# @popbase on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DdVYK20hNAy
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/70638379-popbase-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/4c37f3e52d.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-09-16T04:00:05.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Pop Base (@PopBase) — https://gondola.cc/PopBase

## Caption

17 years ago today, Carly Rae Jepsen released ‘Tug of War.’

A humming melody in the shower became the unlikely starting point for 'Tug of War,' with Carly Rae Jepsen bringing the idea to Vancouver-based songwriter and producer Ryan Stewart the very next day, who added the overlapping vocal section that closes out the track. The song became the title cut and lead single from Jepsen's debut studio album, released independently through MapleMusic and Fontana North following her run on 'Canadian Idol' the previous year, an experience she's said left her feeling unsteady until meeting Stewart helped her regain her footing as an artist.

Rooted in a folk-leaning, singer-songwriter style, the track leaned on acoustic instrumentation that reflected Jepsen's early creative identity, well before the electropop sound that would later define her breakout years. The full album, recorded across two Vancouver studios, The WineCellar and the Umbrella Factory, arrived that September 30, with the title track earning its own music video the following January, though the clip wasn't uploaded to YouTube until 2011, where it's since drawn over 21 million views.

The song peaked at number 36 on the Canadian Hot 100 and earned gold certification from Music Canada, later picking up a nomination for Song of the Year at the 2010 Canadian Radio Music Awards. Though modest in scale compared to her later global success, 'Tug of War' remains a foundational piece of Jepsen's catalog, capturing an early, more stripped-down chapter of her songwriting before 'Call Me Maybe' would transform her into an international pop star just a few years later.

#carlyraejepsen #music #popculture #reels

## Stats

- **Views:** 21,551
- **Likes:** 1,758
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 31

## Tags

music, reels, carlyraejepsen, popculture

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