"Outside" is a song by Scottish DJ and record producer Calvin Harris, featuring English singer Ellie Goulding, from Harris's fourth studio album, Motion (2014). It was released on 20 October 2014 as the album's fourth single. The song also appears on the deluxe edition of Goulding's third studio album, Delirium (2015). "Outside" marks the second collaboration between Harris and Goulding, following the single "I Need Your Love" (2013).
With a tempo of 128 beats per minute, "Outside" is composed in the key of D minor. It follows a chord progression of B♭-Gm-Dm-C.[3]
Critical receptionedit
The song received positive reviews from music critics, calling it a great follow-up of their previous collaboration, and noting it as a highlight of the album. Brent Faulkner of PopMatters praised the song as "one of Motion's crème de la crème records" and wrote that it "latches from a first listen giving the set arguably its strongest pop hit."[4] Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly commented that on "Outside", Harris "finds the perfect balance between [Goulding's] vulnerable warble and the warping synths underneath".[5]Idolator's Robbie Daw found the song to be "just as pleasant, if not slightly more so, than Calvin and Ellie's previous outing together, 2012's 'I Need Your Love.' It's good to hear that there's still quite a bit of musical magic when these two hit the studio together."[6]
Carolyn Menyes of Music Times stated, "There's something that works so well about Harris' string effect synth beats and Goulding's whispered ethereal voice. We've heard it before in 'I Need Your Love' and it's back here again in full force for yet another magical combination."[7] Heather Phares of AllMusic felt that the track "doesn't quite recapture the magic of [Harris and Goulding's] previous work but does make the most of her deceptively powerful soprano, this time in a more upbeat setting."[8]Slant Magazine's James Rainis opined that "[t]he most notable characteristic of 'Outside' [...] is that the hook's cadence is exactly the same as the Carly Rae Jepsen/Owl City song 'Good Time,' but it lacks that song's cutesy charm."[9] Chase Hunt of AXS viewed the song as "a decent pairing but an expected outcome."[10]
Commercial performanceedit
"Outside" entered and peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart, selling 28,902 copies in its first week.[11] It remained at number six the following week, selling 35,590 copies.[12] In its third week, the song fell to number 10 with 33,208 copies sold.[13]
In the United States, "Outside" became Harris's eighth number-one single on Billboard's Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart for the week ending 7 March 2015, surpassing both David Guetta and Madonna, who along with Harris were tied with seven. It also gives Goulding her third number-one on this chart.[14] On the Billboard Hot 100, the song peaked at number 29, making it Harris's eighth and Goulding's fifth top-40 single.
Music videoedit
The music video for "Outside" was directed by Emil Nava and filmed in Los Angeles on 20 October 2014.[15] The video premiered on 12 November 2014.[16]
The video depicts two separate couples in toxic and abusive relationships. Harris and Goulding each play partners in the separate relationships who both appear to be the chief recipient of the abuse. The video is also intercut with shots of Goulding singing directly to the camera in front while her boyfriend rides a motorcycle and Harris being attacked by his girlfriend throwing glass glasses and plates at him of a suburban house, surreal images that bend the fore- and background, objects in the frame freezing in time, Goulding being suspended in the air, and Goulding with a floating rectangular mirror that eventually shatters. The video ends with Ellie Goulding and Calvin Harris together in the house in the midst of a mid-fight freeze frame, leaving the viewer to question which version was reality.[15]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^Locker, Melissa (20 October 2014). "Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding Team Up on Sizzling New Track "Outside"". Time. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
^Hall, James (25 March 2016). "Ellie Goulding needs to find her personality – review". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
^"Calvin Harris "Outside" Sheet Music". Musicnotes. 7 November 2014.
^Faulkner, Brent (18 November 2014). "Calvin Harris: Motion". PopMatters. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
^Anderson, Kyle (19 November 2014). "Motion". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
^Daw, Robbie (20 October 2014). "Calvin Harris And Ellie Goulding's "Outside": Listen To Their 'Motion' Track". Idolator. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
^Menyes, Carolyn (20 October 2014). "Calvin Harris, Ellie Goulding "Outside" Review: "I Need Your Love" Duo Reunite for Spacey Breakup Anthem [LISTEN]". Music Times. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
^Rainis, James (4 November 2014). "Calvin Harris: Motion". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
^Hunt, Chase (16 November 2014). "Review: Calvin Harris 'Motion' a solid set but played safe". AXS. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
^Jones, Alan (10 November 2014). "Official Charts analysis: Ed Sheeran pips Calvin Harris to No.1 on albums". Music Week. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
^Jones, Alan (17 November 2014). "Official Charts analysis: Wake Me Up returns to singles summit as Children In Need charity track". Music Week. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
^Jones, Alan (24 November 2014). "Official Charts analysis: 1D land fourth consecutive No.1 LP as Four sells 141,780". Music Week. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
^"Chart Highlights: Madonna's 'Living for Love' Debuts on Pop Songs, Leads Dance Club Songs". Billboard. 23 February 2015. Archived from the original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
^ abGottlieb, Steven (12 November 2014). "Calvin Harris f/ Ellie Goulding "Outside" (Emil Nava, dir.)". VideoStatic. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
^Corner, Lewis (12 November 2014). "Calvin Harris, Ellie Goulding premiere 'Outside' music video". Digital Spy. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
^ ab"Outside (2014) | Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding". 7digital. United States. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
^ ab"Outside: Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding". Amazon (in German). Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
^"Hardwell, Calvin Harris, Ellie Goulding — Outside feat. Ellie Goulding (Hardwell Remix) [Fly Eye Records]". Beatport. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
^"Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding – Outside" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
^"Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding – Outside" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
^"Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding – Outside" (in Dutch). Ultratop Dance. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
^"Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding – Outside" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
^"Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding – Outside" (in French). Ultratop Dance. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
^"Calvin Harris Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
^"Calvin Harris Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
^"Top Géneros Colombia – Anglo" (in Spanish). National-Report. 27 April 2015. Archived from the original on 7 May 2015.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201506 into search. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201447 into search. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
^"Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
^"Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Dance Top 50. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
^"Ellie Goulding Chart History (Portugal Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 November 2020. [dead link]
^"Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201502 into search. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201501 into search. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
^"Tedenska lestvica" (in Slovenian). SloTop50. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
^"Brazilian single certifications – Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding – Outside" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
^"Canadian single certifications – Calvin Harris – Outside (ft. Ellie Goulding)". Music Canada. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
^"Danish single certifications – Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding – Outside". IFPI Danmark. 3 November 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
^"Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding; 'Outside')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
^"Italian single certifications – Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding – Outside" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
^"Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. 13 June 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023. Type Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Outside in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
^"New Zealand single certifications – Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding – Outside". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
^"Norwegian single certifications – Calvin Harris – Outside" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
^"Portuguese single certifications – Calvin Harris – Outside" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
^"Spanish single certifications – Calvin Harris – Outside". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
^"British single certifications – Calvin Harris ft Ellie Goulding – Outside". British Phonographic Industry. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.