Call Me Maybe

Did You Know?

• Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez first heard the song on the radio in Canada in December 2011, and Bieber tweeted it was 'possibly the catchiest song I've ever heard'.
• The music video's twist ending reveals the attractive boy next door is attracted to a male band member.
• The song was nominated for two Grammy Awards: Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.
• It was the best-selling single worldwide in 2012, selling over 12 million copies in that year alone.

Critical reception

The song received critical acclaim. Melody Lau of Rolling Stone called it "a sugary dance-pop tune about hoping for a call back from a crush," while Kat George of VH1 described it as a "guilty pop pleasure." Emma Carmichael of Gawker, in a long review, called it the "new perfect pop song," adding that it is "flawless" and that listeners would be "virtually incapable of escaping the song and its strident disco strings and that horribly catchy hook."

Nicole James of MTV said it is "probably the catchiest song I have ever heard" and noted that "the moment you press play you're sucked in." Maura Johnston of The Village Voice deemed it an "utterly earwormy" song. Emily Van Zandt of RedEye wrote that after hearing it, she felt like "skipping around handing my number out to random bros." Jim Farber of the New York Daily News said that "in lyrical construction, melodic flourish and instrumental arrangement, 'Maybe' has the urgency and sweep of the greatest teen pop songs ever recorded."

Pitchfork ranked it the 29th best song of 2012, and Rolling Stone ranked it the 50th greatest single of that year. It was voted the best single of 2012 by The Village Voice's 40th annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll. In 2017, Billboard ranked it number one on its list "The Best Chorus of the 21st Century." In 2021, Rolling Stone placed it at number 436 on its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.

In 2022, Rachel Seo of Variety ranked it as Jepsen's 11th best song, writing that it "evokes memories of 2012" and that "if there was a song that could be considered most likely to bring about world peace, 'Call Me Maybe' might rank second (after John Lennon's 'Imagine')."

Commercial performance

"Call Me Maybe" became a major hit first in Canada, then in the United States and internationally. In Canada, it entered the Canadian Hot 100 at number 97 in October 2011 and climbed to number one in its 17th week on the chart, making Carly Rae Jepsen the fifth Canadian artist to top that chart, following Avril Lavigne, Nelly Furtado, Nikki Yanofsky, and Young Artists for Haiti. Jepsen said she felt honored to be mentioned alongside artists she had long admired.

The song earned a Diamond certification from Music Canada for 800,000 units sold in the country and spent 74 weeks on the chart. In the United States, it debuted at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 2012 with 80,000 downloads, entered the top ten at number ten in April, and reached number one in June, where it stayed for nine consecutive weeks. Jepsen became the first Canadian female artist to top the Hot 100 since Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" in 2007, and the first Canadian artist of any gender to have a number one in the 2010s.

The song is one of only four by Canadian artists to log seven weeks at number one, tying with "Sh-Boom" by the Crew-Cuts, "Informer" by Snow featuring MC Shan, and "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" by Bryan Adams. It also reached number one on the Digital Songs and Mainstream Top 40 charts. "Call Me Maybe" holds the record for the longest run at number one on the US Hot 100 among female Canadian artists and is tied with Percy Faith's 1960 instrumental "Theme from a Summer Place" for the longest run among all Canadian artists.

Music video

The "Call Me Maybe" music video was directed by Ben Knechtel, who wrote it and filmed it at a Langley, British Columbia address on October 30, 2011. Knechtel wanted a twist ending that avoided the typical boy-meets-girl plot. The video first appeared on December 9, 2011, and was uploaded again on March 1, 2012. In a 2018 interview, actor Holden Nowell said he received $500 for his role and was told he would get residuals, but never saw any royalty payments. He also opposed an early plan for his character to kiss the guitarist, saying he was not comfortable doing that for $500. Nowell claimed he suggested the final version, where he simply hands his number to a guy instead.

Cover versions and parodies

Numerous parody and lip dub videos have been released online since the song's release. Big Time Rush, Ashley Tisdale, Justin Bieber, and Selena Gomez uploaded a parody video on February 18, 2012, which had over 75 million views as of August 2019. Katy Perry released a viral video with her friends on April 19, 2012, and the cast of E!'s Fashion Police released one on May 4, 2012. The Harvard University baseball team uploaded a lip-sync video on May 6, 2012, which had over 19 million views as of August 2019.

The Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders made a cover that garnered over 25 million views as of August 2019. Crystal Palace F.C. released a cover on July 11, 2012, featuring their cheerleaders, as a promotional campaign for season tickets. In July 2012, members of the United States Armed Forces stationed in Kandahar International Airport, Afghanistan, released a lip dub video. The Baracksdubs YouTube channel produced a satire version using clips of Barack Obama.

New York Mets infielder Justin Turner used the song as his at-bat music. On July 3, 2012, Mabson Enterprises released a digital compilation of 43 remixes or covers. On July 20, 2012, the cast of Hollywood Heights made a cover. On July 26, 2012, the United States Olympic swimming team posted a lip-sync video.

On July 30, 2012, a mashup video featuring NASA footage of the Mars Science Laboratory was posted, and later played for the Mars Curiosity Rover team as a wake-up call.