Rare (Selena Gomez song)


"Rare" is a song by American singer Selena Gomez from her third studio album of the same name. It was released alongside the album as the third and final single off of its standard edition on January 10, 2020, by Interscope Records. The track was written by Gomez, Madison Love, Brett McLaughlin and its producers Sir Nolan and Simon Says. "Rare" is a pop and electropop song with lyrics exuding self-love and individuality. It peaked at number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Rare was listed as the 12th best song of 2020 by Billboard.

Background

"Rare" was written by Selena Gomez, Madison Love, Brett McLaughlin and producers Sir Nolan and Simon Says. The song was first revealed in an Instagram Live by Gomez on August 15, 2018. Later that day, co-writer McLaughlin confirmed his involvement in the song. Gomez teased the song's lyrics in an interview with Elle in September 2018. The song was then teased in the Rare album trailer.
On February 28, 2020, the Alexander 23 Edit of "Rare" was released for digital download and streaming.

Composition

Musically, "Rare" is three minutes and forty seconds long and has been described as a pop and electropop song. In terms of music notation, "Rare" was composed using common time in the key of C Mixolydian with a tempo of 112 beats per minute. Gomez's vocal range spans from the low note C4 to the high note of A5, giving the song one octave and 5 notes of range. Gomez spoke to Billboard about "Rare":

Chart performance

"Rare" debuted at number thirty on the US Billboard Hot 100 following the release of the parent album and its accompanying music video. In its second week, "Rare" fell down fifty one positions to number 81.
"Rare" reached number 17 in Ireland, number 22 in Australia, number 28 in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and number 35 in Scotland.

Music video

The BRTHR-directed music video, released on January 10, 2020, accompanied the song's and album's release. It features Gomez wandering in an ethereal world, laying on a spinning bed in a discotheque inspired room, and swimming in a pool. It was stated by Gomez that the music video was inspired by her philanthropic trip to Kenya months prior to the album release.

Live performances

On February 24, 2020, Gomez performed the song for the first time at the Village Studio. This live version was released for digital download and streaming on March 6, 2020.

Track listing

  1. "Rare" – 3:40
  1. "Rare" – 3:48
  1. "Rare" – 3:51

    Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Rare.

Recording locations

Certifications

Release history