"Can't Hold Us" is a song written and performed by American hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring American singer Ray Dalton, originally released on August 16, 2011, as the second single from the duo's debut album The Heist (2012).
The song was a sleeper hit, gaining more attention in 2012 and 2013. In May 2013, it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making it their second number-one hit in the United States.[1] It is also their third consecutive number-one single in Australia. The music video was nominated for Best Music Video at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014.[2] The song was also listed as "The Most-Streamed Song of 2013" by Spotify.[2]
"Can't Hold Us" received critical acclaim. NJ.com named it as "Song of the Week".[3] Lewis Corner of Digital Spy gave the song four stars out of five, praising its "infectious, soul-soaked piano line and beats more vibrant than Rio de Janeiro's finest carnival floats".[4] Writing for The Edge, Hannah Mylrea rated the song 9/10 and complimented the duo's dynamism, deeming it "another massive summer hit".[5]AllMusic's David Jeffries also gave it four stars on five and wrote: "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis combine the handclapping, foot-stomping, and propulsive rhythms of old-fashioned gospel music with an infectious, uplifting chorus that could have been ripped straight out of will.i.am's playbook...this motivational, "this is the moment" number is identifiably and lovably Macklemore."[6]
Commercial performanceedit
Due to the major international success of the duo's "Thrift Shop", there was a resurgence in sales of their previous singles and their album The Heist.
In the United Kingdom, the song debuted in the UK Singles Chart at number 187 on March 17, 2013, climbing up to number 53 the following week. It eventually peaked at number three on the chart. In Australia, "Can't Hold Us" became Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' third consecutive number-one single after "Thrift Shop" and "Same Love", reaching the top of the chart on March 25, 2013. In the United States, the song became a sleeper hit, and following a performance of the song on Saturday Night Live, the song cracked the top 10 at number 7, becoming the duo's second top 10 hit, following the number-one single "Thrift Shop". "Can't Hold Us" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 during the chart issue May 18, 2013. They became the first duo to place their two debut singles atop the chart.[1] They also became the fifth act to place their two debut singles atop the Billboard Hot 100, following Mariah Carey with "Vision of Love" and "Love Takes Time", Christina Aguilera with "Genie in a Bottle" and "What a Girl Wants", Lady Gaga with "Just Dance" and "Poker Face" and Bruno Mars with "Just the Way You Are" and "Grenade".[1] The song stayed at number one for five consecutive weeks before being surpassed by Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines". As of December 29, 2013, the song had sold 4,383,000 downloads in the United States with 4,260,000 sold in 2013, making it the eighth best-selling song of the year.[7]
The video won two MTV Video Music Awards for Best Hip-Hop Video and Director of Photography Jason Koenig, and Mego Lin won Best Cinematography, the video was nominated for Best Direction and Best Editing Nomination to Jason Koenig and Ryan Lewis. It also was placed at No. 12 on BET Notarized Top 100 in 2013. It was nominated for Best Music Video at the 2014 Grammy Awards. It reached 1 billion views in December 2022.
The song was also used in WWE Raw's 2012 Slammy Awards for the Match of the Year nominations.
The song was used in a 2012 video by FaZeClan titled "FaZe ILLCAMS – Episode 37".
During the 2012 Seattle Seahawks season, the song became the official touchdown song for the team thanks to big fan coach Pete Carroll. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, also big supporters of the Seahawks, performed "Can't Hold Us" along with "Thrift Shop" during the NFC Championship game halftime show at CenturyLink Field on January 19, 2014.
The song was used in the trailer of the 2013 film Jobs.
On March 17, 2014 Season 2 Episode 3 of the A&E TV show Bates Motel, "Can't Hold Us" was featured in a scene as music in the background.
The song is used as the theme song for the Brodozer monster truck on the Monster Jam circuit.
Macklemore himself performed the song with the Detroit Youth Choir on the season 14 finale of America's Got Talent (The Detroit Youth Choir also performed the song in the audition and the finals. This came after performing with the Ndlovu Youth Choir and Kygo performing his version of the Steve Winwood song "Higher Love" with posthumous vocals from Whitney Houston)
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
^ abcGary Trust (May 8, 2013). "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' 'Can't Hold Us' Makes Hot 100 History". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^ ab"Grammy Awards 2014: Full Nominations List". Billboard. December 6, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^"Song of the Week: 'Can't Hold Us,' Macklemore & Ryan Lewis". NJ.com. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
^Corner, Lewis (March 27, 2013). "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: 'Can't Hold Us' – Single review". Digital Spy. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
^Mylrea, Hannah. "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – 'Can't Hold Us'". The Edge. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
^Jeffries, David. "Can't Hold Us". Allmusic. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
^ abPaul Grein (January 2, 2014). "The Top 10 Albums and Songs of 2013". Chart Watch. Yahoo.
^"MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS – CAN'T HOLD US FEAT. RAY DALTON". Youtube. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
^"Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Premiere Epic 'Can't Hold Us' Video". MTV.com. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
^Hay, Travis (May 18, 2012). "Watch: Miller Genuine Draft taps Macklemore for a commercial". Guerrilla Candy. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^Carr, Austin (February 20, 2013). "Can Macklemore Help Microsoft Fend Off Gmail?". Fast Company. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
^"Macklemore's songs on college basketball – Athletes- ESPN". Espn.go.com. January 6, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^"Music from the Real World Portland Season Premiere". Soundtrack.mtv.com. March 27, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^"Jobs (2013) : Soundtracks". IMDb.com. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
^Lipshutz, Jason (December 3, 2013). "DJ Earworm's 'United State of Pop' 2013: Producer Talks 'Darker-Themed' Mash-Up". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
^Hay, Jeremy (September 30, 2013). "Rohnert Park casino launches ad campaign". The Press Democrat. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
^"YouTube Rewind: What Does 2013 Say?". YouTube. December 11, 2013.
^ ab"Can't Hold Us (Single)". Pandora Radio. Archived from the original on July 16, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^ ab"7' Vinyl Record". Macklemore LLC. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
^ ab"Can't Hold Us (2track)". Amazon (GER). Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – Can't Hold Us". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – Can't Hold Us" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – Can't Hold Us" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – Can't Hold Us" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Brazil" (PDF). ABPD. October 6, 2001. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
^"Macklemore Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201326 into search. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201423 into search. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
^"Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – Can't Hold Us". Tracklisten. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Macklemore Chart History (Euro Digital Song Sales)". Billboard.
^"Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: Can't Hold Us (Feat. Ray Dalton)" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – Can't Hold Us" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – Can't Hold Us" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Digital Singles Charts – Greece". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
^"Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Dance Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
^"Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
^"Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
^"Netlistinn viku 27, 2013" (in Icelandic). Tónlist. Archived from the original on September 4, 2013. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
^"The Official Lebanese Top 20 – Charts". Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
^"Macklemore Chart History (Luxembourg Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2013. [dead link]
^"Mexico Ingles Airplay". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 5, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
^"Top 20 Ingles Del 17 Al 23de Junio del 2013". Monitor Latino (in Spanish). RadioNotas. June 23, 2013. Archived from the original on December 10, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
^"Nederlandse Top 40 – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – Can't Hold Us" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
^"Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – Can't Hold Us". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – Can't Hold Us". VG-lista. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
^"Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Dance Top 50. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
^"Portugal Digital Songs – Peak". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
^"Russia Airplay Chart for 2014-02-03." TopHit. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
^"Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201329 into search. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201428 into search. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
^"Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – Can't Hold Us" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
^"Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – Can't Hold Us". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – Can't Hold Us". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Ukraine Airplay Chart for 2014-04-21." TopHit. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
^"Macklemore Ryan Lewis Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Macklemore Ryan Lewis Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Macklemore Ryan Lewis Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
^"Macklemore Ryan Lewis Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Macklemore Ryan Lewis Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Macklemore Ryan Lewis Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Macklemore Ryan Lewis Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
^"Pop Rock General". Record Report (in Spanish). R.R. Digital C.A. June 29, 2013. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
^"Macklemore Ryan Lewis Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
^"OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 28.04.2023–04.05.2023.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
^"2013 Year End Singles Chart". ARIA. Archived from the original on February 15, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
^"Jahreshitparade Singles 2013". austriancharts.at. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
^"Jaaroverzichten 2013". Ultratop. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
^"Rapports Annuels 2013". Ultratop. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
^"Best of 2013: Canadian Hot 100". Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
^"Top de l'année Top Singles 2013" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
^"Top 100 Singles Jahrescharts 2013" (in German). VIVA. Viacom International Media Networks. Archived from the original on January 20, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
^"Dance Top 100 – 2013". Mahasz. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
^"MAHASZ Rádiós TOP 100 – radios 2013" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
^"Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2013". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
^"Jaaroverzichten – Single 2013" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
^"Top Selling Singles of 2013". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
^"Top Radio Hits Russia Annual Chart 2013" (in Russian). TopHit. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
^"Top 50 Canciones Anual 2013". Promuiscae.es. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
^"Årslista Singlar – År 2013" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
^"Dance/Mix Show Songs – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
^"2013 Year End Charts — R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on June 24, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
^"2013 Year End Charts — Rap Songs". Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
^"Pop Songs – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
^"Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
^"Jaaroverzichten 2014: R&B/Hip-hop". Ultratop (in German). Retrieved January 23, 2022.
^"Top de l'année Top Singles 2014" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
^"Dance Top 100 – 2014". Mahasz. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
^"FIMI – Classifiche Annuali 2014 "TOP OF THE MUSIC" FIMI-GfK: un anno di musica italiana" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Archived from the original on January 13, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
^"Top Radio Hits Russia Annual Chart 2014" (in Russian). TopHit. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
^"Årslista Singlar – År 2014" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
^"Ukrainian Top Year-End Radio Hits (2014)". TopHit. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
^"Top de l'année Top Singles 2020" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
^"Top de l'année Top Singles 2021" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
^"Billboard Global 200 – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
^"Jaaroverzichten – Single 2023". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved January 3, 2024.
^"Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2023". hitparade.ch. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
^"2019 ARIA End of Decade Singles Chart". ARIA. January 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
^"Es geht Schlag auf Schlag: Die Plätze 15 und 14 unseres Jahrzehnte-Rankings erobern Ed Sheeran ("I See Fire") und Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton ("Can't Hold Us") bei den Singles sowie AC/DC ("Rock Or Bust") und @Andrea_Berg ("Abenteuer") bei den Alben" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved December 31, 2019 – via Twitter.
^Copsey, Rob (December 11, 2019). "The UK's Official Top 100 biggest songs of the decade". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
^"Decade-End Charts: Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
^"Decade-End Charts: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
^"Italian single certifications – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – Can't Hold Us" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
^"New Zealand single certifications – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – Can't Hold Us". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
^"Portuguese single certifications – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Can't Hold Us" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
^"Spanish single certifications – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Can't Hold Us". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
^"Veckolista Singlar, vecka 50, 2013 | Sverigetopplistan" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved August 23, 2022. Scroll to position 37 to view certification.
^"The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Can't Hold Us')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
^"British single certifications – Macklemore/Ryan Lewis/Dalton – Can't Hold Us". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
^"Danish single certifications – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton – Can't Hold Us". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
^"Spanish single streaming certifications" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved May 5, 2023. Select Streaming under "Categoría", select 2014 under "Año". Select 38 under "Semana". Click on "BUSCAR LISTA".