Torn (Ava Max song)

"Torn" is a song by American singer Ava Max, released through Atlantic Records as the third single from her debut studio album Heaven & Hell (2020). The song was written by Max, Madison Love, James Lavigne, Thomas Eriksen, Sam Martin, and producer Cirkut. It is a dance and pop song with lyrics that describe the internal struggle between wanting to stay and leave in a relationship. "Torn" was released on August 19, 2019, where it received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who compared the song's production to Swedish pop group ABBA. It charted in the top 10 in Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia, and was certified double platinum in Poland. An accompanying music video was directed by Joseph Kahn and released on August 27, 2019. The superhero-themed video was shot in Milan for four days, where Max performed her own stunts while promoting products from Fiat and Trussardi.

"Torn"
Single by Ava Max
from the album Heaven & Hell
B-side"Salt"
ReleasedAugust 19, 2019
Genre
Length3:18
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Cirkut
Ava Max singles chronology
"Slow Dance"
(2019)		 "Torn"
(2019)		 "Tabú"
(2019)
Alternate cover
Original and CD single cover
Music video
"Torn" on YouTube

Background and composition

"Torn" was recorded in Virginia Beach.[1] Max teased the song in the caption of a video posted on Instagram, asking her fans if they knew the name of the song she was about to release.[2] Fans soon found a pre-order link for the single,[2] with Max subsequently sharing the cover art and a snippet of the song.[3] "Torn" was released on August 19, 2019, with Max stating that the song "explores the struggle" between love and hate in a press release.[4][5] It was written by Max, Madison Love, James Lavigne, Thomas Eriksen, Sam Martin, and producer Cirkut.[6]

"Torn" is a dance,[7] and pop song,[8] which uses elements of disco.[7] The song is based on 4
4 common time, the tempo is 125 BPM and is played in the key of D minor.[9] The lyrics are described by Stephen Daw of Billboard as the internal struggle of wanting to leave, while also wanting to stay with her lover.[7]

Critical reception

Shaad D'Souza of The Fader noted that the song felt "ABBA-esque",[10] which Nicholas Hautman of Us Weekly considered to "subtly sample" their 1979 song "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)".[11] Max responded to his observation by stating that she "did listen to some ABBA growing up", as well as Ace of Base, and wanted to "add a little disco flair in there."[12] The song was included on Vogue's Best Songs of 2019 list, where Christian Allaire stated that it "earworms its way into my head at least once a day".[13]

Commercial performance

"Torn" reached the top 10 in Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia.[14][15][16][17] It was certified double platinum in Poland, and gold in Brazil, France, Italy and Switzerland.

Music video

Background

The music video, directed by Joseph Kahn, was shot in Milan for four days during the summer, and released on August 27, 2019.[18] It has been considered to be "superhero-themed".[19] MTV News describes Max as a "woman scorned...who goes undercover as a hero who kicks the shit out of some masked villains — including her shady boyfriend. Max's secret identity becomes her means of enduring a venomous relationship, and after a betrayal knocks her off her feet, she finally musters up the power to fight back." She explained the process of creating the concept of the video, stating that she perceived the visuals while recording the song and knew exactly what she wanted.[20] Max also had creative input in the creation of the video alongside Kahn, stating:[20]

I remember sitting down with [Kahn], and I asked him if he could make me a superhero. I was half kidding; I wasn't, like, 100 percent serious, because a superhero is really crazy and hard to do. And he looked at me and he goes, 'I've always wanted to do that.'

Max performed her own stunts, spending the morning in the second day of the shoot practicing before shooting the video at 1:00am.[20][21] She is seen wearing various pieces of clothing from Trussardi, including archive items from the Eighties and Nineties, such as glittery pumps with the "T" logo on the heel, a leather trench coat and a messenger bag with Trussardi's greyhound logo as the closure. Max stated that she "wanted something uniquely Italian with a rich history that was fashion-forward yet elegant. Trussardi was the only option."[22] A model of the Fiat Panda customized by Trussardi is briefly featured in the music video, which a portion was used in commercials.[23][24] As of January 2021, the video has over 76 million views on YouTube.[25]

Synopsis
Ava Max punches her on-screen boyfriend, while wearing a superhero costume

The video begins with a worn-out book opening the page to Chapter One. A brunette woman named Amanda (portrayed by Ava Max) is seen arguing with her boyfriend across the dining table, as he storms out to his car and drives off in the rain. Amanda then transforms into her superhero costume inside the mansion, consisting of a red cape, silver pants and signature blonde hair, half cut on her right side. In Chapter Two, several masked thugs commit a store robbery and make their getaway in a red sports car. Amanda confronts them in the middle of the highway and proceeds to overpower them, as comic-style text appears after each blow. Back at the mansion, news of the incident is broadcast, as her boyfriend watches on the couch. Back in her brunette hair, Amanda furiously scrubs the dishes as sparks appear from her hands, eventually cracking them in half.

The next scene starts with Amanda's boyfriend getting out of the car with another girl. Amanda is seen walking the dog out, as she cuts the seat belt from the same car. She emerges in a masked ball while wearing a half-mask, and encounters her boyfriend wearing a domino mask. The two walk out to the balcony, where the two embrace, as flashback scenes quickly play out from the beginning of the video. However, her boyfriend pushes her off the balcony, as Amanda falls into the ocean. Multiple jump cuts occur between scenes of Amanda plunging in the ocean, and laying inside a bath tub back in the mansion. Chapter Three depicts Amanda flying out of the ocean floor and back into her boyfriend's sight, as she proceeds to electrocute him by punching him in the mouth. The video ends with brunette Amanda walking out of the mansion, as the book lands on the 'Fin' page before finally closing.

Live performances

Max gave her first televised performance of the song at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards, as a medley with "Sweet but Psycho".[10] She also performed both songs at the 2019 MTV Europe Music Awards.[26] Max performed the song in a medley with "So Am I" and "Sweet but Psycho" at the 2019 Jingle Bell Ball.[27]

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[6]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[55] Gold 15,000
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[56] Gold 20,000
France (SNEP)[57] Gold 100,000
Italy (FIMI)[58] Gold 35,000
Poland (ZPAV)[59] 2× Platinum 40,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[60] Gold 10,000

sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various August 19, 2019
Atlantic [2]
Australia August 23, 2019 Contemporary hit radio
[61]
Italy August 30, 2019 Warner [62]
Germany January 10, 2020 CD single Atlantic [33]

References
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