Ex's & Oh's

"Ex's & Oh's"
Single by Elle King
from the album Love Stuff
Released September 23, 2014 (2014-09-23)
Format Digital download
Recorded 2014 In Sun Studio
Genre Pop rock
Length 3:22
Label RCA
Songwriter(s)
  • Elle King
  • Dave Basset
Producer(s) Dave Bassett
Elle King singles chronology
"I Don't Mind"
(2013)		 "Ex's & Oh's"
(2014)		 "Under the Influence"
(2015)

"I Don't Mind"
(2013)		 "Ex's & Oh's"
(2014)		 "Under the Influence"
(2015)

"Ex's & Oh's" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Elle King for her debut studio album, Love Stuff (2015). It was released September 23, 2014 as King's debut solo single and the album's lead single via RCA Records.[1] The song achieved success in the rock genre, peaking at number 1 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart, and later crossed over to adult pop radio.

In June 2015, "Ex's & Oh's" was certified Gold by Music Canada; it has since been certified double Platinum.[2] "Ex's & Oh's" reached the top of the Alternative Songs chart in September 2015, becoming only the second song by a solo female to reach the top since 1996 after Lorde achieved the feat in 2013 with "Royals".[3] The song also became King's first top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It also charted moderately well internationally, attaining top-10 peaks in Australia, Austria, and New Zealand, amongst others.

"Ex's & Oh's" received two nominations at the 58th Grammy Awards: Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song.[4]

Composition

"Ex's & Oh's" is an uptempo pop rock[5] song that blends elements of alternative rock,[6] blues rock[7] and Southern rock.[8][9] The song was written by Elle King with the song's producer, Dave Bassett, and King credits him with helping her shape the sound of the album.[10] Its instrumentation includes the banjo, guitar and drums and is influenced by country music.[7] The song's lyrics describe the narrator's past relationships with needy men and her tendency to "[chew] men up and eat them."[6][8] King describes how her ex-boyfriends are like ghosts; they always want to come back to her. She also explains how her feelings toward her boyfriends quickly shift and her carelessness over the relationship. According to musicnotes.com, the song is written in E minor.[11]

Critical reception

"Ex's & Oh's" received acclaim from many music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic labelled the song one of the highlights of Love Stuff, writing, "When King walks a fine line between rock crunch and soul testifying, there's some fire."[12] Entertainment blog Renowned for Sound rated the song 4.5 stars out of 5; reviewer Marcus Floyd praised both King's storytelling ability and the song's catchy production, saying: ".. it just has this attractive sound that makes you want to hear it again and again".[6] Bradley Stern wrote a very positive review of the song for MuuMuse in which he described the song as "ballsy, brash and profoundly #unapologetic."[7]

Music video

The music video for "Ex's & Oh's" premiered on May 1, 2015.[13] The video begins with King's character kicking her boyfriend, played by Thom Glant, out of their car in the middle of a desert, and then focuses largely on a barbecue party and other recreational activities at King's trailer campsite in the desert. The video occasionally cuts back to King's boyfriend trying to find her, which he eventually does. Featuring many scantily clad male characters and scenes with clear sexual innuendos, the video inverts the objectification of women common in contemporary music videos, and has been praised by critics for this role reversal.[8][14]

Live performances

Chart performance

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[76] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[77] Gold 15,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[2] 2× Platinum 160,000^
Germany (BVMI)[78] Gold 200,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[79] Platinum 30,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[80] Gold 400,000double-dagger
United States (RIAA)[81] 3× Platinum 3,000,000[3]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history

Country Date Format Label Ref.
United States September 23, 2014 Digital download RCA [1]
October 7, 2014 Adult album alternative [82]
May 11, 2015 Modern rock radio [83]

References

  1. 1 2 "Amazon.com: Ex's & Oh's: Elle King: MP3 Downloads". Amazon Music. Amazon.com. September 23, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Canadian single certifications – Elle King". Music Canada.
  3. 1 2 White, Emily (September 8, 2015). "Elle King Is Just Second Woman to Top Alternative Songs Chart in Two Decades". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Grammy Nominations 2016: See the Full List of Nominees". Billboard. December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Elle King Crowned No. 1 on Hot Rock Songs With 'Ex's & Oh's' | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 Floyd, Marcus (January 30, 2015). "Single Review: Elle King – ‘Ex’s & Oh’s’". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 Stern, Bradley (September 24, 2014). ""Ex’s & Oh’s": Elle King Breaks Hearts With Her Blues Rock Anthem". MuuMuse. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 Kinos-Goodin, Jesse. "Elle King throws a beefcake barbecue in new video for 'Ex's and Oh's'". CBC Music. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Rock singer-songwriter Elle King lets her guard down". Washington Post. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  10. ↑ Daniel, Danica (February 23, 2015). "Elle King Talks 'Love Stuff,' Sex Shops & Self-Confidence: "If Someone Wants To Make Fun Of Me They Can Go F---k Themselves." [Exclusive Interview]". Music Times. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  11. ↑ Elle King "Ex's and Oh's" Sheet Music musicnotes.com
  12. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Love Stuff - Elle King". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  13. ↑ ElleKingVEVO (May 1, 2015). "Elle King - Ex's & Oh's (Official Video)". YouTube. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  14. ↑ Wass, Mike (May 1, 2015). "Elle King Turns The Tables In Raunchy "Ex’s & Oh’s" Video: Watch". Idolator. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  15. ↑ YouTube - Elle King - Ex's And Oh's - 10/22/2014 - the Living Room, Brooklyn NY
  16. ↑ PasteMagazine - Song Premiere Elle King - Ex's & Oh's
  17. ↑ "Elle King performs 'Ex's & Oh's' on TODAY". TODAY. NBC. February 15, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  18. ↑ Stern, Bradley (April 6, 2015). "Elle King Performs "Ex’s & Oh’s" On ‘Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon': Watch". Idolator. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  19. ↑ As part of the Saturday Sessions, which is a live session. Listed in the playlist for this programme, here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06r3wjj But note that the live version is no longer available to playback.
  20. ↑ "Episode 15, Series 18, The Graham Norton Show - BBC One". BBC. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Elle King – Ex's & Oh's". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Elle King – Ex's & Oh's" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Elle King – Ex's & Oh's" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Elle King – Ex's & Oh's" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Elle King – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Elle King. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Elle King – Chart history" Billboard Canada AC for Elle King. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  27. ↑ "Elle King – Chart history" Billboard Canada CHR/Top 40 for Elle King. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  28. ↑ "Elle King – Chart history" Billboard Canada Hot AC for Elle King. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Elle King – Chart history" Billboard Canada Rock for Elle King. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  30. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201550 into search.
  31. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 4, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Elle King – Ex's & Oh's" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Musicline.de – Elle King Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Elle King Chart History". RÚV. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
  36. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 5, 2016". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Elle King – Ex's & Oh's Media Forest". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  38. ↑ "Luxembourg Digital Songs chart History - Elle King". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  39. ↑ "Mexico Ingles Airplay". Billboard.
  40. ↑ "Top 20 México Inglés" (in Spanish). Monitor Latino. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  41. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Elle King – Ex's & Oh's". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  42. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  43. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2016-01-29". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  44. ↑ "SloTop50: Slovenian Official Singles Chart". SloTop50. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  45. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Elle King – Ex's & Oh's" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  46. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Elle King – Ex's & Oh's". Singles Top 100. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  47. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Elle King – Ex's & Oh's". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  48. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2016-01-29" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  49. ↑ "Elle King – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Elle King. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  50. ↑ "Elle King – Chart history" Billboard Hot Rock Songs for Elle King. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  51. ↑ "Elle King – Chart history" Billboard Rock Airplay for Elle King. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  52. ↑ "Elle King – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Elle King. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  53. ↑ "Elle King – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Elle King. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  54. ↑ "Elle King – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Elle King. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
  55. ↑ "Canadian Hot 100: Year End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  56. ↑ "Billboard Canada AC Top 40 of 2015". Music Canada. December 24, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  57. ↑ "Billboard Canada Hot AC Top 40 of 2015". Music Canada. December 24, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  58. ↑ "Billboard Canada 2015 Top 40 Rock Airplay Tunes". Music Canada. December 24, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  59. ↑ "Hot 100: Year End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  60. ↑ "Adult Alternative Songs: Year End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  61. ↑ "Adult Pop Songs: Year End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  62. ↑ "Alternative Songs: Year End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  63. ↑ "Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  64. ↑ "Rock Airplay Songs: Year End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  65. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Singles 2016". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  66. ↑ "Ö3 Austria Top 40 - Single-Charts 2016". oe3.orf.at. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  67. ↑ "Canadian Hot 100: Year End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  68. ↑ "Top 100 Jahrescharts 2016". GfK Entertainment (in German). viva.tv. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
  69. ↑ "SloTop50: Slovenian official year end singles chart". slotop50.si. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  70. ↑ "Hot 100 Songs - Year-End 2016". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  71. ↑ "Adult Contemporary Songs: Year End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  72. ↑ "Adult Pop Songs: Year End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  73. ↑ "Alternative Songs: Year End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  74. ↑ "Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  75. ↑ "Rock Airplay Songs: Year End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  76. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (March 26, 2016). "ARIA Singles: Lukas Graham No 1 for 6th Week". Noise11. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  77. ↑ "Austrian single certifications – Elle King – Ex's & Oh's" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved August 9, 2017. Enter Elle King in the field Interpret. Enter Ex's & Oh's in the field Titel. Select single in the field Format. Click Suchen
  78. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Elle King; 'Ex's & Oh's')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
  79. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  80. ↑ "British single certifications – Elle King". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Elle King in the field Search. Select Artist in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  81. ↑ "American single certifications – Elle King". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  82. ↑ "R&R :: Going For Adds :: Triple A" (Week Of: October 7, 2014). Radio & Records. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  83. ↑ "R&R :: Going For Adds :: Alternative" (Week Of: May 11, 2015). Radio & Records. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
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