Making Hate
| "Making Hate" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Wyatt van Cleef | |
| Released | February 18, 2013 |
| Format | Digital download |
| Recorded | late 2012 or early 2013 |
| Genre | Indie pop |
| Label | Blacklight |
| Writer |
Wyatt van Cleef Hilton van Cleef Stephanie Kesh |
| Producer | Shawn Middlesbrough |
"Making Hate" is a song by Curriculum band member Wyatt van Cleef. Serving as his debut solo release, the song was released as a digital only single in the UK on February 18, 2013 and as single in the US on February 19, 2013. In late 2013, the song was released as a single in the Netherlands and Belgium. The song premiered on February 7, 2013 via van Cleef's Tumblr blog.
The song received lots of controversy for its subject which revolved around a person who does not want to leave his turbulent and violent relationship. Commercially, the single peaked at #13 on the UK Downloads Chart, #99 on the Billboard Hot 100, #24 on the Flemish Ultratop 50 in Belgium, and #6 in the Netherlands.
Background and composition[edit | edit source]
"Making Hate", which was written by van Cleef, his brother Hilton, and Stephanie Kesh and produced by Shawn Middlesbrough, thematically touches on domestic violence and on-gain/off-again relationships while lyrically being about a turbulent and often violent love/hate relationship between two lovers. van Cleef was inspired to write the song after he witnessed one of his older brothers getting into a violent fist fight with his boyfriend, only to have the both of them make out passionately very soon after. The title of the song is a pun of the phrase "making love", which itself is a euphemism of having sex.
Sonically, the song combines elements of afrobeat, Bollywood-inspired music, and "dramatic and cinematic" string music. van Cleef sings all vocals on the song, which had to be heavily edited through pitch correction.
In 2014, the melody, arrangement, and production of "Making Hate" was used for van Cleef's band Curriculum's song "On The Run". Unlike "Making Hate", however, "On The Run" has completely different lyrics and subject matter; whereas "Making Hate" is about domestic violence, "On The Run" is about two lovers escaping and "being on the run".
Release[edit | edit source]
The single was released digitally only in the UK on February 18, 2013 as a digital promotional single in the US on February 19, 2013. A digitally only release, a full single release was initially not planned or intended to take place though it was later released officially in the United States, the Netherlands, and Belgium in mid and late 2013. The song remained a promotional single in the UK and was not released there officially.
Reception[edit | edit source]
The song received mixed to negative reviews, with the lyrics and the song's message causing much controversy while the melody of the song was highly praised. Many people called the song "gross", "despicable", and "disrespectful" and criticized van Cleef romanticizing and making light of domestic violence. van Cleef responded to the criticism by saying that people "need to just chill the hell out. It's just a song." His response drew accusations that he was "nonchalant and uncaring" about the serious topic of domestic violence.
Commercial performance[edit | edit source]
"Making Hate" debuted at #13 on the UK Downloads Chart in February 2013 and stayed on the chart for two weeks. It sold 12,596 copies in its first week. It fell to #15 the following week and then fell off the week after. It has sold over 24,000 copies to date in the UK.
In the United States, the singled debuted and peaked at #99 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The single also peaked at #24 in Flanders Belgium and #6 in the Netherlands, becoming his first top ten hit there. The single was later certified Platinum in the Netherlands.
Music video[edit | edit source]
A music video was shot but was never released. van Cleef later revealed he deleted the video and burned DVDs of it as well, so that no one will be able to view it, though he admits to showing the video to his bandmates.
Charts[edit | edit source]
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Downloads Chart (URAPS) | 13 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) | 24 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) | 6 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 99 |
See Also[edit | edit source]
- "On The Run", a song by van Cleef's band Curriculum which uses the same melody, arrangement, and production of "Making Hate" but with completely different lyrics and subject matter.
