Pickup (song) explained

Pickup
Artist:MacKenzie Porter
Album:Nobody's Born with a Broken Heart
Type:single
Cover:Pickup.jpeg
Border:yes
Recorded:2020
Label:Big Loud
Genre:Country pop
Producer:Joey Moi
Chronology:MacKenzie Porter singles
Prev Title:This Sucks.
Prev Year:2021
Next Title:One Too
Next Year:2022

"Pickup" is a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country artist MacKenzie Porter.[1] She wrote the track with Lydia Vaughan and Will Bundy, while it was produced by Joey Moi.[2] It is the lead single from Porter's 2024 studio album Nobody's Born with a Broken Heart.[3]

Background

After holding many writing sessions over Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic, Porter wrote "Pickup" with several co-writers in one of her first writing sessions back in-person.[4] She stated that it "felt like a really special song," adding that she's "never been more excited to release a song".[5]

Critical reception

Rock N' Load stated that the song "features a bright, open-road feel, a rush of lush vocals and a hooky, modern-timeless presentation, as her mind and heart race with full-throttle nostalgia".[5] Country 100 named the song their "Fresh Music Friday Song of the Day" for February 4, 2022.[6]

Accolades

!Year!Association!Category!Result!Ref
2022Canadian Country Music AwardsSongwriter(s) of the Year[7]
[8]
Video of the Year

Commercial performance

"Pickup" reached a peak of number one on the Billboard Canada Country chart for the week of June 18, 2022, marking Porter's fourth career number one in her home country.[9] The song also peaked at number 65 on the Canadian Hot 100 for the same week. It has also been certified Platinum by Music Canada.

Music video

The official music video for "Pickup" premiered on CMT on March 12, 2022,[10] and on Paramount's billboard in Times Square in New York City.[11] It was directed by Justin Clough,[12] and features a young girl playing with Barbie dolls, with Porter and two other actors occasionally taking the place of the dolls and portraying the story of the song.[10] Her co-writer Lydia Vaughan came up with the "‘Barbie comes to life but doesn’t get the guy in the end’ idea" for the video, with Porter saying she "really wanted the video to tell the story of a breakup in a unique way". She added that "even though "someone’s life looks ‘perfect’ on paper, that never really reflects reality. Nobody’s life is perfect, and we all get our hearts broken at some point".[11] Her dog Willa made an appearance in the video as well.[10]

Charts

Chart performance for "Pickup"! Chart (2022)! Peak
position
Australia Country Hot 50 (The Music)[13] 2
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[14] 65
Canada Country (Billboard)[15] 1

Notes and References

  1. Web site: (New Music Friday) "PICKUP" MACKENZIE PORTER. MacKenziePorter.com. November 19, 2021.
  2. Web site: Pickup - Single by MacKenzie Porter. Spotify. 19 November 2021 . March 16, 2022.
  3. Web site: Porter finds "Nobody's Born With A Broken Heart,". Country Standard Time. January 26, 2024.
  4. Web site: MacKenzie Porter making big moves. Toronto Star. January 19, 2022. Lauren. Thomson.
  5. Web site: NEW MUSIC FRIDAY: 'PICKUP' MACKENZIE PORTER. November 19, 2021. Rock N' Load.
  6. Web site: Fresh Music Friday Song Of The Day: MacKenzie Porter- "Pickup". Courtney. Fielder. Country 100. February 4, 2022.
  7. Web site: 2022 CCMA AWARD NOMINEES. Canadian Country Music Association. September 12, 2022. September 13, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220913031458/https://ccma.org/2022-nominees/.
  8. Web site: CANADIAN COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION REVEALS FIRST ROUND OF 2022 AWARD WINNERS AT THE CCMA MUSIC INDUSTRY GALA DINNER & AWARDS. September 12, 2022. Canadian Country Music Association. Global News Wire. https://web.archive.org/web/20220912231442/https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2022/09/11/2513579/0/en/CANADIAN-COUNTRY-MUSIC-ASSOCIATION-REVEALS-FIRST-ROUND-OF-2022-AWARD-WINNERS-AT-THE-CCMA-MUSIC-INDUSTRY-GALA-DINNER-AWARDS.html. September 12, 2022. September 12, 2022.
  9. MacKenzie Porter chart positions on Canada Country
  10. Web site: CMT Premiere: MacKenzie Porter's New Video for 'Pickup' is Barbie and Broken Hearts. https://web.archive.org/web/20220312162353/http://www.cmt.com/news/1842333/cmt-premiere-mackenzie-porters-new-video-for-pickup-is-barbie-and-broken-hearts/. dead. March 12, 2022. Cindy. Watts. March 12, 2022. CMT.
  11. Web site: MacKenzie Porter releases video for "Pickup". Nanci. Dagg. March 16, 2022. Canadian Beats Media.
  12. Web site: MacKenzie Porter - Pickup (Official Music Video). YouTube. March 16, 2022. video. March 13, 2022.
  13. Web site: Countrytown Hot 50 Chart. https://web.archive.org/web/20230124173555/https://countrytown.com.au/charts/countrytown-hot-50. The Music Network. January 20, 2023. 24 January 2023.
  14. Canadian Hot 100: June 18, 2022 . Billboard . June 14, 2022.
  15. Canada Country chart for June 18, 2022. Billboard . June 14, 2022.