2015 single by Carly Rae Jepsen
"Your Type" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen for her third studio album, Emotion (2015). She co-wrote the track with Wayne Hector, Tavish Crowe, and its producers Rami Yacoub and Carl Falk. "Your Type" is a 1980s-inspired synth-pop song about unrequited love. Initially released to digital retailers August 14, 2015 as the fourth and final promotional single leading up to the album's release, it was re-issued as the third official single on November 9, 2015.[1][2] An official remix package debuted December 11, 2015.[3] An accompanying music video was released on November 3, 2015. The song received mostly positive feedback from the critics, but was not a chart success.
Composition
"Your Type" is a midtempo synth-pop and electropop love song influenced by 1980s music.[4][5][6] The ballad finds Jepsen expressing her interest in pursuing a romantic relationship with someone despite her belief that she is not their "type" and explores the concept of unrequited love.[6][7] During live performances, she revealed that the song was about a guy whom she fell for who she later finds out was gay, similar to what her single "Call Me Maybe"'s video was about.[8]
Critical reception
"Your Type" received generally positive reviews.
Critics have compared the song's depiction of heartbreak and yearning to the similarly-themed "Dancing on My Own" by Robyn.[9][10][11] Its production was further likened to that of the synthpop band Chvrches.[12][13] In October 2022, Rachel Seo of Variety ranked it as Jepsen's sixth best song.[14]
In reviewing for NPR, Ken Tucker highlighted "Your Type" as a clear example of Jepsen's "attempt to expand the notion of what disposable pop can sound like", further applauding its vulnerable narrative that transcends gender roles.[15] Autostraddle's Abeni Jones christened the song as a "Moody Trans Girl Anthem".[16]
Nolan Feeny of Time praised Jepsen's "wounded voice" for bringing emotional complexity to an otherwise "unremarkable tale".[17] In criticizing Jepsen's lack of identity, Pitchfork's Corban Goble characterized her vocal performance on "Your Type" as indistinguishable from other songs on the record despite Jepsen's attempts to sound "gritty".[18] Jessica Doyle, a writer for The Singles Jukebox, emphasized the song's lyrical missteps which "intensifies the pathos of the song—the narrator wants so badly to stand out [...] but even her desperate inner monologue is bland."[13]
Music video
The video for "Your Type" was filmed in October 2015 directed by Gia Coppola and premiered November 3, 2015.[7][20] It begins with a voiceover introducing the story of Jepsen's character ("There was once a girl…") and then follows Jepsen as she gets mugged on a park bench, enters a nightclub, and performs karaoke.[20][21] During her performance, the video alternates between shots of a large, excited crowd and a nearly-empty bar, suggesting the former is Jepsen's fantasy of how the scene played out.[22] The video's plot has been described as a pseudo-Cinderella story.[20][21]
.jpg)
.jpg)
