| "Say It Right" | |
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"Say It Right" is a pop-R&B song written by Canadian singer Nelly Furtado, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley and Nate "Danja" Hills for Furtado's third album Loose (2006). It was co-produced by Timbaland and Danja and released as the album's third single in North America and Australia, with its U.S. radio release on October 31 2006 (see 2006 in music).[1] In February 2007 it became Furtado's second number-one single in the United States. The song served as the album's fourth single in Europe and Asia; it was released in the United Kingdom in March 2007 as a download-only single, helping the album reach a new peak position. The song will serve as the album's fifth single in Latin America; in Mexico it is the fourth radio single and, according to MTV, the third single accompanied by a video. It is considered one of Furtado's signature songs due to the single reaching the top ten in several countries, including a number one debut in France.
It is featured on the US Compilation album Now 24 and the UK Compilation album Now 66.
Background
The process of creating the song began in the recording studio one morning at around 4:00am, when Timbaland recommended that Furtado go home because she was tired. Furtado, who had heard that the band U2, one of her favorite artists,[citation needed] wrote many of their songs in the studio control room, said "Really? I'll show you", put on her hoodie and began to "jam".[2] Nate Hills and Timbaland soon joined her, writing and producing as they went, and according to Furtado this process intensified as she sang. The team used four microphones in the live room and moved them around during recording, about which Furtado said "...when you listen to it — there's a lot of dimension. It kind of sounds like [Timbaland]'s in another country".[2] Afterwards they picked the best vocals and "perfected" them, before inserting "reverbs and weird alien sounds" onto them. "[W]e experimented a lot with depth and different sounds", Furtado said of the making of the song. "[It] affected my vocals a whole lot."[2]
Furtado has cited the "spooky, keyboard-driven pop sound" of the band Eurythmics, particularly their song "Here Comes the Rain Again" (1983), as an influence on "Say It Right" and other tracks on Loose. "I'm not 100 percent sure what ["Here Comes the Rain Again" is] about, but it always takes me away to another place, and I love it", she said.[3] She said that she does not really know what "Say It Right" is about, "but it captures the feeling I had when I wrote it, and it taps into this other sphere."[3] The song is written in F minor, and its structure resembles a typical Eurythmics song. However, this song is more a direct sample of Laura Branigan's 1984 hit "Self Control."
At live events, the guitar solo at the end is extended and brought to life, whereas on the recorded version, is short, almost electronic.
Billboard called the song "a Pussycat Dolls-inspired contempo jam, high on hooks and of-the-moment production. Well done, if in the most generic sense."[4]
Bloc Party covered the song on Jo Whiley's radio show on April 11, 2007.[5]
The song was played during the Miss Universe 2007 Introductory Ceremony.
Music video
The music video for "Say It Right" was directed by British duo Rankin & Chris and filmed at various locations in Los Angeles, California in late October 2006,[6] shot back-to-back with the video for "All Good Things (Come to an End)" (the album's third single in Europe).[7] The video debuted on MTV's Total Request Live in the U.S. on November 6 and on Canada's MuchMusic in the week ending November 16. It reached number nine on the Total Request Live top ten video countdown on November 8, its first day on the countdown;[8] it returned to the countdown on December 14[9] and peaked at number one twice. The video reached number one on the MuchMusic series Countdown for the week ending February 16.[10] The "Say It Right" video became Furtado's first retired video on TRL, after it spent forty days on the countdown. According to MTV, in Mexico "Say It Right" was the fourth single from Loose, after "Maneater", "No Hay Igual" and "Promiscuous", to be released with a video. The video debuted on MTV NORTH on April 2 2007.[citation needed]
The clip starts with a helicopter landing on top of a black helipad with Furtado's name on it in Downtown Los Angeles, and Furtado getting out. The short black dress she is wearing was designed specifically for her by Australian designer Alex Perry.[11] She is shown on the roof of the building throughout the video, with the Los Angeles skyline in the background. The video features mostly face shots of her and Timbaland intercut with shots of dancers. Furtado described the clip as "a throwback to the '80s" because the shots of her and Timbaland reminded her much of those of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart in videos for Eurythmics' singles, and "the strange relationship [they] had, where ... you get this intense vibe from it. And Tim and me, we're partners, we vibe on a serious creative level, so the video captures that energy."[7] The video ends with Furtado climbing back into the helicopter, which flies off.
Chart performance
The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 in mid-November at number ninety-three,[12] and it has since risen to number one in its fourteenth week.[13], becoming Furtado's second number-one single after "Promiscuous".[14] It stayed in the chart for thirty weeks. It has also reached number one on the Billboard Pop 100 chart.
In Canadian Hot 100, it peaked only at number five and never reached number one due of it was a hit before it was launched in June 7 2007 and it was not given a commercial release there. Despite of that, it manage to reach number one in Canadian BDS Airplay Chart for ten weeks.
"Say It Right" peaked at number two for three consecutive weeks on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, becoming her fifth top ten hit and third number-two single. It reached number one in New Zealand, becoming her third number-one hit there. It has reached number ten on the UK Singles Chart based only on download sales[15] and has been more successful than Furtado's previous singles, "Maneater" and "Promiscuous", on the United World Chart; it debuted at number twenty four and it has reached number two,[16] becoming her highest-peaking worldwide single. It have already stayed in the top ten for twenty-two weeks, one of the songs with most weeks in the top ten of United World Chart. It is reportedly that "Say It Right" have already points/sales of almost six million worldwide.
In France, the song debuted at number one, it's highest debut on the charts around the world.
In Germany, the song debuted at number two, it stayed at number two for nine non consecutive weeks due to strong competition from Germany and being shadowed by DJ Ötzi's Ein Stern (...der deinen Namen trägt).
In Lithuania, it topped the chart for ten non consecutive weeks, breaking the record of her own song, All Good Things (Come to an End) that held nine weeks atop, making her the artist with longest weeks at number one.[citation needed] This also make her to occupied top two position when Give It To Me, a song by Timbaland which features her and Justin Timberlake, reached number two while this song is at number one.[citation needed]
In Switzerland, it debuted at number twenty-five and reached number one in its fourth week, replacing All Good Things (Come to an End), another song of Nelly Furtado.
In Ibero-America, it managed to reach number eight due of reaching the top three in Brazil. After two weeks in a row at number eight, it dropped to number thirty four. The next week it dropped to number thirty nine and next week again, it dropped to number forty. Currently, it's gaining again in Ibero-America due of gaining points in Colombia and in Mexico and is currently at number fifty one after increasing from fifty five.
In Latin America, it debuted at number eighteen and dropped the chart next week. However, due of gaining little success in Mexico and Colombia, it has the possibility to re-enter the chart.
In Poland, it became another number one for Nelly Furtado. It is already spending twelve non consecutive weeks at number one.
"Say It Right" peaked at number one on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. It reached number one on several countries such as Belarus, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, Turkey and South Africa. It peaked inside the top five in Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Denmark, Italy, The Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, and Norway; the top ten in the both charts of Belgium which is Flemmish and Walloon, Indonesia, Panama, Russia and Malta; and just missed the top ten in Ireland, Philippines, Finland, Singapore, French Polynesia and Sweden.
Allaccess.com reports That "Say It Right" is the most played song on radio of the year, as of June 2007 with 156,103 spins or plays.
Credits
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Release Dates
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Say It Right".
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Charts positions
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Successions
See also
- List of number-one singles in 2007 (NZ)
- Pop 100 number-one hits of 2007 (USA)
- Hot 100 number-one hits of 2007 (USA)
- Number-one dance hits of 2007 (USA)
- Number ones of European Hit Radio Top 40 (2007)
- List of number-one songs on American Top 40 of 2007
- ARC Weekly Top 40 number-one hits of 2007 (U.S.)
- Polish National Top 50 number-one hits of 2007
- Latvian Airplay Top number-one hits of 2007
- Number ones of Lithuania Airplay Chart (2007)
- SNEP number-one hits of 2007
References
- ^ AllAccess.com
- ^ a b c Scaggs, Austin. "Why Is Nelly Furtado's New Album So Loud?". Rolling Stone. June 19 2006. Retrieved December 30 2006.
- ^ a b "Nelly Furtado". Universal Music Canada. Retrieved December 30 2006.
- ^ "Single Reviews: Chris Daughtry, Avril Lavigne, Brooks & Dunn, Nelly Furtado, Hinder". Billboard. November 27 2006. Retrieved December 30 2006.
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/jowhiley/galleries/1361/#gallery1361
- ^ Furtado, Nelly. "Nelly at MTV Europe Awards". Nellyfurtado.com. November 11, 2006. Retrieved December 30, 2006.
- ^ a b Vineyard, Jennifer. "Nelly Furtado Double-Dips With Two Soaking-Wet Videos". MTV News. November 6 2006. Retrieved November 11 2006.
- ^ "The TRL Archive - November 2006". popfusion.net. Retrieved January 1 2007.
- ^ "The TRL Archive - December 2006". popfusion.net. Retrieved January 26 2007.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado - Say It Right". top40-charts.com. Retrieved January 26 2007.
- ^ Moran, Jonathan. "Perry's frock star status". The Daily Telegraph. March 9 2007. Retrieved March 20 2007.
- ^ Hope, Clover. "Timberlake, T.I. Still No. 1 On Hot 100". Billboard. November 16 2006. Retrieved November 16 2006.
- ^ Jonathan Cohen, "Furtado's 'Say It Right' Bests Beyonce On Hot 100", Billboard.com, February 15, 2007.
- ^ a b c "Nelly Furtado - Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved November 11 2006.
- ^ "The Official UK Top 40 Singles". BBC. February 25 2007. Retrieved March 1 2007.
- ^ United World Chart Singles". United World Chart. Retrieved February 17 2007.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Belarus Singles Chart
- ^ China Top 20 Airplay Chart
- ^ Croatian Singles Chart
- ^ Czech Republic Airplay Chart
- ^ European Top 200
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Say It Right global chart positions and trajectories". aCharts.us. Retrieved May 6 2007.
- ^ Hungarian Singles Chart
- ^ Latvian Airplay Top
- ^ Lithuanian Airplay Chart
- ^ Luxembourg Airplay Chart
- ^ Polish Top 50
- ^ Portugese National Top 50
- ^ Romanian Airplay Chart
- ^ Slovakia Airplay Chart
- ^ 5fm South Africa
- ^ Turkey Airplay Chart
- ^ Ukraine Airplay Chart
- ^ Netherlands Antilles Singles Chart
- ^ Hot100Brasil. Brazilian Charts. Retrieved December 23 2006.
- ^ Bulgarian National Top 40
- ^ Italy FIMI Singles Chart
- ^ Denmark Airplay Chart
- ^ Canadian Hot 100
- ^ Costa Rica Single Chart
- ^ Malta Airplay Chart
- ^ Panama Singles Chart
- ^ Russian TopHit 100
- ^ Ibero America Top 100
- ^ Walloon Belgium Singles Chart
- ^ Singapore Airplay Chart
- ^ French Polynesia Singles Chart
- ^ Latin America Top 40
- ^ Greece Top 50 Singles
- ^ Colombia Top 100". Colombia Singles Chart. Retrieved May 29 2007.
- ^ Mexican Top 100
- ^ Chile Airplay Chart