| "Anthonio" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Annie | ||||
| from the album Don't Stop (special edition) | ||||
| B-side | "Ferret Summer" | |||
| Released | 4 May 2009 | |||
| Format | CD single, digital download, 12" single |
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| Recorded | 2009 | |||
| Genre | Synthpop, Italo disco | |||
| Length | 3:21 | |||
| Label | Pleasure Masters | |||
| Writer(s) | Anne Lilia Berge Strand, Richard X, Hannah Robinson | |||
| Producer | Richard X | |||
| Annie singles chronology | ||||
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"Anthonio" is a song by Norwegian recording artist Annie from the special edition bonus disc of her second studio album, Don't Stop (2009). The track was released as a single on 4 May 2009, and marked Annie's debut on the Pleasure Masters label. It was released digitally and in limited edition CD and 12" formats.
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Annie described the song as "the ultimate summer track" and revealed it was based on a real-life encounter with a man named Anthonio she met in Rio de Janeiro at Carnival.[1] She said of the song: "I think every girl has met an Anthonio, or will do at some point at least! There's an Anthonio in every city and you're sure to meet him when you least expect it!"[1] In the song, Annie describes a brief but passionate encounter between herself and the namesake of the song, Anthonio. Annie's character in the song never sees Anthonio again and is rebuffed by her attempts to contact him. The song concludes with the final couplet "It may come as a surprise/My baby has your eyes", revealing that Annie gave birth to Anthonio's child.
Shortly after "Anthonio" premiered, a MySpace page belonging to the character of Anthonio Mendes started to leave messages on Annie's own MySpace page, some of them remorseful.[2] An answer song named "Annie" subsequently appeared on the Internet, reportedly by "Anthonio". The song was actually recorded by Heartbreak's Sebastian Muravchix.[3] Three hundred copies of a limited edition vinyl release of the song were made available 11 May 2009, which included a B-side featuring Annie named "Angel Face".[4] According to Pleasure Masters' MySpace page, Muravchix is working on a debut album under the Anthonio persona.[5]
"Anthonio" was released via Richard X's independent record label, Pleasure Masters. The Fred Falke and Designer Drugs remixes were released to Beatport on 21 April.[5] A CD single, a 12-inch single and two digital download formats were made available, all including remixes of the song.[6] Limited edition handmade singles were released, limited to just one hundred copies.[7] The single came in a coloured envelope addressed to Anthonio, with Norwegian stamps and a "return to sender" mark (a reference to the lyrics).[8] It also included a handwritten letter from Annie to Anthonio, a photograph of Annie with her and Anthonio's lovechild Sam, in addition to the compact disc.[7]
"Anthonio" was critically acclaimed by music blogs and various other music critics. David Balls of Digital Spy gave the song five stars out of five, saying "it contains all the right ingredients to become the anthem of the summer."[9] Fraser McAlpine of the BBC Chart Blog described it as "hauntingly good".[10] The Fred Falke remix of "Anthonio" also received attention; Matthew Richardson from Prefix Magazine felt that the remix "changes completely sea change the hurt tone of the original, and make Annie's questions sound curious as opposed to pleading",[11] while Chris Gaerig wrote for Pitchfork Media that it is "a much less jagged and reflexive affair. The sharp and ominous electronic punches of 'Anthonio' are replaced by an underscored melodic march and slowed pace; a more fitting landscape for Annie's soft, volumeless vocals. And the slowly crescendoing accompaniment during the chorus is more similar to the kind of happy-go-lucky charm of Anniemal."[12]
No music video for the song was released.
The digital EP and limited edition CD of "Anthonio" included a brand-new B-side, "Ferret Summer".[13] The song was first referenced in a September 2005 interview with Peter Robinson for Times Online.[14] The song was inspired by a 14-year-old fan of Annie's whose ferret got lost and died. Annie said, "I shouldn't laugh [...] But she was crying. I was with Richard and Hannah, so we wrote a song called Ferret Summer. It's about a ferret going into the sea and being lost for ever."[14] A thirty-second clip of the single was premiered by Digital Spy on 1 May 2009, who called it "a gem of a B-side that's sure to surprise some of Annie's traditional fanbase."[15] The review continued that the song "features the same Ibiza-ready beats as its A-side, but it assumes the role of a more mellow and ambient bedfellow. [...] Serving as the perfect antidote to the euphoric 'Anthonio', 'Ferret Summer' is destined to soundtrack those early morning come-downs spent watching the sun rise slowly over the horizon."[15]
(Released 11 May 2009)
(Released 4 May 2009)
(Released 4 May 2009)
(Released 20 April 2009)
After both the digital and physical release of "Anthonio" via Pleasure Masters, the song failed to debut on the UK Singles Chart. Low promotion on radios and television and a lack of music video contributed to the song's lack of success. However, "Anthonio" did manage to peak at number five on the UK Indie Chart.[18]
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Indie Singles Chart[18] | 5 |
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