Can't Hold Us

Composition

The song runs for 4 minutes and 18 seconds and is in the key of E minor, with a fast tempo of 146 beats per minute. The song features tribal percussion, with samples from Dave Clark Five’s Bits and Pieces.

Critical reception

"Can't Hold Us" received critical acclaim. NJ.com named it as "Song of the Week". Lewis Corner of Digital Spy gave the song four stars out of five, praising its "infectious, soul-soaked piano line and beats more vibrant than Rio de Janeiro's finest carnival floats". Writing for The Edge, Hannah Mylrea rated the song 9/10 and complimented the duo's dynamism, deeming it "another massive summer hit". ''AllMusic'''s David Jeffries also gave it four stars out of five and wrote: "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis combine the handclapping, foot-stomping, and propulsive rhythms of old-fashioned gospel music with an infectious, uplifting chorus that could have been ripped straight out of will.i.am's playbook...this motivational, "this is the moment" number is identifiably and lovably Macklemore."

Commercial performance

Due to the major international success of the duo's "Thrift Shop", there was a resurgence in sales of their previous singles and their album The Heist.

In the United Kingdom, the song debuted in the UK Singles Chart at number 187 on March 17, 2013, climbing up to number 53 the following week. It eventually peaked at number three on the chart. In Australia, "Can't Hold Us" became Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' third consecutive number-one single after "Thrift Shop" and "Same Love", reaching the top of the chart on March 25, 2013. In the United States, the song became a sleeper hit, and following a performance of the song on Saturday Night Live, the song cracked the top 10 at number 7, becoming the duo's second top 10 hit, following the number-one single "Thrift Shop". "Can't Hold Us" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 during the chart issue May 18, 2013. They became the first duo to place their two debut singles atop the chart. They also became the fifth act to place their two debut singles atop the Billboard Hot 100, following Mariah Carey with "Vision of Love" and "Love Takes Time", Christina Aguilera with "Genie in a Bottle" and "What a Girl Wants", Lady Gaga with "Just Dance" and "Poker Face" and Bruno Mars with "Just the Way You Are" and "Grenade". The song stayed at number one for five consecutive weeks before being surpassed by Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines". As of December 29, 2013, the song had sold 4,383,000 downloads in the United States, with 4,260,000 sold in 2013, making it the eighth best-selling song of the year.

Music video

Macklemore premiered the music video for "Can't Hold Us" on April 17, 2013. The video was directed by Ryan Lewis, Jason Koenig and Jon Jon Augustavo, and shooting took place for 17 days, on 2 continents and 16 different shoots, ranging from the Pacific Northwest to Southern California to New Zealand at Cathedral Cove where scenes for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian were also shot. Several prominent parts were filmed on the tall ship Lady Washington.

The video won two MTV Video Music Awards for Best Hip-Hop Video and Director of Photography Jason Koenig, and Mego Lin won Best Cinematography, the video was nominated for Best Direction and Best Editing Nomination to Jason Koenig and Ryan Lewis. It also was placed at No. 12 on BET Notarized Top 100 in 2013. It was nominated for Best Music Video at the 2014 Grammy Awards. It reached 1 billion views in December 2022.

Usage in the media

In May 2012, the song was re-released and featured in an International TV commercial for Miller Genuine Draft, created by the advertising agency me&lewis ideas. In early 2013, the song was used in a U.S. television commercial for Microsoft's Outlook.com webmail service.{{Cite news | access-date= March 5, 2013 The song was also used in the background of ESPN's College GameDay commercials, the March 2013 premiere episode of MTV's The Real World: Portland, in commercials for the movie R.I.P.D. and in the trailer for the film Grudge Match. It is featured on the soundtrack for the 2013 film on Steve Jobs titled Jobs and the American basketball video game NBA 2K14. The song is featured on the Ubisoft dance game Just Dance 2014 as downloadable content. On July 2, 2013, mash-up artist DJ Earworm released a summer mash-up, incorporating "Can't Hold Us" with 10 other songs that became popular in summer 2013. In late 2013, the chorus from the song was used in an ad campaign for the opening of the Graton Resort & Casino in Northern California.{{Cite news | access-date= December 5, 2013

The song was also used in ''WWE Raw'''s 2012 Slammy Awards for the Match of the Year nominations.

The song was used in a 2012 video by FaZeClan titled "FaZe ILLCAMS – Episode 37".

During the 2012 Seattle Seahawks season, the song became the official touchdown song for the team thanks to big fan coach Pete Carroll. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, also big supporters of the Seahawks, performed "Can't Hold Us" along with "Thrift Shop" during the NFC Championship game halftime show at CenturyLink Field on January 19, 2014.

When the Oklahoma City Thunder started to use the song during games, Macklemore took issue with the team as they had controversially relocated from Seattle when they were formerly the Seattle SuperSonics.

The song was used in the trailer of the 2013 film Jobs.

On March 17, 2014 Season 2 Episode 3 of the A&E TV show Bates Motel, "Can't Hold Us" was featured in a scene as music in the background.

On December 13, 2014 Season 11 player Fleur East sang the song at The X Factor final.

In 2014, the song was also used in the comedy film Horrible Bosses 2.

The song was also used in the third trailer of Ice Age: Collision Course.

The song was used in season 5, episode 12 of 90210, when Liam was fighting in the gym.

The song was played during the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final opening ceremony.

The song is also used in the 2016 film Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life.

The song was also used for Canada, Mexico and United States' Joint Bid for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The song is used as the theme song for the Brodozer monster truck on the Monster Jam circuit.

Macklemore performed the song during MLS Cup 2019, which was held at CenturyLink Field.

Macklemore himself performed the song with the Detroit Youth Choir on the season 14 finale of America's Got Talent (The Detroit Youth Choir also performed the song in the audition and the finals. This came after performing with the Ndlovu Youth Choir and Kygo performing his version of the Steve Winwood song "Higher Love" with posthumous vocals from Whitney Houston)

The song was formerly used by the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning stretch at T-Mobile Park. It was previously played after every home run.

The song was used in the roll call for Washington state at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

Track listing

• Digital download
  1. "Can't Hold Us" – 4:10
  2. "Can't Hold Us" (instrumental) – 4:10
• 7-inch single
  1. "Can't Hold Us" – 4:10
  2. "Make the Money" – 3:45
• CD single (Germany)
  1. "Can't Hold Us" – 4:10
  2. "Wings" – 3:45.

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Awards and nominations

Release history

References

References

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