Jag kommer
"Jag kommer" is a single by Swedish singer Veronica Maggio, from her third studio album Satan i gatan. It was released in Sweden as a digital download on 11 February 2011. The song peaked at number one on the Swedish Singles Chart, making it Maggio's first number one single in Sweden. It also peaked at number 12 on the Norwegian Singles Chart. It received a 7x platinum certification in Sweden for over 300,000 copies sold.
Production and release
Maggio said to Uppsalatidningen that the writing process for "Jag kommer" was not emotional compared to the rest of the tracks of Satan i gatan. She told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet that she wanted to write a song about the beginning of a romantic relationship, since her previous tracks were mostly about breakups. She added that "Jag kommer" is about realizing "you are in love" as well as the "stress" behind it. Maggio and Stefan Olsson wrote "Jag kommer" with its producer Christian Walz. Olsson played the bass and engineered the track with Walz, and the latter mixed it with Stefan Sundström. Erik Arvinder played the violin and Robert Vadadi the guitar with Olsson.Maggio and Walz created the synthesizer sound of the melody with software sampler Kontakt using compression technique side-chain. To add distortion to the beat, Walz used the plug Decapitator by Soundtoys. "Jag kommer" was released as a digital download on 11 February 2011 via Universal Music AB, as the lead single from Maggio's third studio album, Satan i gatan. It was later sent to Norway's contemporary hit radio on 21 February. A remixed version by Swedish trio Mash Up International featuring artist Kakan was released on 23 December 2011.
Music and lyrics
"Jag kommer" is a pop rock song with a length of three minutes and twenty-two seconds. Its composition consists of guitars, drums, a distorted synthesizer melody and background vocals repeating the word "whoop". During the hook, Maggio sings, "Ja, jag vet att hon är söt men håll tillbaka / För, jag kommer, jag kommer, jag är nästan där".When asked if the lyrics had a double entendre due to its hook, the singer said she preferred to be "suggestive", adding that "Jag kommer" was open to the listener's interpretation. In other interviews, she has commented that the song's lyrics are ambiguous and that they could also simply mean "to be on the way to the person you love". Maggio also said "Jag kommer" is the only happy love song she has written. Maria Forsström of Metro had a different opinion, saying that Maggio sings about "going home tonight with someone instead of being alone".
After its release, Swedish publications such as Aftonbladet and Sveriges Radio reported that "Jag kommer" was receiving plagiarism accusations by the public with The Strokes' "Reptilia". Regarding these accusations, Maggio said that although the band's music served as inspiration for the song, she did not plagiarize "Reptilia", adding that "there are only eight white and five black keys on a piano, as long as you make something your way it's okay". Some journalists, such as Ralph Bretzer of Arbetarbladet and Gaffa Swedens Emanuel Videla, also noted similarities between "Jag kommer" and songs by The Strokes. The staff of Popdust compared the track's composition with the music of bands Metric and The Strokes and its lyrical content with the songs of Robyn. Other publications, such as Festivalrykten and Norran, said "Jag kommer" was a departure of Maggio's previous soul tracks due to her association with Walz.
Critical reception
"Jag kommer" was well-received by critics. Eivind August Westad Stuen of Aftenposten called it a catchy single and the responsible of Maggio's general recognition. Annah Björk of Expressen rated the song with four wasps and stated that listeners might be embarrassed with its straightforwardness. Romerikes Blads Kaja S. Knatten considered "Jag kommer" to be "more lively" than the rest of Satan i gatan, deeming its rhythm catchy. Similarly, Fredrik Franzén of Gaffa Sweden described "Jag kommer" as lively and ecstatic, and Emanuel Videla of the same publication called it an euphoric track that does not represent the themes of the album. Øyvin Søraa of Oppland Arbeiderblad noted on the song elements of pop Swedish artists such as Ted Gärdestad, Harpo and Gyllene Tider, specially for its light composition and "good" hook. Verdens Gangs Øynstein David Johansen rated it with five points and compared the track's composition with music of the 1960s and 1970s. Leif Tore Lindø of Aftenbladet called it the best track of Satan i gatan. The staff of Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet named "Jag kommer" the sixth best song by an international artist in 2011. Per Bjurman of Aftonbladet deemed the lyrical content of the song "fun, smart, original and, in general, irresistible as well".On her review of Satan i gatan, Smålandspostens Louice Petterson considered both "Jag kommer" and the title track "must-hear songs" from the album. Joakim Johansson of Meny.nu said the lyrics were "sexually teasing". Sydsvenskans Anna Hellsten considered "Jag kommer" the best track from the album, calling it a "super stylish" song with "preppy" guitars and bright vocals. Christopher Lembke of Hallandsposten said the track was an "already established pop gem". Some critics commented on Maggio's association with Walz to write the song. Lisa Appelqvist of Kristianstadsbladet opined that Maggio's collaboration with Walz was "a match made in heaven", especially in tracks such as "Jag kommer" and "Mitt hjärta blöder". Per Strömbro of Norran commented that Maggio's shift from soul to rock was mostly evident on "Jag kommer", saying that her association with Walz turned out to be a brilliant choice.
Commercial performance
"Jag kommer" debuted at number 16 on Sweden's Sverigetopplistan during the week of 18 February 2011. On the chart dated 6 May 2011, the track peaked at number one, with the other ten songs from Satan i gatan appearing on the list as well. It stayed at the top the following edition. "Jag kommer" spent 52 weeks on the Sverigetopplistan chart between 2011 and 2012. It was certified seven times platinum by the Swedish Recording Industry Association, denoting 280,000 sales in that territory, and further became the most successful track of 2011 in the country. "Jag kommer" also reached number 4 on the Realtones chart and spent 42 weeks on it. It was Sveriges Radio P3's most-played song by a Swedish artist in 2011, with 250 plays, and the second most-played in general, behind Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain". "Jag kommer" was the most-streamed song on Spotify during 2011 in Sweden, and the tenth best-selling track of the country in that year.It was the ninth most-played song in Swedish radio during the second half of 2011 and the first half of 2012, with 52,534 plays.
In Norway, "Jag kommer" entered the Topp 20 Singles chart at number 20 on the ninth week of 2011, becoming Maggio's second entry after "Måndagsbarn" in 2009. It re-entered the list five times, before reaching its peak position of 12 on its tenth and last week on the chart. "Jag kommer" was certified double-platinum on 21 November 2011 by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry of Norway, for selling 20,000 units in the country. It was the second most played track of 2011 on the NRK P3 radio station, and the twenty-ninth most streamed song of that year on Spotify in Norway.
Music video
Robinovich directed the music video for "Jag kommer". It was released on YouTube on 11 April 2011 and two days later in Sweden and Norway. It begins with a shot of Maggio removing hair from her palms with tweezers. Writing for Sveriges Radio, Kitty Jutbring opined this was related to the popular myth that one person "might get hair in their palms if they masturbate too much". The next scene shows Maggio entering her bedroom and changing her clothes. In the following shots, she is depicted struggling to get out of her apartment, as the floor starts moving to the opposite direction she is walking every time she reaches the door.Explaining the plot, she said that "The idea of the video is that I am stuck in an apartment that just won't let me out. I try to get to the exit, but the house keeps physically moving. All of this is stuck to the house, so everything moves at once, while you are standing still, but it feels as if you're moving backwards, like in a funhouse. It's the inclining Lustiga Huset". The house designed for the music video weighted three tonnes, which needed eight people to push it while recording the scenes. It was also held up with car jacks as it tended to lean inwards. While recording the scene in the bedroom, Maggio hit her head with a wall, she elaborated on the incident, "I sat by the bed and the wall came and hit the back of my head. It's like a childhood reflex that you get a strong urge to cry when you hurt your head badly, so I had to suppress that. But that's about the most dramatic thing that has happened, so I'll survive." Jutbring said she liked the video a compared it with a dream, "where you must do something but you never get there". As of July 2020, it has received 4 million views on YouTube.
Live performances
Maggio has performed "Jag kommer" on different venues and festivals after its release. In an interview with Gaffa Norway in 2019, she confirmed that she gets tired sometimes of performing her most well known songs continuously. However, Maggio stated she enjoys playing "what the audience wants to hear" as their reception and "energy is so good". She also added, "If 'Jag kommer' was my only hit, then I would probably hate it, of course".On 2 May 2011, Maggio sang the track on the Popsalongen show at NRK P3 in Norway. On 30 June 2011, Maggio performed the song at the Peace & Love festival in Borlänge, Sweden. Markus Larsson of Aftonbladet commented that the performance was the best of the repertoire and described the public's reception as a "collective orgasm". On 12 July, she sang "Jag kommer" and "Välkommen in" on the Allsång på Skansen show in Skansen, Stockholm. On 10 August, Maggio performed the song last at Øyafestivalen in Oslo, Norway. On 8 October 2011, she also sang the track during the encore in Karlstad. Marcus Grahn of Aftonbladet noted that "Jag kommer" overshadowed the other tracks played on the concert, such as "En gammal sång", "Dumpa mig" and "Finns det en så finns det flera".
On 7 February 2014, she sang "Jag kommer" at Scandinavium in Gothenburg. Johan Lindqvist of Göteborgs-Posten rated the performance with five points, saying that Maggio's interaction with the crowd was the "perfect balance of euphoria and elegance". On 28 June 2014, Maggio performed the track at the Bråvalla Festival in Sweden. Tina Berglund of Gaffa Sweden noted that it was the best received performance of the repertoire by the audience "as usual".
On 3 June 2017, Maggio performed the song at Gröna Lund, Stockholm, wearing white top and shorts and silver boots. Håkan Steen of Aftonbladet said that "the ovation reached purely ecstatic levels" with the performance of "Jag kommer". On 2 September 2018, Maggio included the song during her show at the Popaganda festival held at the Eriksdalsbadet in Stockholm.
Track listing
;Digital download- "Jag kommer" - 3:24
- "Jag kommer" - 3:22
Credits and personnel
- Lead vocals – Veronica Maggio
- Producers – Christian Walz
- Music/Lyrics – Stefan Olsson, Christian Walz, Veronica Maggio
- Label: Universal Music
Charts