Call Me Maybe

## **Call Me Maybe***Kiss • Curiosity*

* Single cover
* Curiosity
* Kiss

Album: Curiosity (Album)

Album: Call Me Maybe (EP)

## Music Video

**Call Me Maybe** is the third track on Carly Rae Jepsen's second studio album, Kiss (2012), and the first track on the Curiosity EP (2012).

The song was first released on September 20th 2011 through 604 Records exclusively in Canada, and later across early 2012 through School Boy and Interscope Records worldwide.

Call Me Maybe received an official music video on March 1st 2012, which has garnered over 1.3 billion views as of June 2021.

## **Lyrics**

* Final version
* Original version

**Verse 1**

I threw a wish in the well

Don't ask me, I'll never tell

I looked to you as it fell

And now you're in my way

I trade my soul for a wish

Pennies and dimes for a kiss

I wasn't looking for this

But now you're in my way

**Pre-Chorus**

Your stare was holding

Ripped jeans, skin was showin'

Hot night, wind was blowin'

Where you think you're going, baby?

**Chorus**

Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy

But here's my number, so call me maybe

It's hard to look right at you, baby

But here's my number, so call me maybe

Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy

But here's my number, so call me maybe

And all the other boys try to chase me

But here's my number, so call me maybe

**Verse 2**

You took your time with the call

I took no time with the fall

You gave me nothing at all

But still you're in my way

I beg and borrow and steal

At first sight and it's real

I didn't know I would feel it

But it's in my way

**Pre-Chorus**

Your stare was holding

Ripped jeans, skin was showing

Hot night, wind was blowing

Where you think you're going, baby?

**Chorus**

Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy

But here's my number, so call me maybe

It's hard to look right at you, baby

But here's my number, so call me maybe

Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy

But here's my number, so call me maybe

And all the other boys try to chase me

But here's my number, so call me maybe

**Bridge**

Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad

I missed you so bad

I missed you so, so bad

Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad

And you should know that

I missed you so, so bad

**Pre-Chorus**

It's hard to look right at you, baby

But here's my number, so call me maybe

**Chorus**

Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy

But here's my number, so call me maybe

And all the other boys try to chase me

But here's my number, so call me maybe

**Outro**

Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad

I missed you so bad

I missed you so, so bad

Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad

And you should know that

So call me maybe

**Verse**

Do you remember it? The day we started it

I picked you up, I've never done that before

I was kind of nervous, I-, couldn't look you in the eye

It was predictable, we said nothing more than...

**Pre-Chorus**

Hey I just met you, and this is crazy

But here's my number, so call me maybe?

## **Song credits**

#### **Writing and production**

* **Written by:** Carly Rae Jepsen • Tavish Crowe • Josh Ramsay
* **Produced by:** Josh Ramsay

#### **Instrumentation**

* **Guitar:** Tavish Crowe
* **Strings:** Josh Ramsay
* **Instrumentation:** Tavish Crowe • Josh Ramsay

#### **Additional credits**

* **Engineering:** Josh Ramsay
* **Mastering:** Gene Grimaldi
* **Mixing:** Dave Ogilvile
* **Mix assistance:** Zach Blackstone • Brock McFarlane • Jeremy Patch
* **Additional editing:** Nik Pesut
* **Background vocals:** Josh Ramsay (uncredited)

#### **Studio info**

* **Recorded at:** Umbrella Studios (Richmond, BC)
* **Mixed at:** Warehouse Studios • Mushroom Studios (Vancouver, BC)
* **Mastered at:** Oasis Mastering (Burbank, CA)

#### **Publishing info**

* **Published by** Carly Rae Music / Jepsen Music Publishing (SOCAN) • Regular Monkey Productions (SOCAN) • Tavish Crowe / Crowe Music Publishing (SOCAN)

## **Background**

Call Me Maybe was released exclusively in Canada on September 20th 2011, through 604 Records, serving as the lead single for the intended Curiosity album. In December 2011, the song was heard on the radio by Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez whilst the pair were in Canada. Upon hearing the track, Bieber posted to social media, stating 'Call Me Maybe is possibly the catchiest song I've ever heard', sparking a wave of international interest in the song and in Jepsen, who had previously only seen minor success in Canada.

Call Me Maybe would go onto see massive commercial success worldwide, becoming a US Platinum Certified single for selling over 20 million copies in the country and topping over twenty charts across the globe, including the Canadian Hot 100 and the United Kingdom Top 40. The song is widely recognised as a cultural phenomenon, seeing a viral wave of parodies, lip dubs, and covers after its release, from the likes of the Cookie Monster, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Big Time Rush, amongst others.

Due to the success of the song, Jepsen was signed to School Boy and Interscope Record's under Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun, who oversaw the global distrubution of the song and later Jepsen's worldwide debut album, Kiss, in September 2012, with Call Me Maybe serving as its lead single.

## **Writing and development**

Call Me Maybe was written by Jepsen alongside songwriters Tavish Crowe and Josh Ramsay sometime in 2010, during the development of her then-second studio album, Curiosity.

#### **Writing with Tavish Crowe**

Call Me Maybe initially begun as a folk song Jepsen wrote with Tavish Crowe. The song was written on acoustic guitar over the course of a month, with the bridge being the first part conceived, though with a different melody, written with Crowe at her uncle's house.  Sometime later, the chorus of the song was also written with Crowe, initially imagined as the pre-chorus, Jepsen stated - this portion of the song appears to have been performed live by Carly as the intro to the song in November 2011, along with an unused first verse.

When writing with Crowe, Jepsen considered re-writing the words to the chorus, including the "call me maybe" hook, as she thought it was "too silly" and simply imagined them as filler lyrics to find the melody. She was persuaded otherwise by Tavish, who suggested they run with the "tongue-in-cheek" nature of the song.

#### **Development with Josh Ramsay**

Both elements of the song that were written with Crowe - the bridge, and original pre-chorus, were shown to Josh Ramsay sometime later. Ramsay pieced the two ideas together, and decided to change the original pre-chorus into the new chorus instead.

According to Ramsay, Jepsen wrote most of the lyrics and he handled the music, though described the song as a collaborative effort. Ramsay also revealed that, in Carly's first version of the verse, the original lyrics were "There was a rock in the road." Jepsen stated that, on the night before she was due to record the song, that she entirely rewrote the verse due to disliking the previous lyrics.

Additionally, it was also Ramsay's idea to add the violin arrangement to the song. He thought that, due to the acoustic nature of Carly's previous record, Tug of War, it made sense for the instrumentation to act as a tie-through between albums, as opposed to using synths or other standard electronic pop instruments. His intention was to cross a Katy Perry-style production with Annie Lennox's 1992 song *Walking on Broken Glass**.*

## **Announcement and release**

#### **Canadian release**

Call Me Maybe was first previewed by Jepsen and 604 Records on August 23rd 2011, with a release to follow sometime in early September.  It appears the song was first released when it was sent to radio on September 7th, based on Tweets made at the time.

On September 15th, an official release date of September 20th was announced by 604 Records. On that day, Call Me Maybe was released exclusively to iTunes Canada as a digital download, serving as the lead single for Jepsen's then-upcoming second studio album.

#### **Global release**

In February 2012, with success of the Call Me Maybe, Jepsen was signed to School Boy and Interscope Records, who would begin to distribute the song globally; now serving as the lead single for her next album, Kiss, instead.

The international release date of Call Me Maybe is unclear, though the official release date is stated as February 22nd 2012. The song would begin to impact iTunes in the United States as early as February 20th, with sources suggesting that the song was released across Europe on February 20th, and in Brazil and Germany on February 24th. By March 25th, the song had also impacted Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia.

On March 16th, Call Me Maybe was sent to radio in the United Kingdom and later released to iTunes UK on March 30th. A digital-only Call Me Maybe EP was released in the United Kingdom that same day, featuring two additional Curiosity tracks, Both Sides Now and Talk To Me, and also the instrumental version of the song.

Call Me Maybe would also be released as a CD single exclusively in the United States and Germany on April 17th and April 27th 2012 respectively. A double single CD was also released, featuring Both Sides Now.  An extended-play of Call Me Maybe remixes would also be released in 2012, receiving a limited vinyl pressing.

#### **Track listing**

* Call Me Maybe EP
* Single
* Double Single

* § Digital single / extended-play released in select regions

1. Call Me Maybe
2. Both Sides Now
3. Talk To Me
4. Call Me Maybe - Instrumental

* § Physical copy single released in the United States

1. Call Me Maybe

* § Physical copy double single released in the United States and Europe

1. Call Me Maybe
2. Both Sides Now

## **Music video**

* *§ Main article: Call Me Maybe Music video*

Call Me Maybe received an official music video on December 7th 2011, directed by Ben Knechtel. It was later reuploaded to YouTube on March 1st 2012 where it since has garnered over 1.47 billion views making it Jepsen's most-viewed music video to date.

## **Gallery**

* *§ Visit the Call Me Maybe gallery: Gallery*
* *§ Visit the Call Me Maybe (Remixes) gallery: Gallery*

Official single cover10th Anniversary remake10th Anniversary remakePhotoshoot by Vanessa Heins
## **Navigation**

* Curiosity
* Kiss

## **References**

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe. YouTube. March 1st, 2012. Retrieved June 30th, 2021
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Carly Rae Jepsen, Call Me Maybe, FIRST LIVE Public Performance! Nanaimo, BC. YouTube. November 11th, 2011. Retrieved June 30th, 2021
3. ↑ *Curiostiy* and *Kiss* (album booklet). Carly Rae Jepsen. 604 Records, School Boy Records and Interscope Records. 2012.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Table Manners with Jessie Ware Spotify - S6 Ep 3: Carly Rae Jepsen Spotify. May 2019.
5. ↑ Nelson, Sean “A Little More Art: An Interview with Carly Rae Jepsen” The Stranger. February 29th 2016.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 SOCAN Awards 2019 - Carly Rae Jepsen, Tavish Crowe, Josh Ramsay talk about writing "Call Me Maybe" YouTube, April 3rd 2019.
7. ↑ Ramsay, Josh In that song, Carly wrote most of the lyrics and I did most of the music... Reddit.com, June 30th 2012.
8. ↑ Ramsay, Josh My idea was to cross a Katy Perry style song with... Reddit.com, June 30th 2012.
9. ↑ 604 Records Carly Rae Jepsen Rehearsal (New Song Preview) YouTube. August 23rd, 2011. Retrieved June 30th, 2021
10. ↑ @carlyraejepsen "Spending my weekend doing a whole lot of nothing. 4 more sleeps til Call Me Maybe's Release!" (Tweet) September 3rd, 2011. Retrieved June 30th, 2021 - Via Twitter.
11. ↑ @carlyraejepsen ""@Lindsay6262: Just heard @carlyraejepsen's Call Me Maybe on the radio!! I love it!!!" Thanks so much! Xo" (Tweet) September 18th, 2011. Retrieved June 30th, 2021 - Via Twitter.
12. ↑ @604Records "The new single "Call Me Maybe" from Carly Rae Jepsen will be on itunes Tuesday!" (Tweet) September 15th, 2011. Retrieved June 30th, 2021 - Via Twitter.
13. ↑ @604Records "Carly Rae Jepsen new single "Call Me Maybe" is now on itunes! " (Tweet) September 20th, 2011. Retrieved June 30th, 2021 - Via Twitter.
14. ↑ @carlyraejepsen "Um... Call Me Maybe is #45 on US iTunes Charts. Floored!" (Tweet) February 20th 2011 - via Twitter.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Call Me Maybe - Wikipedia" Wikipedia. (*Note: this information is unverified*)
16. ↑ @carlyraejepsen "Just found out Call Me Maybe is #1 in Ireland, New Zealand and Australia! Thank-you. Wow." (Tweet) March 25th 2012 - via Twitter.
17. ↑ Music | The Official Carly Rae Jepsen Site" Carly Rae Jepsen, 2012 - archived via WayBack Machine
18. ↑ @carlyraejepsen "Woohoo! A big shout out to the UK! "Call Me Maybe" is now at radio in the UK!" (Tweet) March 16th, 2011. Retrieved June 30th, 2021 - Via Twitter.
19. ↑ @carlyraejepsen "UK... At last <3 Call Me Maybe is available on iTunes, click here: " (Tweet) April 1st, 2011. Retrieved June 30th, 2021 - Via Twitter.
20. ↑ Call Me Maybe - EP" Apple Music. 2012. Retrieved June 30th, 2021
21. ↑ Carly Rae Jepsen Call Me Maybe Remix Vinyl - 604 Shop" 604 Records. 2012. Retrieved June 30th, 2021