User:FrostFairBlade/sandbox/Stop Making This Hurt

Background

 * Antonoff had an eventful 2019, in which he had helped produce albums like Taylor Swift's Lover and Lana Del Rey's Norman Fucking Rockwell.
 * In January 2020, he announced plans to release a new album that year
 * Throughout August and September, he made several posts on Twitter alluding to the song's lyrics
 * As the COVID-19 pandemic prevented bands from touring in 2020, he and co-producer Patrik Berger recorded the album with a five-member band
 * Antonoff: "The pandemic hit and I got the band in a room and we played like we may never play again. At that point it took on another meaning. Found myself banging at the door of the next phase of my life and to open brings up all the darkness from the past and what’s holding you back."
 * The album was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York
 * Singer St. Vincent provided additional background vocals for the track

Lyrics and music

 * Described as a "midtempo, dance-floor shout sing"
 * Antonoff recalled that he had the lyric "Stop making this hurt, say goodbye like you mean it" in his head for a long while
 * Antonoff shares his own feelings by describing the lives of the people around him, including his friend Daniel, Lana Del Rey, his sister Rachel, and his parents
 * Del Rey is referenced via his nickname for her, Jimmy
 * In a lyrical analysis video for Genius, Antonoff states that Rachel is referred to in the song as Ray
 * Antonoff: "I fell into a dark place after a loss, and then starting to have that feeling of rage towards the depression—which is when you know there’s a way out. Started looking at the people close to me in my life and finding all the ways we keep ourselves from breaking through."
 * Uses layered vocals and saxaphone

Release and commercial performance

 * "Stop Making This Hurt" is the first single from Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night

Critical reception

 * Heather Phares of AllMusic described the song as "classic Bleachers", noting that it and many other tracks on the album feature Antonoff's "shout-along choruses"
 * Ethan Shanfeld of Variety also thought the song was "the most Bleachery song on the record", describing it as "the euphoric centerpiece of the album" and noting it was exemplary of Antonoff's relationship with pain
 * Sarah Jamieson of DIY stated the song was a "cathartic highlight", positively comparing its "effervescent chorus" with other Bleachers songs like "I Wanna Get Better" and "Don't Take the Money"
 * Under the Radar 's Austin Saalman stated the song "oozes with cheesy '80s sentimentality", noting that Antonoff's writing "[rescues] it from the crushing grip of novelty charm"
 * Amy Albinson of The Line of Best Fit opined that "Stop Making This Hurt" utilizes its energetic instrumentation with a "barrage of pop-hooks and explosive vigour", but admitted that the song was not as good as other Bleachers songs
 * John Murphy of MusicOMH criticized the song for being generic and too derivative of other artists: "Stop Making This Hurt is drenched in the pop sensibility that we know Antonoff’s an expert in, but if you weren’t already aware it was Bleachers, it could be any band."
 * Jeremy D. Larson of Pitchfork was critical of the song; said its "shout-scream chorus" was "as welcome as a troupe of theater kids doing an impromptu number at an IHOP"
 * Matt Mitchell of Paste opined that while the song was Antonoff's "most ambitious, original instrumental" on the album, he disliked the lyrics, citing a portion of the song as the songwriter "[committing] a faux pas of lazy social commentary"
 * In a ranking of Antonoff's entire production discography, Consequence listed the song at #49, stating that the track "proves Jack can still deliver a pop banger that’s begging for a live crowd"
 * In June 2021, Billboard ranked the song #37 on its list of the 50 best songs of that year

Development and release

 * Directed by Carlotta Kohl, a director and photographer who was Antonoff's girlfriend at the time
 * Filmed on-location at Bendix Diner in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey
 * The music video follows Antonoff as he leads a dance routine throughout the diner
 * The video was nominated for "Best Alternative" at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards.

Live performances and other versions

 * "Stop Making This Hurt" was performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on May 26, 2021; Bleachers was the first band to perform in the studio in over a year
 * They also performed it on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series in a video released on July 12, 2021
 * The band also included the song as part of their set list for their 2021 autumn tour, which started with Antonoff's Shadow of the City festival on September 11, 2021 in Asbury Park, New Jersey
 * In June 2022, Bleachers released an A. G. Cook remix of the song