Castles (song)

"Castles" is a song by English singer-songwriter Freya Ridings. It was released as a single on 30 May 2019, through record labels Good Soldier Songs and Capitol Records, as the fifth single from her debut studio album, Freya Ridings. The song was written by Ridings and Dan Nigro, the latter of whom also produced the song along with Yves Rothman, additional production was done by Mark Crew, and Dan Priddy.

"Castles"
Single by Freya Ridings
from the album Freya Ridings
Released	30 May 2019 (2019-05-30)
Length	3:31
Label	Good Soldier Capitol
Songwriter(s)	Freya Ridings Daniel Nigro
Producer(s)	Dan Nigro Mark Crew Dan Priddy Yves Rothman
Freya Ridings singles chronology
"You Mean the World to Me" (2019) "Castles" (2019) "Love Is Fire" (2019)
Music video
"Castles" on YouTube

Background and composition

Produced by Dan Nigro, Mark Crew, Dan Priddy, Yves Rothman, the song was written by Ridings and Nigro. The song additionally features background vocals by American singer-songwriter Zella Day as well as Brendan Reilly, Emily Holligan, Kate Brady, and Simone Daly Richards.

The song was written after Ridings went through "one of the most brutal breakups of her life", stating that she wanted to use the incredible amount of pain to create something that is "better than she thinks she can be and what that person thought she could be".^[1]

"Castles" is composed in the key of E major and at a tempo of 117 beats per minute (BPM). Ridings' vocal range spans from B₃ to B₄.^[2][3][4]

Music video and lyric video

Music Video

A music video to accompany the release of "Castles" was first released onto YouTube on 10 July 2019 at a total length of three minutes and twenty-eight seconds.^[5] The music video was filmed in Shoreditch, London. The iconic rooftop scenes were shot at 81 Brick Lane, London.

Lyric video

The lyric video for "Castles" was released on 30 May 2019.^[6]

Live performances

• Ridings performed the song on the Australian breakfast television program Sunrise on 9 March 2020, in her first visit to the country.^[7]

Track listing

Digital download^[8]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Castles"	3:31

Digital download^[9]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Castles" (Acoustic)	3:19

CD single^[10]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Castles"	3:31
2.	"Castles" (Acoustic)	3:19

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2019–2020) Peak position Australia (ARIA)^[11] 20 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[12] 28 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[13] 12 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)^[14] 20 Croatia (HRT)^[15] 14 France (SNEP)^[16] 71 Germany (Official German Charts)^[17] 51 Iceland (Tonlist)^[18] 38 Ireland (IRMA)^[19] 12 Israel (Media Forest)^[20] 13 New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)^[21] 19 Scotland (OCC)^[22] 2 Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)^[23] 8 Slovenia (SloTop50)^[24] 10 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[25] 14 UK Singles (OCC)^[26] 16 US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)^[27] 38 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[28] 15

Year-end charts Chart (2020) Position Australia (ARIA)^[29] 80 Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)^[30] 40 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[31] 90 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[32] 44

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[33]	3× Platinum	210,000^‡
Austria (IFPI Austria)^[34]	Platinum	30,000^‡
Canada (Music Canada)^[35]	Gold	40,000^‡
France (SNEP)^[36]	Platinum	200,000^‡
Germany (BVMI)^[37]	Gold	200,000^‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)^[38]	Platinum	20,000^‡
United Kingdom (BPI)^[39]	Platinum	600,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Version	Label(s)	Ref
Various	30 May 2019	Digital download streaming	Original	Good Soldier Songs
	5 July 2019		Acoustic
	2 August 2019		Sam Feldt remix
United States	26 August 2019	Hot adult contemporary	Original	Good Soldier Songs Capitol Records	^[40]
	23 September 2019	Triple A (AAA)			^[41]

References

1. Freya Ridings - Castles (Orchestral Version) [Amazon Original] - Behind The Scenes, retrieved 2021-07-09
2. "Freya Ridings - Castles: Vocal Range & Original Key | Singing carrots". Singing Carrots. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
3. Freya, Ridings; Daniel, Nigro (2019-12-02). "Castles". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
4. "Key & BPM for Castles by Freya Ridings". Tunebat. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
5. "Freya Ridings - Castles (Official Video)". YouTube. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
6. Freya Ridings - Castles (Official Lyric Video), retrieved 2023-06-05
7. "UK pop sensation Freya Ridings performs her global smash hit 'Castles'". Sunrise. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
8. "Castles - Single by Freya Ridings". Apple Music. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
9. "Castles (Acoustic) - Single by Freya Ridings". Apple Music. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
10. "Castles (Acoustic) - Single by Freya Ridings". Apple Music. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
11. "Freya Ridings – Castles". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
12. "Freya Ridings – Castles" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
13. "Freya Ridings – Castles" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
14. "Freya Ridings – Castles" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
15. . HRT. Archived from the original on 24 January 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
16. "Freya Ridings – Castles" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
17. "Freya Ridings – Castles" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
18. . Archived from the original on 2019-05-13. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
19. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Freya Ridings". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
20. . Media Forest. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
21. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
22. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
23. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 202014 into search. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
24. . slotop50.si. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
25. "Freya Ridings – Castles". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
26. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
27. "Freya Ridings Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
28. "Freya Ridings Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
29. "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2020". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
30. "Jaaroverzichten 2020". Ultratop. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
31. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2020". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
32. "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
33. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2021 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
34. "Austrian single certifications – Freya Ridings – Castles" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
35. "Canadian single certifications – Freya Ridings – Castles". Music Canada. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
36. "French single certifications – Freya Ridings – Castles" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
37. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Freya Ridings; 'Castles')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
38. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Castles')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
39. "British single certifications – Freya Ridings – Castles". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
40. "Hot Modern AC Future Releases". Retrieved 12 August 2019.
41. "Triple A (AAA) Future Releases". Retrieved 15 September 2019.