One of this generation’s most recognizable queer bangers just surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify, and now gays are arguing about the most important question: who deserves the credit?
On paper, the honor belongs to Calum Scott, whose melancholic version is synonymous with sad boys everywhere… and the partying Philadelphia Phillies (more on them later).
Scott is one of multiple artists who’s produced their own cover of Robyn’s now-iconic dance bop, which was released in 2010.
Scott thanked her in his video commemorating the honor.
“A massive thank you to Robyn, as always. To Tiësto, to everybody who has made this song what it is,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you guys. I am very, very proud to be sitting here with this bad boy. So if you have contributed to one of these streams, thank you so, so much from the bottom of my heart.”
500,000,000 streams from the Philadelphia area in the past year
— Duck (@mattmacp10) October 18, 2023
Great song! See you in Philly for the parade!
— Daniel Nyman (@DanielNymanTV) October 18, 2023
As a gay man himself, Scott knows about the song’s power in the LGBTQ+ community. The lyrics are about the hardships, and eventual beauty, of taking your own path–whether on the dance floor or in life.
It’s a message that resonates with LGBTQ+ folx. Robyn says she came up with the idea while observing club-goers on tour.
“I’ve been touring a lot in the last three years, and spent a lot of time in clubs just watching people, and it became impossible to not use that lyric ‘dancing on my own’, because it’s such a beautiful picture,” she said in a 2010 interview.
Though Scott thanked Robyn at the start of his video, some gays wanted more for the dance pop queen.
Who knew Robyn stans were so vicious?!?
In the comments, Scott also thanked the Phillies. They’re two wins away from reaching the World Series, and use his version as their victory song.
There’s quite the backstory here, too.
The Phillies starting dancing to Scott’s version last year, when they also played in the Fall Classic.
A HUGE thank you has to go to @Phillies also for making this song their anthem two years running. It’s an honour boys and I’m incredibly grateful to the players, the club and most importantly the fans. X
— Calum Scott (@calumscott) October 18, 2023
There are a lot of hotties in the above clip, but we would like to direct your attention towards one of the studs in blue overalls.
Look closer…
…There!
Thankyou to the Philadelphia Phillies and the fan base for this pic.twitter.com/kP0agBxFul
— JohnD 📈 (@JohnDWeb3) October 18, 2023
That’s Nick Castellanos, the smoking hot third baseman who’s encouraging all of his teammates to unbutton their shirts and show some skin.
Batter…up!
“The message, according to Castellanos, was to ‘loosen up and chill out,’” writes the Philadelphia Inquirer.
When “Big Nick Energy” tells us to “loosen up,” we definitely listen…
The Phillies originally abandoned the tune at the start of the season, due to their World Series loss last season. “It’s a second-place song. We’re looking for better than second place,” said slugger Kyle Schwarber, who’s credited with bringing the song to Philly from Boston.
Schwarber was a member of the 2021 Red Sox, and they used the anthem, too.
Philadelphia slogged through the opening months of the season, despite entering the summer as World Series favorites.
Then they came through with a big win over the Nationals June 3, and their hitting coach, Kevin Long, sent out his order: “Play the f****** song!”
May the Phillies keep dancing deep into October. Calum Scott’s gotta get his stream count up.
And Robyn, too! We would never want to forget about her.
Jaesly
Even though the songwriter’s portion of Calum Scott’s cover is probably a small fraction of a penny, at 1B streams, that must add up to more that $100, which even for a star of Robyn’s stature is not chicken feed.
storm45701
At $4300 per 1 million streams, Robyn should have earned almost a cool half million. Songwriters tend to earn more than the singer.
Jaesly
I knew that royalty rates for Spotify streams are pitiful, so I didn’t want to overestimate the money that Robyn made off the streams. (since she’s a songwriting genius, she deserves as much money as she can get).
SDR94103
worst, nastiest fan base ever.
Tiredoftheinsanity
well another hater who probably has never been Citizens Bank Park…beautiful stadium and a wholesome supportive fan base. Philadelphia fans have had a long mrdia driven history of being bad fans since tossing snowballs at a bad and drunken Santa Claus back in the 50’s. The current fans at CBP gave a standing O to Trea Turner in the midst of his terrible start and it helped turn his season around. The fans are loyal and higly supportive, exactly what a good fan base shoud be…guess you must be jealous, ignorant of facts or simply a cranky old Queen.
Joule Onyx
The song sucks!!!!
dbmcvey
Great song! Both the original and the cover! Callum Scott is fabulous! Great voice, sexy and out!
xanadude
Calum’s version is the BEST!
SELA Rising
I LOVE that they are singing this song…in a very queer manner.
Robyns version, while a gay club anthem, isn’t explicitly queer (I could be wrong).
Callums version of if, and the choice to sing “watching you kiss HER” places a male as the object of unrequited affection here.
These jocks are singing about watching their straight/bi buddy kiss a girl and wishing it was them he was going home with and kissing.
Gays for the win!