Doing It

Album: Sucker (2014)
Charted: 8
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Charli XCX wrote this guitar-tinged synth-pop song about reuniting with a lover with:

    Californian producer Ariel Reichstadt, who has also worked with Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Usher, Vampire Weekend, Plain White T's and Haim.

    Australian/British songwriter Jarrad Rogers whose resume includes UK Top 20 hits for Boyzone ("Love You Anyway," Tinchy Stryder & Pixie Lott ("Bright Lights," Rebecca Ferguson ("I Hope") and Ella Eyre ("If I Go").
  • Charli initially recorded this solo for the US edition of Sucker. She re-recorded the song for the European edition of the album. The "Boom Clap" singer is joined by Rita Ora for the new version, who croons the second verse. Charli told Digital Spy about the collaboration: "Rita had heard the song quite a while ago, and she wanted it for her album, and I told her that she couldn't have it," she said. "I was being selfish [laughs]."

    "I said we can do it together, and she was into it," Charli added. "It was in the works for a while, but I knew I wanted her to be on it. And it sounded great when she cut the vocal, I was very happy."
  • The colorful video was directed by Adam Powell, whose other credits include Example's "Changed the Way You Kiss Me," Birdy's "People Help the People" and Jessie Ware's "You & I (Forever)."

    The clip features XCX and Ora as a pair of bandits who are chased into the desert by police in their pink truck. The police eventually catch up with them, but instead of busting the duo, they join in on the party. "I wanted it to be like this badass Barbie Thelma and Louise-esque video," Charli told Buzzfeed. "So we robbed a store with toy guns, rode a bucking bronco and nearly crashed a pink pick-up truck through the desert."

    The pair nearly didn't complete the shoot. "I nearly killed both of us on the set by crashing this Barbie truck into the middle of the desert," Charli recalled to Metro. "There were no air bags. It was this old truck. It was a death-trap!"
  • Charli originally wrote the song in the spring of 2014 at producer Trevor Horn's house. She recalled: "I had a house party at his place without him knowing and I wrote it the next day, when I was kinda hungover."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Leslie West of Mountain

Leslie West of MountainSongwriter Interviews

From the cowbell on "Mississippi Queen" to recording with The Who when they got the wrong Felix, stories from one of rock's master craftsmen.

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TV

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TVSong Writing

Shows like Dawson's Creek, Grey's Anatomy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed the way songs were heard on TV, and produced some hits in the process.

Joe Jackson

Joe JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Joe talks about the challenges of of making a Duke Ellington tribute album, and tells the stories behind some of his hits.

Protest Songs

Protest SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know your protest songs (including the one that went to #1)?

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Jeff Trott

Jeff TrottSongwriter Interviews

Sheryl Crow's longtime songwriting partner/guitarist Jeff Trott reveals the stories behind many of the singer's hits, and what its like to be a producer for Leighton Meester and Max Gomez.