Constant Repeat

Album artwork

## Audio

"**Constant Repeat"** (known also as "**On Repeat**" and "**Bad Girl**") is a song performed by Charli XCX. It serves as the fourth track from Charli's fifth studio album, Crash. It was released as a promotional single on April 2, 2022 for a radio in Germany.

## Background

A short snippet of the song was shown on November 4th, 2021, while Charli was showing different snippets on TikTok.  Not much more is known about the song, yet. Charli confirmed the snippet is the outro of a song. According to Charli, it was the last song written for the record.. She also revealed this is her favorite one from the album.

All tracks from the Crash album, including Constant Repeat, were leaked in high quality on March 11, 2022.

## Music and composition

Charli XCX via *Apple Music:*

This song features an imaginary scenario I created in my head, where I fell for somebody but imagined that they didn’t want me—which turned out to not be the case. But it was this fear that I had, and my prediction of the situation. I think it’s interesting that you can convince yourself of that. When you are falling for someone, unfortunately, I think human nature just crushes in on you and tells you you’re not good enough, and fills you with doubt and dread and fear and all of those things. This song really poured out of me quite late in the album process, and it just felt so real and natural.

XCX via Apple Music.

The song is desribed by the critics as "autotune-heavy" and "addictive". It is composed in the key of C minor and at a tempo of 126 beats per minute.

## Critical reception

The song became both critics and fan favorite.

Pitchfork opined:

*Constant Repeat* is a carefree trancey soufflé that catches flight with pitch-shifting vocals that swoop through different layers of the atmosphere. Produced by Lotus IV, it’s as addictive as his and Charli’s previous link-up, “Gone,” and then some. “Got me on repeat,” Charli sings as the song closes, her voice surrounded with coos and glittering fragments of chatter, adding an intoxicating sparkle to a song that already appears lit from within.

The Guardian opined:

The moments when XCX makes her distinctiveness felt put the weaker moments in even sharper relief. Listening to the AutoTune-heavy Constant Repeat or featherweight closer Twice, you wonder if there’s anything that separates this from the acres of boilerplate pop already out there. You can bang on about high concepts and process until you’re blue in the face but it doesn’t make the actual music any more interesting. Pop music isn’t conceptual art, however much critics with pretensions might want it to be. There’s nothing wrong with applying smart ideas to it, but the end result still has to be sparky and exciting regardless of the intention.

## Lyrics

Oh

(Could've had a bad girl if you wanted)

I'm focused on you, you're all on me too

I'm cute and I'm rude, and you like what I do

You said I run through your mind, so I put love on the line

I scared you away, you missed the chance of a lifetime

When you're lonely

Are you ever thinking 'bout the magic in me?

Do you wish I was yours?

When you're lonely (When you're lonely)

Am I ever on your mind on constant repeat?

Is it me that you want?

Do you realize I could've been the one to change your life?

You could've had a bad girl by your side

You could've had a bad girl

Could've had a bad girl if you wanted

And do you even know the reasons why you had to let me go?

(Do you know?)

You could've had a bad girl by your side

You could've had a bad girl

Could've had a bad girl if you wanted

I'm focused on you, you're all on me too

Told you I'm cute and I'm rude with kinda rare attitude

You said I'm still on your mind, but now I don't have the time

You should've been brave, you missed the chance of a lifetime

When you're lonely

Are you ever thinking 'bout the magic in me?

Do you wish I was yours?

When you're lonely (When you're lonely)

Am I ever on your mind on constant repeat?

Is it me that you want?

Do you realize I could've been the one to change your life?

You could've had a bad girl by your side

You could've had a bad girl

Could've had a bad girl if you wanted

And do you even know the reasons why you had to let me go?

(Do you know?)

You could've had a bad girl by your side

You could've had a bad girl

Could've had a bad girl if you wanted

Got me on repeat, got me on repeat

Got me on repeat, got me on repeat-peat

Got me on repeat, got me on repeat

Got me on repeat, got me on repeat-peat

Got me on repeat, got me on repeat

Got me on repeat, got me on repeat-peat

Got me on repeat, got me on repeat

Got me on repeat, got me on repeat-peat

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/FckyeahCharli/status/1456373434926178305
2. ↑ https://twitter.com/FckyeahCharli/status/1504504640045559815?s=20&t=1jbK5TiUnitSfHFh8DAVEg
3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61409OxvOEg&t=90s
4. ↑ https://music.apple.com/us/album/crash/1592545087/
5. ↑ https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/charli-xcx-crash/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CConstant%20Repeat%E2%80%9D%20is,lit%20from%20within.
6. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/mar/17/charli-xcx-crash-review-atlantic#:~:text=The%20moments%20when,of%20the%20intention.