff Prior went viral in 2021 after being used in an accompanying dance on TikTok, eventually soundtracking 2,400,000 videos.[8] On 2 May 2021, she updated the song's title to streaming platforms to "Unlock It (Lock It)"; after being criticised for this, she took to Twitter to explain herself.[9] Piri & Tommy, who had previously opened for Charli XCX at a Brighton concert,[10] released a cover version of the song on 11 November 2022.[11] Their version of the song was described by Aisha Sembhi of Indiependent.co.uk as a "blend [of] bubblegum pop and drum & bass",[4] while Clash Magazine described the song as "reminiscent of the original [but] deliver[ing] a more laidback edge".[7] In addition, their version of the song was rated as the fourteenth best song of 2022 by Vice.[12]

Personnel

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Musicians

Production

Release history

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Release history for "Unlock It"
Region Date Version Label Ref.
Various 11 December 2017
Asylum [14]

References

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  1. ^ "Charli XCX Shares 'Unlock It' Feat. Kim Petras and Jay Park". Billboard. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Charli XCX reveals brand new single 'Unlock It'". NME. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Charli XCX shares sublimely synthy slow jam "Unlock It" featuring Kim Petras and Jay Park". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Track Review: Unlock It // piri & tommy". Indiependent.co.uk. 14 November 2022. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ "Charli XCX Drops New Banger 'Unlock It' With Kim Petras and Jay Park". MTV News. Retrieved 30 September 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ "Charli XCX: Her 17 Best Songs". Clash Magazine. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  7. ^ a b "piri & Tommy Share Charli XCX Cover 'Unlock It'". CLASH. 14 November 2022. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  8. ^ Dazed (6 April 2021). "We give thanks for the TikTok resurrection of Charli XCX's 'Unlock It'". Dazed. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Charli XCX discusses relationship between artists and fans after updating "Unlock it" title". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  10. ^ "Charli XCX plays intimate Brighton concert". Brighton & Hove News. 8 September 2022. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  11. ^ Holden, Finlay (11 November 2022). "piri & tommy have released their cover of Charli XCX's 2017 hit, 'Unlock it'". Dork. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  12. ^ "The 50 Best Songs of 2022". Vice. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Pop 2". listen.tidal.com. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  14. ^ Unlock it (Lock It) [feat. Kim Petras and Jay Park], 11 December 2017, retrieved 2 October 2024
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