How a "gray" song became a global 2025 phenomenon

Countries & Cities · Published 12 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Alex Warren's "Ordinary" has achieved historic chart dominance, breaking long-standing records in the UK and the US. Yet, despite its massive commercial success and Diamond certifications, music critics have been far from impressed, with some labeling the track as unoriginal and destined for dentist offices.

Released on February 7, 2025, through Atlantic Records, "Ordinary" served as the lead single for Alex Warren's debut studio album, You'll Be Alright, Kid. The track, co-written with Adam Yaron, Cal Shapiro, and Mags Duval, quickly became a defining global hit. It reached number one in over 30 countries and topped the Billboard Global 200 for ten straight weeks.

The song's commercial performance has been record-breaking. In the United States, it spent 16 non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Pop Airplay chart, surpassing the previous 14-week record held by Ace of Base's "The Sign" from 1994. It also spent 10 non-consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, making it the second song of 2025 to achieve such a run.

The track occupied the UK top spot for 13 non-consecutive weeks, eclipsing a 70-year-old milestone for the longest UK number-one by an American male soloist, a distinction formerly held by Elvis Presley. It also holds the record for the longest consecutive run at the top for an American male artist in the UK, with an initial 12-week streak.

Despite these accolades, the song faced significant critical backlash. Paste ranked it as 2025's sixth-worst track, whereas The New Yorker's Sheldon Pearce called it "pummeling" and "gray." Other reviews faulted the lyrical depth; Vulture likened the writing to high-school level creative work, and Paste likened the audio to an AI-produced Imagine Dragons track.

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