"Don't Wanna Know" is a song by American pop rock band Maroon 5 featuring American rapper Kendrick Lamar. The song was released on October 11, 2016, through 222 Records and Interscope Records, as the lead single from the band's sixth studio album Red Pill Blues (2017), included on both the deluxe and Japanese editions of the album. The song reached the top 10 in 23 countries, including number 6 in the United States. Critical reception to the song was mixed, with critics praising its production but criticizing its repetitive chorus and Lamar's verse.
Composition "Don't Wanna Know" is written in the key of G major in common time with a shuffling tempo of 100 beats per minute. The song follows a chord progression of CMaj7DEmBm/E, and Levine's vocals span from D4 to C6.
Critical reception The song received mixed reviews by music critics. Mike Wass of Idolator stated "there's nothing bloated or excessive about the finished product. In fact, this is a case of less is more. [Don't Wanna Know] freshens up Maroon 5's sound and goes HAM on the repetition (the cornerstone of hitmarking circa 2016) — all but guarantees the band a smash hit in the process. Kendrick's verse feels like an afterthought, but apart from that, this is hard to fault." Vultures Halle Kiefer said "it'll be on the soundtrack to every car commercial, Target ad, and drunken breakup you flounder through for the next three months" and went on to say "Don't Wanna Know has a distinctly non-Maroon 5 sound, putting a breezy, bouncy, lighthearted spin on drinking to forget, and dancing to dull the pain of losing the one true connection you ever had."
Commercial performance The song debuted at number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 29, 2016, and jumped to number 9 in its second week on November 5. It later peaked at number 6, becoming the band's 12th and Lamar's third top ten hit.
Music video The music video for "Don't Wanna Know" was directed by David Dobkin and does not include Lamar, instead using the song's original version. It was shot starting on August 28, 2016, in Los Angeles, and premiered on The Today Show, on October 14, 2016. The video spoofed the augmented reality game Pokémon Go.
In the video, Adam Levine is dressed as a blue turtle dealing with heartbreak over an orange played by Sarah Silverman, with the Maroon 5 members also dressed the various costumes. In certain scenes, they're being chased and hiding from people who play the game to capture a creature onto the phone and other times eliminate themselves, as well as the set of shooting a music video in the studio complete with film crew, the band performing in a concert and the house party. The video also features cameos from Ed Helms, David Lautman, Amanda Cerny, Shaquille O'Neal and Vince Vaughn.
Promotion Upon the song being released, it was revealed to be included in the dance rhythm video game Just Dance 2017. In November 2016, Maroon 5 collaborated with Tumblr to launch a promotional campaign known as the Don't Wanna Know Confessional Wall, where encouraging fans to submit of their own darkest secrets, allowing them to write the wall in the most creative way possible. The wall is located at La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles. It is also nominated at the 2017 Shorty Awards for Best Use of Tumblr. In December 2016, another campaign from Musical.ly, where fans to sing a lip sync video and chance to win a signed guitar.
Live performances On September 3, 2016, Maroon 5 debuted "Don't Wanna Know", on their world tour at San Antonio. The band played the song during their live performances including The Ellen DeGeneres Show on November 3, and The Voice on November 28, 2016. Maroon 5 also performed along with Kendrick Lamar for closing ceremony at the 2016 American Music Awards on November 20, 2016. The band continuing the song live with the 2017 edition of Wango Tango on May 13, 2017.
Accolades Year Ceremony Category Result 2017 American Music Awards Collaboration of the Year BMI London Awards Pop Award Circle Chart Music Awards International Song of the Year Melon Music Awards Best Pop Award Shorty Awards Best Use of Tumblr Teen Choice Awards Choice Pop Song 2018 ASCAP Pop Music Awards Award Winning Song BMI Pop Awards Award Winning Song iHeartRadio Music Awards Best Collaboration
Track listing
Digital download – Original "Don't Wanna Know" – 3:34
Digital download – Single "Don't Wanna Know" (featuring Kendrick Lamar) – 3:34
Digital download – Extended "Don't Wanna Know" (featuring Kendrick Lamar) – 4:25
Digital download – Ryan Riback Remix "Don't Wanna Know" (Ryan Riback Remix) (featuring Kendrick Lamar) – 3:50
Digital download – BRAVVO Remix "Don't Wanna Know" (BRAVVO Remix) (featuring Kendrick Lamar) – 3:24
Digital download – Fareoh Remix "Don't Wanna Know" (Fareoh Remix) (featuring Kendrick Lamar) – 3:57
Digital download – Total Ape Remix "Don't Wanna Know" (Total Ape Remix) (featuring Kendrick Lamar) – 3:14
Digital download – Zaeden Remix "Don't Wanna Know" (Zaeden Remix) (featuring Kendrick Lamar) – 3:34
Personnel Maroon 5 Adam Levine – lead and backing vocals, songwriting Jesse Carmichael – guitar James Valentine – guitar Matt Flynn – drums, percussion PJ Morton – keyboards
Additional personnel Kendrick Lamar – rap (featured artist)
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (2016–2017) Peak position Argentina (Monitor Latino) 7 Australia Urban (ARIA) 2 Croatia (HRT) 6 Ecuador (National-Report) 10 Israel (Media Forest) 4Italian Airplay (EarOne) 6 Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20) 1 Mexico Airplay (Billboard) 7 Paraguay (Monitor Latino) 14South Korea (Gaon) 41
Year-end charts Chart (2016) Position Australia (ARIA) 78 Australia Urban (ARIA) 8 Hungary (Single Top 40) 91 Italy (FIMI) 83 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 82 South Korean International Singles (Gaon) 9 UK Singles (OCC) 86 Chart (2017) Position Argentina (Monitor Latino) 39 Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia) 65 Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) 87 Canada (Canadian Hot 100) 37 Croatia (HRT Top 40) 25 France (SNEP) 142 Hungary (Rádiós Top 40) 12 Hungary (Single Top 40) 83 Hungary (Stream Top 40) 70 Italy (FIMI) 64 Latvia Airplay (LaIPA) 75 Poland (ZPAV) 61 Portugal (AFP) 92 Spain Airplay (PROMUSICAE) 18 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) 77 US Billboard Hot 100 38 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 1 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) 7 US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard) 27 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard) 13
Certifications
Release history Region Date Format Version Label(s) Various October 11, 2016 Italy October 14, 2016 Contemporary hit radio Single Universal United States October 18, 2016 Various December 23, 2016 Digital download Ryan Riback Remix January 6, 2017 BRAVVO Remix Fareoh Remix Total Ape Remix Zaeden Remix
References