"Evergreen (You Didn't Deserve Me at All)" (album version titled "Evergreen") is a song by American singer Omar Apollo. On October 4, 2022, it was sent to contemporary hit radio after it had gone viral on TikTok in September 2022. The song serves as the eighth single off Apollo's debut studio album Ivory.
Background The song originally appeared on Apollo's debut studio album Ivory, simply titled "Evergreen". A few months after the album's release, the song went viral on TikTok. By the end of the month, a snippet of the song had been used in over 300,000 clips. Apollo performed the song as part of his Tiny Desk Concert on September 15, 2022, which caused another surge in streams.
Reception Critical response "Evergreen (You Didn't Deserve Me at All)" received acclaim from critics. Rolling Stone listed "Evergreen (You Didn't Deserve Me at All)" as one of the best songs of 2022, placing it at number 29, and wrote: "...as teardrop guitar licks spill against the soft edges of his falsetto. Apollo packs it all in there—anger, anguish, self-loathing, doubt—but still builds to a bridge bursting with defiant confidence... Apollo has always excelled at these kinds of songs, and it’s thrilling that such a superb display of his skills has finally scored him a well-deserved place on the charts and the broader pop ecosystem."
Commercial performance In North America, "Evergreen (You Didn't Deserve Me at All)" debuted at number 62 on the US Billboard Hot 100, for the week ending October 2, 2022. Two weeks later, it peaked at number 51. While in Canada, it peaked at number 43.
In Europe, the song entered the top 5 of the Netherlands' song chart and the top 40 of Ireland and the UK's charts. In Oceania, it has since peaked in the top 20 at number 12 in New Zealand and the top 40 at number 33 in Australia.
Music video The accompanying music video was premiered on November 19, 2022. It depicts Apollo on a soundstage where a house is being put together only to be blown apart with him in the middle of it but winds up being eventually rebuilt at the end.
Accolades
Year-end lists
+Critics' rankings for Ivory Publication Accolade Rank Billboard The 25 Best Pride Songs of 2022: Staff Picks Los Angeles Times The 100 best songs of 2022 (another 50 songs not to be missed) NME The 50 best songs of 2022 Remezcla 10 Best Indie & Alt-Rock Songs of 2022 Rolling Stone The 100 Best Songs of 2022
Charts + Chart performance for "Evergreen (You Didn't Deserve Me at All)" Chart (2022) Peakposition Australia (ARIA) 33 Lithuania (AGATA) 41 Netherlands (Single Tip) 4 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 12 Suriname (Nationale Top 40) 4 Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan) 18
Certifications
Release history +Release dates and formats for "Evergreen (You Didn't Deserve Me at All)"RegionDateFormat(s)VersionLabel(s)United StatesOctober 4, 2022Contemporary hit radioOriginalWarner RecordsItalyOctober 14, 2022Radio airplayVariousNovember 11, 2022Sped Up VersionDecember 2, 2022Stripped Version
References