P.S. I Love You (Robin Daggers song)
"P.S. I Love You" | ||||
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Single by Robin Daggers | ||||
from the album How I Met Your Music: Deluxe | ||||
Released | February 4, 2013 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:34 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | John Swihart | |||
How I Met Your Mother singles chronology | ||||
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"P.S. I Love You" is a song written by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother. The song was performed by Canadian actress Cobie Smulders in the role of Robin Scherbatsky, who has a secret past as a teenage Canadian pop star with the stage name Robin Sparkles. It appeared in an episode of the same name which aired on February 4, 2013.
The song, inspired by Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know" (1995), marks the last appearance of Robin Sparkles on the show. It was released as a single on the TV-premiere date, and appeared on the soundtrack album How I Met Your Music: Deluxe (2014). Smulders' persona was renamed "Robin Daggers", and lyrically "P.S. I Love You" depicts Daggers' obsession with a former lover. Its music video featured Daggers with a new look, inspired by Courtney Love. Television and music critics praised its humor and Smulders' performance.
Background
Before Sparkles' appearance in
Development
Smulders
In an early February 2013 conference call, Thomas and Smulders spoke about the episode.[18][17] Sparkles' new look and her song, "P.S. I Love You", were influenced by Morissette's "You Oughta Know" (1995).[17] Thomas discussed lost footage from Underneath the Tunes (a parody of the documentary series Behind the Music), which showed a controversial side of Sparkles resembling "the Milli Vanilli skipping-CD-record moment".[17] The creators wanted viewers to observe her progression over the years, with Thomas saying that this "may be the craziest Robin Sparkles yet".[11][17] It was Sparkles' last appearance on the show, although Smulders and Thomas expressed interest in reprising the character in the future.[17][18]
Lost footage of
Composition and recording
Similar to the previous songs, Smulders recorded "P.S. I Love You" with Thomas,[20] who said that she found the new voice of Sparkles in about the third take at nine in the morning. He described the experience as "different from all of the other ones we've done ... like learning a whole other language", and considered it his favorite moment.[20] Unlike the previous output, Smulders felt "more in tune" with the grunge-influenced song: "It's just fun to go and create something from words on a page and make a song out of it. And then choose the silly actions involved and the story lines that are happening within the song".[21][20]
The 2:34 grunge song was written by Thomas and Bays.[22][23][24] Lyrically, "P.S. I Love You" describes Daggers' obsession with a former lover.[25] The song begins with "You, you're beautiful / On your pedestal / I see you, you don't see me".[26] Daggers insists that she would "never move on": "Even if I get married, he'll always be second to you".[26] The song refers to a restraining order, and contains a legal disclaimer from her record company: "The views expressed in this song do not necessarily reflect the views of Dominant Records or any of its subsidiaries".[26] Daggers reminiscences about wearing flannel, lacing her boots, reading fanzines and watching Reality Bites while she misses her lover.[26] Although she prays to God, "she doesn't reply".[26][27] In the song, a robot says "Move on"; she replies, "I'm trying!".[26] Daggers performs the song in an angst-ridden manner,[28][25] creepily whispering "P.S. I love you" during the bridge.[26]
Smulders said that the song is a breaking point for the character: "I feel like this is sort of at the tail end of her [music] career ... She's sort of breaking away from all that and she does that by becoming this character of Robin Daggers, which has a lot of similarities to Alanis Morissette."[21] Mark Graham of VH1 described it as a song "about being scorned",[28] and Ethan Alter of Television Without Pity called it an "amusingly anti-love song".[29] Kate Stanhope and Joyce Eng of TV Guide said that Daggers "lost it when she started obsessing over a mystery man" with the "Morissette-esque" song.[30] Alyssa Fikse wrote that the track demonstrates the evolution of Daggers from a "bubbly pop star ... into [a] 90s grunge riot grrrrrl": "Any song that name-checks Reality Bites is bound to be overdramatic."[8] Mark Perigard of the Boston Herald wrote that the song brings out Daggers' goth side,[31] and Sarah Freymiller of Bustle described it as a "grunge-infused stalk-fest".[25]
Music video
The music video for "P.S. I Love You" was directed by Pamela Fryman.[19] According to series costume designer Reiko Kurumada, the crew researched the "Courtney Love-ish era" to create Daggers' look.[32] Her costume includes slip dresses with fishnets, "Kurt Cobain-ish" silk nightgowns from vintage stores, ripped-up leggings, and Dr. Martens motorcycle boots with flannel and chokers.[32][33] "It was very grunge. It was a little mix of grunge with a tiny bit of femininity in it," Kurumada recalled.[32]
According to
Release
"P.S. I Love You" appeared in an episode of the same name which aired on February 4, 2013.[19] A digital single was released by 20th Century Fox Records that day.[23] It was later included on the compilation album, How I Met Your Music: Deluxe (2014).[38] Portions of the music video were shown in the episode; the full video became available in a press release the following day.[26][39][40] The video was included in the series' season-eight DVD release.[41] The "P.S. I Love You" episode received a 4/11 Nielsen rating/share in the 18–49 demographic and attracted 10.30 million American viewers,[42] up eight percent from the previous episode.[43] It was the night's top-rated show, and the most-watched of the series' season.[43]
"P.S. I Love You" received generally-positive reviews from television and music critics. Fikse enjoyed the song, which "perfectly mirrored the outsized emotion and angst that characterized the 90s".[8] Caryn Ganz of Spin called Daggers a "Grunge Goddess" and her transformation "angsty badass" and "historically accurate".[24] Max Nicholson of IGN liked Smulders' "angst-ridden" performance, saying that it "was a satisfying redemption" for the season.[44] Margaret Lyons of Vulture wrote that her comeback was "terrific ... maybe the best thing HIMYM has ever done".[10]
Maggie Panos of
References
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- Gloria Calderon Kellett (executive story editor) (November 20, 2006). "Slap Bet". How I Met Your Mother. Season 2. Episode 9. CBS.
- ^ Goldman, Eric (November 11, 2006). "How I Met Your Mother Goes '80s". IGN. Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- ^ Goldman, Eric (April 18, 2008). "How I Met Your Mother: Robin Sparkles Returns!". IGN. Archived from the original on December 20, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (August 1, 2008). "Ask Billboard: Robin Sparkles, Garbage, Alkaline Trio, Bayside". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
- ^ Barshad, Amos (November 15, 2010). "How I Met Your Mother's Cobie Smulders on the Return of Robin Sparkles". Vulture. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
- ^ Canning, Robert (November 16, 2010). "How I Met Your Mother: 'Glitter' Review". IGN. Archived from the original on August 2, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ^ Uproxx Media Group. Archivedfrom the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ^ Boardman, Madeline (October 13, 2012). "'How I Met Your Mother' & Robin Sparkles: The Canadian Pop Star Returns!". HuffPost. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
- ^ a b Lyons, Margaret (October 12, 2012). "How I Met Your Mother Going Back to the Mall". Vulture. Archived from the original on April 10, 2014. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
- ^ a b Nicholson, Max (December 19, 2002). "How I Met Your Mother: Get Ready for Robin Sparkles' Return". IGN. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (December 18, 2012). "Ask Ausiello: Spoilers on Bones, Castle, Gossip Girl, Vampire Diaries, HIMYM, Grey's and More!". TVLine. Archived from the original on June 8, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
- CBS Interactive. Archived from the originalon February 8, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
- CBS Interactive. Archived from the originalon January 12, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
- ^ Nicholson, Max (January 7, 2013). "Canadian Stars Invade How I Met Your Mother". IGN. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ O'Connell, Michael (January 7, 2013). "'How I Met Your Mother' Adds Slew of Canadian Guest Stars for 'Robin Sparkles' Episode". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 30, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ CBS Interactive. Archived from the originalon February 11, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
- ^ a b Nicholson, Max (February 1, 2003). "How I Met Your Mother: Cobie Smulders And Craig Thomas Talk Robin Sparkles And The Rest Of Season 8". IGN. Archived from the original on April 8, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Pamela Fryman (director); Craig Thomas (writer); Carter Bays (writer); Craig Gerard (executive story editor); Matthew Zinman (executive story editor); Dan Gregor (executive story editor); Doug Mand (executive story editor) (February 4, 2003). "P.S. I Love You". How I Met Your Mother. Season 8. Episode 15. CBS.
- ^ a b c "Cobie Smulders talks Robin Sparkles!". The Star Scoop. January 30, 2013. Archived from the original on November 23, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
- ^ a b "How I Met Your Mother salutes Canada with themed episode". CBC.ca. The Canadian Press. February 4, 2013. Archived from the original on July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
- ^ P.S. I Love You (Media notes). Robin Daggers. 20th Century Fox / Fox Music. 2013.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b "P.S. I Love You (From "How I Met Your Mother") – Single by Robin Daggers". United States: iTunes Store. Archived from the original on July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
- ^ a b Ganz, Caryn (February 5, 2013). "Robin Sparkles Was a Grunge Goddess". Spin. Eldridge Industries. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ a b c Freymiller, Sarah (March 11, 2014). "All the Robin Sparkles Videos You Need to Celebrate 'HIMYM's Greatest Character". Bustle. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Sing Along With 'How I Met Your Mother's' Robin Sparkles 'P.S. I Love You' – Lyrics and Video" (Press release). TV by the Numbers. February 5, 2013. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ Bowman, Donna (February 4, 2013). "How I Met Your Mother: 'P.S. I Love You'". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Graham, Mark (February 5, 2013). "Robin Sparkles Morphs Into Robin Daggers On How I Met Your Mother (And Pays Homage To Angsty 90s Music Videos)". VH1. Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
- ^ Alter, Ethan (February 4, 2013). "Canada's Wonderland: P.S. I Love You". Television Without Pity. Tribune Media. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
- CBS Interactive. Archived from the originalon February 12, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
- ^ a b Perigard, Mark (February 5, 2013). "HIMYM: Time to retire Robin Sparkles". Boston Herald. Digital First Media. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
- ^ a b c Goodman, Jessica (March 29, 2014). "'How I Met Your Mother' Costume Designer Reveals Stories Behind 13 Best Outfits". HuffPost. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
- ^ Chou, Jessica; Weinger, Erin (March 31, 2014). "'How I Met Your Mother': Inside the Wardrobe Room – 12. Robin Sparkles Strikes Again". The Hollywood Reporter (Photo gallery). Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
Last year we had her dark moment, her Alanis Morissette video. So much of it you couldn't see. But we did silk nightgowns that were very Kurt Cobain-ish -- ripped-up leggings, motorcycle Doc Martens, slip dresses and lacy nightgowns from vintage stores.
- ^ "'How I Met Your Mother': Robin Sparkles Goes Grunge (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. February 4, 2013. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
- ^ Kornowski, Liat (February 4, 2013). "'How I Met Your Mother' Recap: We Get Robin Daggers (Née Sparkles), Ted Gets A Stalker". HuffPost. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
- ^ a b Gelman, Vlada (February 4, 2013). "How I Met Your Mother Recaplet: The 5 Best Moments From Robin Sparkles' Return". TVLine. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
- ^ Reilly, Phoebe (February 5, 2013). "How I Met Your Mother Recap: The Dobler Effect". Vulture. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ "How I Met Your Music: Deluxe by Various Artist". Australia: iTunes Store. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Kevin (February 5, 2013). "'How I Met Your Mother': Watch Robin Daggers' 'P.S. I Love You' Music Video!". ScreenCrush. Townsquare Media. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ a b "'How I Met Your Mother' fans: Sing-along with Robin Sparkles' 'P.S. I Love You' [Video]". Yahoo!. February 6, 2013. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
- ^ Mills, Kyle (October 1, 2013). "How I Met Your Mother – Season Eight (FOX/Unrated)". DVD Talk. Internet Brands. Archived from the original on July 10, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ^ Bibel, Sarah (February 5, 2013). "Monday Final Ratings: 'The Biggest Loser', 'Bones', '2 Broke Girls', & 'Mike & Molly Adjusted Up; 'Deception' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ CBS Interactive. Archived from the originalon February 10, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
- ^ Nicholson, Max (February 5, 2013). "How I Met Your Mother: "P.S. I Love You" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on April 15, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ Panos, Maggie (February 5, 2013). "HIMYM: Watch Robin Daggers's 'P.S. I Love You' Music Video". PopSugar. Archived from the original on June 16, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
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External links
- Lyrics of this song at TV by the Numbers (via press release)
- "P.S. I Love You" at Discogs