Young, Wild & Free

During an interview in the music magazine American Songwriter, Philip Lawrence said that "Young, Wild & Free" was "an after-thought" and "there's a lot of fun behind it". The song began when the Smeezingtons were experimenting in the studio, a process which usually starts when they get behind the mic and singing "until something sticks". Although the team thought "it was just a little something" which would never be heard, Aaron Bay-Shuck told them the song was a "smash" and they had to finish it. Mars later forwarded the song to Snoop Dogg. Wiz Khalifa revealed in a 2023 interview that, when Atlantic Records presented the song to him, he did not like it, but was later convinced by Snoop Dogg to record the track with him. They decided to record and returned it to Mars, who added finishing touches. "Young, Wild & Free" was first released on October 11, 2011, by Rostrum and Atlantic Records in various countries via digital download. A clean version of the song was issued in various countries on October 21, 2011. On November 25, the single was sent for radio airplay in Italy by Warner Music Group. On December 4, 2011, the single was issued digitally in the United Kingdom. On February 2, 2012, a CD single was released with its accompanying music video in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. ==Composition and production==

{{listen|filename=Snoop Dogg ft. Wiz Khalifa & Bruno Mars - Young, Wild & Free.ogg "Young, Wild & Free" is a pop-rap song, composed in the key of D major with a tempo of 95 beats per minute. It differs from the G-funk style of other songs on the soundtrack, incorporating pop elements into the chorus. Coughing is heard, implying a party vibe. "So what, we get drunk/So what, we smoke weed/We’re just having fun/We don't care who sees/So what, we go out/That's how it's supposed to be/Living young and wild and free." "Young, Wild & Free" was initially written by the artists alongside Lawrence, Ari Levine, and Brody Brown. Since it sampled "Toot It & Boot It" (2010) by American rapper YG and American singer Ty Dolla Sign, they received writing credits with Nye Lee, Marlon Borrow and Marquise Newman (who did additional writing). "Toot It & Boot It" had sampled "Songs in the Wind" by The Association (written by Ted Bluechel) from their 1966 album Renaissance, so Bluechel was added as a songwriter. "Young, Wild & Frees drum loop sampled "Sneakin' in the Back", from the 1974 album Tom Scott and The L.A. Express, and the song was re-registered with additional writing credits for Max Bennett, Larry Carlton, John Guerin, Joe Sample, and Tom Scott. The single was produced by Mars, Lawrence and Levine under their stage name, the Smeezingtons, and was engineered by Levine, Andy Drucker and Travis "Shaggy" Marshall at Levcon Studios and Paramount Recording Studios in Los Angeles and DSR in Hollywood. Levine mixed the track at Levcon Studios. It was mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound, NYC. ==Critical reception and accolades==

The song received mixed reviews from most music critics. For Entertainment Weekly, Kyle Anderson praised its "sweet" Mars' hook; with "song of summer written all over it", it "could have been a graduation anthem for stoners everywhere" if it was released in May. MTV's Jenna Rubenstein gave the song a generally-positive review as more than a "reckless party jam"; the three singers are not bothered by the judgments of others, and "that's the positive, family-friendly message we're taking". In a similar review, Lewis Corner of Digital Spy praised Dogg's verses and called the single "cool and addictive"; however, he found the song's "flavor" short-lived. In a negative review, Shea Serrano of LA Weekly compared the track's atmosphere to the "inside of a cloud (smoke), a celebration or idea of what some teenagers who smoke pot would like". Serrano noted, ironically, that the song's performers were neither young, wild nor free. On AllMusic, David Jeffries wrote that "Young, Wild & Free" had a more contemporary, friendly sound that the rest of the album; the single is "polished, bright and sunshine material". In another album review, Michael Madden of Consequence of Sound considered it one of the few songs good enough for a soundtrack due to the "smooth pop vocals of Bruno Mars and glitzy Hollywood production". The A.V. Clubs Chris Martins praised the single's "sharp keys and lite Jackson 5 bounce" in comparison with the other, G-Funk songs on the soundtrack. The song was nominated for Best Rap Song at the 2013 Grammy Awards and was one of the winners of Most Performed Songs at the 2013 ASCAP Pop Music Awards. According to a Billboard list measuring a song's "inebriated energy on a scale of one (mildly buzzed) to 10 (totally stoned)", "Young, Wild & Free" received a seven; according to the Billboard staff, it could be appreciated by "serious stoners" and anyone else because of its playfulness. In a similar list compiled by David Opie, writing for Highsnobiety, he ranked the song among "The 10 Most Essential Rap Songs About Weed". ==Commercial performance==

"Young, Wild & Free" debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, selling 159,000 digital copies and peaking at number seven. In Europe, "Young, Wild & Free" reached the top 10 of several countries. It entered the French chart at number 50 in early November 2011, peaking at number six and spending 48 weeks on the chart. The song entered Norway's VG-lista chart in early 2012 at number 20. It spent 12 weeks on the chart, peaking at number six in its third week. The single peaked at number six in its tenth week on the Swiss Hitparade, leaving the chart 26 weeks later. "Young, Wild & Free" peaked at number nine and spent 17 weeks on the Flanders Ultratop 50 chart. It was certified gold, with the same number of sold copies (15,000) in both countries, by IFPI Switzerland and the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA). On January 14, 2012, the song peaked at number seven in its eighth week on the Dutch Top 40. In Italy, it peaked at number five and was certified three times platinum by Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI). "Young, Wild & Free" debuted on the Australian Singles Chart at number 17, and entered the top ten in its sixth week on the chart at number five. The following two weeks (in early January 2012), it peaked at number four. The song was certified five times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). In New Zealand, it debuted at number 21 and rose to number 11 the following week before peaking at number two for three consecutive weeks. The song spent nine weeks in the top ten, and was certified six times platinum by Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ). ==Music video==

The music video for "Young, Wild & Free" was filmed on October 19, 2011, at the Mission Tiki Drive-in Theater in Montclair, California. It was directed by Dylan Brown (who also directed Mac & Devin Go to High School), It premiered on October 26, 2011, on several MTV channels. In the video, Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa play two students at "N. Hale High School" (a play on the word "inhale"). A "chilled out" Khalifa and an "easy going" Dogg have a good time at a party, skateboard in a parking lot and drive around it in a "souped-up off-road kart" with several girls. They linger "on the hood of a car" with tattooed "hot babes" who play on a Slip-N-Slide. Mars did not appear in the video. In 2023, Khalifa revealed during an interview on "Drink Champs" that Atlantic Records did not want Mars to appear in the video. This was due to the latter's arrest for cocaine possession in late 2010, as the label did not want him associated with a 'get high record'. ==Live performances and reception==

"Young, Wild & Free" was performed live several times. Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa began their High School Tour (a small, joint tour) in late 2011 to promote the soundtrack, and "Young, Wild & Free" was the closing song. On December 5, 2011 Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa performed the song on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. In early 2012, Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa appeared on ''Power 106's Big Boy's Neighborhood'' and performed the single. Khalifa performed the song live on the 2012 VMA Tour, and Dogg performed it during his set at Coachella 2012; Khalifa joined him onstage with a giant joint. Khalifa co-headlined with Fall Out Boy on the Boys of Zummer (North American) leg of the American Beauty/American Psycho Tour (2015), where he performed the single. Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa united for the High Road Summer Tour (2016), where they performed "Young, Wild & Free" together. Dogg rapped the song as the final act of his Puff Puff Pass Tour Part 2 (2016). Rob Markman of MTV attended a show of the High School Tour, and said that Snoop and Khalifa's "onstage chemistry was undeniable." ==Track listing==

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Mac & Devin Go to High School (soundtrack) and ASCAP. • Calvin Broadus, Cameron Thomaz, Peter Hernandez, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Cristopher Brown, Ted Bluechel, Marlon Barrow, Tyrone Griffin, Keenon Jackson, Nye Lee, Marquise Newman, Max Bennett, Larry Carlton, John Guerin, Joe Sample, Tom Scott – songwriting • The Smeezingtons – production • Travis "Shaggy" Marshall – engineer • Andy Drucker – engineer • Ari Levine – engineer, mixing • Chris Gehringer – mastering ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==