Ruin My Life

For the Simple Plan song, see Harder Than It Looks.

"Ruin My Life" is a song by Swedish singer Zara Larsson. It was released on 18 October 2018 by TEN Music Group as the lead single from her third studio album Poster Girl (2021). The single peaked at number two in Sweden, number five in Ireland, and number nine in the United Kingdom and Israel. It is certified Gold or higher in ten countries.

"Ruin My Life"
Single by Zara Larsson
from the album Poster Girl
Released	18 October 2018 (2018-10-18)
Genre	Pop
Length	3:10
Label	TEN Epic Sony
Songwriter(s)	Brittany Amaradio Michael Pollack Stefan Johnson Jordan K. Johnson Jamie Sanderson Jackson Foote
Producer(s)	The Monsters and the Strangerz Foote
Zara Larsson singles chronology
"Only You" (2017) "Ruin My Life" (2018) "Holding Out for You" (2019)
Music video
"Ruin My Life" on YouTube

Composition

"Ruin My Life" is a pop song,^[1] that has a drum track backed by an electric guitar and keyboard backed by synths.^[2][3] Paper described the song as "Larsson at her dreamiest with pensive piano breakdowns and cinematic sing-a-long choruses that roll into stadium-sized emotional crescendo after emotional crescendo. Larsson unearths a darker side of herself lyrically, diving into the dynamics of a toxic relationship. With a self-annihilating fatalism, Larsson's refrain of 'I want you to ruin my life/ruin my life/ruin my life' may seem naively reckless but, as the singer explains, taps into a more universal sentiment."^[4]

Promotion

Larsson announced the release of the song on Instagram in September 2018, also sharing the cover art.^[5] Larsson later appeared on BBC Radio 1 to talk about the song with Greg James.^[6]

Critical reception

Natasha Azarmi of Aftonbladet called the song a mix between the two moods of Larsson's previous album So Good, in that it is "quiet in the verses" and then picks up the pace for the chorus.^[7] Despite complimenting Larsson's "strong" voice and noting the song's "distinct beats" and "dreamy" sound, Azarmi said that the track "lacks enough sorrow and desperation" to be effective, and said that she hopes Larsson will show more "vulnerability" on her upcoming album.^[7]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2018–2019) Peak position Australia (ARIA)^[8] 32 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[9] 51 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[10] 41 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)^[11] 50 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)^[12] 68 Canada All-Format (Billboard)^[13] 40 Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)^[14] 25 Canada Hot AC (Billboard)^[15] 33 CIS (TopHit)^[16] 807 Croatia (HRT)^[17] 44 Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)^[18] 53 Denmark (Tracklisten)^[19] 21 Estonia (IFPI)^[20] 40 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[21] 20 Germany (Official German Charts)^[22] 62 Greece International Digital Singles (IFPI)^[23] 34 Ireland (IRMA)^[24] 5 Israel (Media Forest TV Airplay)^[25] 9 Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard)^[26] 8 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[27] 60 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[28] 28 Norway (VG-lista)^[29] 14 Portugal (AFP)^[30] 45 Romania (Airplay 100)^[31] 80 Scotland (OCC)^[32] 14 Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)^[33] 95 Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)^[34] 34 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[35] 2 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[36] 71 UK Singles (OCC)^[37] 9 US Billboard Hot 100^[38] 76 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)^[39] 22 US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard)^[40] 34 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)^[41] 18

Year-end charts Chart (2019) Position Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[42] 77

Certifications

‹See Tfd›

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[43]	Platinum	70,000^‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)^[44]	Platinum	40,000^‡
Canada (Music Canada)^[45]	Platinum	80,000^‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)^[46]	Platinum	90,000^‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[47]	Gold	15,000^‡
Norway (IFPI Norway)^[48]	2× Platinum	120,000^‡
Poland (ZPAV)^[49]	Gold	10,000^‡
United Kingdom (BPI)^[50]	Platinum	600,000^‡
United States (RIAA)^[51]	Platinum	1,000,000^‡
Streaming
Sweden (GLF)^[52]	3× Platinum	24,000,000^†
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. ^† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Various	18 October 2018	Digital download	TEN Epic	^[53]^[54]
United States	29 October 2018	Hot adult contemporary	Epic	^[55]
	30 October 2018	Contemporary hit radio		^[56]

References

1. Corner, Lewis (22 July 2020). "Listen to Zara Larsson's new pop anthem Ruin My Life". Gay Times. from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
2. "Single Review: Zara Larsson - Ruin My Life". Thomas Bleech. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
3. "Zara Larsson Craves a Complicated Relationship On 'Ruin My Life': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
4. "Zara Larsson Dives into the Meaning of 'Ruin My Life'". Paper. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
5. 10 October 2018. "Zara Larsson New Album: Everything We Know About ZL2's Release Date, 'Ruin My Life'..." Big Top 40. Retrieved 18 October 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
6. "BBC Radio 1 – Radio 1 Breakfast with Greg James, Ten Minute Takeover, Unpopular Opinion and Zara Larsson!". BBC. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
7. Azarmi, Natasha (17 October 2018). "Zara Larsson – Ruin my life – Recension". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 18 October 2018.
8. "Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
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12. "Zara Larsson Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
13. "Canada All Format (Zara Larsson)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
14. "Zara Larsson Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
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16. Zara Larsson — Ruin My Life. TopHit. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
17. "Croatia ARC TOP 100". HRT. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
18. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201847 into search. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
19. "Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life". Tracklisten. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
20. Nestor, Siim (3 December 2018). "EESTI TIPP-40 MUUSIKAS Queenil läheb väga hästi!". Eesti Ekspress (in Estonian). Retrieved 3 December 2018.
21. "Zara Larsson: Ruin My Life" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
22. "Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
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25. "מדיה פורסט - לדעת שאתה באוויר week 47". Mediaforest.biz. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
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27. "Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
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29. "Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life". VG-lista. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
30. "Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
31. Arvunescu, Victor (26 November 2018). "Top Airplay 100 – Avem ritm, avem dans, avem un nou lider!" [Top Airplay 100 – We have rhythm, we have dancing, we have a new leader!] (in Romanian). Un site de muzică. from the original on 26 November 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
32. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
33. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201846 into search. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
34. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201847 into search. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
35. "Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
36. "Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
37. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
38. "Zara Larsson Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
39. "Zara Larsson Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
40. "Zara Larsson Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
41. "Zara Larsson Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
42. "Årslista Singlar, 2019". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
43. "ARIA Chart Watch #512". auspOp. 16 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
44. "Brazilian single certifications – Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
45. "Canadian single certifications – Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life". Music Canada. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
46. "Danish single certifications – Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
47. "New Zealand single certifications – Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
48. "Trofé" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
49. "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2019 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
50. "British single certifications – Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
51. "American single certifications – Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
52. "Sverigetopplistan – Zara Larsson" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
53. "Ruin My Life - Single by Zara Larsson". iTunes. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
54. "Ruin My Life - Single av Zara Larsson". iTunes (in Swedish). Retrieved 31 May 2019.
55. . All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
56. . All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.