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Sober Up

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"Sober Up"
The official cover artwork for "Sober Up".
Single by AJR featuring Rivers Cuomo
from the album The Click
ReleasedJune 9, 2017 (2017-06-09)
Length3:38
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)AJR
AJR singles chronology
"Drama"
(2017) 		"Sober Up"
(2017) 		"Burn the House Down"
(2018)
Rivers Cuomo singles chronology
"I Still Wanna Know"
(2017) 		"Sober Up"
(2017) 		"Medicine for Melancholy"
(2018)

"Sober Up" is a song by American indie pop band AJR, from their second studio album, The Click. Released as the album's fifth single, it features Rivers Cuomo, lead singer and frontman of American rock band Weezer, although certain radio stations instead play a version with band member Ryan singing Cuomo's verse. "Sober Up" became the first number-one song for AJR on the Billboard Alternative Songs, when it peaked at number one on the chart in March 2018. Similarly, it also makes Cuomo his first number-one song as a solo artist outside of Weezer.

Background

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The inspiration for "Sober Up" came to Jack and Ryan Met during their time at Columbia University, the brothers missing their childhood. Taking inspiration from their feelings of loneliness, they wrote about Jack calling his second grade crush from elementary school.[1] iHeartRadio describes "Sober Up" as a positive song despite its difficult lyrics.[2]

Near the end of writing, Rivers Cuomo of Weezer followed AJR on Twitter. The two bands expressed admiration for each other's work, with AJR asking if Cuomo wanted to collaborate with them. Cuomo was sent an unfinished version of the song, to which he wrote and sang the bridge.[3] Cuomo recorded several versions, including one in Spanish, one that was nonsensical, and the one that was eventually accepted into the final track.[4]

Music video

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On January 31, 2018, a music video for "Sober Up" was released. In the music video, the band is walking through New York City while singer Jack Met meets a younger version of himself that is only visible in reflections.[5]

Chart performance

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In March 2018, "Sober Up" peaked at number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and was the first number one song for AJR. For Rivers Cuomo, "Sober Up" was his first song to reach number one on Billboard's Alternative chart as a solo artist outside of Weezer.[6] The song was additionally picked as iHeartRadio's digital song for October.[7]

Live performances

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In January 2018, AJR performed "Sober Up" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! alongside their previous hit "Weak".[8] Cuomo has performed the song with AJR for select shows, additionally covering it for some solo shows.

In March 2018, Cuomo played an acoustic cover of "Sober Up" during An Evening with Rivers Cuomo at The Hi Hat in Los Angeles.[9]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[22] Gold 35,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[23] Platinum 80,000‡
United States (RIAA)[24] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Atkinson, Katie; Caulfield, Keith (April 10, 2018). "Pop Shop Podcast: AJR Talk Surprise Hit 'Sober Up,' Why Rivers Cuomo Was a 'Perfect Fit' & Seeing New Fans on Tour". Billboard. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  2. ^ "#NewMusicTuesday: AJR, "Sober Up"". iHeartRadio. February 20, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  3. ^ LeDonne, Rob (March 30, 2018). "Anatomy Of a Hit: AJR and Rivers Cuomo Discuss How Sliding Into DMs Yielded 'Sober Up'". Billboard. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  4. ^ Weatherby, Taylor (August 6, 2017). "AJR Unveils 'Sober Up' Collaboration With Their Hero, Weezer's Rivers Cuomo: Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  5. ^ Cosores, Philip (January 31, 2018). "Premiere: AJR's Earnest 'Sober Up' Video Gets Back To That Youthful Feeling". Uproxx. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  6. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (March 1, 2018). "AJR Crosses Over, Lands First Alternative Songs No. 1 With 'Sober Up'". Billboard. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  7. ^ @AJRBrothers (October 4, 2017). "Sober Up was picked as the @iHeartRadio digital song for October!" (Tweet). Retrieved January 12, 2024 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ O'Malley, Maura (January 24, 2018). "WATCH: AJR Perform "Sober Up" and "Weak" on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'". 107.7 The End. Archived from the original on January 25, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  9. ^ de Joya, Rey Philip (March 11, 2018). An Evening with Rivers Cuomo @ The Hi Hat, Los Angeles, CA. 3/10/18 (Video). Event occurs at 56:07.
  10. ^ "AJR Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  11. ^ "AJR Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  12. ^ "AJR Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  13. ^ "AJR Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  14. ^ "AJR Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  15. ^ "Alternative Digital Song Sales". Billboard. July 7, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  16. ^ "AJR Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  17. ^ "AJR Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  18. ^ "AJR Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  19. ^ "TÓNLISTINN – LÖG – 2018". Plötutíóindi (in Icelandic). Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  20. ^ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  21. ^ "Rock airplay – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  22. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  23. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Ajr – Sober Up (Ft. Rivers Cuomo)". Music Canada. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  24. ^ "American single certifications – Ajr – Sober Up". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
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