Cut to the Feeling

"Cut to the Feeling" is a song recorded by Canadian singer and songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen, from the Canadian-French animated film Ballerina (2016). It was released as a single on May 26, 2017, to promote the film's release under the title Leap! in the United States. The song was written by Jepsen, Simon Wilcox, and Nolan Lambroza, and produced by Lambroza. The song serves as the theme song for the MTV reality series Siesta Key.

"Cut to the Feeling"
Single by Carly Rae Jepsen
from the EP Emotion: Side B+
Released	May 26, 2017
Recorded	2015
Genre	Power pop^[1] synth-pop^[2]
Length	3:27
Label	604 School Boy Interscope Lakeshore
Songwriter(s)	Carly Rae Jepsen Simon Wilcox Nolan Lambroza
Producer(s)	Sir Nolan
Carly Rae Jepsen singles chronology
"It Takes Two" (2017) "Cut to the Feeling" (2017) "Party for One" (2018)
Music video
"Cut to the Feeling" on YouTube

Billboard, The Guardian, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair named it one of the best songs of 2017 in their respective year-end lists. Commercially, the single was successful in Japan where it reached the top twenty, peaking at number 13, and was certified gold by the RIAJ.

Background

"Cut to the Feeling" was written during the creation of Jepsen's third studio album, Emotion (2015), but was not included on the album because it was too "cinematic and theatrical".^[3] It was later intended for the album's follow-up EP, Emotion: Side B, but was then slated for release with Ballerina after Jepsen signed on for the film and felt the song was fitting for the story.^[4] The track was one of two songs, along with "Runaways", that Jepsen contributed to the film.^[5] "Cut to the Feeling" was included on the new edition of Emotion: Side B, released exclusively in Japan on September 13, 2017 and re-titled Emotion: Side B+. It was also used as the theme song for the MTV reality television show Siesta Key.^[6]

Composition

"Cut to the Feeling" was originally published in the key of A major in common time with a tempo of 115 beats per minute. Jepsen's vocals span from A₃ to the high note of F#₅.^[7][8] The song begins with a sample of the opening synth note from "Lucky Star" by Madonna.^[9]

Critical reception

J. Lynch of Billboard called the song "flawlessly constructed", adding it is "the closest we'll get to Whitney Houston's late-'80s dancefloor euphoria in 2017".^[10] Hayden Manders of Nylon describes "Cut to the Feeling" as a "masterclass" of the "best, sweetest pop music" today, celebrating the "possibility of big love" with a "chorus that blasts off to stars and doesn't let up for the rest of the song's duration". She further describes the song as being like the "butterflies you get before a first date with a crush".^[11] It was featured as Pitchfork's "Best New Track", with Laura Snapes describing it as "bombastic and gaudy" while praising it for being "distinctly Jepsen, her coaxing vocal creakiness convincing her paramour to stop denying what they want and just fucking go for it with her".^[12]

Rolling Stone wrote Jepsen "saved 2017 with her bracing rejoinder to Xanax-pop malaise", and that her "boisterous vocal [sic] adds extra urgency to this jump-along anthem's much-needed e•mo•tional rescue".^[13] Slant Magazine wrote the single is her best since "Call Me Maybe", adding that it "delivers breathless, syncopated vocals over a measured handclap beat before the whole thing erupts into its euphoric hook."^[14] Spin praised the song for deemphasizing Emotion's "explicit '80s posing, using that well-worn synth-pop chug for something brighter, bigger, and more bombastic."^[2] DJ Louie XIV of Vanity Fair praised Jepsen's directness, as she "cuts straight through the crap...No artifice. No posturing". He described the song as an ecstatic celebration of "diving in headfirst with a new guy (or girl)", providing "the smile we all needed in 2017".^[15]

Year-end lists

Publication	Year	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
Billboard	2017	50 Best Songs of 2017, So Far	23	^[16]
Esquire		50 Best Songs of 2017	—	^[17]
The Guardian		The Top 100 Tracks of 2017	—	^[18]
The Line of Best Fit		The Best Fifty Songs of 2017 Ranked	44	^[19]
Noisey		The 100 Best Songs of 2017	100	^[20]
Nylon		The Best Songs Of 2017, So Far	3	^[11]
Popjustice		The Top 45 Singles of 2017	2	^[21]
Pitchfork		The 100 Best Songs Of 2017	30	^[22]
Rolling Stone		50 Best Songs of 2017	44	^[13]
Slant Magazine		The 25 Best Singles of 2017	4	^[23]
Spin		50 Best Songs of 2017, So Far	1	^[24]
Vanity Fair		17 Best Songs of 2017	—	^[15]
Variety	2022	Carly Rae Jepsen's 15 Best Songs, Ranked	4	^[25]

Music video

The music video for "Cut to the Feeling" was filmed on July 26, 2017,^[26] directed by Gia Coppola with whom Jepsen had worked on the "Your Type" video.^[27] It begins with behind-the-scenes footage of making this video, which shows the singer and her team getting ready for the shoot. As a clock positioned in the corner counts down from 1 minute and 32 seconds, Jepsen is seen having her make-up applied, posing with her team outdoors, making coffee and playing around the studio. She then arrives at the filming set and the clip launches into the black-and-white performance-style music video, which sees Jepsen's singing the last chorus of the song into a microphone, surrounded by her band. The video premiered on September 15, 2017.

before the official music video, a lyric video for the song was released in June 2017.

Track listings

• Digital download/Streaming^[28][29]

1. "Cut to the Feeling" – 3:27

• Digital download/Streaming (Remix)^[30][31]

1. "Cut to the Feeling" (Kid Froopy Remix) – 3:13

Charts

Chart (2017–18)	Peak position
Canada Digital Songs (Billboard)^[32]	33
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)^[33]	23
Japan (Japan Hot 100)^[34]	13
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard)^[35]	3
Scotland (OCC)^[36]	55
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)^[37]	69
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)^[38]	54
US Digital Songs (Billboard)^[39]	42

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)^[40] Digital single	Gold	100,000^*
United Kingdom (BPI)^[41]	Silver	200,000^‡
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label
Various	May 26, 2017	Digital download streaming	Universal Music

References

1. Spanos, Brittany (May 26, 2017). "Hear Carly Rae Jepsen's Assertive, Unearthed Song 'Cut to the Feeling'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
2. Sargent, Jordan (May 26, 2017). "Carly Rae Jepsen's "Cut to the Feeling" Is as Good as Everyone Is Saying". Spin. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
3. Nolan Feeney (February 7, 2017). "Carly Rae Jepsen previews Lil Yachty collaboration, Donna Summer-inspired new album". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
4. Nolfi, Joey (April 10, 2017). "Hear Carly Rae Jepsen's new music from Canadian film Leap!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
5. Helman, Peter (April 9, 2017). "Carly Rae Jepsen – "Cut To The Feeling"". Stereogum. from the original on 2017-04-10. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
6. "MTV's Siesta Key Trailer Features "Cut to the Feeling"". www.carlyslayjepsen.com. July 19, 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
7. "Carly Rae Jepsen - Cut to the Feeling". musicnotes.com. 30 May 2017. from the original on 2017-06-03. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
8. "Carly Rae Jepsen - Cut to the Feeling". songbpm.com. from the original on 2019-01-07. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
9. Stern, Bradley (2017-05-26). ""Cut to the Feeling": Carly Rae Jepsen Offers a Warm, Familiar Embrace". MuuMuse. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
10. Lynch, J. (June 5, 2017). "50 Best Songs of 2017 So Far: Staff List". Billboard. from the original on 2017-06-05. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
11. Manders, Hayden (July 3, 2017). "The Best Songs Of 2017, So Far". Nylon. from the original on 2018-02-11. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
12. Snapes, Laura (May 26, 2017). ""Cut to the Feeling" by Carly Rae Jepsen Review". Pitchfork. from the original on 2017-05-27. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
13. Christopher R. Weingarten, Brittany Spanos, Charles Aaron, Simon Vozick-Levinson, Maura Johnston, Will Hermes, Rob Sheffield (November 29, 2017). "50 Best Songs of 2017". Rolling Stone. from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved May 21, 2018.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
14. "Review: "Cut to the Feeling" Is Carly Rae Jepsen's Best Single Since "Call Me Maybe"". www.slantmagazine.com. 27 May 2017.
15. DJ Louie XIV (December 4, 2017). "The 17 Best Pop Songs of 2017". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
16. Lynch, J. (June 5, 2017). "50 Best Songs of 2017 So Far". Billboard. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
17. Matt Miller (December 4, 2017). "The 50 Best Songs of 2017". Esquire.
18. Ben Beaumont-Thomas (December 4, 2017). "The top 100 tracks of 2017". The Guardian.
19. "The Best Fifty Songs of 2017 Ranked". The Line of Best Fit. December 8, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
20. Noisey Staff (December 7, 2017). . Vice Media. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
21. . Popjustice. December 21, 2017. Archived from the original on February 1, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
22. Pelly, Jenn (December 11, 2017). "The 100 Best Songs of 2017". Pitchfork. from the original on 2017-12-12. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
23. Staff (December 5, 2017). "The 25 Best Singles of 2017". Slant Magazine.
24. SPIN Staff (June 21, 2017). "50 Best Songs of 2017 So Far". Spin Magazine.
25. Seo, Rachel (October 21, 2022). "Carly Rae Jepsen's 15 Best Songs, Ranked". Variety. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
26. Patrick Hosken (September 15, 2017). "Carly Rae Jepsen's 'Cut To The Feeling' Video Will Help You Hold On To Summer". MTV. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
27. Lars Gotrich (September 15, 2017). "Carly Rae Jepsen, Queen Of Meta Music Videos, Shares 'Cut To The Feeling'". NPR. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
28. "Cut to the Feeling - Single by Carly Rae Jepsen on iTunes". iTunes Store. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
29. "Cut To The Feeling by Carly Rae Jepsen on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
30. "Cut to the Feeling (Kid Froopy Remix) - Single by Carly Rae Jepsen on iTunes". iTunes Store. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
31. "Cut To The Feeling (Kid Froopy Remix) by Carly Rae Jepsen on Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
32. "Carly Rae Jepsen – Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
33. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
34. "Japan Hot 100 – Billboard". Billboard. September 30, 2017. from the original on 2017-10-05. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
35. "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. September 20, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
36. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
37. "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
38. "Carly Rae Jepsen Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
39. "Digital Song Sales – Billboard", Billboard, retrieved February 2, 2018
40. "Japanese digital single certifications – Carly Rae Jepsen – Cut to the Feeling" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved June 27, 2020. Select 2018年7月 on the drop-down menu
41. "British single certifications – Carly Rae Jepsen – Cut to the Feeling". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 10, 2023.