Pop 101

"Pop 101" is a song recorded by Canadian pop rock band Marianas Trench, featuring hip hop artist Anami Vice. Written and produced by lead singer Josh Ramsay, it was released July 29, 2014 through 604 Records, Cherrytree Records, and Interscope Records.^[1][2] Originally announced as the lead single off the band's forthcoming fourth studio album, Astoria (2015), the song was later scrapped from the album and serves only as a buzz single; it is also included on their 2015 extended play, Something Old / Something New.^[3] "Pop 101" entered the Canadian Hot 100 at No. 27, and was certified Gold by Music Canada in November 2014.^[4][5]

"Pop 101"
Single by Marianas Trench featuring Anami Vice
from the album Something Old / Something New
Released	July 29, 2014 (2014-07-29)
Genre	Pop
Length	4:14
Label	604 Cherrytree Interscope
Songwriter(s)	Josh Ramsay
Producer(s)	Josh Ramsay
Marianas Trench singles chronology
"By Now" (2013) "Pop 101" (2014) "Here's to the Zeros" (2014)
Anami Vice singles chronology
"Tough Love" (2012) "Pop 101" (2014)

Content

"Pop 101" is primarily a pop song with influences of pop rock, but also features allusions to hip hop, EDM, and folk music.^[6] The song is satirical in nature, scrutinizing the music industry and particularly the trends and clichés of modern pop music.^[7] Ryan McNutt of AUX.TV found the song to be "oddly compelling" given writer/producer Josh Ramsay's own formulaic work and success with "Call Me Maybe" (2011).^[6]

Music video

The video for "Pop 101" was directed by Kyle Davison and parodies music video tropes and current trends of celebrity culture, including house parties, twerking and harems.^[8][9] It premiered August 1, 2014 exclusively on MuchMusic^[9] before being uploaded to the group's official VEVO page on August 4.^[8]

Chart performance

"Pop 101" debuted at No. 27 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 on the chart dated August 16, 2014.^[4]

Chart performance for "Pop 101"

Chart (2014)	Peak position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[10]	27
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[11]	22
Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[12]	11

Certifications

Certifications for "Pop 101"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[5]	Platinum	80,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Pop 101 (Barely feat. Anami Vice) - Single". iTunes Store (CA). Apple Inc. Archived from the original on 25 November 2014.
2. "Multi-Platinum Selling Group Marianas Trench Release New Single "Pop 101" (Barely Feat. Anami Vice) Today, July 29th". Cherrytree Records. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
3. "Something Old / Something New – EP by Marianas Trench". iTunes Store CA. Apple Inc.
4. "Chart Search". Billboard Canadian Hot 100 for Marianas Trench. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
5. "Canadian single certifications – Marianas Trench – Pop 101". Music Canada.
6. McNutt, Ryan. "Ironic pop can still make for great music". AUX. Blue Ant Media. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
7. Sternall, Allison. "NEWS: Marianas Trench Release "Pop 101" on iTunes". Confront Magazine. Archived from the original on September 14, 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
8. "Pop 101 - Marianas Trench". Retrieved 11 August 2014 – via VEVO.
9. Melody. "Marianas Trench Take On Robin Thicke, Mumford & Sons and LMFAO In Their New Video". MuchMusic. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
10. "Marianas Trench Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
11. "Marianas Trench Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
12. "Marianas Trench Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 December 2014.