Outlaw

"Outlaw"
Single by Alesha
from the album The White Album
B-side	"Folsom Prison Blues" "Friend of the Devil"
Released	March 13, 2017 (2017-03-13)
Format	Digital EP · 7" vinyl
Recorded	2016
Genre	Folk rock · outlaw country
Label	Fusion Records
Writer(s)	Alesha
Producer	Alesha
Certification	Platinum
Alesha chronology
"Winter" (2016) "Outlaw" (2017) "Alright" (2017)

"Outlaw" is a song by British recording artist Alesha. The song was written and produced by Alesha for her tenth studio album, The White Album (2016). "Outlaw" is an alternative rock song, taking influence from indie folk and country music, specifically the outlaw movement popularized in the 1970s. Alesha depicts herself as a desperado, "bringing terror to your town", and subverts gender norms with brazenly feminist lyrics. "Outlaw" was released as the third single from The White Album on March 13, 2017. The song was also included on the compilation album Number Ones later that year.

"Outlaw" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who cited the song as one of the album's standouts and praised Alesha's "audacious" lyrics. Some reviewers criticized its musical composition. It was commercially successful, charting at number one on the official singles chart. Remaining in the top 40 for a number of months, "Outlaw" became Alesha's third single to sell over 900,000 copies.

The accompanying music video for "Outlaw" was directed by Jonas Åkerlund. It was not premiered until June 12, 2017, when Alesha released The White Album: Visual Edition. Drawing inspiration from the HBO television series Westworld and Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill saga, the clip received positive feedback for hearkening back to Alesha's older videos, and taking inspiration from action films. Alesha performed the song live on her Ceremony world tour.

Background and composition

Throughout 2015, Alesha filmed scenes for a major motion picture directed by Gus van Sant. The film, Exile in Nashville (2016), was called a "road trip movie". Alesha and co-star Joaquin Phoenix would ride between filming locations on a tour bus. Alesha credited the bus driver with exposing her to what she called "American sounds". "He listened to old Johnny Cash records," Alesha told Rolling Stone while discussing the film and its soundtrack. Alesha developed an appreciation for the country genre, praising what she described as the immediacy of the themes and the straightforward narrative structure of many of the songs she listened to.

Alesha began writing and recording her tenth studio album, The White Album, in April 2016, while embarked on the Cruising World Tour. After completing the tour in June, Alesha and her family permanently relocated to the United States. The White Album, praised for its diversity, was influenced by Alesha's experiences whilst filming Exile in Nashville as well as the volatile political climate. "Outlaw" would be the most overtly country-tinged song on the album, taking inspiration from folk rock as well as the "outlaw country" subgenre popularized in the 1970s. Lyrically, Alesha referred to two of her favorite songs, "Friend of the Devil" by the Grateful Dead and "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash. Both songs were covered as B-sides for the "Outlaw" single release.

Critical reception

Tricia Gilbride from Mashable called "Outlaw" "ridiculously catchy" and noted that "this may just be one of Alesha's most simplistic yet most visual songs yet". Larry Bartleet of British magazine NME commented that "the transformation might grate on fans of Alesha's past few albums of pop, but from these lyrics it looks like she really doesn't care what people think". Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic called the song "riotous". Mike Schiller of PopMatters gave "Outlaw" a four-out-of-ten rating, calling it "a song that has a lot of energy but can’t find a memorable melody to save its life".

Commercial response

"Outlaw" entered the official singles chart at number one on March 19, 2017. It sold 97,456 copies in its first week of sale. The following week, the single slipped to number two behind Aurora Reed's "House Party". "Outlaw" returned to number one in its third week on the chart, Alesha's third single to bounce back to number one after "Petroleum" and "Winter". The single sold 85,734 copies in this second nonconsecutive week at number one, bringing its sales total to 263,895 copies sold. In its fourth week of charting, holding tight at number two, "Outlaw" was certified gold. Three weeks later, "Outlaw" was certified platinum as total sales reached 514,877 copies. The song ultimately spent 12 weeks in the top ten, with six of those weeks spent in the top five. The single's sales surpassed 600,000 and then 700,000 copies to sell 741,887 copies by the end of its run in the top ten. Hovering in the upper region of the top twenty, sales of "Outlaw" surpassed 800,000 copies in its 16th week of release. The single showed great longevity on the charts and continued to sell well even months after its release. By the end of its 33 weeks in the top forty, "Outlaw" had sold 930,205 copies – Alesha's third best-selling single ever, behind the diamond-certified hits "In Love Today" and "Winter".

Music video

An accompanying music video for "Outlaw", directed by Jonas Åkerlund, was not premiered until the June 12, 2017 release of The White Album: Visual Edition. Alesha and Åkerlund, who previously collaborated on the 2010 documentary film Ragnarök, were inspired by the HBO television series Westworld and Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill saga. Alesha portrays a "desperada" who seeks to avenge the death of her father. The clip received positive feedback for hearkening back to Alesha's older videos, such as "Apocalypse City", and taking inspiration from action films.

Live performances

"Outlaw" was first performed by Alesha during an intimate concert filmed for the Netflix special Midwinter, which aired in December 2016. To promote the single, Alesha performed "Outlaw" on the public radio program A Prairie Home Companion with Chris Thile (later renamed) in March 2017. The original A Prairie Home Companion, hosted by Garrison Keillor, began airing in 1974 and inspired a 2006 film of the same name. Typically known for its folk or alternative country musical guests, Alesha performed her covers of "Friend of the Devil" and "Folsom Prison Blues". Accompanied by special guests from the show, Alesha also performed Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris's take on the Phil Spector-penned "To Know Him Is to Love Him".

Alesha later performed the track on her Ceremony world tour, which kicked off in Ireland on June 30, 2017, and reached stadiums around the globe throughout the remainder of the year. Alesha performed the track alongside Shell Ruin in Laurel Canyon, California, as part of a special set for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge to promote the duet "Sandman".

Track listing and formats

Digital single

1. "Outlaw"
2. "Folsom Prison Blues" (Johnny Cash cover)

Limited-edition 7" vinyl

1. "Outlaw"
2. "Friend of the Devil" (Grateful Dead cover)

Artwork

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  Cover art

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  Banner

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  Promo

Charts

Chart (2016)	Peak position
Urapopstar Top 40 Singles Chart	1
Urapopstar Top 20 Digital Chart	1
Urapopstar Top 40 Airplay Chart	1