Guess WHO
| "Guess WHO" | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Promotional single (digital) by Curriculum from the album Syllabus | |||||||||||
| Released | 28 November 2013 | ||||||||||
| Recorded | 2011 | ||||||||||
| Genre |
Alternative pop Pop rock | ||||||||||
| Label | Blacklight | ||||||||||
| Writer |
Gregory Preston Olivier Phillip Mandelbaum Wyatt van Cleef Dana Breckenridge Stephanie Kesh | ||||||||||
| Producer | Shawn Middlesbrough | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
"Guess WHO" is a song by American indie pop band Curriculum taken from their debut album Syllabus, released in 2012. On 28 November 2013, "Guess WHO" was released as the second digital promotional single and sixth overall release from the album. Written by members of the band and produced by Shawn Middlesbrough, the song lyrically serves as a "cautionary tale" of a man who refuses to practice safe sex, which causes him to contract HIV which turns to AIDS which he dies from. Musically, the song is inspired the Hall and Oates' rendition of "Family Man", a popular song in the 1980s, giving the song an upbeat feel to it despite its grim and dark lyrics.
The song was released as a digital single for charity-related purposes, reminiscent of how they promoted their previous single "All Pink Everything" for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For "Guess WHO", however, the promotional, which was minimal since it was a digital single, geared toward World AIDS Day and raising AIDS awareness.
The song received mixed reviews from critics and fans who complimented the song's Hall and Oates-inspired and its wordplay while criticizing and accusing the band for "blatant slut-shaming" and "chastising" AIDS victims instead of "encouraging" them. Commercially successful, however, "Guess WHO" reached #3 on the UK Digital Chart.
Background, lyrics, and composition[edit | edit source]
"Guess WHO" is the tenth track from the band's debut album Syllabus, which was released in February 2012. The song's title "Guess WHO", the "WHO" is capitalized in reference to the World Health Organization, which tracks the awareness of HIV/AIDS.
The song was written by Gregory Preston Olivier, Phillip Mandelbaum, Wyatt van Cleef, Dana Breckenridge, and Stephanie Kesh. According to Olivier, the song was inspired by "sexually irresponsible promiscuous" people who do not practice safe sex when having unprotected sex with multiple partners and furthermore thinking that they are invincible to get sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. Lyrically, the song details a man who is sexually promiscuous and refuses to practice safe sex. He eventually contracts HIV and possibly leaves it untreated, causing it to turn into AIDS, which he dies from. The chorus details his regret of not being more aware about AIDS and cautious about his sexual activities.
Produced by Shawn Middlesbrough, the song is an alternative song that incorporates a 1980's pop-rock influence. The melody of the song was inspired by the 1980s Hall and Oates' rendition of "Family Man".
Release[edit | edit source]
Every December 1st is World AIDS Day. As such, the band decided to release "Guess WHO" as a digital single on 28 November 2013. The single was released for the purpose of charity and to raise HIV/AIDS awareness and the importance of practicing safe sex.
Critical reception[edit | edit source]
"Guess WHO" received mixed reviews from critics and fans. The song was praised for its production and its lyrical wordplay. It was also criticized for the "blatant slut-shaming" of sexual active people and for chastising instead of encouraging HIV/AIDS victims.
Olivier acknowledged that there were/are other ways to getting HIV/AIDS aside from unprotected sex but stated that the song was written for people who chose to engage in risky sexual behavior and ignore some of the repercussions that could happen, such as contracting HIV.
Commercial performance[edit | edit source]
"Guess WHO" debuted and peaked at #3 on the UK Digital Chart, selling 10,631 copies in its first week.
"Guess WHO" charted at #2 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
Charts[edit | edit source]
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Digital Chart (UOCC) | 3 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard) | 2 |
