"Earth" is a charity single by American rapper Lil Dicky. It was released on April 19, 2019 (three days before Earth Day) through Dirty Burd, Commission, and BMG. The song features vocals from Dicky, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Halsey, Zac Brown, Brendon Urie, Hailee Steinfeld, Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg, Kevin Hart, Adam Levine, Shawn Mendes, Charlie Puth, Sia, Miley Cyrus, Lil Jon, Rita Ora, Miguel, Katy Perry, Lil Yachty, Ed Sheeran, Meghan Trainor, Joel Embiid, Tory Lanez, John Legend, Psy, Bad Bunny, Kris Wu, Backstreet Boys, and Leonardo DiCaprio.[1][2][3]
| "Earth" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Lil Dicky | ||||
| Released | April 19, 2019 | |||
| Length | 4:41 | |||
| Label |
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| Composer(s) | ||||
| Lyricist(s) |
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| Producer(s) | ||||
| Lil Dicky singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Earth" on YouTube | ||||
Background
editOn April 19, 2019, Dicky took to Twitter to announce the release of a new song the following week.[4] It was also reported that Canadian singer Justin Bieber would return to music as a guest feature on a new Lil Dicky song.[5] Bieber confirmed the collaboration on Twitter a few days later.[6] Over 30 celebrities and singer-songwriters were in the recording studio to perform the song.
Music video
editOn April 17, Dicky released a preview of the music video that was released the following day. Co-directed by Nigel Tierney of Emmy-winning studio RYOT (the studio that made Behind the Fence VR), Federico Heller of 3Dar (the studio that made Uncanny Valley), Oddbot Animation, and Iconic Engine,[7][8] the animated video is told from the perspective of several animals affected by climate change, with their voices being provided by 30 celebrities and singer-songwriters.[2]
Reception
editThe song received mostly negative reviews from critics. In a Pitchfork review, Jeremy D. Larson panned "Earth" as a "terrible song" that "sounds less like a charity single and more like a theme to a downmarket Disney clone made explicitly to launder money for an offshore criminal enterprise".[9] Spin magazine included the song in their list of the worst songs of 2019, calling it a qualitative step back to Dicky's 2018 single "Freaky Friday".[10]
Vocalists
editList of guest vocalists with the role each plays in the song (animal character names are the stated phrase after "I'm a" at the beginning of each new line):[11]
- Lil Dicky as Human
- Justin Bieber as Baboon
- Ariana Grande as Zebra
- Halsey as Lion Cub
- Zac Brown as Cow
- Brendon Urie as Fat Fuckin' Pig
- Hailee Steinfeld as Common Fungus
- Wiz Khalifa as Disgruntled Skunk
- Snoop Dogg as Marijuana Plant
- Kevin Hart as Kanye West
- Adam Levine as Vultures
- Shawn Mendes as Rhinos
- Charlie Puth as Giraffe
- Sia as Kangaroo
- Miley Cyrus as Elephant
- Lil Jon as Clam
- Rita Ora as Wolf
- Miguel as Squirrel
- Katy Perry as Pony
- Lil Yachty as HPV
- Ed Sheeran as Koala
- Meghan Trainor as India
- Joel Embiid as Africa
- Tory Lanez as China
- John Legend, Psy, Bad Bunny, and Kris Wu as backup vocals (last verses only, with three languages)
- Backstreet Boys as Credits (video version only)
- Leonardo DiCaprio as Himself (video version only)
Charts
edit| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[12] | 17 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[13] | 27 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[14] | 1 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] | 3 |
| Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[16] | 18 |
| Denmark (Tracklisten)[17] | 12 |
| Germany (GfK)[18] | 77 |
| Hungary (Stream Top 40)[19] | 38 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[20] | 18 |
| Japan (Japan Hot 100)[21] | 81 |
| Lithuania (AGATA)[22] | 57 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Tipparade 40)[23] | 1 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[24] | 36 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[25] | 20 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[26] | 11 |
| Scotland (OCC)[27] | 26 |
| Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[28] | 29 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[29] | 35 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] | 42 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[31] | 21 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[32] | 17 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[33] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[34] | Platinum | 80,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[35] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[36] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Lil Dicky Confirms Collaboration With Justin Bieber". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ a b "Earth. 4/18 9 PM pst. Pre-save link in bio. #WeLoveTheEarth". Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2019 – via Instagram.
- ^ Kaufman, Gil (April 18, 2019). "Lil Dicky Previews Star-Studded Animated 'Earth' Video On 'Ellen': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- ^ "New song and video next week". Retrieved April 18, 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ Berry, Peter A. (April 10, 2019). "Report: Lil Dicky Is Dropping a New Song With Justin Bieber". XXLMag. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ "Friday. Let's save the world @lildickytweets". Retrieved April 17, 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Lil Dicky "Earth" Music Video by 3dar and Ryot". Stashmedia.tv. April 20, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (April 18, 2019). "Lil Dicky's Animated "Earth": Interview with Co-Director Nigel Tierney". Animation Magazine. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Larson, Jeremy D. (April 22, 2019). ""Earth" by Lil Dicky Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
- ^ "The Worst Songs We Heard in 2019". Spin. December 19, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
- ^ "Watch Lil Dicky's New 'Earth' Music Video | Music News". Consequence of Sound. April 19, 2019.
- ^ "Lil Dicky – Earth". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
- ^ "Lil Dicky – Earth" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- ^ "Lil Dicky – Earth" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
- ^ "Lil Dicky Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 18. týden 2019 in the date selector. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
- ^ "Lil Dicky – Earth". Tracklisten. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ "Lil Dicky – Earth" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
- ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Lil Dicky". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
- ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 2019/5/6". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. May 10, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ "Lil Dicky - Earth". Dutch Top 40 (in Dutch). Retrieved May 9, 2022.
- ^ "Lil Dicky – Earth" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ "Lil Dicky – Earth". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ "Lil Dicky – Earth". VG-lista. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 18. týden 2019 in the date selector. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ "Lil Dicky – Earth". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
- ^ "Lil Dicky – Earth". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
- ^ "Lil Dicky Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Lil Dicky – Earth" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ "Canadian single certifications – Lil Dicky – Earth". Music Canada. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ "British single certifications – Lil Dicky – Earth". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
- ^ "American single certifications – Lil Dicky – Earth". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 22, 2020.