"Wave" is a song by the American singer-songwriter

Meghan Trainor Meghan Elizabeth Trainor (born December 22, 1993) is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She rose to prominence after signing with Epic Records in 2014 and releasing her debut single "All About That Bass", which reached ...

, featuring the producer

Mike Sabath Mike Sabath is an American record producer, songwriter, and musician. He has worked with Shawn Mendes, Lizzo, Meghan Trainor, Raye, Liam Payne, Little Mix, the Jonas Bros., and Selena Gomez, among other artists. Early life and education Sabath ...

, from her third major-label studio album ''

Treat Myself ''Treat Myself'' is the third major-label studio album by the American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor. Epic Records released it on January 31, 2020, after delaying it for over a year from its originally scheduled release date. Trainor worked ...

'' (2020). The track, which was written and produced by the duo, was released on September 27, 2019, as the second single from the album. Backed by panoramic piano and ostentatious background vocals, the

electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...

and

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

song lyrically tells the story of the emotional fallout of a failed relationship. The song received mixed reviews from critics, with some of them praising the lyrics as mature and anthemic, while others were critical of its production. Commercially, it charted at number 35 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart.

Mathew Cullen Mathew Cullen is an American music video, commercial, and film director. He is co-founder of Mirada Studios with Guillermo del Toro and co-founder of the production company Motion Theory. Career Mathew Cullen grew up in Inglewood, Californi ...

directed the

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for "Wave", which features an earthy color palette and Trainor dancing atop a group of people that rock around her like waves. Trainor performed the song on ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...

'' and '' The Voice'' and included it on the

set list A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...

of her 2024 concert tour,

the Timeless Tour The Timeless Tour was the fourth headlining concert tour by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor. It was launched in support of her sixth major-label studio album ''Timeless (Meghan Trainor album), Timeless'' (2024), and consisted of conc ...

Background and release

Trainor delayed her third major-label studio album, ''

'', from August 2018 to January 25, 2019, because she wanted to add more songs to it, and removed it from iTunes that month. Trainor had written "Wave" in 2016, and held onto it until 2019. She approached Mike Sabath to produce the song. As the two became close while working on it in the studio, Trainor asked him to record a verse for the song. Sabath stated that he was "super inspired" by her voice and the energy of the people in the studio, and finished his verse in one take and filled in the lyrics, concluding the recording of the song on March 5, 2019. Sabath went on to produce five of the fifteen tracks from the album, co-writing four of them. About the inspiration for "Wave", Trainor said that "there was this guy that was -- this poor dude, I'm probably talkin' 'bout him everywhere. But he was like, 'We can't ever be together 'cause it won't last!' But he'd be like, 'I love you' and I was like 'Ok, why are you calling then? Like why is this a thing?' So I don't know how to express myself with words, so I wrote this song and I sent it to him". She has stated that she has "never worked harder on a song" and that Sabath took it to a whole new level. Trainor announced the release date along with the single artwork for "Wave" on September 25, 2019. The song was digitally released two days later, as the second single from ''Treat Myself''. On October 7, 2019, a solo version of it was serviced to

hot adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

radio stations in the United States. A Remix EP to promote "Wave" was released on November 22, 2019, featuring remixes of the song by R3hab, Justin Caruso and Arkadi.

Composition

"Wave" is two minutes and fifty-six seconds long. Sabath produced the song with Trainor and engineered it with John Hanes. He plays drums, bass, and synthesizer, and Trainor plays synthesizer. Jordan Federman,

Daryl Sabara Daryl Christopher Sabara (born June 14, 1992) is an American actor. He is known for portraying Juni Cortez in the ''Spy Kids'' film series, and for a variety of television and film appearances, first as a child actor and continuing into adult r ...

, Camila Viola, Trainor and her brother Ryan provide background vocals.

Serban Ghenea Serban Ghenea () is a Canadian audio engineer and mixer. He has been nominated for a Grammy Award a total of 45 times and has won 21 times. Early life and education Ghenea was born in Romania, and in 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. H ...

mixed the song, and

Randy Merrill Randy Merrill is an American mastering engineer who has worked with international artists including Blink-182, DAY6, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Harry Styles, One Direction, Adele, Imagine Dragons, Beck, Liam Gallagher, Jonas Brothers, Muse ...

mastered Mastering is a form of audio post production which is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device called a master recording, the source from which all copies will be ...

it. An

and

song, According to Dani Blum of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'', "Wave" begins with Trainor delivering "titanic vocals over a panoramic piano" instrumentation, which transitions into an

electronic dance music Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as dance music or club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and List of electronic dance music festivals, festivals. It is generally ...

pulse that was compared to the work of

Cascada Cascada (, Spanish language, Spanish, 'Waterfall'), is a German dance music act founded in 2004 by singer Natalie Horler and DJs/composers/ producers DJ Manian and DJ Yanou. They functioned as a trio from 2004 to 2021, with their last track ...

. The song features "ostentatious" background vocals with gospel-inflected harmonies that she stated were inspired by her visits to

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

Sunday Service Choir The Sunday Service Choir (commonly referred as Sunday Service) is an American gospel group led by rapper Kanye West and conducted by choir director Jason White. Beginning in January 2019, and initially produced by Jack and Michael Skolnick, the g ...

shows. Described as a "frothy electro-bop", its lyrics detail the highs and lows of a dramatic love story. "Wave" talks about the emotional fallout of a relationship that has failed, with lyrics like "And I shouldn't beg for more/But I don't want it to end". It has been called a drastic departure from Trainor's traditional

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

sound by ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' Jessica Brant.

Critical reception

The song received mixed reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolator or Idolater may also refer to: * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), a 2005 album by Blood Stain Child * ''Idolator'', a 1986 album by Ole Evenrud * "Idolater", a ...

's Mike Nied wrote that "Wave" finds "the duo idingthe waves of their love story", adding that "the end result feels more mature and graceful than some of Meghan's more saccharine bops" and that he loved the creative direction. Nied stated that it may very well be Trainor's best song yet, and is the "sort of mature anthem that could very easily take her career to another level". Heran Mamo of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' opined that "the backing choir adds an ethereal layer over the electronic impressions" on "Wave", and that "the chorus is a powerfully sweeping recital that emphasizes just how overwhelming her desire to get this love back is". Writing for

Entertainment Tonight Canada ''Entertainment Tonight Canada'' (commonly shortened to ''ET Canada'') is a Canadian entertainment news television series that aired on the Global Television Network from 2005 to 2023. Its branding and format were based on the American entertainm ...

, Corey Atad described it as "anthemic and danceable". In a negative review, Hannah Mylrea of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' stated that the song "starts slow before erupting into a tacky house mess that would sound at home soundtracking '' Love Island''. ''Pitchfork'' Dani Blum called it "a Cascada remix for a middle school dance in a sweaty gym".

Promotion

Music video

Directed by

and choreographed by

Charm La'Donna Charmaine Jordan (born May 14, 1988), known professionally as Charm La'Donna, is an American dancer and choreographer. She is known for her work with recording artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Rosalía, Dua Lipa and Selena Gomez. Early life a ...

, the

for "Wave" was released on October 7, 2019. It features an earthy color palette and depicts Trainor in an abstract dance party where she glides above the hands of several people. Trainor, who is dressed in a nude-colored leotard, dances atop a group of people that rock back and forth. They catch and release her body in rhythm with quivering synths, so as to simulate a human wave. The dancers are dressed in neutral tones and form a giant pyramid shape. The dancers crash like waves around Trainor, as if she were a rock in the water. Sabath joins in later, donning a leopard print headband. The music video received positive reviews from critics. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' Claire Shaffer wrote that the abstract dance party in the video "transform into an almost spiritual experience for Trainor". Writing for

MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...

, Madeline Roth described the choreography as "pristine", adding that the singer looked "absolutely ethereal in a tulle gown". Jessica Brant of ''PopMatters'' was positive of the video, stating that the dance moves were executed with "short, military precision" and elaborated that the visuals see Trainor "evocatively stage a physical representation of the enduring power of a shipwrecked romance shared between two partners".

Live performances

Trainor and Sabath performed "Wave" for the first time, on ''

'', on November 6, 2019. They also performed the song at '' The Voice'' on December 3, 2019. Trainor performed a stripped-back version of it during her ''Billboard'' Live At-Home concert on April 10, 2020, which aimed to raise money for

Feeding America Feeding America is a United States–based Nonprofit organization, non-profit organization that is a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks that feed more than 46 million people through food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other c ...

. She included "Wave" on the

of her 2024 concert tour,

Track listing

* Digital download # "Wave" (featuring Mike Sabath)2:56 *Remix EP # "Wave" (featuring Mike Sabath) ( R3hab Remix)3:13 # "Wave" (featuring Mike Sabath) ( Justin Caruso Remix)4:04 # "Wave" (featuring Mike Sabath) (Arkadi Remix)3:35

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

of ''Treat Myself''. *

producer, songwriter, featured vocals, bass, drums, recording engineer, synthesizer * Meghan Trainorproducer, songwriter, lead vocals, background vocals, synthesizer * Camila Violabackground vocals *

background vocals * Jordan Federmanbackground vocals * Ryan Trainorbackground vocals *

mixing engineer *

mastering engineer

Charts

Release history

References

{{Meghan Trainor 2019 singles 2019 songs Epic Records singles Meghan Trainor songs Songs written by Meghan Trainor Songs written by Mike Sabath Music videos directed by Mathew Cullen American house music songs Electropop songs