"Maniac"
Single by Conan Gray
from the album Kid Krow
ReleasedOctober 24, 2019
Genre
Length3:05
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Dan Nigro
Conan Gray singles chronology
"Comfort Crowd"
(2019)		 "Maniac"
(2019)		 "The Story"
(2020)
Music video
"Conan Gray - Maniac" on YouTube

"Maniac" is a song by American singer-songwriter Conan Gray. Republic Records released it as the third single from his debut studio album Kid Krow on October 24, 2019. "Maniac" was written by Gray and Dan Nigro, who also produced the song. The song has been certified Platinum in Australia, Brazil, Canada and the United States, becoming his first certifications in all four countries. In early 2020, the song was successful on international mainstream pop radio.[3][4][5][6][7][8] It had gained 50 million accumulative streams on Spotify by January 2020,[9] before clocking 90 million streams only two months later.[10] The song also trended on the video-sharing platform TikTok, debuting in the app's Top 25 trending chart.[11]

Composition and lyrics

Gray wrote "Maniac" in the shower after receiving a sobbing text message from an ex-lover at midnight. The ex had supposedly been spreading rumors about how Gray was "some freak who wouldn't leave them alone" he continues, "when in reality, they were the freak." He referred to the song as "a cathartic post break-up song dedicated to psychotic exes."[12] Madeline Roth of MTV described the song as "a total '80s fever dream, marked by shimmering synths and Gray's quirky lyrics about a fickle ex who leaves him simultaneously amused and hurt."[13]

Music video

In the BRUME-directed music video for "Maniac",[14] Gray and English actress Jessica Barden are working the night shift at the theatre/cinema before they fend off her psychotic ex-boyfriends who have risen from the dead.[15] Roth said that the "cinematic" music video pays homage to horror classics such as Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Zombieland (2009).[13] Released on YouTube, the video has accumulated over 92 million views, as of November 2023.[16]

Critical reception

Helen Ehrlich of Affinity Magazine described "Maniac" as "an eye roll and a smirk" that is "retro, raw and rage-filled."[17] The song features "magnetizing pop synths, a stimulating dance-hall bass, and Gray's energizing vocals".[1] Despite being officially released in October 2019, "Maniac" was included on Billboard's mid-year list of The 50 Best Songs of 2020.[18]

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[30] 3× Platinum 210,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[31] 2× Platinum 160,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[32] Platinum 50,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[33] Gold 5,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[35] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡
Streaming
South Korea (KMCA)[36] Platinum 100,000,000†

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various October 25, 2019 [37]
United States February 18, 2020 Contemporary hit radio [38]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Brown, Bainca (October 28, 2019). "Conan Gray's "Maniac" Proves That the Scariest Thing This Halloween Is Your Ex". Ones To Watch. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  2. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason (18 September 2020). "Here Are 5 Reasons Why You Should Be Betting Big on Conan Gray". Billboard. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  3. ↑ "Radio goes crazy for Conan Gray's 'Maniac' up 98 spins to No. 8". Radioinfo Australia. April 9, 2020. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  4. ↑ "Top 40/M Future Releases". February 19, 2020. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  5. ↑ conan gray [@conangray] (February 26, 2020). "'Maniac' is playing on [BBC Radio 1].. y'all we on radio :,))) Thank you for making it Tune of the Week" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. ↑ Cantor, Brian (March 1, 2020). "Lauv's "Modern Loneliness," Conan Gray's "Maniac" Enter Top 50 At Pop Radio". Headline Planet. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Maniac - Conan Gray". Top-Charts.com. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  8. ↑ Cantor, Brian (February 18, 2020). "Sam Smith's "To Die For" Ranks As Pop Radio's Most Added Song". Headline Planet. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  9. ↑ conan gray updates [@conanupdating] (January 28, 2020). "maniac has reached 98 million streams on spotify! this is conan's first song to reach this milestone, congrats @conangray!! (1/28)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ↑ Munzenrieder, Kyle (March 18, 2020). "Conan Gray Is the Sad-Boy Pop Superstar No One Over 25 Has Heard Of". W Magazine. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Conan Gray debuts music video for new single "The Story"". Pressparty. January 16, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Conan Gray releases new single "Maniac" today". Universal Music Group. October 25, 2019. Archived from the original on January 12, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  13. 1 2 Roth, Madeline (October 25, 2019). "Conan Gray's 'Maniac' Video Is A 'Night Of The Living Exes' Spookfest". MTV News. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  14. ↑ Castel, Gregory (November 5, 2019). "Conan Gray Is the Kid Maniac". Earmilk. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  15. ↑ Clancy, Bethany (October 29, 2019). "Conan Gray releases new single "Maniac"". Substream Magazine. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  16. ↑ Conan Gray - Maniac. Republic Records. October 25, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2022 – via YouTube.
  17. ↑ Ehrlich, Helen (October 25, 2019). "A Review & Analysis of Conan Gray's Latest Hit, "Maniac"". Affinity Magazine. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  18. ↑ Daw, Stephen (June 10, 2020). "The 50 Best Songs of 2020 (So Far): Staff Picks". Billboard. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Conan Gray – Maniac". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Conan Gray – Maniac" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Conan Gray". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  22. ↑ "2020 14-os savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. April 3, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  23. ↑ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 30, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Digital Chart – Week 13 of 2020". Gaon (in Korean). Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Conan Gray Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Conan Gray Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  28. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2020". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  29. ↑ 2021년 Digital Chart [2021 Digital Chart] (in Korean). Gaon Music Chart. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  30. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2022 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  31. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Conan Gray – Maniac". Music Canada. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  32. ↑ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2021 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  33. ↑ "Portuguese single certifications – Conan Gray – Maniac" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  34. ↑ "British single certifications – Conan Gray – Maniac". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  35. ↑ "American single certifications – Conan Gray – Maniac". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  36. ↑ "South Korean single streaming certifications – Conan Gray – Maniac" (in Korean). Korea Music Content Association (KMCA). Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  37. ↑ Hot Pink by Doja Cat, retrieved 2020-01-28
  38. ↑ "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
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