Levels (Avicii song)

"Levels" is a progressive house song by Swedish DJ Avicii that was released on 28 October 2011 through Universal Music Group on iTunes. "Levels" topped the Swedish Singles Chart. Outside Sweden, "Levels" topped the charts in Norway and peaked within the top ten of the charts in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom and received a platinum certification eight times in Sweden, and three times in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Before the song's release, an early version known as "Unnamed" played during a radio program on BBC Radio 1 in the United Kingdom on 11 December 2010. The final version was not played until the Ultra Music Festival in March 2011, where it was referred to as "ID". Afterward, "Levels" played in many clubs and festivals around the world before its eventual release on iTunes. Avicii has stated that he made the song so that he could incorporate a vocal sample from the 1962 gospel-inspired song " Something's Got a Hold on Me" by Etta James.

The music video was directed by Petro Papahadjopoulos, who came up with the concept after a phone interview with Avicii about the supposed "symbolism" behind "Levels". The video is about a businessman who starts dancing in his office in front of his co-workers and boss before being stunned by an officer and sent to the hospital. All the hospital workers slowly start dancing against their own free will after two of them touch a flower sprouted out of the businessman's mouth.

Background and release

Tim Bergling was a Swedish DJ and electronic producer. He started music production as a teenager; he posted demos on a message board operated by Dutch producer Laidback Luke for feedback on his production. After Bergling won a 2008 BBC Radio 1 competition, the host, Pete Tong, issued the submitted track, "ManMan", as his first single. A few weeks later, club promoter Arash Pournouri would offer to manage Bergling's career toward success. Bergling adopted the stage name Avicii, named after a Buddhist term for a hell-like afterlife for sinners, and would release additional singles, with " Seek Bromance", a vocal remix of his track "Bromance", achieving mild crossover success.

On the origins of "Levels", Bergling claimed in one interview that he wanted to use a vocal sample from Etta James's " Something's Got a Hold on Me" and was satisfied when combining it with the hook he would use for "Levels". According to a 2015 Quora answer by Bergling, he first discovered the sample in the Pretty Lights song " Finally Moving". Bergling chose to use the sample, he said in another interview, because of the "timeless" and "raw" nature of James' vocals. Following Bergling's death, DJ Mike Posner claimed that he was sent "Levels" by Avicii while it was still in production to provide vocals to it. Posner produced six "toplines" but did not use them, saying that, "they were good, but not... the thing".

Bergling first premiered an early version of "Levels" on 11 December 2010 as an untitled track for BBC Radio 1's ''Essential Mix'', hosted by Pete Tong. Throughout 2011, he regularly performed "Levels" live in festivals, concerts, and clubs, debuting the version with Etta James vocal sample at the Ultra Music Festival 2011. Bergling and Pournouri drew upon these performances to promote the song on social media. During this time, a bootleg leak of "Levels" was posted on YouTube and gained over 15 million views. The success of "Levels" on social media allowed Pournouri to make a deal with Universal Music Group to release the song as a single in Nordic countries. "Levels" was released via iTunes on 28 October 2011 in Australia, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Sweden. After another deal brokered by another manager, Troy Carter, "Levels" was released in the United States on 31 October 2011.

Composition

"Levels" is a progressive house, EDM, and electronica song, with, according to ''Vulture'', "enough of a nod to old-school rave music in its build to be approachable as a dance track." Composed in C minor with a beat, the song is built around a motif consisting of two instruments mixed together using side-chaining: a synth lead and a chord progression (scale degrees i-III-VII-VI) taking the form of synth stabs; both are repeated throughout the song. The synth lead is divided into two similar musical phrases. Both descend from the note C4 to E3, the latter note being repeated with slight variation to the end of each phrase. The first phrase briefly descends to D3 before resolving back at E3, while the second phrase descends to C3 and resolves at B2. This main motif starts at the third beat of bar two, while the bass and vocal motifs start at the first bar, making the motifs asynchronous.

During the middle of the song, the motif and beat dissipate into an echo and are briefly absent. Preceded by a chorus, a gospel-inspired vocal sample is played, performing the lines "Ohhhh, sometimes, I get a good feeling, yeah / I get a feeling that I never, never, never had before..." The vocal sample is taken from Etta James's " Something's Got a Hold on Me" and is described by ''Billboard'' as "a heavenly siren’s call beaming down on the masses". Following a brief moment in which melancholic strings serve as a counterpoint, the motif and beat reappear, augmented by a synth line that rises before falling.

Critical reception

"Levels" received critical acclaim. ''Future Music'' found "Levels" interesting for its composition, considering it an example of how "...a simple part can become complex." AllMusic described "Levels" as a "simple and effective EDM monster", ''El Correo'' called it a "very danceable tune that makes you enjoy it continuously", and ''Billboard'' said the single "elevate Avicii from touring DJ wunderkind to formidable electronic artist". One criticism of "Levels" came from '' MK News'', which praised "Levels" for the brevity of the vocals but otherwise criticized the song for being predictable Among retrospective commentary, ''Billboard'' declared "Levels" one of the greatest songs of all time, citing its composition, synth hook, vocal sample, and cultural impact, elements that ''Vulture'' also praised. ''Mixmag'' predicted that "Levels" would be remembered as Avicii's best song.

"Levels" was nominated for Best Electro/Dance and won Best Song at the 2012 Grammis Awards. It was also nominated for Best Dance Recording at the 2013 Grammy Awards. Both ''Billboard'' and ''Hollywood Reporter'' ranked "Levels" the best Avicii song. ''Mixmag'' ranked "Levels" as the 13th best song of 2011, and ''Pitchfork'', '' Gaffa'', and ''Dancing Astronaut'' ranked it among best songs of the 2010s. ''Billboard'' ranked "Levels" as the 344th best pop song, and ''Rolling Stone'' ranked "Levels" as the 52nd greatest dance song.

Commercial performance

"Levels" found the most chart success in Bergling's native Sweden, peaking at number 1 on the Swedish charts the week of 11 November 2011, maintaining this peak position for seven weeks. "Levels" was number 23 on the year-end chart in 2011, number three in 2012, and number 43 in 2013. After leaving the charts in 2013, returned in the week of 24 April 2018 at number 4, remaining on the charts for four months. That same year, it was placed as number 54 on the year-end charts. "Levels" was also on the charts on two non-consecutive weeks in 2019, the week of 4 January as number 94, and the week of 19 April as number 77. It has received a platinum certification eight times from the Swedish Recording Industry Association, indicating that "Levels" has been sold or streamed in Sweden over 320,000 times.

"Levels" was also very successful in the United States, entering the weekly Hot 100 charts in the week of 11 December 2011 at number 66. "Levels" was the first song Avicii released that entered ''Billboard'''s weekly Hot 100 charts. The song remained on the Hot 100 for 20 weeks, peaking at number 60 on the week of 17 February 2012. On other charts, It stayed on the Mainstream Top 40 for 5 weeks, peaking at number 33 on 9 March 2012. It peaked at number two on Dance/Mix Show Airplay on 24 February 2012 and was on the chart for 29 weeks, and topped the Dance Club Songs chart on 30 December 2011, remaining on the latter for 20 weeks. It reached number 32 on the year-end Dance Club Songs chart, and number 11 on the year-end Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart. "Levels" was triple-platinum certified by the Recording Industry Association of America, indicating that it was sold or streamed in the US over three million times.

"Levels" was also successful in the UK and Norway. In the UK, "Levels" entered the "Official Singles Chart Top 100" on the week of 27 November 2011 at its peak position of number four. It stayed on the chart for 50 weeks and left the charts after its position of number 96 in the week of 16 September 2012. On UK's "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40," it peaked as number one on the week of 25 December 2011. In the year-end charts of UK, it was number 101 in 2011, and number 59 in 2012. In Norway, "Levels" entered the charts on the week of 7 November 2011 as number four. It peaked as number one on the week of 17 December 2011 and stayed number one for four weeks. It was on the Norwegian charts for around 30 weeks. "Levels" was certified in both the United Kingdom and Norway. In Norway, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry awarded "Levels" a platinum certification five times, indicating that 50,000 copies were sold in Norway. In the United Kingdom, "Levels" earned a platinum certification thrice from the British Phonographic Industry, indicating that it was sold and streamed 1,800,000 times in the United Kingdom. In other nations, it reached a peak position of number 5 in Switzerland, number 4 in Austria, Netherlands, and Belgium, and number 3 in Denmark and Ireland. "Levels" has also received a platinum certification at least once from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.

Music video

According to director Petro Papahadjopoulos, he was approached by Universal Music Group for the concept of a music video for Bergling that would make him famous. Papahadjopoulos contacted Bergling to understand the symbolism behind "Levels" and to create a concept that would match the song. Papahadjopoulos created a concept based on ''Office Space'', that he described as "about a man who wakes up to realize he is living in hell. Everyone around him just thinks he's crazy. But his craziness is infectious." Avicii later received the concept of the music video from his production manager, Arash Pournouri, and showed support for it. He posted the concept on his official website on 8 December 2011. Papahadjopoulos collaborated with Richie Greenfield for direction and choreography of the music video. It was ultimately released to YouTube on 29 November 2011. The music video was nominated for "Best Electronic Dance Music Video" at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards.

According to a concept booklet, the plot of the music video represents the idea "we are already in Avici, and that maybe we at times are aware of this and the existence of other levels...We watch as the man's reality implodes, he's experiencing awareness of other levels and his entire reality all around him transforms to something new." The music video depicts a weary businessman (Richie Greenfield) working at an office, who suddenly starts dancing. A security guard walks into the office and stuns the businessman unconscious, leading him to dream of pushing a big boulder up a mountain, mirroring Sisyphus' fate, as he is restrained to a hospital bed. Two hospital workers notice and touch a flower that blooms from the businessman's mouth. Afterward, all three go into a seizure, before quickly recovering and proceeding to dance, influencing the rest of the hospital's inhabitants to do the same.

Live performances

Prior to the single's release, Bergling toured in promotion of the release of "Levels", playing it at various festivals and clubs throughout 2011. During this time, "Levels" became a popular dance song, leading Bergling to travel across the United States to take advantage of the song's popularity, with Malik Adunni and Felix Alfonso acting as tour managers. He first premiered "Levels" with Etta James vocal sample at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Florida, in March 2011. Bergling also performed "Levels" that year at the Electric Daisy Carnival in June and at Tomorrowland in July. That year, ''Billboard'' called "Levels" the "dance anthem of the summer festival season". Shortly after the release of the single, Avicii performed "Levels" at the Bounce Festival and the Stereosonic in Sydney, both of which ''Dancing Astronaut'' called early indicators of the song's status as a classic.

"Levels" remained a recurring song in Bergling's live performances. In April 2012, Bergling opened with "Levels" at Coachella, during which he debuted visuals that he would utilize in an all-arena tour, titled the "Le7els Tour", though production issues delayed the tour from May to June 2012, with many locations canceled. Later that year in August, Avicii opened his appearance in the Lollapalooza with "Levels". In Ultra Music Festival 2013, Avicii performed "Levels" prior to his controversial premiere of " Wake Me Up". Though he consistently toured since 2010, Bergling suffered health issues such as pancreatitis that forced him to retire from touring in 2016. His final performance was at the Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel, during which he performed "Levels". After his death in April 2018, a tribute concert ran by his family was performed in December 2019, featuring multiple guest stars, with "Levels" serving as the closer, paired with images of the late Bergling. In addition, several DJs have played "Levels" in their live performances in tribute to Avicii, such as Tiësto at the Electric Daisy Carnival in May 2018, and Hardwell and Oliver Heldens at Tomorrowland in July 2024.

Legacy

Electronic dance music received little attention in the United States throughout the 2000s. In the early 2010s, a group of electronic dance music styles, referred to by the music industry as the umbrella term "EDM", became commercially mainstream in the United States through festivals and artists such Bergling, Skrillex, and Deadmau5. Examples of these styles included brostep and house music. ''Mixmag'' defined the overall EDM sound as being "drop-heavy, stadium-filling, fist-pumping, chart-topping, ndmassively commercial". "Levels" was among the first commercially successful songs within the rise of EDM, allowing electronic music to crossover into pop music. In May 2020, "Levels" was voted as the festival Tomorrowland's biggest song. ''Billboard'' named "Levels" among the songs that defined the 2010s. According to '' DJMag'', "'Levels' continues to be one of dance music’s most successful crossover hits, proving equally anthemic on festival stages and mainstream radio to this day"; it passed 1 billion streams on Spotify in September 2024.

Multiple EDM producers and DJs have remixed "Levels", including Skrillex, whose version was included on an official remix EP. Rapper Flo Rida sampled James' "Something's Got a Hold of Me" in " Good Feeling" after hearing its usage in "Levels"; the song reached the top five on the Hot 100. Additionally, some EDM producers and DJs have praised "Levels". Joe Bermudez said that "Avicii's uplifting chord progressions instantly transport club goers to euphoric state". Skrillex said following Avicii's death that although they were not close friends, "the connection heyhad" through "Levels" made his death saddening. Zedd considered it the one song he wished he had produced, saying "...there is something about the genius simplicity of this song; the unbelievably anthemic and powerful emotion I feel when I hear it."

In May 2025, the song was chosen as the official anthem of the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, held in Sweden and Denmark, as a tribute to Bergling.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

* List of number-one dance singles of 2011 (U.S.)

Notes

References

Sources

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2010 songs
2011 singles
Avicii songs
Song recordings produced by Avicii
Songs written by Avicii
Number-one singles in Norway
Number-one singles in Scotland
Number-one singles in Sweden
Songs written by Arash Pournouri
Geffen Records singles
Interscope Records singles
Etta James
Progressive house songs