Blame
by Calvin Harris (featuring John Newman)

Album: Motion (2014)
Charted: 1 19
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The follow-up to Calvin Harris' hit tune "Summer," this was released on September 7, 2014, coinciding with the DJ's headline set at the iTunes Festival in London on the same night.
  • The song features vocals by John Newman. Though best known for his solo international hit "Love Me Again," the British blue-eyed soul singer first came to prominence as the featured vocalist on Rudimental's hit singles "Feel The Love" and "Not Giving In."
  • The song was Calvin Harris' fifth UK #1 single as a lead artist following "I'm Not Alone," "Sweet Nothing," "Under Control" and "Summer." The Scottish dance producer has also featured on UK chart-toppers by Dizzee Rascal ("Dance Wiv Me") and Rihanna ("We Found Love").

    John Newman had previously reached the UK peak position with his 2012 Rudimental collaboration "Feel The Love" and 2013's "Love Me Again."
  • The accompanying music video was directed by Emil Nava and filmed in Los Angeles. It sees Harris create an underwater club night and cozying up with Aarika Wolf.

    American model Aarika Wolf became Calvin Harris' love interest for real in 2018. They dated for four years, but called a day on their relationship in 2022.
  • The song was performed live for the first time by Harris and Newman at the iHeartRadio Music Festival on September 20, 2014.
  • This broke the record for the most-streamed song in a single day on Spotify with over 1.8 million during September 12, 2014.

    The song also became the first one ever to break ten million streams in a week on Spotify. The record was set during the seven days of September 8 to September 14, 2014.
  • Billboard magazine commented to John Newman that Calvin Harris' EDM sound is much different to his usual soul-pop material. He responded: "My songwriting varies depending on who I am working with. And Calvin is not just this EDM producer - he's got a grand piano in his house. He's a real musician. We can step into each other's worlds."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)Songwriter Interviews

Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah.

Timothy B. Schmit

Timothy B. SchmitSongwriter Interviews

The longtime Eagle talks about soaring back to his solo career, and what he learned about songwriting in the group.

Boz Scaggs

Boz ScaggsSongwriter Interviews

The "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" singer makes a habit of playing with the best in the business.

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"They're Playing My Song

The first of Billy's five #1 hits was the song that propelled Madonna to stardom. You'd think that would get you a backstage pass, wouldn't you?