Wikipedia

Thank You (MKTO song)

"Thank You" is the debut single by American pop duo MKTO, composed of Malcolm David Kelley and Tony Oller. It was released through Columbia Records on November 12, 2012, and is from their 2014 self-titled debut album. The song was written by Kelley, Oller, Evan "Kidd" Bogart, Emanuel Kiriakou, and Andrew Goldstein.[1][2] It is a hip hop and teen pop song about a younger generation's sarcastic gratitude towards their previous generation after suffering the effects of their previous wrongdoings, yet it brings hope and encouragement to people saying that they should stand up for themselves.

"Thank You"
A drawing of an angry face with an "x" as its mouth with the words "MKTO" and "Thank You" are written in yellow capital letters above and below it, respectively.
Single by MKTO
from the album MKTO
ReleasedNovember 12, 2012 (2012-11-12)
Recorded2012
Genre
Length3:49
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Bogart, Kiriakou
MKTO singles chronology
"Thank You"
(2012) 		"Classic"
(2013)

The song became a hit in Australia and New Zealand, and charted in the top 40 in the Netherlands and the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 charts.

Background and release

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Malcolm David Kelley and Tony Oller met in the 2010 while filming the television series Gigantic, in which their characters were portrayed as best friends.[2] Apart from filming Gigantic, the two posted cover versions of songs in YouTube, which caught the attention of Evan "Kidd" Bogart and Emanuel Kiriakou and led to them being signed to Columbia Records in 2012.[2][3][4] "Thank You", their debut single, was released on November 12, 2012. It was released as the lead single from their debut album MKTO which was released on January 30, 2014. The acommpanying music video of the song was filmed by Chris Marrs Piliero and premiered on January 4, 2013.

Music video

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The song's accompanying music video was filmed by Chris Marrs Piliero and was released on January 4, 2013, on their Vevo account. It features an appearance by Harold Perrineau who plays the father of Kelley's character on the television series Lost. In the video, Malcolm and Tony listen to a politician talking about budget cuts who clearly bores them. Asked about the youth of America, the politician claims "They're screwed.", which angers Malcolm and Tony. The duo somehow come on the TV, push the politician away, and start singing. During the song, they come out of a desk in a classroom where Malcolm sprays the teacher's mouth, causing it to disappear. Malcolm, Tony and the students start spraying graffiti and handing balloons to politicians that cause the string to tie around their wrist and sprung in the air. Malcolm and Tony later stand on a Range Rover and sing on it as a big crowd comes up to them and cheer along with them.

Composition

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"Thank You is a song we wanted to do speaking about our generation and what is really going on right now. Every generation has a song. We’re not trying to say this is the song, but it’s a story and we wanted to talk about what is going on right now. Thank you is a sarcastic way of saying you know what,"

— Oller about the song's content.[4]

"Thank You" is a pop rap and teen pop song with a length of three minutes and forty-nine seconds. It is written in the key of B major. Lyrically, it is a sarcastically-written approach on the world's issues and a sarcastic gratitude to the previous generation.

Kelley described it as "[about] the world we are living in. By that, I mean, the situations us young folks are in due to some of our elders' decisions, we have the power to take things into our own hands nowadays. Following your dreams, working at it, and education are key."[5] Oller remarked, "We're just really trying to do an anthem for our generation, what us kids go through in the economic times right now is not easy."[6] He also added, "We wanted to have a song that described our views of our generation, and to describe how we feel about being in the circumstances we are in, thanks to previous generations making mistakes."[5]

Chart performance

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"Thank You" debuted on the Dutch Mega Single Top 100 chart in the Netherlands on the week of January 19, 2013 at number 94 and peaked at number 37.[7] It also debuted on the Dutch Top 40 chart on the week of April 6, 2013 and peaked at number 27.[8] In New Zealand, it debuted on the NZ Top 40 chart at number 22 on February 4, 2013, and peaked at number 7.[9] In Australia, "Thank You" debuted on the ARIA Singles chart at number 28 on the week of March 4, 2013 and peaked at number 2.[10] In the United States, "Thank You" charted at the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart at number 20.[2] and on the Pop Songs chart at number 38.[11]

Critical response

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Crystal Bell of Celebuzz wrote, "[...] MKTO's "Thank You" is more than just another song about teenage angst—it's an anthem for underdogs, something both Oller and Kelley experienced in their careers."[5] Entertainment Tonight described "Thank You" as a "catchy debut single".[3]

Track listing

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Digital download[12]
No.TitleLength
1."Thank You"3:49

Charts and certifications

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Radio and release history

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List of release dates, showing region, release format, and label
Region Date Format Label
Australia November 12, 2012 (2012-11-12) Digital download[12] Sony Music Entertainment
Canada
Netherlands
New Zealand
United States Columbia Records

References

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  1. ^ "MKTO announces promotional Australian visit". NovaFM. DMG Radio Australia. April 7, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Bubbling Under: MKTO's 'Thank You' Gets Welcomed". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. April 5, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "MKTO Signs With Columbia Records" (Press release). PR Newswire. January 15, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  4. ^ a b "MKTO Talks New Single "Thank You" and Debut Album In Studio With Toro". WNOW-FM. CBS Radio. March 29, 2013. Archived from the original on April 3, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c Bell, Crystal (January 3, 2013). "MKTO's Tony Oller and Malcolm Kelley Talk New Single 'Thank You' -- and What It's Like to be the Underdogs". Celebuzz. Buzz Media. Archived from the original on April 3, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  6. ^ Tang, Vivian (March 8, 2013). "MKTO Talk About Their Song "Thank You," Working With Ne-Yo and Backstreet Boys!". Cambio. AOL. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  7. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – MKTO – Thank You". Single Top 100 (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  8. ^ "Top40.nl – MKTO – Thank You" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  9. ^ "charts.nz – MKTO – Thank You". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  10. ^ "australian-charts.com – MKTO – Thank You" (in Dutch). ARIA Charts. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  11. ^ a b Trust, Gary (April 29, 2013). "Chart Highlights: Wale, Tiara Thomas Rule R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  12. ^ a b "Thank You - Single by MKTO". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. April 7, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  13. ^ "MKTO – Thank You". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  14. ^ "MKTO – Thank You" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  15. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 17. týden 2013 in the date selector.
  16. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – MKTO" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  17. ^ "MKTO – Thank You" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  18. ^ "MKTO – Thank You". Top 40 Singles.
  19. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201318 into search.
  20. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201430 into search.
  21. ^ "End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2013". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  22. ^ "Jaarlijsten 2013" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  23. ^ "Top Selling Singles of 2013". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  24. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2014 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  25. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – MKTO – Thank You". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
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