That Way (Lil Uzi Vert song)

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"That Way"
Single by Lil Uzi Vert
from the album Eternal Atake
ReleasedMarch 1, 2020 (2020-03-01)
Genre
Length3:32
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Supah Mario
  • Felipe S
  • Yung Lan
Lil Uzi Vert singles chronology
"Futsal Shuffle 2020"
(2019) 		"That Way"
(2020) 		"Sasuke"
(2020)

"That Way" is a song by American rapper Lil Uzi Vert. It was released on March 1, 2020, by Generation Now and Atlantic Records as the second single from their second studio album Eternal Atake.[2] The song prominently interpolates the hook of the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" (1999).[3]

Cover artwork[edit]

The cover art has been subject to allegations of plagiarism. On March 14, 2020, an online artist under the alias of 'hugeriver8' on Instagram claimed that the cover art plagiarizes a nearly identical piece they posted on their blog in 2014.[4] The human figure on the cover art has also been claimed to be copied from a different artist under the alias of 'la_la_la_fries', for a piece of fanart of the guitarist Pete Townshend of The Who, which was first posted on Instagram in late November 2015.[5]

When prompted, the artist of the That Way album cover responded that he simply designed what Lil Uzi Vert had asked him to design, and that the picture he is alleged to have plagiarized was sent as reference work. Following this, Lil Uzi Vert left a comment saying, "Hey I'm not a mean person or a thief I get inspired a lot. If you want Money I will have my team contact and give you Money. Signed… Baby Pluto. P.S. You are a great artist."[6]

Critical reception[edit]

Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork viewed the song as the rapper's "return to the shoulder shimmying, eye-rolling, singing Hayley Williams in the backseat of a car Uzi, whose animated personality made [their] meteoric fall possible".[7] In context of the album, Charles Homes and Elias Leight at Rolling Stone described the composition of the song as "a jarringly saccharine plagiarism of the Backstreet Boys' 1999 hit "I Want It That Way"" in connection "with a jittery, steamrolling track ripped off from the music from Microsoft Windows' videogame Space Cadet 3D Pinball".[8] As for Uzi's performance on the song, Carl Lamarre concluded that they are in their "element, spraying lighthearted bars over the breezy track" and called the song an "abomination".[3]

Backstreet Boys response[edit]

Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter praised the song on his Twitter and told Uzi that he wants them to be "featured on our next album".[9]

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[28] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Madden, Ben (March 2, 2020). "Lil Uzi Vert Has Channelled The Backstreet Boys On His New Single "That Way"". Cool Accidents. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  2. ^ Li, Nicolaus (March 1, 2020). "Lil Uzi Vert Channels Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" For New Single "That Way"". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Lamarre, Carl (March 3, 2020). "Lil Uzi Vert Pays Homage to Backstreet Boys on 'That Way'". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 5, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  4. ^ "Lil Uzi Vert Responds to "That Way" Cover Art Plagiarism Claims (UPDATE)". 16 March 2020. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Instagram". Archived from the original on 2022-02-19. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  6. ^ Lil Uzi Vert – That Way, archived from the original on 2021-04-10, retrieved 2021-04-10
  7. ^ Pierre, Alphonse (March 2, 2020). "Lil Uzi Vert: "That Way"". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 7, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  8. ^ Homes, Charles; Leight, Elias (March 8, 2020). "Lil Uzi Vert's Eternal Atake Lived Up to the Hype. This Is How It Came Together". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  9. ^ Cowen, Trace William (March 3, 2020). "Lil Uzi Vert Invited by Nick Carter to Appear on Next Backstreet Boys Album". Complex. Archived from the original on April 3, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  10. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 16 March 2020". No. 1567. Australian Recording Industry Association. March 16, 2020. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  11. ^ "Lil Uzi Vert – That Way" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  12. ^ "Lil Uzi Vert – That Way" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  13. ^ "Lil Uzi Vert Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  14. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  15. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  16. ^ "Lil Uzi Vert – That Way" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  17. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 16, 2020. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  18. ^ "Lil Uzi Vert – That Way". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  19. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 202011 into search. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  20. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 11". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  21. ^ "Lil Uzi Vert – That Way". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  22. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  23. ^ "Lil Uzi Vert Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  24. ^ "Lil Uzi Vert Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  25. ^ "Lil Uzi Vert Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  26. ^ "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2020-03-19. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  27. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 5, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  28. ^ "American single certifications – Lil Uzi Vert – That Way". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
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