"Fucking Young / Perfect" is a song written and produced by the American rapper Tyler, the Creator, from his fourth studio album, Cherry Bomb (2015). It features the American singers Charlie Wilson, Chaz Bundick, Syd Bennett, and Kali Uchis, Uchis writing the song with Tyler. The song was released alongside "Deathcamp" as the album's lead single on April 9, 2015.
| "Fucking Young / Perfect" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Tyler, the Creator featuring Charlie Wilson, Chaz Bundick, Syd Bennett, and Kali Uchis | ||||
| from the album Cherry Bomb | ||||
| Released | April 9, 2015 | |||
| Length | 6:41 | |||
| Label | Odd Future | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Tyler, the Creator | |||
| Tyler, the Creator singles chronology | ||||
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| Charlie Wilson singles chronology | ||||
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| Chaz Bundick singles chronology | ||||
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| Syd Bennett singles chronology | ||||
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| Kali Uchis singles chronology | ||||
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Background and release
editOn April 9, 2015, Tyler, the Creator announced his fourth studio album, Cherry Bomb, and in promotion of the album, released two singles from the album, which were "Deathcamp" and "Fucking Young / Perfect".[1] Both songs were made available on the iTunes Store on the same day.[2]
In an interview with Billboard on April 23, 2015, Tyler revealed how the song was first written and its inspiration, telling Billboard;
"I wanted to make a song like Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions album. You listen to shit in the ‘70s, they got to the point. Although it sounds soft, “Fucking Young” is perverted and weird, but it’s true. There was this girl that I liked, and we both had feelings for each other, but there was a five-year difference between us. It weirded me out, so I wrote a song about it."[3]
Composition and lyrics
editThe song's second half, "Perfect" features Kali Uchis, while its music video version includes vocals from Austin Feinstein.[4]
Lyrically, the song is about Tyler's feelings for a girl who is too young for him.[3] James Rettig of Stereogum further reinforced this claim, describing the track as a narrative where Tyler sings about a girl who is too young for him.[1] In a review for Cherry Bomb, Ryan Bassil of Vice wrote that the song could be a letter addressed to his younger self, stating that the "girl he's talking about [could be a] composite of Tyler’s fictional characters", referring to fictional characters seen throughout Tyler's three projects preceding Cherry Bomb.[5]
Music videos
editThe music video for the song's first part, "Fucking Young", was released on the same day as the song's release, on April 9, 2015, and also serves as the music video for "Deathcamp".[6] The video was self-directed by Tyler, and features Wilson and Bundick, along with Cole Alexander, who was featured on "Deathcamp".[7]
Billboard described the music video for "Fucking Young" as a "quirky/twisted love story," where Tyler "gets high" through inhaling a balloon, and attempts skateboard stunts. The video for "Fucking Young" ends with Tyler being carried out of a cinema, transitioning into the video for "Deathcamp".[8]
The music video for the song's second part, "Perfect", was released on February 8, 2016.[9] The video was also self-directed by Tyler, under his directing alias, "Wolf Haley", and features Uchis and Austin Feinstein.[10]
Commercial performance
edit"Fucking Young / Perfect" received a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for selling more than 500,000 units in the United States.
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[11] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
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‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b Rettig, James (April 9, 2015). "Tyler, The Creator – "Fucking Young" Video". Stereogum. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Suh, Steven (April 9, 2015). "Tyler, The Creator Announces New Album 'Cherry Bomb' and Releases New Tracks, "DEATHCAMP" and "F*CKING YOUNG/PERFECT"". HypeBeast.com. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ a b Holmes, Charles (August 1, 2017). "The 28 Best Tyler, The Creator Songs". Complex.com. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Hudson, Alex (February 8, 2016). ""Perfect" (ft. Kali Uchis & Austin Feinstein) (video)". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ Bassil, Ryan (April 14, 2014). "How Tyler The Creator's 'Cherry Bomb' Fits Into Our Conspiracy Theory About His 'WOLF' Trilogy". Vice. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (April 9, 2015). "Tyler, the Creator's New Album Out Soon, Shares First Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ C.M., Emmanuel (April 9, 2015). "Tyler, The Creator Is Dropping His New Album Next Week". XXL. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
- ^ Brandle, Lars (April 10, 2015). "Watch Tyler, the Creator's New Video for 'F—ing Young' and 'Deathcamp'". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Minsker, Evan (February 8, 2016). "Tyler, the Creator Covers Himself in Butterflies in His "Perfect" Video". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Fitz-Gerald, Sean (February 8, 2016). "Watch Tyler, the Creator's Moody New Visuals for 'Perfect'". Vulture. Archived from the original on February 12, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ "American single certifications – Tyler, the Creator – Fucking Young / Perfect". Recording Industry Association of America.