Sam Smith “Unholy” hit #1

Unholy Sam Smith with Kim Petras

Writer(s): Sam Smith, Kim Petras, James Napier, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Henry Walter, Blake Slatkin, Omer Fedi (see lyrics here) Released: September 22, 2022 First Charted: October 5, 2022 Peak: 11 BB, 14 BA, 14 DG, 14 ST, 16 RR, 29 AC, 11 A40, 14 UK, 14 CN, 16 AU, 30 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 1.2 UK, 5.10 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 458.60 video, 1509.59 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Singer/songwriter Sam Smith was born in 1992 in London, England. He first made a name for himself as the guest singer on Disclosure’s “Latch” (#11 UK, 2012) and Naughty Boy’s “La La La” (#1 UK, 2013). He released his first solo album, In the Lonely Hour, in 2014. The album sold 12 million copies worldwide, propelled by three #1 singles in the UK, including “Stay with Me.” 2017 saw the release of The Thrill of It All and Love Goes followed in 2020. Both reached the top 5 in the UK and U.S.. Fourth album, Gloria, came out in 2023. The album’s single, “Unholy,” gave him his sixth top-ten hit and first chart-topper in the United States. Variety’s Jem Aswad called it “one of the most musically innovative and unusual songs in years” WK top top the Billboard Hot 100. Petras was born male in 1992 in Germany. She started hormone therapy at 12, completing her gender transition four years later. At the time, she was the youngest person in the world to undergo sex affirmation surgery. SF From 2011 to 2020, she released multiple singles and EPs, but none reached any of the major U.S. or UK charts. “Unholy” was not only a breakthrough for Petras, but a triumph for the LGBQT+ community as it marked the first time an openly non-binary artist (Smith) and an openly transgender artist (Kim Petras) topped the Billboard Hot 100. It is a “sexually charged electropop, dance-pop, and synth-pop song…which marked a shift away from ballads for Smith.” WK Lyrically, it focuses on a man who cheats on his wife at a strip club, specifically The Body Shop, an infamous LA Sunset Strip club. SF Smith sings from the perspective of one of the man’s acquaintances. SF Petras sings from the perspective of the woman with whom the man cheats. SF Critics praised the song as “catchy yet unusual.” WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Sam Smith SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 1/7/2024; last updated 4/14/2024.