"Trouble Is a Friend" is a song by Australian recording artist and actress Lenka from her debut studio album, Lenka (2008). It was released on 1 September 2009 as the album's second and final single. The song was written by Thomas Salter and Lenka. It was used in an episode from the fifth season of the popular medical drama Grey's Anatomy, teen drama television series 90210 and in the 2010 film Easy A.[2]
| "Trouble Is a Friend" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Lenka | ||||
| from the album Lenka | ||||
| Released | 1 September 2009[1] | |||
| Recorded | 2008 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:35 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Mike Elizondo | |||
| Lenka singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Trouble Is A Friend (YouTube Version)" on YouTube | ||||
Music video
editThe official music video for "Trouble Is a Friend" shows Lenka making her way towards the screen. As the video progresses, her dresses and the backgrounds start to change in the verses. At times Lenka interacts with the newly found backgrounds and illustrations. The music video ends with the camera closing up on Lenka then fading out to a dark screen.[3]
Another video, made by Lenka and James Gulliver Hancock, is a shadow figure production that follows a girl and her Trouble, in the form of a dragon. The video ends with the girl getting into a hot air balloon and suffering a terrible fate.[4]
Live performances
editLenka performed the song on the 3 May 2013 episode of X Factor Indonesia.[5][6]
Track listing
edit- "Trouble Is a Friend (Spike Stent Remix)" – 3:29
Charts
edit| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Singles Chart[7] | 65 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart[8] | 10 |
Controversies
editIn 2024, Philippine singer Shaira released a song titled "Selos". However, it was discovered that "Selos" used the melody from Lenka's "Trouble Is a Friend". Despite having different lyrics in Tagalog, the unauthorized use of Lenka's melody raised copyright concerns. As a result, Shaira's song was voluntarily removed from streaming platforms on March 19, 2024.[9][10] Shaira's recording label, AHS Channel, acknowledged the infringement and worked on securing a cover license for "Selos". They expressed their apologies to Lenka and thanked those who enjoyed Shaira's cover song.
References
edit- ^ "ITunes - Music - Trouble is a Friend - Single by Lenka". iTunes. Archived from the original on 28 February 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ "Lenka - Trouble Is A Friend". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "Lenka – Trouble Is A Friend (YouTube Version)". 25 October 2009. Retrieved 31 October 2018 – via YouTube.
- ^ Lenka- Trouble Is A Friend, December 2008, archived from the original on 20 December 2021, retrieved 31 October 2018
- ^ "Manggung di Jakarta, Lenka Akan Berduet dengan Fatin Cs". Kompas.com (in Indonesian). 4 May 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
- ^ "LENKA – TROUBLE IS A FRIEND – GALA SHOW 11 – X Factor Indonesia 3 Mei 2013 – YouTube". Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Trouble Is A Friend by Lenka - Music Charts". Acharts.co. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "Lenka - Trouble Is A Friend". Norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ Adriatico, Abigail; Villanueva, Angelica (20 March 2024). "'Selos much?': Bangsamoro pop singer Shaira's Lenka-inspired song removed from music streaming platforms following copyright issues". Manila Standard. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ Purnell, Kristofer. "Shaira takes down 'Selos' following copyright issue over Lenka song". Philstar.com. Retrieved 25 March 2024.