Work (Kelly Rowland song): Difference between revisions
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First released on [[January 21]], [[2008]] in the [[United Kingdom]], "Work" debuted at number 56 on the [[UK Singles Chart]] based on digital sales alone,<ref name="acharts"/> two weeks prior to the song's physical release. On [[January 26]], [[2008]], it rose twenty-four places to number 7, making it both the biggest-moving single of the week and Rowland's fifth non-consecutive top 10 entry. On [[February 3]], "Work" reached its peak position at number 4 on that particular chart. It then spent six weeks within the top 10, the longest stay of any of Rowland's singles <ref name="acharts"/> |
First released on [[January 21]], [[2008]] in the [[United Kingdom]], "Work" debuted at number 56 on the [[UK Singles Chart]] based on digital sales alone,<ref name="acharts"/> two weeks prior to the song's physical release. On [[January 26]], [[2008]], it rose twenty-four places to number 7, making it both the biggest-moving single of the week and Rowland's fifth non-consecutive top 10 entry. On [[February 3]], "Work" reached its peak position at number 4 on that particular chart. It then spent six weeks within the top 10, the longest stay of any of Rowland's singles <ref name="acharts"/> |
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In [[Bulgaria]], the song entered the [[Bulgarian National Top 40|Bulgarian Top 40]] at number 30, making it Rowland's first entry ever.<ref name="acharts"/> However, it took four weeks until "Work" reached the top ten, and another three weeks before it reached the top position. It then spent six consecutive weeks atop.<ref name="acharts"/> In Poland, the song reached the top of the [[Polish National Top 50]] on [[March 22]], [[2008]] in its seventh week on the chart.<ref name="polandchart"/> It also reached the top ten in |
In [[Bulgaria]], the song entered the [[Bulgarian National Top 40|Bulgarian Top 40]] at number 30, making it Rowland's first entry ever.<ref name="acharts"/> However, it took four weeks until "Work" reached the top ten, and another three weeks before it reached the top position. It then spent six consecutive weeks atop.<ref name="acharts"/> In Poland, the song reached the top of the [[Polish National Top 50]] on [[March 22]], [[2008]] in its seventh week on the chart.<ref name="polandchart"/> It also reached the top ten in [[Finland]], [[France]], [[Italy]], [[Poland]], and [[Switzerland]], and reached number 25 on a composite [[United World Chart]].<ref name="acharts"/>. In [[Australia]] the song debuted at #6, but has remained in the top 20 for sixteen weeks where it still charts as of 06/23/08[http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Kelly+Rowland&titel=Work&cat=s Austrana-Charts K. Rowland Work]. |
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Following the less successful chart performances of "[[Like This (Kelly Rowland song)|Like This]]" and "[[Ghetto (song)|Ghetto]]," "Work" widely exceeded the success of its predecessor. It has since become the third highest-charting single of Rowland's solo career, behind her 2002 collaboration "[[Dilemma (song)|Dilemma]]" and subsequent "[[Stole (song)|Stole]]," entering foreign music markets where previous efforts failed to chart on.<ref name="acharts"/> When asked why the song was not released in the US, Rowland answered: "I don't know, seriously, I feel like I didn't have anything to do with the success of 'Work' in Europe. The Freemason remix took the song to the next level, fans kept requesting it on the radio. Look at [[Destiny's Child]]'s '[[Say My Name]],' the fans in the U.S. made it a single, they made it happen, I didn't have that little extra with 'Work' over there."<ref name="tgj2"/> |
Following the less successful chart performances of "[[Like This (Kelly Rowland song)|Like This]]" and "[[Ghetto (song)|Ghetto]]," "Work" widely exceeded the success of its predecessor. It has since become the third highest-charting single of Rowland's solo career, behind her 2002 collaboration "[[Dilemma (song)|Dilemma]]" and subsequent "[[Stole (song)|Stole]]," entering foreign music markets where previous efforts failed to chart on.<ref name="acharts"/> When asked why the song was not released in the US, Rowland answered: "I don't know, seriously, I feel like I didn't have anything to do with the success of 'Work' in Europe. The Freemason remix took the song to the next level, fans kept requesting it on the radio. Look at [[Destiny's Child]]'s '[[Say My Name]],' the fans in the U.S. made it a single, they made it happen, I didn't have that little extra with 'Work' over there."<ref name="tgj2"/> |
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Revision as of 12:24, 23 June 2008
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"Work" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Kelly Rowland. It was written by Rowland, Scott Storch and Jason "Pooh Bear" Boyd and co-produced by Storch and Boyd for Rowland's second studio album, Ms. Kelly (2007).
Following the less successful chart performances of previous singles "Like This" and "Ghetto", "Work" was released during the first quarter of 2008 (see 2008 in music) as the album's second single in most international music markets. The song has since enjoyed commercial success, becoming Rowland's best-charting solo single since her 2002 song "Stole," reaching the top of the charts in Poland and Bulgaria, as well as the top 10 in Australia, Finland, France, Poland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Writing and recording
"I had a good time… I was in the studio with Scott Storch and we wanted to have a party record, a record that'd make you get up and dance. So we literally went out and we went to a club and partied and we got a little inspiration."
—Kelly Rowland, I Like Music[1]
"Work" is one out of two tracks Scott Storch contributed to Ms. Kelly and was among eight new songs[2] Rowland recorded near completion in 2006 for the revamped version of My Story, the album's actual version. Conceived during a booked studio session in Miami, Florida;[3] Rowland, Storch and his protégé Pooh Bear began to work on melodic ideas for the song over an instrumental track by Storch.[3] With most of its lyrics being written after returning from a night out in the city, composing for "Work" (tentatively entitled "Put It in" back then) was eventually finished in "like twenty minutes," according to Rowland.[3] The team returned the next day for vocal recording.[1]
The singer has described the song as "actually very innocent [but] a little aggressive maybe:"[4] "All I'm saying is don't come around if you're not going to live up to all your talk and as you know, some guys are just full of talk," Rowland said in a 2008 interview with Popjustice. "It's just a woman saying you can't catch me easy and you have to put in the work. It's about putting in work – that's it, of course."[4]
Although Columbia Records intended to release "Work" as Ms. Kelly’s lead single in the beginning,[3] Polow da Don-produced "Like This" eventually replaced the original album's lead single "Gotsta Go" in early 2007, as Rowland thought the song had no hit potential, influenced by negative blogs she read after snippets of "Work" had leaked.[5] The full track was leaked on May 31, 2007 onto the internet. It has since been remixed by several producers and DJs, among spawning official versions by duos Steve Pitron and Max Sanna, and the Freemasons, whose remix Rowland said gave the song new life. "I'm really grateful to the Freemasons for coming along [...], because it's something that I could have got. You always need an extra brain there and they just gave it a new vibe."[1]
Critical reception
While most of the tracks featured on Ms. Kelly are mid-tempo, "Work" was well received by critics for its beat-driven melody. Mark Edward Nero of About.com called "Work" an "excellent, Destiny's Child-type song that [...] minimizes Kelly's vocal shortcomings behind an attention-catching beat."[6] For a review for the BBC, Gemma Padley also compared the track to Rowland's former band’s singles "Bug a Boo" and "Lose My Breath" due to "its jagged vocal and hip shaking beat."[3] Rewind Magazine writer Emmanuel Ezugwu found "Work" a "high energy track that will undoubtedly be a future club banger. The constant cow bells adds to the frenzied pace of the record and Kelly’s vocals are fast and stuttered."[7]
Spence D. of IGN observed that the song flipped the early musical script of the album "for a hot minute, going for a more driven, throbbing thrust over which Rowland's flitters and flirts."[8] He further said that "it showcases her strengths, but also still highlights her delicate vocal limitations. It's a sticky wicket that bumps while breaking down."[8] In a preview, ThatGrapeJuice.net called "one of many highlights; with a pulsating beat and deliberately suggestive lyrics, Rowland doesn’t hold back."[9]
However, San Francisco Weekly writer Dan Leroy was less empathic with "Work", calling it "derivative," while Dotmusic's Jaime Gill considered the track a mis-step: "'Work' is a clear attempt to encroach on her old band mates' hyper-sexual territory, although it's hard to imagine Beyoncé resorting to as crass a single entendre as repeatedly demanding "put it in!" like a hooker on crystal meth."[10]
Music video
The music video for "Work" was filmed in Los Angeles, California on July 26, 2007[11] and shot back to back with the yet-unreleased video for "Comeback" with director Philip Andelman.[12][11]
"Work" was originally set to premiere during the September 10, 2007 episode of BET's Access Granted, along with "Ghetto", however, this did not materialize as there was confusion over which would be Rowland's next single, as the artist now had three videos shot. After her record label rescheduled the air date to October 22, 2007, the release was further pushed back, and the video finally premiered on the December 5, 2007 at SoUrban.com, the record label website for the Sony Urban Music division in the United Kingdom.[13].
The imagery used in this video can be described as Rowland and her dancers posed in silhouette and shot against backdrops of vivid color and beam lighting. The beam lighting is used throughout the video to create a kaleidoscope effect which is used to break up each scene. During the last part of the clip the lighting schemes are reversed to show Rowland and her four dancer’s out of silhouette and performing a choreographed bollywood style routine against a black backdrop.
The video has also been edited to fit the Freemasons' remix and has been sent out to music channels outside the US (Europe, Australia).
Chart performance
First released on January 21, 2008 in the United Kingdom, "Work" debuted at number 56 on the UK Singles Chart based on digital sales alone,[14] two weeks prior to the song's physical release. On January 26, 2008, it rose twenty-four places to number 7, making it both the biggest-moving single of the week and Rowland's fifth non-consecutive top 10 entry. On February 3, "Work" reached its peak position at number 4 on that particular chart. It then spent six weeks within the top 10, the longest stay of any of Rowland's singles [14]
In Bulgaria, the song entered the Bulgarian Top 40 at number 30, making it Rowland's first entry ever.[14] However, it took four weeks until "Work" reached the top ten, and another three weeks before it reached the top position. It then spent six consecutive weeks atop.[14] In Poland, the song reached the top of the Polish National Top 50 on March 22, 2008 in its seventh week on the chart.[15] It also reached the top ten in Finland, France, Italy, Poland, and Switzerland, and reached number 25 on a composite United World Chart.[14]. In Australia the song debuted at #6, but has remained in the top 20 for sixteen weeks where it still charts as of 06/23/08Austrana-Charts K. Rowland Work.
Following the less successful chart performances of "Like This" and "Ghetto," "Work" widely exceeded the success of its predecessor. It has since become the third highest-charting single of Rowland's solo career, behind her 2002 collaboration "Dilemma" and subsequent "Stole," entering foreign music markets where previous efforts failed to chart on.[14] When asked why the song was not released in the US, Rowland answered: "I don't know, seriously, I feel like I didn't have anything to do with the success of 'Work' in Europe. The Freemason remix took the song to the next level, fans kept requesting it on the radio. Look at Destiny's Child's 'Say My Name,' the fans in the U.S. made it a single, they made it happen, I didn't have that little extra with 'Work' over there."[5]
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of major single-releases of "Work."
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Credits and personnel
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Charts
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See also
Polish National Top 50 number-one hits of 2008
Notes
- ^ a b c ""Kelly Rowland chats to I Like Music"". I Like Music. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
- ^ "Interview". MiddleChild Promotions. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
- ^ a b c d e ""DJ B interviews Kelly Rowland"". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-01-25. Cite error: The named reference "bbc" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b ""Kelly Rowland talks about the 'Work' and her dinner plans"". Popjustice. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
- ^ a b ""Kelly Rowland Speaks To Top DC Fansite"". That Grape Juice. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
- ^ Mark Edward Nero. "Ms. Kelly review". About.com. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
- ^ Emmanuel Ezugwu. ""Online Exclusive: Ms. Kelly Album Review"". RWD Magazine. Retrieved 2008-03-23.
- ^ a b Spence D. ""Destiny's Child ex-pat serves up routine contemporary R&B"". IGN. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
- ^ Sam. "Album review". ThatGrapeJuice.net. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
- ^ Jaime Gill. "Kelly Rowland, Ms. Kelly". Dot Music. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
- ^ a b ""Kelly Rowland shoots new video"". So-Urban.com. Retrieved 2007-07-12.
- ^ "Partizan Music Videos by Philip Andelman". Partizan.com. Retrieved 2007-07-12.
- ^ ""Kelly Rowland at SoUrban.com"". Kelly Rowland at SoUrban.com. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s ""Kelly Rowland - 'Work'"". A-Charts.us. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
- ^ a b "Polish Singles Chart". APC Chart. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
- ^ a b c "Ultratop". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
{{cite web}}: Text "Belgian (Wallonia)" ignored (help) - ^ "Hot 100 Songs & Tracks". Hot100Brasil. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
- ^ "Estonian Singles Chart". APC Chart. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
- ^ "Chart Archive". Apcchart.com. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
- ^ "European Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
- ^ "Deutsche Black Charts KW 04". Trendcharts. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
- ^ "Turkish Top 20". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-01-29.