Ten years ago today, Carly Rae Jepsen released "Call Me Maybe," an exuberant piece of pop that became inescapable in launching the British Columbian to international stardom. To mark the anniversary, Jepsen has reflected on her breakthrough recording in a new note to fans.
A decade on from its release, Jepsen likens the success of "Call Me Maybe" to "a lightning bolt to my little life," recalling a time she heard people talking about her tunes publicly while working as a waitress.
"The table was seated with about 12 people who had all returned from a camping trip in Canada and had sung along to the radio the whole time. I think it was an earlier song (that only played in Canada) called 'Tug of War' that was on repeat a lot back then and they were not exactly fans," Jepsen writes. "A direct quote I overheard was something like, 'This girl Carly Rae Jepsen was on repeat over and over our whole trip and we are so sick of it.' Some of them sang the song in a mocking voice, oblivious to the fact that I was serving them food."
Jepsen writes about how she "hoped/prayed to not be recognized" while serving the table, "But then something warm in my belly began to make me feel giddy because this was the first time I had heard someone else know my name or my music."
This led her to sign her name "confidently in bold letters" on the back of the table's bill for a big reveal. Jepsen remembers, "I said, 'Thanks for letting me take care of you tonight! Also, I signed the back of your receipt since I hear you are all such big fans!' Their jaws dropped, we had a laugh, and I may have received a slightly bigger tip than usual."
"The point is, don't give up on your dreams, kids. Not three months later 'Call Me Maybe' was released and let's just say I hope that song really annoyed them. Hehe," Jepsen concludes. "Mostly I want to say thank you all for the joyous videos, silly dances, and wild nights together in different countries! You have opened my world and my heart with this adventure of a song and I could not be more grateful to you all."
As you'll find below, Jepsen has also shared "past, present and future" versions of the "Call Me Maybe" single artwork, all shot by original photographer Vanessa Heins.
Co-written by Jepsen, Tavish Crowe and Josh Ramsay of Marianas Trench, "Call Me Maybe" was the best-selling single worldwide in 2012, and remains the seventh best-selling digital single of all time. Certified eight-times Platinum in Canada, the track can also be found amongst Exclaim!'s 50 Best Canadian Songs of the 2010s.
Last year, Jepsen released Dedicated: Side B — a companion album to 2019's Dedicated — along with singles "Me and the Boys in the Band" and "It's Not Christmas Till Somebody Cries."
A decade on from its release, Jepsen likens the success of "Call Me Maybe" to "a lightning bolt to my little life," recalling a time she heard people talking about her tunes publicly while working as a waitress.
"The table was seated with about 12 people who had all returned from a camping trip in Canada and had sung along to the radio the whole time. I think it was an earlier song (that only played in Canada) called 'Tug of War' that was on repeat a lot back then and they were not exactly fans," Jepsen writes. "A direct quote I overheard was something like, 'This girl Carly Rae Jepsen was on repeat over and over our whole trip and we are so sick of it.' Some of them sang the song in a mocking voice, oblivious to the fact that I was serving them food."
Jepsen writes about how she "hoped/prayed to not be recognized" while serving the table, "But then something warm in my belly began to make me feel giddy because this was the first time I had heard someone else know my name or my music."
This led her to sign her name "confidently in bold letters" on the back of the table's bill for a big reveal. Jepsen remembers, "I said, 'Thanks for letting me take care of you tonight! Also, I signed the back of your receipt since I hear you are all such big fans!' Their jaws dropped, we had a laugh, and I may have received a slightly bigger tip than usual."
"The point is, don't give up on your dreams, kids. Not three months later 'Call Me Maybe' was released and let's just say I hope that song really annoyed them. Hehe," Jepsen concludes. "Mostly I want to say thank you all for the joyous videos, silly dances, and wild nights together in different countries! You have opened my world and my heart with this adventure of a song and I could not be more grateful to you all."
As you'll find below, Jepsen has also shared "past, present and future" versions of the "Call Me Maybe" single artwork, all shot by original photographer Vanessa Heins.
Co-written by Jepsen, Tavish Crowe and Josh Ramsay of Marianas Trench, "Call Me Maybe" was the best-selling single worldwide in 2012, and remains the seventh best-selling digital single of all time. Certified eight-times Platinum in Canada, the track can also be found amongst Exclaim!'s 50 Best Canadian Songs of the 2010s.
Last year, Jepsen released Dedicated: Side B — a companion album to 2019's Dedicated — along with singles "Me and the Boys in the Band" and "It's Not Christmas Till Somebody Cries."
