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"Criminals" is a song by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor from the deluxe edition of her sixth major-label studio album, Timeless (2024). Trainor wrote it with songwriters Tyler Johnson and Josh Kear, and her brother Justin handled production. The song became available as the deluxe edition's second track on August 16, 2024, when it was released by Epic Records.

"Criminals" was initially intended for inclusion on Trainor's third major-label studio album, Treat Myself (2020), but failed to make the cut after she rewrote the album to make it a pop record that feels relevant in an era when hip-hop reigns. The song gained popularity after becoming the opening theme for the 2024 Netflix miniseries The Perfect Couple.

Background

Meghan Trainor began recording songs for her third major-label studio album, Treat Myself (2020), while still recovering from her second vocal cord surgery. She wrote a track called "Call Us Criminals" with songwriters Tyler Johnson and Josh Kear. In January 2018, Trainor stated that it was her favorite song on the album, which she called her "best work yet" two months later. As Trainor rewrote Treat Myself four times, to make it a pop record that feels relevant in an era when hip-hop reigns, "Call Us Criminals" failed to make the final cut.

Trainor returned to her doo-wop sound on her fifth major-label studio album, Takin' It Back (2022), after the song "Title" attained viral popularity on video-sharing service TikTok in 2021. The album included the single "Made You Look", which went viral on TikTok and became her highest-charting single in years. Trainor continued the sound on her sixth major-label studio album, Timeless (2024), which was a doo-wop and bubblegum pop record. "Criminals" became available as the album's deluxe edition's second track on August 16, 2024, when it was released by Epic Records.

Composition

"Criminals" is two minutes and 34 seconds long. Trainor's brother Justin produced and programmed the song, and he engineered it with Andrew Wells and Bo Bodnar. Wells and Taubenfeld play guitar. Johnson, Kear, Bodnar, Trainor and her brother Ryan, and Daryl Sabara provided background vocals. Trainor handled vocal production, Randy Merrill mastered the song, and Jeremie Inhaber mixed it. Wells provided additional production.

Inclusion in The Perfect Couple

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Timeless (Deluxe).

• Justin Trainor – producer, engineer, programming
• Meghan Trainor – lead vocals, background vocals, songwriter, vocal producer
• Tyler Johnson – songwriter, background vocals
• Josh Kear – songwriter, background vocals
• Andrew Wells – engineer, guitar, additional producer
• Drew Taubenfeld – guitar
• Bo Bodnar – engineer, background vocals
• Ryan Trainor – background vocals
• Daryl Sabara – background vocals
• Randy Merrill – mastering
• Jeremie Inhaber – mixing

References

1. ^ Weatherby, Taylor (March 1, 2018). "Meghan Trainor Details How Her Family & Fiance Reassured She's 'Built to Be a Pop Star' After Vocal Surgery". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 2, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
2. ^ Epic Records (2024). Timeless (Deluxe) (Media notes). Meghan Trainor.
3. Trainor, Meghan (January 19, 2018). "Yes, a few. My fave right now is 'Call Us Criminals' 😏" (Tweet). Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Twitter.
4. Feeney, Nolan (January 14, 2020). "Pop Music Is Changing, So Meghan Trainor Did Too". Billboard. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
5. Jones, Brian (May 12, 2022). "Meghan Trainor Reveals How She's Taking It Back for Upcoming Album". PopCulture.com. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
6. Lipshutz, Jason (November 2, 2022). "Trending Up: Rihanna and Meghan Trainor Make Two Very Different Pop Comebacks". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
7. Wert, Nicole (November 10, 2022). "Meghan Trainor 'Forces' Her Brother to Do TikTok Trend to Her Song". Parade. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
8. "Meghan Trainor Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
9. Griffiths, George (November 6, 2022). "Taylor Swift on Track for Third Week at Number 1 with 'Anti-Hero'". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on November 22, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
10. "Meghan Trainor – Made You Look". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
11. Jack, Benjamin (June 11, 2024). "Meghan Trainor — Timeless". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
12. Meagher, John (June 6, 2024). "Meghan Trainor: 'I Compare Myself to Other People Online All the Time… I Want to Protect My Kids From All That'". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on June 6, 2024. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
13. "Timeless (Deluxe) — Album by Meghan Trainor". Apple Music (US). Retrieved August 16, 2024.