1999

## Music video

**"1999"** is a song by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX featuring Australian singer Troye Sivan released as the lead single from XCX's third studio album Charli on October 5, 2018.

## Leak History

* November 30, 2019 - A solo demo of the song produced by Max Martin leaks online.

## Background

Charli wrote the song in March 2018 and then sent her demo version to Troye who wrote his bridge and recorded the second verse.

The song was originally debuted by Charli at a small, intimate listening party with select fans in June 2018, along with other songs such as "Would You?", "Blame it on Your Love", "Focus" and more during which she asked those attending if she should release the track or pitch it to other artists. Shortly after, a short clip of Charli's solo demo leaked online, with the full demo ultimately leaking around a month before the single's release.

Charli began to hint at the impending release on Twitter in late September, during which she tweeted multiple quotes from multimedia pieces released in 1999, such as a quote from the movie *American Beauty* and a line from Eminem's single “My Name Is.”

The release was officially announced on October 1, 2018, with Charli and Troye both tweeting the single cover, which directly references the 1999 science fiction movie, *The Matrix*. On the cover, Charli and Troye channel two of the movie's main characters, Trinity and Neo, respectively.

The song was released with the intention of being a monthly single in October 2018 but due to its better commercial reception, was included on Charli's third album.

## Theme

The song is a nostalgic look on the 1990s and pop culture back then. The song contains a number of nostalgic lyrical references to the titular year. In her interview for Genius about the song she stated that she's not really nostalgic or actually wants to go back to that time, she just thought it would be "cool" to have a song called "1999" where she talks about pop culture at that time. "There's so much cool imagery around that time period." She added there was also plenty "to play with, with music videos and fonts and stuff."

## Music Video

The music video was released on October 11, 2018, and features Sivan and Charli XCX in various homages to 1990s pop culture, including the iMac G3 and Steve Jobs, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, New Radicals, Eminem, the Nokia 3310, Rose McGowan and Marilyn Manson, the films Titanic, The Matrix, American Beauty, and The Blair Witch Project, the Dancing Baby, the video game The Sims, and the music videos for the songs "Say You'll Be There", "Waterfalls", "Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy)", and "I Want It That Way".

### Vertical Video

On November 15, 2018, Charli posted a prototional vertical video on her YouTube channel. The video shows a behind-the-scenes look at their collaboration, the two backstage in a dressing room and a bathroom, lip-syncing their hearts out to the track. Along with their color-coordinated dressing-room dance party, the video also intermittently cuts to footage of their first performance of the song together at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. In one moment of the new clip, Charli is seen on the streets of New York, on her way to meet Troye at his high-profile gig.

## Lyrics

* Official
* Solo Demo Version

[Chorus: Charli XCX with Troye Sivan]

I just wanna go back, back to 1999

Take a ride to my old neighborhood

I just wanna go back, sing "Hit me baby, one more time"

Wanna go back, wanna go

[Verse 1: Charli XCX]

Yeah, I just wanna go back

Nike Airs, All That

CD, old Mercedes

Drive 'round listening to Shady like, oh

Never under pressure, oh

Those days, it was so much better, oh

Feelin' cool in my youth, relaxin'

No money, no problem

It was easy back then

[Pre-Chorus: Charli XCX]

Ooh, wish that we could go back in time, uh

Got memories

Ooh, maybe we could do it tonight

Tonight's the night

[Chorus: Charli XCX]

I just wanna go back, back to 1999

Take a ride to my old neighborhood

I just wanna go back

Sing "Hit me baby, one more time"

Wanna go back, wanna go

[Verse 2: Troye Sivan, Charli XCX & Both]

Yeah, I remember back home

Best friends, all night, no phone

No cares, I was dumb and so young

My room singing Michael Jackson (hee, hee)

Never under pressure, oh

Those days it was so much better, oh

Feelin' cool in my youth, I'm askin'

"Does anyone remember how we did it back then?"

[Pre-Chorus: Charli XCX with Troye Sivan]

Ooh, wish that we could go back in time, uh

Got memories

Ooh, maybe we could do it tonight

Tonight's the night

Ah, yeah

[Chorus: Charli XCX]

I just wanna go back, back to 1999

Take a ride to my old neighborhood

I just wanna go back

Sing "Hit me baby, one more time"

Wanna go back, wanna go

[Post-Chorus: Charli XCX, Troye Sivan & Both]

Back to where we came from

Playin' air guitar on the roof

In the kitchen, up on the table

Like we had a beautiful view

I wanna go

I just wanna go back, back to 1999

Ah, yeah

[Bridge: Troye Sivan & Charli XCX]

Back to 1999

I know those days are over but a boy can fantasize

'Bout JTT on MTV and when I close my e-e-eyes

And I'm right there, right there

And he's right there, right there

And we're right there, right there

Ah, ah, ah, I wanna go back

[Chorus: Charli XCX with Troye Sivan]

I just wanna go back, back to 1999

Take a ride to my old neighborhood

I just wanna go back

Sing "Hit me baby, one more time"

Wanna go back, wanna go

[Post-Chorus: Charli XCX Troye Sivan & Both]

Back to where we came from (came from)

Playin' air guitar on the roof

In the kitchen, up on the table

Like we had a beautiful view

I wanna go

I just wanna go back, back to 1999 (go back)

Go back, yeah, yeah

I just wanna go back, back to 1999 (yeah, back to 1999)

Yeah, take me back to '99

[Chorus]

I just wanna go back, back to 1999

Take a ride to my old neighborhood

I just wanna go back, back to when I was alive

Wanna go back, wanna go

[Verse 1]

Yeah, I just wanna go back

Fresh Prince, Nike Airs, all that

CD in an old Mercedes

Driving around listening to Shady like, oh

Never under pressure, oh

Those days it was so much better, oh

Feelin' cool in my youth, relaxin'

No money, no problem

It was easy back then

[Pre-Chorus]

Ooh, wish that we could go back in time, uh

Got memories

Ooh, maybe we can do it tonight

Tonight's the night

[Chorus]

I just wanna go back, back to 1999

Take a ride to my old neighborhood

I just wanna go back, back to when I was alive

Wanna go back, wanna go

I just wanna go back, back to 1999

Take a ride to my old neighborhood

I just wanna go back, back to when I was alive

Wanna go back, wanna go

[Verse 2]

Yeah, I remember back home

Best friends, all night, no phone

No cares, I was dumb and so young

My room singing Michael Jackson (Hee, hee)

Never under pressure, oh

Those days it was so much better, oh

Feelin' cool in my youth, I'm askin'

"Does anyone remember how we did it back then?"

[Pre-Chorus]

Ooh, wish that we could go back in time, uh

Got memories

Ooh, maybe we could do it tonight

Tonight's the night

Ah, yeah

[Chorus]

I just wanna go back, back to 1999

Took a ride to my old neighborhood

I just wanna go back, back to when I was alive

Wanna go back, wanna go

[Post-Chorus]

Back to where we came from

Playin' air guitar on the roof

In the kitchen, up on the table

Like we had a beautiful view

I wanna go

I just wanna go back, back to 1999

Ah, yeah

[Bridge]

Ah, yeah

Ah, yeah

Ah, yeah

I wanna go back

[Chorus]

I just wanna go back, back to 1999 (Yeah, go back, go back)

Take a ride to my old neighborhood

I just wanna go back, back to when I was alive

Wanna go back, wanna go

[Post-Chorus]

Back to where we came from

Playin' air guitar on the roof

In the kitchen, up on the table

Like we had a beautiful view

I wanna go

I just wanna go back, back to 1999

[Outro]

Go back, yeah, yeah

I just wanna go back, back to 1999, yeah

I just wanna go back, back to 1999, yeah

## Gallery

### Cover Photoshoot

* Jacob Bixenman
* Andrew Thomas Huang

## Remixes and Versions

### 1999 (Remixes)

A collection of 9 remixes were uploaded separately in December 2018, then they were all collected in one on a remix album called "1999 (Remixes)"

1. 1999 - Alphalove Remix
2. 1999 - EASYFUN Remix
3. 1999 - Michael Calfan Remix
4. 1999 - R3HAB
5. 1999 - Carta Remix
6. 1999 - SUPER CRUEL Remix
7. 1999 - Young Franco Remix
8. 1999 - Dipha Barus Remix
9. 1999 - The Knocks Remix

### Stripped Version

A stripped version with synth instruments were uploaded January 2019, this version shows Troye Sivan as the main singer and Charli as the featured singer, it's unknown why, because their vocals still the same as the original version.

## Charts

 Finland Digital Songs (*Billboard*)
 New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)
 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)
 Netherlands (Tipparade)
 Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)
 Australia (ARIA)
 Scotland (Official Charts Company)
 Ireland (IRMA)
 Hungary (Dance Top 40)
 Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)
 US Mainstream Top 40 (*Billboard*)
 Hungary (Single Top 40)
 Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)
 US Dance Club Songs (*Billboard*)
 Greece International Digital Singles (IFPI)
 South Korea International Downloads (Gaon)

## Trivia

* "1999" is playable in Just Dance Unlimited on Just Dance 2020.
* Charli XCX and Sivan shared a "cryptic" exchange on Twitter before both shared the cover art and title of the song.
* In September 2021, a cover of this song was officially released as a single by the eurodance group Vengaboys, along a music video.

## References

<references>

1. ↑ https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1deYpYrP\_BMaF4esIXdEnWGDsK7ps0wYkhcPNsmrO3ek/htmlview#
2. ↑ https://twitter.com/charli\_xcx/status/104461995868300083
3. ↑ https://twitter.com/charli\_xcx/status/1045397423638663168
4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v0qr4g1Gn8
5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=479-\_KHcyPQ