Cooler than Me

"Cooler than Me"
Single by Mike Posner
from the album 31 Minutes to Takeoff & A Matter of Time
Released April 16, 2010
Format Digital download
Genre Synthpop, dance-pop
Length 3:36
Label J, RCA (UK)
Writer(s) Mike Posner, Eric Holljes, Craig Klepto Tucker
Producer(s) Gigamesh
Mike Posner singles chronology
"Cooler than Me"
(2010)		 "Please Don't Go"
(2010)

"Cooler than Me" is the debut single by American recording artist Mike Posner. Since its release it has peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100[1] and reached number one on Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay in its July 31, 2010 issue. The instrumental was produced by Gigamesh. Another version, labeled "Gigamesh Remix", was released on Mike Posner's October 2009 mixtape One Foot Out the Door. The original version features "Cooler Than Me" – Mike Posner & the Brain Trust Ft. Big Sean. Produced and engineered by Gigamech and Klepto of Larceny Entertainment. They were later removed on the single mix.

Speaking in August 2010 to noted British urban writer Pete Lewis – Assistant Editor of Blues & Soul – Posner described the background to the song: "A lotta people don’t know I recorded that song while I was still a student, and that I recorded it in my dorm-room on an extremely cheap microphone! So to now be hearing it on the radio in The States and over here is very special for me, knowing that I made it in such a makeshift manner. And while yes, it is about a specific girl in my class I had a crush on – though I’m not gonna tell you her name, because she doesn’t deserve any notoriety – it’s also about a specific type of girl. Because there are girls like that everywhere! You know, everybody knows that girl who thinks she’s cooler than them, which is why I figured I’d just try to capture that moment of feeling snubbed. Because all my songs are either driven by something that’s happened to me, or by something I’ve felt on the inside.”[2]

Music video

In the music video, Posner starts out at a concert singing some of his songs before an enthusiastic audience. After the show he goes driving with his friends, who then drop him off at the Roosevelt Hotel on Los Angeles' Hollywood Blvd.[3] After a short ride in an elevator, Posner enters a hotel suite, where he finds a party in freeze frame. As soon as Posner dons a pair of sunglasses, the party comes to life.

Throughout the course of the video, Posner tries on different styles of sunglasses including Oakley Razorblades, Holbrooks, Jupiters, Frogskins, and 3D glasses. While he is trying each pair on, it evokes a different perception of the party currently going on in the apartment. In the end, he is seen leaving the hotel that morning with his original sunglasses back on.

The video, directed by Jason Beattie,[4] features cameos by Louie Vito, The Dingo, Chanel West Coast (Chelsea Dudley), and Christopher Pfaff from Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory.

The music video premiered in early April 2010 and uploaded on May 26, 2010 on VEVO. It premiered on television in the United Kingdom on September 28, 2010.

Media usage

On May 18, 2010, Electronic Arts announced that "Cooler than Me" would be featured in the Sims 3: Ambitions video game. The song was converted to "Simlish", the language of the Sims.[5]

Posner appeared on Lopez Tonight on May 31, 2010, with a performance of "Cooler than Me" (Gigamesh Remix), as well as America's Got Talent on July 28, 2010. Posner also performed the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show premiere week in its eighth season.

The song was used to promote a season of Beauty and the Geek Australia which aired on the Seven Network throughout 2010. On October 2, 2010 the song was performed by Cher Lloyd on The X Factor during the judges' houses stage of the competition, but she was unable to finish the song in front of Cheryl Cole and will.i.am due to a case of tonsillitis. In spite of this, she made it through to the live shows.

On October 16, 2010 the song was covered at the end of an episode of the British television show Harry Hill's TV Burp by a man and his wife who had appeared on a spoof video on the show earlier that evening. For Body pump 76, "Cooler than Me" has been used for Abs track. On December 8, 2010, the a cappella group Groove for Thought covered the song on the second episode of second season of The Sing-Off. It was also covered in the 2011 The X Factor Australia first auditions, by boy group, Young Men Society who made it to the top 8 before being eliminated.

The song is featured on the re-mastered edition of Grand Theft Auto V for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions released on November 18, 2014. It can be heard on Non-Stop-Pop FM.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2010–11) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[6] 4
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[7] 10
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8] 9
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[9] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[10] 7
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[11] 4
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[12] 5
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[13] 30
Denmark (Tracklisten)[14] 22
European Hot 100 Singles[15] 13
France (SNEP)[16] 13
Germany (Media Control Charts)[17] 22
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[18] 6
Ireland (IRMA)[19] 4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20] 29
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[21] 3
Norway (VG-lista)[22] 8
Poland (Dance Top 50)[23] 48
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[24] 14
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[25] 48
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[26] 30
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 21
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[28] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[29] 6
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[30] 23
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[31] 6
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[32] 3
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[33] 8

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[34] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[35] Platinum 80,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[36] Platinum 15,000*
Sweden (GLF)[37] Gold 20,000x
United Kingdom (BPI)[38] Gold 400,000^
United States (RIAA)[39] 2× Platinum 3,000,000[40]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Year-end charts

Chart (2010) Position
Australia (ARIA)[41] 21
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[42] 36
Germany (Media Control AG)[43] 93
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[44] 88
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[45] 33
US Billboard Hot 100[46] 19
US Pop Songs (Billboard) 10
US Adult Pop Songs (Billboard) 30
Chart (2011) Position
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[47] 7

Release history

Region Format Date Label
United States[48] Digital download April 16, 2010 J Records
France[49]
Germany[50] CD single August 27, 2010
United Kingdom Digital download November 8, 2010 RCA Records

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/artist/311215/mike+posner/chart?f=379
  2. ↑ Mike Posner interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues crazy bitch & Soul' November 2010
  3. ↑ "Mike Posner’s "Cooler Than Me" Video Premiere". amp.radio.com. June 2010.
  4. ↑ Cooler Than Me | Mike Posner|Music Video|MTV
  5. ↑ http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2010/05/listen-sounds-sims-3
  6. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Mike Posner – Cooler Than Me". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  7. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Mike Posner – Cooler Than Me" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  8. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Mike Posner – Cooler Than Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  9. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Mike Posner – Cooler Than Me" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  10. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Mike Posner – Cooler Than Me" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  11. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Mike Posner – Cooler Than Me" (in French). Ultratip.
  12. ↑ "Mike Posner Album & Song Chart History" Canadian Hot 100 for Mike Posner.
  13. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201035 into search.
  14. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Mike Posner – Cooler Than Me". Tracklisten.
  15. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/european-hot-100?begin=1&order=position
  16. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Mike Posner – Cooler Than Me" (in French). Les classement single.
  17. ↑ "Chartverfulgong > Mike Posner > Cooler Than Me – musicline.de" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  18. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  19. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 2, 2010". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Mike Posner – Cooler Than Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  21. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Mike Posner – Cooler Than Me". Top 40 Singles.
  22. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Mike Posner – Cooler Than Me". VG-lista.
  23. ↑ "Dance Chart :: Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video" (in Polish). ZPAV. November 1, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  24. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201034 into search.
  25. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Posner, Mike – Cooler Than Me" Canciones Top 50.
  26. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Mike Posner – Cooler Than Me". Singles Top 60.
  27. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Mike Posner – Cooler Than Me". Swiss Singles Chart.
  28. ↑ "Mike Posner: Artist Chart History" UK Singles Chart.
  29. ↑ "Mike Posner Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Mike Posner.
  30. ↑ "Mike Posner Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Mike Posner.
  31. ↑ "Mike Posner Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Mike Posner.
  32. ↑ "Mike Posner Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Pop Songs for Mike Posner.
  33. ↑ "Mike Posner Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Rhythmic Songs for Mike Posner.
  34. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2011 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  35. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Mike Posner – Cooler than Me". Music Canada.
  36. ↑ "Latest Gold / Platinum Singles – RadioScope New Zealand". Radioscope.net.nz. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  37. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2010" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  38. ↑ "British single certifications – Mike Posner – Cooler than Me". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Cooler than Me in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  39. ↑ "American single certifications – Mike Posner – Cooler than Me". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  40. ↑ Paul Grein (January 16, 2013). "Week Ending Jan. 13, 2013. Songs: "Suit And Tie" Is Off & Running". Chart Watch (Yahoo Music). Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  41. ↑ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2010". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  42. ↑ "Charts Year End: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  43. ↑ http://www.viva.tv/charts/viva-single-jahrescharts-2010-2010-212/?start=90
  44. ↑ "MAHASZ Rádiós TOP 100 2010". Mahasz (in Hungarian). Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  45. ↑ "2010 Year-end UK Singles". BBC (BBC Online). December 26, 2010. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  46. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2010/hot-100-songs?begin=11&order=position
  47. ↑ "MAHASZ Rádiós TOP 100 2011". Mahasz (in Hungarian). Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  48. ↑ Amazon.com
  49. ↑ Amazon.fr
  50. ↑ Amazon.de

External links