Met Him Last Night Explained

Met Him Last Night
Type:single
Cover:Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande - Met Him Last Night (official single cover).png
Alt:A black-and-white drawing of a butterfly on the top right side of the image, shown against a red orange background. Below the butterfly lies Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande's names, written in black capital letters. Below their names stand the title "Met Him Last Night", shown in title case and in a bolder and larger font.
Artist:Demi Lovato featuring Ariana Grande
Album:Dancing with the Devil ... the Art of Starting Over
Released:April 13, 2021
Recorded:2021
Genre:
Length:3:24
Label:
Producer:
  • Tommy Brown
  • Xavi
Chronology:Demi Lovato
Prev Title:Dancing with the Devil
Prev Year:2021
Next Title:Breakdown
Next Year:2022

"Met Him Last Night" is a song by American singer Demi Lovato featuring American singer Ariana Grande. The song was originally released on April 2, 2021, as the ninth track on Lovato's seventh studio album Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over. It was later serviced to US contemporary hit radio by Island Records on April 13, 2021, as the album's fourth and final single. "Met Him Last Night" was written by Grande alongside Albert Stanaj, Tommy Brown, and Courageous Xavier "Xavi" Herrera, and was produced by Brown and Xavi, with vocal production by Mitch Allan. At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, the Dave Audé remix of the song was nominated for Best Remixed Recording.

Background

After Demi Lovato played Ariana Grande some songs from her then-forthcoming album in 2019, the latter began to write "Met Him Last Night" specifically with Lovato's story in mind; the former said: "She knew about the story behind it and everything, and she's a close friend of mine, so she knew my story pretty well".[2] Originally, Grande did not want to appear on the song herself, with Lovato later convincing her: "I was like 'I feel like the world would love to hear us together, like we should do that'".[3] She expressed her excitement about working with Grande in an interview with People.[4]

At the end of March 2021, Lovato revealed the featured artists for her seventh studio album, Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over, by posting snippets of the collaborations on her social media accounts, including the song with Grande.[5] In an interview with Paper Magazine, she confirmed the title of the track, "Met Him Last Night".[6] The singer also stated that it was a late addition to the album, having been recorded in the three weeks prior to its release.[7]

Lovato stated the song is "best representative" of a period in her life discussed in the documentary series , which involves "the downfalls of recovery" and that "sometimes you slip up", presumably referencing a slip-up had after a "week-long intensive trauma retreat" due to calling up her drug dealer in hopes of trying to "rewrite his choice of violating me".[8] [9] The song is a follow-up to Lovato's prior single "Dancing with the Devil", as "Met Him Last Night" features the "Devil" as the seductive title character and antagonist that Lovato and Grande sing about meeting up with.[10]

Release

Following the release of Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over, "Met Him Last Night" was sent to contemporary hit radio in the United States on April 13, 2021, as the fourth and final single from the album. To further promotion, a remix of the song produced by Dave Audé was released on May 12, 2021. It was later nominated at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in the category of Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical.[11]

Composition

"Met Him Last Night" was described by Billboard as "a dark, twisted fantasy about chilling with the devil and finding out that, well, he's kind of a funny, chill dude who might be relationship material", containing the lyrics "I've seen the devil, yeah, I met him last night/ One conversation, now he's spendin' the night," which an "urgent" Lovato sings "in a couplet that clearly has a much deeper meaning about flirting with disaster."[12]

Reception

Music critics labeled "Met Him Last Night" as the most anticipated track from Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over.[13] [14] In reviews of the album, "Met Him Last Night" was referred to by NME as a "dark and atmospheric electro bop",[15] and Neil McCormick from The Daily Telegraph highlighted the song as not only "a flirty duet in which the seductive title character is the Devil" that "succeeds in both acknowledging the dangers of the high life and making fun of them at the same time," but that it reflects the way in which Lovato's album as an entirety pleasurably "succeeds in grappling with serious matters without jettisoning any of the lightness, melodiousness, nimble rhythms and sugar-high hooks of her pop genre."[16]

Credits and personnel

Recording and management

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over.[17]

Charts

Chart (2021)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[18] 52
Greece International (IFPI)[19] 88
Lithuania (AGATA)[20] 66
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[21] 3
Norway (VG-lista)[22] 39
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[23] 80
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 5

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormat(s)VersionLabel(s)
VariousApril 2, 2021OriginalIsland[25]
United StatesApril 13, 2021Contemporary hit radio[26]
VariousMay 12, 2021Dave Audé remixIsland[27]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jenkins . Craig . April 2, 2021 . Demi Lovato's Redemption Arc Begins . April 6, 2021 . Vulture . en-us . “My Girlfriends Are My Boyfriend” and the Ariana Grande duet “Met Him Last Night” show a flair for contemporary R&B.
  2. Web site: Kaufman . Gil . Fans Are ‘Literally Shaking’ Over Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande’s ‘Met Him Last Night’ . . June 15, 2024 . April 2, 2021.
  3. Demi Lovato Talks Collaborating With Ariana Grande on 'Met Him Last Night'. Rolling Stone. April 2, 2021. April 6, 2021.
  4. Web site: Rice . Nicholas . Demi Lovato on How New Musical Collaboration with 'Really Good' Friend Ariana Grande Happened . The List . June 15, 2024 . April 2, 2021.
  5. Web site: Langford . Jackson . Ariana Grande, Saweetie and more to feature on Demi Lovato’s new album . NME . June 15, 2024 . March 23, 2021.
  6. Web site: Silver . Jocelyn . Demi Lovato Phones Home . Paper Mag . June 15, 2024 . March 22, 2021.
  7. Web site: Demi Lovato confirms Ariana Grande collaboration Met Him Last Night. Official Charts. March 23, 2021. April 6, 2021.
  8. Web site: Demi Lovato REVEALS she & Ariana Grande 'had so much fun singing together' for epic Met Him Last Night collab. 2021-04-07. PINKVILLA. April 3, 2021. en.
  9. Web site: Demi Lovato Has Done Heroin Since Her Near-Fatal 2018 Overdose. 2021-04-07. InStyle. en.
  10. News: McCormick. Neil. 2021-04-02. Demi Lovato's shocking struggles become a witty, redemptive pop classic. en-GB. The Telegraph. 2021-04-07. 0307-1235.
  11. Web site: Kroi . Charlotte . Grammys nominations 2022: Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Justin Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo and J. Cole lead with most nods . NME . June 19, 2024 . November 23, 2021.
  12. Fans Are 'Literally Shaking' Over Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande's 'Met Him Last Night'. Billboard. 4 April 2021. 6 April 2021.
  13. Web site: Deville . Chris . Demi Lovato – "Met Him Last Night" (Feat. Ariana Grande) . Stereogum . June 15, 2024 . April 2, 2021.
  14. Web site: Kennzie . Jada . Demi Lovato Releases New Song ‘Met Him Last Night’ Featuring Ariana Grande and a Lyric Video To Go With It . Glitter Magazine . June 15, 2024 . April 2, 2021.
  15. Web site: Levine . Nick . Dancing With the Devil ... The Art of Starting Over review – pop's proud survivor . NME. April 2, 2021 . April 2, 2021. April 2, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210402101045/https://www.nme.com/reviews/demi-lovato-dancing-with-the-devil-the-art-of-starting-over-review-2912455. live.
  16. News: McCormick . Neil . Demi Lovato's shocking struggles become a witty, redemptive pop classic . The Daily Telegraph. April 2, 2021. April 2, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210402101057/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/demi-levatos-shocking-struggles-become-witty-redemptive-pop/. live.
  17. Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over. Demi Lovato. 2021. Island Records.
  18. The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 12 April 2021. The ARIA Report. Australian Recording Industry Association. 1623. 4. April 12, 2021.
  19. Web site: IFPI Charts. IFPI Greece. April 15, 2021.
  20. Web site: 2021 14-os savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100). April 9, 2020. AGATA. lt. 2021 14th week's most listened (TOP 100). April 15, 2020.
  21. Web site: NZ Hot Singles Chart. Recorded Music NZ. April 12, 2021. April 10, 2021.
  22. Web site: VG-lista – Demi Lovato. VG-lista. April 9, 2021.
  23. Web site: ČNS IFPI. IFPI ČR. Note: Select SK SINGLES DIGITAL TOP 100 and insert 202114 into search.. April 12, 2021.
  24. Web site: Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 15. Sverigetopplistan. April 16, 2021.
  25. Web site: 'Met Him Last Night' by Demi Lovato, featuring Ariana Grande . Spotify . April 1, 2021 . April 7, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210407160120/https://open.spotify.com/track/71NBvIYtWygMmp7XgQXbvz?si=90NrxNDzRZCr3VdlaoiTbA . April 7, 2021.
  26. Web site: Top 40/M Future Releases . All Access . April 7, 2021 . April 7, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210407155737/https://www.allaccess.com/top40-mainstream/future-releases . April 7, 2021.
  27. Web site: Met Him Last Night (feat. Ariana Grande) [Dave Audé Remix] - Single by Demi Lovato on Apple Music]. May 12, 2021. Apple Music (US).