Made in the USA (song)

"Made in the USA" is a song by American singer Demi Lovato. The song was released on July 16, 2013, as the second single from her fourth studio album, Demi (2013). The song was written by Lovato, Jason Evigan, Corey Chorus, Blair Perkins, and Jonas Jeberg and produced by Jeberg. "Made in the USA" is a midtempo country pop song that celebrates an everlasting American romantic relationship.[1] Lovato released the song around Independence Day.[2] The song peaked at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked within the top 20 in Lebanon. It has sold 312,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[3] It received generally positive reviews from music critics.

"Made in the USA"
Single by Demi Lovato
from the album Demi
Written2011
ReleasedJuly 16, 2013 (2013-07-16)
StudioLarrabee Studios, California
Genre
Length3:16
LabelHollywood
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jonas Jeberg
Demi Lovato singles chronology
"Heart Attack"
(2013)
"Made in the USA"
(2013)
"Let It Go"
(2013)
Music video
"Made in the USA" on YouTube

Background and composition

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"Made in the USA" is an midtempo country pop[4] song with a running length of three minutes and sixteen seconds.[5]

The patriotic love song[2] was composed by Corey Chorus, Lovato, Jason Evigan, Jonas Jeberg and Blair Perkins.[5] It was written in 2011, originally intended for R&B artist Blair Perkins, though after producer Mio Vukovic heard it, he knew it was "meant" for Lovato. Songwriter and producer Jason Evigan told MTV News that the song was "Demi-fied" in response, though still contains an "R&B feel", explaining: "[Now] it's got like a country vibe mixed with this R&B feel, which makes it kind of pop country thing." Lovato reacted to the track instantly, and made a few changes to it. Lyrically, "Made in the USA" is inspired by "American romantic love stories" in the 1930s.[4]

Upon the album's release, Billboard stated the song was "the right comparison of bubblegum fun and Lovato's overpowering pipes" and compared the track to the song "Party in the U.S.A." by fellow former Disney Channel star Miley Cyrus. Billboard also described the song as "an up-tempo, red-white-and-blue-tinged celebration of everlasting love" and stated that the song contained a "wistful guitar lick and some fierce romanting statements".[6]

Lovato's vocals in the song span two octaves, two notes, and a semitone, from the low note of E3 to the high note of A5.[7]

Critical reception

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"Made in the USA" received generally positive reviews from music critics. Billboard reacted positively to the song, praising it as a "grown-up version" of "Party in the U.S.A." by Miley Cyrus, noting its opening line which contains a reference to Chevrolet, describing it as "unusual" and "coy".[6] Female First gave a generally positive review, saying that the song was not the best on the album but that it was "fun" and "upbeat" and praised its reference to Chevrolet as well as its "positive shout-outs" to America's coasts.[8] Pop Spoken described the song as "slightly lackluster".[9] iMedia Monkey also offered a mixed reaction, complimenting the song's "perfect balance of radio friendly choruses and interesting instrumentation"; however, they stated that the song was not "ground-breaking" and was generally "more of the same".[10] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic criticized the song for "copying" Cyrus' song.[11]

Regarding the appearance of the song's video, MTV Style's Chrissy Mahlmeister noted that Lovato is getting in the "patriotic spirit", sporting an "all American" look which included a "crocheted white dress with a brown belt, denim jacket". Mahlmeister stated that Lovato "ditched her typically edgy, all-black ensembles" seen in Lovato's previous music video for "Heart Attack".[12]

Music video

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The music video for "Made in the USA" released on July 17, 2013, on Vevo[13] and was directed by Ryan Pallotta and Demi Lovato. The video is about a love story of a young American couple (portrayed by Aimee Teegarden and Dustin Milligan). At one night, the girl (Teegarden) goes with her friends to the carnival where she sees the boy (Milligan) for the first time, as the boy begins to dating with her along the way. One day, the boy leaves the girl behind, and it is revealed he is a soldier being deployed in the middle of the war. He promises to return, and meanwhile, the girl is left alone at home. The two attempt to stay in contact by writing letters to one another, and the girl anxiously awaits his correspondence. The climax of the story portrays a chaotic scene with the boy in a battlefield, shots ringing all around him. Simultaneously, the girl begins to shut herself in her room, worried about her boyfriend, and it seems as if he will die. In the end, the boy returns home and reunites with the girl. After the release of the video, Lovato dedicated to the troops of US Army, as well as the people who lost their lives and for the country.[14]

Live performances

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On May 11, 2013, Lovato performed "Made in the USA" for the first time at the 2013 edition of Wango Tango.[15] On June 28, 2013, Lovato performed the song during her appearance at the Good Morning America concert series, sporting a similar outfit to what the singer was seen wearing in the single's music video behind-the-scenes sneak peek.[16] On August 11, 2013, Lovato performed at the 2013 Teen Choice Awards with Nick Jonas as drummer.[17] The song was also a part of Lovato's setlist for The Neon Lights Tour.

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Work Result
2014 Radio Disney Music Awards Favorite Roadtrip Song "Made in the USA" Won[18]
2015 Vevo Certified Awards 100 Million Views Won[19]

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from Demi album liner notes.[20]

Recording

Personnel

  • Demi Lovato – lead vocals, songwriter, drums
  • Jonas Jeberg – songwriter, producer, instruments, vocal producer, programming
  • Jason Evigan – songwriter, vocal co-producer
  • Corey Chorus – songwriter
  • Blair Perkins – songwriter, vocal producer
  • Corky James – guitar, banjo, piano
  • Kyle Moorman – engineer
  • Serban Ghenea – mixer
  • John Hanes – mix engineer
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering

Charts

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Weekly chart performance for "Made in the USA"
Chart (2013) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[21] 17
European Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[22] 87
Ireland (IRMA)[23] 50
Italy (FIMI)[24] 93
Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20)[25] 20
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[26] 61
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[27] 62
UK Singles (OCC)[28] 89
US Billboard Hot 100[29] 80
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[30] 40

Certifications

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Certifications and sales for "Made in the USA"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[31] Gold 30,000
United States (RIAA)[32] Gold 500,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release dates for "Made in the USA"
Country Date Format
United States[33] July 16, 2013 Contemporary hit radio
Germany[34] September 27, 2013 Digital download
New Zealand[35]

References

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  1. ^ Jason Lipshutz (June 24, 2013). "Demi Lovato Preps 'Made In The USA' Single". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Ugen, Rume (July 4, 2013). "Demi Lovato Releases 'Made In The USA' Just In Time For Independence Day". Entertainmentwise. Archived from the original on July 6, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  3. ^ "Ask Billboard: Demi Lovato's Career Album & Song Sales". Billboard. October 15, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Vena, Jocelyn (July 4, 2013). "Demi Lovato's Fourth Of July Single 'Made In The USA' Is About 'Real Love'". MTV News. Archived from the original on July 6, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Made in the USA - Demi Lovato". AllMusic. AllMusic. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  6. ^ a b Lipshutz, Jason (May 9, 2013). "Demi Lovato, 'Demi': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  7. ^ "Unsupported Browser or Operating System". Musicnotes.com. May 31, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  8. ^ "Demi - Demi Lovato Album Review". Female First. June 5, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  9. ^ "Demi Lovato "Demi" Album Review & Giveaway!". Popspoken. June 1, 2013. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  10. ^ James Fyfe (June 10, 2013). "Demi Lovato – 'Demi' (LP)". iMediaMonkey. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  11. ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine (May 14, 2013). "Demi - Demi Lovato". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  12. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (July 11, 2013). "Demi Lovato's 'Made In The USA' Video: What We Know So Far!". MTV. Archived from the original on July 14, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  13. ^ DemiLovatoVEVO (July 17, 2013). "Demi Lovato - Made in the USA (Official Video)". YouTube. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  14. ^ Demi Lovato (July 17, 2013). "I dedicate my video to all of the troops, anyone who has passed away over seas and to this INCREDIBLE country that I'm so thankful 4". Twitter. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  15. ^ "Demi Lovato Performs New Song, 'Made In The USA', and Covers 'Titanium' (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. May 13, 2013. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  16. ^ Mahlmeister, Chrissy (June 28, 2013). "Demi Lovato Sports Denim Jacket And White Dress In 'Made In The USA' 'GMA' Performance And Behind-The-Scenes Video". MTV Style. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  17. ^ Lindner, Emilee (August 11, 2013). "Demi Lovato Rocks 'Made In The USA' With Nick Jonas: Watch!". MTV. Archived from the original on July 23, 2014. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  18. ^ Just Announced: The 2014 RDMA Categories and Nominees | Disney Playlist
  19. ^ Made in the USA (Official Video) on Vevo
  20. ^ Demi (liner notes). Demi Lovato. Hollywood Records. 2013.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ "Demi Lovato – Made in the USA" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  22. ^ "Demi Lovato – Chart Search" Billboard European Hot 100 Singles for Demi Lovato. Retrieved December 20, 2013. [dead link]
  23. ^ "Chart Track: Week 41, 2013". Irish Singles Chart.
  24. ^ "History" (in Italian). FIMI. Retrieved May 30, 2022. Set "Ricerca per" on "Titolo", then search "Made in the USA" and click "Classifiche".
  25. ^ "The Official Lebanese Top 20 - Demi Lovato". The Official Lebanese Top 20. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  26. ^ "29 September 2013 - 05 October 2013". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  27. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201333 into search.
  28. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  29. ^ "Demi Lovato Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  30. ^ "Demi Lovato Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  31. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Demi Lovato – Made in the USA" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  32. ^ "American single certifications – Demi Lovato – Made in the USA". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  33. ^ "Top 40/M Future Releases / Mainstream Hit Songs Being Released and Their Release Dates (Archive)". All Access. Archived from the original on July 2, 2013. Retrieved July 3, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  34. ^ "Made in the USA [+video]: Demi Lovato: Amazon.de: MP3-Downloads". Amazon.de. December 31, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  35. ^ "iTunes - Music - Made in the USA - Single by Demi Lovato". Itunes.apple.com. September 27, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
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