"I Just Called" is a song by Swedish duo

Neiked Neiked (stylised as NEIKED) is a Swedish artist collective of singers, songwriters and record producers. Victor Rådström and Mikael Rabus founded Neiked, a group that comprises rising artists, producers, writers and vocalists. Rådström got h ...

, English singer

Anne-Marie Anne-Marie Rose Nicholson (born 7 April 1991) is an English singer and songwriter. She has attained various charting singles on the UK Singles Chart, including Clean Bandit's " Rockabye", which peaked at number one, as well as "Alarm", " Ciao ...

, and American rapper

Latto Alyssa Michelle Stephens (born December 22, 1998), known professionally as Latto (formerly known as Mulatto), is an American rapper and singer-songwriter from Atlanta. She first appeared on Jermaine Dupri's reality television series ''The Rap G ...

. The song was released on 27 May 2022, through

Asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea * ...

and

Warner Warner can refer to: People * Warner (writer) * Warner (given name) * Warner (surname) Fictional characters * Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner, stars of the animated television series ''Animaniacs'' * Aaron Warner, a character in '' Shatter M ...

. The song interpolates

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

's 1984 song "

I Just Called to Say I Love You "I Just Called to Say I Love You" is a Sentimental ballad, ballad written, produced, and performed by American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder. It was a major international hit, and remains Wonder's best-selling single to ...

Background

In an interview with

Official Charts The Official UK Charts Company Limited (formerly Music Industry Chart Services Limited), trading as the Official Charts Company (OCC) or the Official Charts (formerly the Chart Information Network), is a British inter-professional organisation ...

, Neiked said that Stevie Wonder heard "I Just Called" before its release and gave the song his approval.

Music and lyrics

Anne-Marie sings about "moving on from her past partner and needing to get closure". However, she cannot do it face to face, so she says “I just called to say I hate you/I just called to say that I moved on.”

Critical reception

''The Musical Hype'' rated the song 4 out of 5 stars. He called it a "short, sweet, and utterly infectious pop bop". Alex Gonzalez of ''

Uproxx Uproxx Studios (stylized as ''UPROXX'') is an American music, entertainment and popular culture website and content studio. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater. The website was acquired in 2014 by Woven Digital (which later ...

'' wrote that "Anne-Marie and Latto ride the electronic beat with ease, displaying confidence in their craft as frontrunners in their respective genres."

Charts

References

2022 songs 2022 singles Neiked songs Anne-Marie songs Latto songs Songs written by Anne-Marie Songs written by Stevie Wonder Songs written by Latto Asylum Records singles Warner Records singles {{2020s-pop-song-stub