| "Just Pretend" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Bad Omens | ||||
| from the album The Death of Peace of Mind | ||||
| Released | August 23, 2022 | |||
| Genre | Alternative metal | |||
| Length | 3:24 | |||
| Label | Sumerian | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Bad Omens singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Just Pretend" on YouTube | ||||
"Just Pretend" is a song by American metalcore band Bad Omens for their third studio album, The Death of Peace of Mind (2022). The song was released on August 23, 2022, as the sixth single from the album.
Background
An alternative metal song, it was written and produced by the band's lead vocalist and lead guitarist, Noah Sebastian and Joakim Karlsson, respectively. The song was released as the album's second official radio single in the US. An official music video for the song was released on June 8, 2023, written by Sebastian and directed by Erik Rojas.[1][2]
"Just Pretend" was a critical and commercial success; as the song built virality on TikTok, it went on to become the band's first major chart success. It became a number-one hit on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs chart,[3] and later topped Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart as well.[4] The commercial success of "Just Pretend" earned the band their first certification award, being certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2023. It would eventually be certified platinum in 2024.
Composition
Speaking to NME, frontman Noah Sebastian revealed that "Just Pretend" was written to be a parody of "butt rock" radio hits, initially comparing it to the likes of Shinedown and Godsmack.[5] He elaborated:
"At the time I was frustrated with people in my ear talking about, 'Oh, you need to focus on the radio. And you need to do Octane and this and that. Never having an ulterior motive when writing has always been a strict rule of ours. We just want to make music that we like and we're proud of. So with 'Just Pretend' it started as this ironic butt-rock song. Even the way I was singing in the demo I was doing this exaggerated bravado. As silly as the vocal sounded I was like, 'This is actually a really great chorus.' I was kind of just freestyling. I had written some chords and I just started singing in the booth over it. And this melody came out, the lyrics came out really quickly. So last night we just realized that a song that was written to poke fun at how easy it is to make radio rock is now No. 1 on the radio rock charts. It's the most ironic full-circle moment this band will probably ever have."[2]
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[13] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
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‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ "BAD OMENS unveil music video for "Just Pretend"". lambgoat.com. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
- ^ a b Enis, Eli (May 22, 2023). "Bad Omens' radio rock hit "Just Pretend" began as radio rock parody". Revolver. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ "Bad Omens Chart History (Mainstream Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ "Bad Omens Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ Chaudry, Aliya (May 20, 2023). "Bad Omens: "The goal with this band is to expand people's musical horizons"". NME. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
- ^ "Bad Omens Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart". Official Charts Company. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "Bad Omens Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ "Bad Omens Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ "Bad Omens Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ "Year End Charts: Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (2023)". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ "Year End Charts: Rock & Alternative Airplay Songs (2023)". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ "American single certifications – Bad Omens – Just Pretend". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 18, 2024.