Upon release, the song charted within the top 10 in New Zealand and Ireland, and within the top 20 in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The song was also certified Gold in Australia and New Zealand. The song received its debut performance as part of Vevo's Lift series on May 25, 2021.
Background and release
American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo released her debut single "Drivers License" in January 2021, to critical acclaim.[1] On April 1, 2021, Rodrigo announced that her debut album, at that time known by the placeholder title*O*R, was set to be released on May 21, 2021.[2] On April 13, Rodrigo confirmed the album title to be Sour. Alongside the confirmation, the track listing was revealed, which included "Favorite Crime" as the tenth track.[3]
"Favorite Crime" was released as part of Sour on May 21, 2021, alongside a lyric video.[4]
Composition and promotion
"Favorite Crime" was written by Rodrigo and Dan Nigro in 2020.[5] The song is a stripped-down folk-pop and indie popballad.[6][7][8] The song runs for a total length of 2 minutes and 32 seconds.[9] The song features Rodrigo "singing over fingerpicked guitar figures in [a] sweetly folky style".[10] The lyrics of the song center around "the examination of glaring red flags that only appear in their true colors through the lens of hindsight".[11] The song has been compared to American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift's 2020 albums Folklore and Evermore,[7] and the harmonies have been compared to that of New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde's "Royals" (2013).[6]
The song received its debut performance on May 25, 2021, as part of Vevo's Lift series. In the performance, Rodrigo sings the song while on a rooftop, alongside backup singers and a guitar player.[12][13]
Commercial performance
In the United States, on the week dated June 5, 2021, "Favorite Crime" debuted at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, accompanied by 10 other tracks on Sour.[14] The following week, it rose to number 16.[15] It fell to number 26 on the week dated June 19 and number 43 the following week. It has spent a total of 11 weeks on the chart.[16] On the Rolling Stone Top 100, it was one of nine songs on Sour to chart in the top 10, debuting at number 8, selling 166,800 units with 20.8 million streams in its first week.[17] It rose to number 6 the next week, with 149,100 units sold and 18.8 million streams;[18] it has spent 11 weeks on the Rolling Stone Top 100 and is still currently charting as of August 2021.[19] It debuted at number 8 on the Streaming Songs chart,[20] where it eventually peaked at number 6.[21] Internationally, it peaked at number 6 in New Zealand,[22] number 8 in Ireland,[23] number 13 in Australia,[24] 14 in Canada,[25] 17 in the United Kingdom,[26] 21 in Norway,[27] and 76 in Sweden.[28] The song also peaked at number 14 on Billboard'sGlobal 200 chart.[29] The song has been certified Platinum in Canada by Music Canada, triple Platinum in Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and double Platinum in New Zealand by Recorded Music NZ.[30][31]
Critical reception
Bobby Oliver, writing for Spin, described "Favorite Crime" as "superb" and "showstopp[ing]",[7] while Maura Johnston of Entertainment Weekly labelled the harmonies as "spectral".[6] However, Billboard critic Larisha Paul ranked the song last out of all 11 songs on Sour.[11]
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Sour and Tidal.[5][32]
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 22. týden 2021 in the date selector. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
