Dirty Work (Austin Mahone song) explained

Dirty Work
Cover:Austin Mahone - Dirty Work (Official Single Cover).png
Type:single
Artist:Austin Mahone
Album:Dirty Work
Released:July 1, 2015
Recorded:2015
Length:3:08
Producer:The Monsters and the Strangerz
Prev Title:Mmm Yeah
Prev Year:2014
Next Title:Joy Ride
Next Year:2016

"Dirty Work" is a song by American pop singer Austin Mahone. The song was released in the United States as a digital download on July 1, 2015. It was written and produced by The Monsters and the Strangerz,[1] with additional songwriting from Mahone, Sean Douglas and Talay Riley. From 2017, Japanese comedian Blouson Chiemi started to use the song as the background music in a popular comedy routine, which led to the song peaking on the Japan Hot 100 Chart at number 4. In October 2017, the song was certified Platinum in Japan.

Background and release

In late June, Austin revealed the "Dirty Work" single artwork on Twitter, and announced that it would be released to iTunes on July 10, 2015.[2] It was premiered on radio the next day, and given an early iTunes release on July 1, 2015.[3]

On November 17, 2015, Mahone released a "Dirty Work" remix featuring T-Pain for free on his official SoundCloud page.[4] In 2017, "Dirty Work" became a sleeper hit in Japan after comedienne Blouson Chiemi began using it in her "Career Woman" comedy routine.[5] After seeing her comedy routine, Mahone offered to collaborate with her, and a "Dirty Work" remix featuring Blouson Chiemi was released on iTunes on June 8, 2017.[6]

Composition

"Dirty Work" is a "bouncy, funky jam"[7] that Mahone describes as having "a Bruno Mars / "Uptown Funk" type of vibe."[1]

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews. Jason Lipshutz of Billboard called it Mahone's "best and most ambitious single to date".[8] Mike Wass of Idolator called it a 'retro-leaning banger' and likened it to hits by Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake,[9] while Fuse's Jeff Benjamin wrote "At times the guitars sound a bit like the ones in Michael Jackson's "Black or White."[10]

Music video

The music video for "Dirty Work" was filmed in April, 2015.[11] Mahone stated in an interview with WiLD 94.9 that the video would be in black and white.[1] However, Mahone later re-shot the video with an entirely new concept, and this original version of the video was never released.

In early July, Mahone filmed a second video for the song, inspired by the American TV version of The Office.[12] This version of the video was released on July 27, 2015.[13] In it, Mahone plays the office heart-throb, who is pursuing the sexy new girl. It includes a cast of fellow workers, who goof around and dance with Mahone throughout the video, with The Office style interviews to camera inter-cut throughout.

Track listing and formats

  1. "Dirty Work" – 3:07
  1. "Dirty Work" (Blouson Chiemi Remix) - 2:56
  1. "Dirty Work" - 3:09
  2. "Dirty Work" (Bon Dance Remix) - 3:47
  3. "Dirty Work" (EDM Remix) - 3:52
  4. "Dirty Work" (Instrumental) - 3:08

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart performance for "Dirty Work"
Chart (2015–2017)Peak
position
Japan (Oricon)
23
Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard)[17] 30
US Pop Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[18] 28

Year-end charts

Chart performance for "Dirty Work"
Chart (2017)Peak
position
Japan (Japan Hot 100)[19] 11
Japan (Japan Hot Overseas)[20] 2

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
United StatesJuly 1, 2015Digital download
Worldwide[21] [22] [23] July 2, 2015
United States[24] July 14, 2015Mainstream radio
United Kingdom[25] July 24, 2015Digital download
Japan[26] June 8, 2017Digital download Universal
July 19, 2017CD
August 11, 2017Digital download

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Austin Mahone talks about dating Becky G, getting creative in the bedroom and his new album.. WiLD 94.9. 6 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150706161848/http://www.wild949.com/media/play/austin-mahone-talks-about-dating-becky-26173614/. 6 July 2015. dead.
  2. Austin Mahone . AustinMahone . 615581108441190400 . DIRTY WORK COMES OUT ON JULY 10!!!!!! . https://twitter.com/AustinMahone/status/615581108441190400 . 1 July 2015.
  3. Web site: Mahone. Austin. Everyone was asking me to put out #DirtyWork earlier. Twitter. 2 July 2015.
  4. Web site: Dirty Work (Remix) [feat. T - Pain]]. SoundCloud. 29 November 2015.
  5. Web site: Mike Wass. Who Knew? Austin Mahone's "Dirty Work" Is Huge In Japan. Idolator. 27 June 2017. 25 July 2017.
  6. Web site: Dirty Work Blouson Chiemi Remix - Single]. iTunes. 8 June 2017 . 25 July 2017.
  7. Web site: Lindner. Emilee. Austin Mahone's 'Dirty Work' Is The Funky Jam You Never Knew You Needed. https://web.archive.org/web/20150704230933/http://www.mtv.com/news/2202535/austin-mahone-dirty-work-listen/. dead. July 4, 2015. MTV. 6 July 2015.
  8. http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6620149/austin-mahone-new-album-dirty-work-interview Austin Mahone: New Album Coming 'Before The End of the Year' | Billboard
  9. http://www.idolator.com/7599065/austin-mahone-dirty-work-funk-full-song Austin Mahone Jumps On The Funk Bandwagon With Surprisingly Great New Single “Dirty Work”:Listen | Idolator
  10. http://www.fuse.tv/2015/07/austin-mahone-dirty-work-new-song Austin Mahone Goes Funky on New Single "Dirty Work" | Fuse
  11. Web site: Garibaldi. Christina. BIG News: Austin Mahone And Becky G Are Dating– He Told Us So. https://web.archive.org/web/20150503001744/http://www.mtv.com/news/2146821/austin-mahone-dating-becky-g/. dead. May 3, 2015. MTV. 6 July 2015.
  12. Web site: Lindner. Emilee. Is Austin Mahone Spoofing 'The Office' For His 'Dirty Work' Video?. https://web.archive.org/web/20150710003034/http://www.mtv.com/news/2205556/austin-mahone-dirty-work-pics/. dead. July 10, 2015. MTV.com. 18 August 2015.
  13. Web site: Austin Mahone - Dirty Work (Official). YouTube. 18 August 2015.
  14. Web site: Dirty Work - Single. iTunes. Apple. 6 July 2015.
  15. Web site: Dirty Work (Blouson Chiemi Remix). Spotify. February 26, 2022.
  16. Web site: ダーティ・ワーク(+リミックス). February 26, 2022. Oricon.
  17. Austin Mahone Chart History (Mexico Ingles Airplay) . January 10, 2021 . Billboard.
  18. Austin Mahone Chart History (Pop Digital Song Sales). https://web.archive.org/web/20191108112037/https://www.billboard.com/music/austin-mahone/chart-history/PPD. November 8, 2019. Billboard. April 30, 2022.
  19. Billboard Japan Hot 100 Year-End 2017. February 26, 2022. Billboard.
  20. Billboard Japan Hot Overseas Year-End 2017. February 26, 2022. Billboard.
  21. Web site: Dirty Work. Amazon.com. 6 July 2015. France.
  22. Web site: Dirty Work. Amazon.com. 6 July 2015. Italy.
  23. Web site: Dirty Work. Amazon.com. 6 July 2015. Spain.
  24. Web site: FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more! . 2013-08-08 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131113192941/http://fmqb.com/article.asp?id=16691 . 2013-11-13 .
  25. Web site: Dirty Work - Single. iTunes. Apple. 6 July 2015.
  26. Web site: Dirty Work (+Remix). Spotify. February 26, 2022.