"Hell n Back" is a song by British singer

Bakar Bakar may refer to: *Bakar, Croatia Bakar is a town in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia. The population of the town was 8,279 according to the 2011 Croatian census, including 1,473 in the titular settlement. Ninety percent of th ...

, released as a single from his EP ''Will You Be My Yellow?'' on 15 August 2019 through

Black Butter Records Black Butter Records is a British record label based in London, England. Founded in 2010 by Olly Wood, Henry Village and Joe Gossa, the self-funded start-up went on to become an established tastemaker label, and one part of a camp of music-rela ...

. Originally a

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in the United States in 2020, it charted internationally in 2023.

Critical reception

Kitty Empire Kitty Empire (born 1970) is a British writer and music critic, currently writing for ''The Observer''. Early life Empire says that she was born in Montreal, Quebec, in 1970 and brought up in Canada, Italy and Egypt before arriving in Britain in ...

of ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'' called it a "charming retro love song" as well as "breezy, brass-laden but sprinkled with enough drug references to maintain a respectable edge". Empire also said it "channelled the vintage multicultural London sass of a young

Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Lily Allen, Her accolades include a Brit Award, alongside nominations for a Grammy Award and a Laurence Olivi ...

" and "its horns and overindulgence spoke of a love for

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and businesswoman. With over 30 million records sold worldwide, she was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix ...

Commercial performance

Described as a

, the song was released as a single in 2019, before charting on the US ''

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'' alternative charts in 2020. It topped the

Adult Alternative Songs Adult Alternative Airplay (also known as Triple A or Triple A Airplay, and formerly Adult Alternative Songs and Triple A Songs) is a record chart currently published by ''Billboard'' that ranks the most popular songs on adult album alternative radi ...

chart in July 2020, where it broke the record for the longest climb to number one at 27 weeks. For the chart's 25th anniversary in early 2021, the magazine ranked "Hell n Back" at number 84 on its list of the top 100 most successful songs in the chart's history. It reached the top 10 of the

Alternative Airplay Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

chart in October 2020. It was voted in at number 62 on the Triple J Hottest of 2019. It was certified gold by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...

(ARIA) in October 2020 and silver by the

British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...

(BPI) in October 2021, before achieving platinum status in 2023. The song charted internationally in 2023 and into 2024, reaching the top 20 on the UK Singles Chart and number 15 in New Zealand.

Remix

On 22 September 2023, Bakar released a remix of "Hell n Back" with American singer

Summer Walker Summer Marjani Walker (born April 11, 1996) is an American R&B singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Atlanta, she signed with the local record label Love Renaissance, an imprint of Interscope Records in late 2017. The following year, she relea ...

on his album ''

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''. Seven months after its release, the remix managed to chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 73 and peaking at 53.

Usage in media

The song was featured in the teaser trailer for the 2023

Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...

film ''

Elemental An elemental is a mythic supernatural being that is described in occult and alchemy, alchemical works from around the time of the European Renaissance, and particularly elaborated in the 16th century works of Paracelsus. According to Paracelsu ...

''. Adidas featured this song for the Adidas X Arsenal FC release of the 2019 bruised banana kit. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=812257249195834&vanity=adidasSG

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{reflist 2019 singles 2019 songs Bakar (musician) songs Black Butter Records singles Songs written by Bakar (musician)