"Acting Like That"
Single by Yungblud featuring Machine Gun Kelly and Travis Barker
from the album Weird!
WrittenDecember 2019
Released2 December 2020
GenrePop punk[1]
Length3:03
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Travis Barker
Yungblud singles chronology
"Mars"
(2020) 		"Acting Like That"
(2020) 		"Patience"
(2021)
Machine Gun Kelly singles chronology
"My Ex's Best Friend"
(2020) 		"Acting Like That"
(2020) 		"Daywalker"
(2021)
Travis Barker singles chronology
"Estella"
(2020) 		"Acting Like That"
(2020) 		"Hills Have Eyes"
(2021)
Music video
"Acting Like That" on YouTube

"Acting Like That" is a song by English musician Yungblud featuring American musicians Machine Gun Kelly and Travis Barker, released on 2 December 2020 as the sixth single from the former's second studio album Weird!.

Background

The song was written about a night the two vocalists spent together after the death of the mutual friend Juice Wrld. According to Yungblud, despite being saddened by the event, they cheered one another up by deciding that they were "way too cool to be acting like that".[2] The following morning, they wrote the song.[3]

The song is the third collaboration between the three musicians, following 2019's "I Think I'm Okay" and 2020's "Body Bag", which also featured Bert McCracken. The release of the song was announced on 30 November 2020,[4] which was followed by Yungblud began releasing teasers for the song on social media in the following days.[5] The song was officially released on 3 December 2020, as the sixth single from Yungblud's second studio album Weird!.[6]

Music video

A music video for the song was released on 21 January 2021.[7][8][9] The video parodies the different reaction to the then-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, through the metaphor of a zombie apocalypse. Because of the pandemic, Yungblud and Machine Gun Kelly's segments of the video were filmed separately in Greenwich, London and Los Angeles respectively.[10] The video also features a cameo from social media influencer Abby Roberts, as a zombie who infects Yungblud.[11]

Reception

The Guardian writer Issy Simpson perceived the song to be objectifying, stating that "Being a woman in 2020 can be tough, but luckily for us girls, there's always a man around to tell us exactly how to behave" and that "they're wrong, because there's no attractiveness barrier to being a complete mess: it's an equal-opportunities activity".[12] Clash called it a love it or hate it song but contended that that's where both artists do best.[13]

According to an article by NME, users on TikTok drew comparisons between the song's chorus melody and that of Metro Station's 2008 song "Shake It". In response, Metro Station tweeted they felt "honored".[14]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[15]

Musicians

Technical

Charts

Chart performance for "Acting Like That"
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[16] 17
Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100)[17] 7
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[18] 14
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[19] 16

References

  1. ^ Johnson, Laura. "Yungblud Unveils Acting Like That Video Featuring Machine Gun Kelly And Travis Barker". Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Weird! Yungblud". Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  3. ^ Reilly, Nick. "Machine Gun Kelly and Yungblud's new collaboration inspired by Juice WRLD's death". NME. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  4. ^ Dowd, Rachael. "MGK, Yunglub and Travis Barker Have Another New Collab on the Way". Alternative Press. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  5. ^ Carter, Emily. "YUNGBLUD Drops Acting Like That Featuring Machine Gun Kelly". Kerrang!. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  6. ^ Blackburn, Stevie. "NEWS: Yungblud releases new single, 'Acting Like That'!". Archived from the original on 28 July 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  7. ^ Skinner, Tom. "Yungblud and Machine Gun Kelly share zombie film-inspired 'Acting Like That' video". NME. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  8. ^ Carter, Emily. "Watch YUNGBLUD and Machine Gun Kelly's new video for Acting Like That". Kerrang!. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  9. ^ "YUNGBLUD has released a video for 'weird!' cut 'Acting Like That'". Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  10. ^ Crowley, Erin. "Behind the Scenes with YUNGBLUD on "Acting Like That" music video ft MGK". Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  11. ^ Smith, Lindsey. "YUNGBLUD, MGK Make The Zombie Apocalypse Look Like A Party In New Video". iHeartRadio. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  12. ^ Sampson, Issy. "Tracks of the week reviewed: Enny, Georgia, Yungblud". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  13. ^ Murray, Robin (December 2, 2020). "Yungblood Spars With Machine Gun Kelly On 'acting like that'". Clash. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  14. ^ Krol, Charlotte. "Metro Station 'honoured' by comparison to Yungblud and Machine Gun Kelly's song 'Acting Like That'". NME. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  15. ^ "Acting Like That". Tidal. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  16. ^ "Yungblud feat. Machine Gun Kelly – Acting Like That" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  17. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 202129 into search. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  18. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  19. ^ "Chart History Machine Gun Kelly". Billboard. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
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