Ex's & Oh's

"Ex's & Oh's" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Elle King for her debut studio album, Love Stuff (2015). It was released on September 23, 2014, as King's debut single and the album's lead single via RCA Records.[1] The song was written by King alongside the song's producer, Dave Bassett. "Ex's & Oh's" is primarily an uptempo pop rock, blues rock, alternative rock song with some elements of Southern rock, and a swing beat.

For the song by Atreyu, see Ex's and Oh's (Atreyu song). For other uses, see X's and O's (disambiguation).

"Ex's & Oh's"
Single by Elle King
from the album Love Stuff
ReleasedSeptember 23, 2014 (2014-09-23)
Recorded2014
StudioSun Studio, 706 Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee
Genre
Length3:22
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Dave Bassett
Elle King singles chronology
"I Don't Mind"
(2013)		 "Ex's & Oh's"
(2014)		 "Under the Influence"
(2015)

Upon the song's release, "Ex's & Oh's" received critical acclaim from many music critics, with praise given to King's creativity with its lyrics and its catchy upbeat sound. The song achieved success in the rock genre, peaking at number 1 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart, and later crossed over to adult pop radio and become an international hit. "Ex's & Oh's" reached the top of the Alternative Songs chart in September 2015, becoming only the second song by a solo female to reach the top since 1996 after Lorde achieved the feat in 2013 with "Royals".[2] The song also became King's first top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 10. In total "Ex's & Oh's" appeared on 36 charts. The song peaked at number one on five charts as well as reaching the top ten on 21 charts including, Australia, Austria, and New Zealand, amongst others.

"Ex's & Oh's" has since been certified platinum or higher in seven nations including in the United States where it has been Certified 4× Platinum for sales of 4,000,000 units. It reached the top ten on year-end charts in both 2015 and 2016, including number 6 on the Hot Rock Songs chart in both 2015 and 2016, Rock Airplay at number 4 in 2015, and Adult Contemporary in 2016. At the 58th Grammy Awards, "Ex's & Oh's" was nominated for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song.[3]

Composition

"Ex's & Oh's" is an uptempo pop rock,[4] blues rock,[5] alternative rock[6] song with elements of Southern rock, and a swing beat.[7][8] The song was written by Elle King with the song's producer, Dave Bassett, and King credits him with helping her shape the sound of the album.[9] Its instrumentation includes the guitar and drums and is influenced by country music.[5] The song's lyrics describe the narrator's past relationships with needy men and her tendency to "[chew] men up and eat them."[6][7] King describes how her ex-boyfriends are like ghosts; they always want to come back to haunt her. She also explains how her feelings toward her boyfriends quickly shift and her carelessness over the relationship. According to Musicnotes.com, the song is written in E minor.[10]

Critical reception

"Ex's & Oh's" received acclaim from many music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic labelled the song one of the highlights of Love Stuff, writing, "When King walks a fine line between rock crunch and soul testifying, there's some fire."[11] Entertainment blog Renowned for Sound rated the song 4.5 stars out of 5; reviewer Marcus Floyd praised both King's storytelling ability and the song's catchy production, saying that "it just has this attractive sound that makes you want to hear it again and again".[6] Bradley Stern wrote a very positive review of the song for MuuMuse in which he described the song as "ballsy, brash and profoundly #unapologetic."[5]

Music video

Two music videos were released for the song.

The first premiered on October 7, 2014, and features the song's lyrics played out in a carnival shooting gallery attraction. It is a hybrid of animation and live action.[12] King does not appear in the video.

The second (fully live action) video premiered on May 1, 2015.[13] Directed by Michael Maxxis, it begins with King's character kicking her boyfriend, played by Thom Glant, out of their car in the middle of a desert, and then focuses largely on a barbecue party and other recreational activities at King's trailer campsite in the desert. The video occasionally cuts back to King's boyfriend trying to find her, which he eventually does. Featuring many scantily clad male characters and scenes with clear sexual innuendos, the video inverts the objectification of women common in contemporary music videos, and has been praised by critics for this role reversal.[7][14]

Live performances

Chart performance

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[74] 3× Platinum 210,000‡
Austria (IFPI Austria)[75] Gold 15,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[76] 5× Platinum 400,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[77] Platinum 90,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[78] Platinum 400,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[79] Gold 25,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON)[80] Platinum+Gold 90,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[81] Platinum 15,000*
Sweden (GLF)[82] Gold 20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[83] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[84] 4× Platinum 4,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Country Date Format Label Ref.
United States September 23, 2014 Digital download RCA [1]
October 7, 2014 Adult album alternative [85]
May 11, 2015 Modern rock radio [86]

References
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