R U OK (song) explained

R U OK
Type:	single
Cover:	R U OK Tate McRae Single Art.jpg
Artist:	Tate McRae
Ep:	Too Young to Be Sad
Genre:	Pop R&B
Length:	3:00
Label:	RCA
Producer:	Frequency Lovell
Chronology:	Tate McRae
Prev Title:	Lie to Me
Prev Year:	2020
Next Title:	Rubberband
Next Year:	2021

"R U OK" (often stylised in lowercase) is a song by Canadian singer Tate McRae. It was released on December 13, 2020, through RCA Records as the second single from McRae's second extended play, Too Young to Be Sad.^{[1] [2]} The song was written by McRae, Bryan Fryzel and Lowell.

Background

Tate McRae uploaded a snippet of the song on TikTok a few days prior to its release, describing it as a sequel to her breakthrough 2020 single "You Broke Me First".^[3] In the press release for the song she remarked, "'r u ok' is a song that I never thought I'd write. It has a very sassy and feisty tone, which made it a challenge to dive into that perspective – as I think I'm quite the opposite. I love that in this song there is a lot of emotional meaning behind the lyrics, with very trappy, bright and contrasting production at the same time."^[4]

McRae explained that she wrote the song with Lowell "on Zoom with [Lowell's] ukulele, just chilling on [her] bed" at home.^[5] She also compared the song to her track "You Broke Me First," describing "R U OK" as "the continued story of it, going into depth about the relationship from a person who's completely moved on."^[5]

Critical reception

The song topped Billboard's list of "10 cool new pop songs to get you through the week".^[6] It was also featured on Mark Beaumont of The Guardian list of tracks of the week and was said to give an update to the story told in You Broke Me First.^[7] Dork described the song as stunning, calling it an "unstoppable slice of heartbreak pop" and a "hypnotic and smooth new anthem".^[8] Alexandra Pollard of The Independent remarked that the song offers "tongue-in-cheek broodiness" and noted that McRae has honed an artistic identity of mood-pop songs.^[9]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.^[10]

• Frequency – producer
• Lowell – producer
• Bryan Fryzel – lyricist
• Elizabeth Lowell Boland – lyricist
• Tate McRae – lyricist, associated performer
• Dave Kutch – mastering engineer
• Jeff Juliano – mixing engineer
• David Cook – editor, engineer

Charts

Chart (2020)! scope="col"

Peak position
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)^[11]	19

Release history

Region! scope="col"

Date	Format(s)	Label
Various	December 10, 2020		RCA

Notes and References

1. Web site: Tate McRae Goes For a Stunning New Single 'slower'. Out Now Magazine. March 3, 2021 . March 3, 2021.
2. Web site: r u ok – Single by Tate McRae. December 26, 2020. Apple Music.
3. Web site: r u ok by Tate McRae on TikTok. December 30, 2020. TikTok.
4. Web site: Clarke. Patrick. December 11, 2020. Tate McRae confronts heartbreak on new single 'r u ok'. January 2, 2021. NME.
5. Web site: Tate McRae Talks All Things, From Going Viral On TikTok To Her Spot On Forbes 30 Under 30. The Honey POP. Hailey. Hastings. February 24, 2021. January 7, 2022.
6. Lipshutz. Jason. Ginsberg. Gab. December 14, 2020. 10 Cool New Pop Songs To Get You Through The Week: Tate McRae, Madison Beer, Victoria Justice & More. live. Billboard. https://web.archive.org/web/20201214203428/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9499304/10-cool-new-pop-songs-tate-mcrae-madison-beer-victoria-justice. December 14, 2020.
7. Web site: Beaumont. Mark. January 1, 2021. new tracks Pop and rock Tracks of the week reviewed: Dora Jar, Viagra Boys, Tom Morello. January 1, 2021. The Guardian.
8. Web site: Muir. Jamie. December 10, 2020. Tate McRae reveals stunning new pop-bop 'r u ok'. January 1, 2021. Dork.
9. Web site: December 29, 2020. Ones to Watch 2021: The 15 musicians to look out for in the new year. December 29, 2020. The Independent. en-UK.
10. Web site: Credits / r u ok / Tate McRae – TIDAL. November 26, 2020. Tidal.
11. Web site: December 21, 2020. NZ Hot Singles Chart. December 23, 2020. Recorded Music NZ.