View source for Should I Go

{{Infobox song
| name     = Should I Go
| cover    =
| alt      =
| type     =
| artist   = [[Brandy Norwood|Brandy]]
| album    = [[Afrodisiac (Brandy album)|Afrodisiac]]
| released =
| recorded = 2003
| studio   = [[Criteria Studios|Hit Factory Criteria]] (Miami)
| genre    =
*[[Contemporary R&B|R&B]]
*[[Pop music|pop]]
| length   = {{Duration|m=4|s=56}}
| label    = [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]
| writer   =
*Walter Millsap
*[[The Clutch|Candice Nelson]]
*[[Timbaland|Timothy Mosley]]
*[[Guy Berryman]]
*[[Jonny Buckland]]
*[[Will Champion]]
*[[Chris Martin]]
| producer = [[Timbaland]]
}}

"'''Should I Go'''" is a song by American recording artist [[Brandy Norwood]] from her fourth studio album, ''[[Afrodisiac (Brandy album)|Afrodisiac]]'' (2004). It was written by Walter Millsap III, his collaborative partner [[The Clutch|Candice Nelson]], and mentor [[Timbaland]], while production was helmed by the latter. "Should I Go" is built on percussive beats, syncopated handclaps and a piano [[riff]] that samples British alternative rock band [[Coldplay]]'s song "[[Clocks (song)|Clocks]]", written by [[Guy Berryman]], [[Jonny Buckland]], [[Will Champion]], and [[Chris Martin]] for their second album, ''[[A Rush of Blood to the Head]]'' (2002). Lyrically, Norwood as the protagonist openly talks about contemplating stepping away from the music business, admitting that she is trying to figure out where she fits in today.

==Background==
In June 2002, Norwood gave birth to her daughter Sy'rai. Soon, she resumed work on her then-untitled fourth studio album with producer [[Mike City]] and companion [[Robert "Big Bert" Smith]], the latter of which served as the album's [[executive producer]] and [[A&R]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Billy|last=Johnson|date=2002-09-27|title=Brandy Preparing To Begin Work On New Album|work=[[Yahoo! Music]]|publisher=[[Yahoo!]]|url=http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12064468|accessdate=2007-01-18}}</ref> He replaced longtime contributor and mentor [[Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins]], who Norwood felt was not going in the same direction creatively after all,<ref name="mtv1"/> and kept her from exploring her "versatility, [her] creativity and [her] art."<ref name="four">{{cite news|first=Steve|last=Jones|date=2004-07-15|title=An ''Afrodisiac'' toast to Brandy|work=[[USA Today]]|publisher=[[Gannett Company]]|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2004-07-15-brandy_x.htm|accessdate=2007-01-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2004-06-28|title=Talk About Our Love|publisher=Tourdates.co.uk|url=http://www.tourdates.co.uk/news/4199-Talk-About-Our-Love|accessdate=2008-10-18|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807060817/http://www.tourdates.co.uk/news/4199-talk-about-our-love|archive-date=2011-08-07}}</ref> The couple eventually finished a number of [[demo tape|demo recording]]s and at least four full songs until late November 2002,<ref>{{cite web|date=2004-06-28|title=R&B singer Brandy working on a new album|work=Xpress|url=http://www4.xpresssites.com/freedom/cityjunction/de/story.jsp?_RND=1855411219|accessdate=2008-10-16}}{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and although Smith expected the album to drop by spring 2003 at one time or another,<ref name="mtv1">{{cite web|author=Reid, Shaheem|title=Brandy Makes Recording Next Album A Family Affair|date=2002-11-18|work=[[MTV News]]|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1458737/11152002/brandy.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021221182534/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1458737/11152002/brandy.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 21, 2002|accessdate=2008-10-16}}</ref> Norwood and Big Bert ended their relationship in mid-2003, resulting in the album's delay and several personnel changes.<ref name="two">{{cite magazine|last=Sedgewick|first= Augustin|title=Brandy Splits With Husband|publisher=[[Wenner Media LLC]]|date=2003-06-03|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5936231/brandy_splits_with_husband/print|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112234924/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5936231/brandy_splits_with_husband/print|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 12, 2007|accessdate=2008-10-16}}</ref><ref name="ew8">{{cite magazine|title=Grammy-winning singer set to release her fourth album|date=2004-06-25|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|url=https://ew.com/article/2004/06/25/grammy-winning-singer-set-release-her-fourth-album/|access-date=2009-06-27|archive-date=2009-04-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426035850/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,654443,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Norwood eventually decided to scrap most of the project, and instead enlisted rapper [[Timbaland]], with whom the couple had previously worked on [[Kiley Dean]]'s ''Simple Girl'' album, as the album's main contributor.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kiley Dean's New Album|date=2003-06-01|work=Entertainment Showcase|url=http://www.kileyfan.com/con_info/articles/entshowcase.html|accessdate=2008-10-16|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120525204808/http://www.kileyfan.com/con_info/articles/entshowcase.html|archive-date=2012-05-25}}</ref> Impressed by Timbaland's input, Norwood rediscovered the musical affection, she had missed on previous album ''[[Full Moon (Brandy album)|Full Moon]]''.<ref name="five">{{cite web|title=Brandy on ''Afrodisiac''|date=2004-06-01|work=ForeverBrandy|publisher=Net Music Countdown|url=http://netmusiccountdown.com/inc/artist.php?artist=Brandy|accessdate=2007-01-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061114190053/http://netmusiccountdown.com/inc/artist.php?artist=Brandy|archive-date=2006-11-14|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Coldplay-3.jpg|thumb|left|As with other tracks on ''Afrodisiac'', "Should I Go" was largely inspired by British alternative rock band [[Coldplay]].<ref name="ykigs-cn"/>]]
Timbaland consulted his protégé Walter Millsap III and writing partner [[The Clutch|Candice Nelson]] to work with him on the bulk of Norwood's fourth album.<ref name="two"/> Many of the themes and musical styles of their records were inspired by British alternative rock band [[Coldplay]]'s debut album ''[[Parachutes (Coldplay album)|Parachutes]]'' (2000) which Nelson had just started listening to at the time.<ref name="ykigs-cn">{{cite web |title=Exclusive: Songwriter Candice Nelson Reveals Inspiration Behind Brandy's "Afrodisiac" Album| publisher=YouKnowIGotSoul.com| url=http://youknowigotsoul.com/exclusive-songwriter-candice-nelson-reveals-inspiration-behind-brandys-afrodisiac-album|date=2012-12-10|accessdate=2012-12-13}}</ref> Conceived after the production of "I Tried" which samples Coldplay's "[[Sparks (Coldplay song)|Sparks]]", "Should I Go" was written along a backing track Timbaland had produced around "[[Clocks (song)|Clocks]]", another Coldplay song from their second album ''[[A Rush of Blood to the Head]]''.<ref name="ykigs-cn"/> Impressed with Millsap and Nelson's knowledge of the British band, he played them the music he had crafted prior to recording sessions for ''Afrodisiac''.<ref name="ykigs-cn"/> The pair took it to the car, driving around while listening to it.<ref name="ykigs-cn"/>

The development of "Should I Go" was motivated by the idea of what Millsap and Nelson imagined Norwood might feel at times and in the business as it was constantly changing.<ref name="ykigs-cn"/> On the accompanying writing process, Nelson commented that "it was like 'What else does Brandy feel besides love and all that? What else might be going through her mind?' That’s what we came up with. She had already been in the business for awhile and she had put out a few albums, so it was like 'What might somebody at that point in their career been thinking?'"<ref name="ykigs-cn"/> Upon hearing the demo, Norwood felt shocked but could relate to its topic.<ref name="ykigs-cn"/> Her vocals were recorded at [[Criteria Studios|The Hit Factory Criteria]] in [[Miami, Florida]] and Amerycan Recording Studios, [[Los Angeles, California]], with production overseen by herself.<ref name="booklet"/> Timbaland and [[Jimmy Douglass]] [[audio mixing (recorded music)|mixed]] the track, while Douglass, Blake English, Demacio Castellon, Jeremal Hicks, and Halsey Quemere all assisted in the [[audio engineering]] of the track.<ref name="booklet"/>

==Composition==
"Should I Go" is a [[downtempo]] [[contemporary R&B|R&B]] and [[pop ballad]],<ref name="avclub"/> that displays influences of [[dream pop]] and [[alternative rock]].<ref name="avclub"/> Built around a [[Riff|repeating melody]], it features a [[minimalism|minimalist]] soundscape of [[Slide guitar|bluesy guitar]] and syncopated hand claps, while incorporating a  cascading [[piano]] [[arpeggio]] that [[sampling (music)|samples]] from the instrumental break of [[Coldplay]]'s 2002 song "[[Clocks (song)|Clocks]]".<ref name="slant"/> The song itself was inspired by the English rock band [[Muse (band)|Muse]],<ref name="EzineChris">{{cite web|url=http://www.coldplay.com/content/ezine/documents/ezine6.pdf|title=Chris talks us through Rush A Rush of Blood to the Head|date=November 2002|work=Coldplay.com|accessdate=2006-12-19 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060808184853/http://www.coldplay.com/content/ezine/documents/ezine6.pdf |archive-date = August 8, 2006}}</ref> and penned by band members [[Guy Berryman]], [[Jonny Buckland]], [[Will Champion]], and [[Chris Martin]].<ref name="booklet"/>

"Should I Go" features the female protagonist wondering aloud whether it's worth bothering with the bureaucracy of the [[music industry]] when she is not even sure it's part of her long-term goals.<ref name="stylus"/> These interpretations are shown in the lines: "Should I Go? / Should I Stay? / I'm In Control / Either Way".<ref name="stylus"/> Murmuring about her career concerns, Norwood sings "I'm standing on the edge of the industry / Wondering if it’s all that important to me / To get my records back out there on the street again / This game ain’t what I’m used to".<ref name="ew8"/> Norwood also alludes to the [[Contemporary R&B#1990s|late 1990s]] when she dominated female [[urban contemporary]] with other female teen singers such as [[Aaliyah]] and [[Monica (singer)|Monica]] and she felt that the "Industry was more like a different world."<ref name="four"/> Vocally, the song concludes with intricately layered vocal harmonies with Norwood dropping the chorus a cappella at the end.<ref name="four"/>

==Critical reception==
[[Slant Magazine]]'s Sal Cinquemani ranked "Should I Go" among ''Afrodisiac''{{'}}s highlights and commented that the song sounded like a "shout-out to the band it's become excruciatingly cool to say you like."<ref name="slant">{{cite web|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/brandy-afrodisiac/454|title=''Afrodisiac'' review|work=[[Slant Magazine|Slant]]|first=Sal|last=Cinquemani|accessdate=2010-03-06|date=2004-06-28| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100213055837/http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/brandy-afrodisiac/454| archive-date= 13 February 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> David Browne from ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' found that while "Coldplay fixation reaches critical mass" on the song, the results of sampling "Clocks" were "still pretty striking, almost theatrical. The song [...] reminds you that a dose of over-the-top melodrama can be good for pop, R&B, or any genre."<ref name="ew">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,660530,00.html|title=''Afrodisiac'' (2004)|first=David|last=Browne|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|accessdate=2010-03-06|date=2004-07-09|archive-date=2008-12-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220235426/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,660530,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In his review for [[Allmusic]], Andy Kellman concluded that "Should I Go" was "about as honest and searching as anyone gets these days, and while it's also noteworthy for allowing Brandy and Timbaland to pay tribute to shared love Coldplay, it's the music industry that's being contemplated, not a romantic relationship. Whatever Brandy decides to do, consider her mark made."<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r693848|pure_url=yes}}|title=(((Afrodisiac > Overview)))|first=Andy|last=Kellman|work=[[Allmusic]]|accessdate=2010-03-06}}</ref>

Less enthusiastic with the track, Terry Sawyers from [[PopMatters]] commented that "Should I Go" sounded "exhausted and porously dull", and that "without the punch up of a good backbeat, Brandy can drift and drain, melting into the song without making more than a breeze of an impression [...] despite the limp handclaps, which seem placed more to keep you awake than to actually support the song."<ref name="popmatters">{{cite web|url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/brandy-afrodisiac/|title=Brandy: Afrodisiac|work=[[PopMatters]]|first=Terry|last=Sawyer|accessdate=2010-03-06|date=2004-09-17}}</ref> Andy Battaglia of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' wrote that the song "floats over a clunky sample [...] that goes nowhere" and added that the song showed "Brandy in her best and worst form: Unmoored as a musical presence, she sounds most at home in pop-R&B clothes that would seem to make her one of many stars that twinkle more than shine."<ref name="avclub">{{cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/review/brandy-emafrodisiacem-11372|title=Brandy: Afrodisiac|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|publisher=[[The Onion]]|first=Andy|last=Battaglia|accessdate=2013-12-26|date=2004-07-12}}</ref> [[Stylus Magazine]]'s Josh Love called the song a "rarity in Brandy’s catalogue",<ref name="stylus">{{cite web|url=http://stylusmagazine.com/reviews/brandy/afrodisiac.htm|title=Brandy – Afrodisiac – Review|work=[[Stylus Magazine]]|first=Josh|last=Love|accessdate=2010-03-06|date=2004-07-29|archive-date=2010-01-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114003545/http://stylusmagazine.com/reviews/brandy/afrodisiac.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> while Keya Modessa from ''The Situation'' declared it a "spectacular close."<ref name="situation">{{cite web|url=http://www.thesituation.co.uk/reviews/brandy_review.html|title=Brandy, Afrodisiac|work=The Situation|first=Keya|last=Modessa|accessdate=2013-12-28|date=2004-06-28|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725101027/http://www.thesituation.co.uk/reviews/brandy_review.html|archive-date=2011-07-25}}</ref> Kitty Empire, writing for ''[[The Observer]]'', remarked that "Timbaland samples great swaths of Coldplay's "Clocks" on the splendid, soul-searching "Should I Go"."<ref name="observer">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/jun/27/popandrock.razorlight|title=The Bees, Free the Bees|work=[[The Observer]]|first=Kitty |last=Empire|accessdate=2013-12-28|date=2004-06-27}}</ref> ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine summed the track as "gorgeous" and found that it demanded repeated plays.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Michael|last=Paloetta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OhAEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22coupled+with+nonexistent+hooks+and+forgettable+melodies%22+BILLBOARD&pg=PA34|title=Esstential Reviews, Albums|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=3 July 2004|accessdate=2014-01-01}}</ref>

== Credits and personnel ==
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Afrodisiac''.<ref name="booklet">{{cite AV media notes |title=Afrodisiac |publisher=[[Atlantic Records]] |others=[[Brandy Norwood]] |title-link=Afrodisiac (Brandy album)|year=2004}}</ref>

{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
*Vocals&nbsp;– Brandy Norwood
*Vocal production&nbsp;– Brandy Norwood 
*[[Backing vocalist|Vocal assistance]]&nbsp;– Blake English, Kenisha Pratt
*[[Audio engineering|Engineering]]&nbsp;– [[Jimmy Douglass]], Blake English
{{col-2}}
*Engineering assistance&nbsp;- Demo Castellon, Jermeal Hicks
*[[Audio mixing|Mixing]]&nbsp;– Timbaland, Jimmy Douglass
*Mixing assistance&nbsp;– Halsey Quemere
*[[Audio mastering|Mastering]]&nbsp;– Chris Gerhinger 
{{col-end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Brandy songs}}

[[Category:2004 songs]]
[[Category:Brandy Norwood songs]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Timbaland]]
[[Category:Songs written by Candice Nelson (songwriter)]]
[[Category:Songs written by Timbaland]]
[[Category:Songs written by Chris Martin]]
[[Category:Songs written by Guy Berryman]]
[[Category:Songs written by Jonny Buckland]]
[[Category:Songs written by Will Champion]]
[[Category:2000s ballads]]
[[Category:Contemporary R&B ballads]]
[[Category:Pop ballads]]