It Gets Better (song)

"It Gets Better" is a song by house music supergroup Swedish House Mafia, released on 15 July 2021 through SSA Recording and Republic Records. It is the group's first single in eight years, following their 2013 hiatus and signing to Republic.[1][2] The song precedes Swedish House Mafia's debut studio album, Paradise Again,[3] and was noted as being darker than their previous music.[4][5][6]

This article is about the Swedish House Mafia song. For other songs, see It Gets Better (disambiguation).
"It Gets Better"
Single by Swedish House Mafia
from the album Paradise Again
Released15 July 2021 (2021-07-15)
Recorded2021
GenreEDM
Length3:04
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Swedish House Mafia singles chronology
"Don't You Worry Child"
(2012)		 "It Gets Better"
(2021)		 "Lifetime"
(2021)
Music video
"It Gets Better" on YouTube

Background

An early version of "It Gets Better" was previewed during the Save the World Reunion Tour in 2019.[3] As a result, it was included on Dancing Astronaut's list of the most-anticipated IDs of 2021.[7] The song was "radically revised" by Swedish House Mafia in early 2021.[3] Following fan demand for the 2019 version, group member Axwell released the "Stockholm version" via Dropbox in November 2021.[8]

Composition

"It Gets Better" was noted as a deviation from the sound of Swedish House Mafia's previous material. In a cover story with Billboard, the group discussed changing their sound for their comeback in order to adapt to the new electronic dance music scene.[3] Paper called the song a "techno banger with a clanging drop and a little rock 'n' roll bombast",[9] while Billboard described it as "a sleek, imposing amalgamation of punchy beats, walls of synth and quick 180s into drops composed of what appears to be cowbell".[3] Its sound received comparisons to the music of the Chemical Brothers, Leftfield and the Prodigy.[5][9] "It Gets Better" samples the 1994 song "One More Time" by Divas of Color.[3] It also samples Nancy Sinatra's "Lightning's Girl"; as a result, songwriter Lee Hazlewood receives a writing credit.[5][10]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Aftonbladet[4]
Göteborgs-Posten[11]
Verdens Gang[5]

"It Gets Better" generally received positive reviews from critics. Göteborgs-Posten welcomed the song's message in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] The song has received also received positive reviews from The New York Times and Billboard.[12][13]

Promotion

The music video for "It Gets Better" was directed by Alexander Wessely.[1] It features a group of zombie-like characters dancing along to the track, while the three group members are suspended above them.[14][15] Swedish House Mafia performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on 19 July 2021, as well as at the pre-show for the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards on 12 September; both performances featured the song in a medley with "Lifetime".[16][17]

Track listing
  1. "It Gets Better" – 3:04
  • Digital release[8]
  1. "It Gets Better" (Stockholm version) – 6:25

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[19]

Charts
Chart performance for "It Gets Better"
Chart (2021) Peak
position
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[20] 35
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 35
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[22] 13

References
  1. Shaffer, Claire (15 July 2021). "Swedish House Mafia Reunite for New Single 'It Gets Better'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  2. Curto, Justin (15 July 2021). "Don't You Worry, Child, Swedish House Mafia's Got New Music for You". Vulture. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  3. Bain, Katie; Barrionuevo, Alexei (15 July 2021). "Swedish House Mafia Returns: In Stockholm With the Dance Music Legends". Billboard. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  4. Steen, Håkan (16 July 2021). "Swedish House Mafia tar nytt mörkare steg". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  5. Bøe, Tor Martin (17 July 2021). "Ukens låter uke 28: Aqua, Iron Maiden, Swedish House Mafia og Billy Bragg". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  6. "Swedish House Mafia return with new track, 'It Gets Better': Listen". DJ Mag. 15 July 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  7. Goldenberg, Ross (19 January 2021). "15 of the most-anticipated IDs of 2021: Axwell and Years, Porter Robinson, Alesso, and more". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  8. Bakhtaoui, Mohammed (4 November 2021). "Axwell Shares the 2019 Version of Swedish House Mafia's 'It Gets Better'". EDMTunes.com. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  9. Moen, Matt (15 July 2021). "Swedish House Mafia Reunites". Paper. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  10. Brzezicka, Alex (15 July 2021). "The Killer Comeback of Swedish House Mafia". TMRW Magazine. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  11. Rosenström, Anna (16 July 2021). "Veckans spellista: Swedish House Mafia, Chad Bogus, Izza Gara, Naod & Mona Masrour". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  12. Caramanica, Jon (16 July 2021). "Pop Smoke's Memory Lives On, and 14 More New Songs". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  13. "First Spin: The Week's Best New Dance Tracks From Rufus Du Sol, Nina Kraviz & More". Billboard. 16 July 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  14. Schmitt, Tyler (15 July 2021). "Swedish House Mafia is back with 'It Gets Better'". Variance. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  15. "Behind the Scenes of "Lifetime" and "It Gets Better" with Swedish House Mafia". Notion. 27 August 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  16. Blistein, Jon (20 July 2021). "Swedish House Mafia Deliver 'Lifetime,' 'It Gets Better' Medley on 'Fallon'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  17. "Swedish House Mafia – "It Gets Better" and "Lifetime"". MTV. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  18. "It Gets Better – Single by Swedish House Mafia on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  19. "Credits / It Gets Better / Swedish House Mafia – TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  20. "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. 26 July 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  21. "Swedish House Mafia – It Gets Better". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  22. "Swedish House Mafia Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
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