All Eyez on Me (song)
Encyclopedia
"All Eyez on Me" is a dance-pop
song written by American
R&B singer Monica, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and LaShawn Daniels
for her original third studio album, All Eyez on Me
(2002). It was produced by Jerkins, incorporating excerpts of Michael Jackson
's 1983 hit "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
," penned by Quincy Jones
and James Ingram
.
Picked as the album's leading single and Monica's first release on the newly-founded J Records
label, "All Eyez on Me" was released in June 2002 to U.S. radios. Its impact on the charts, however, was moderate in comparison with previous releases as it reached the top 40 in Australia
and New Zealand
but completely failed to enter the higher half of the U.S. Billboard
Hot 100 chart. The lukewarm response to the track and its follow-up "Too Hood
" eventually resulted into the reconstruction of the same-titled album, which received a Japan-wide release only and was subsequently retooled into a new version, branded After the Storm
(2003).
"All Eyez on Me" was one of the first songs Monica, Rodney Jerkins, and his Darkchild crew worked on in the Patchwerk recording studios in Atlanta, Georgia
, and is one out of nine songs the singer wrote or co-wrote for the album. Monica has described the track as a "party record" and "a feel-good song for the summer," stylistically comparing it with Michael Jackson
's 1983 hit single "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
", which the song partially samples. "The same way that 'P.Y.T.' was, I was hoping 'All Eyez on Me' would be - more relaxing and you could have a good time. It's not based on anything emotional or anything sad." Jackson hand-delivered the original masters of the song for the production.
The song's title also is a nod to Tupac Shakur
, whose same titled song
from 1996 was "somewhat of an inspiration", Monica explained. "I always liked the idea of 'all eyes on me,' even from his perspective. Because sometimes that's what our life becomes. I thought that would grab the attention of a lot of people." In an interview with Vibe Magazine she replied, that song is "not one of those vain, stuck-up songs, like, 'Everybody's lookin' at me'," and that all what she was trying to portray on the song was "I like to have a good time. If we go somewhere, 'All eyes on me, let's have a good time together.' That was the idea of the song."
The song doesn't appear on the re-tooled version of the album "After the Storm
" because it didn't flow with the rest of the album, "I felt that the first single was a great song, but it didn't reflect the rest of the album, it was misleading" Monica explained.
for "All Eyez on Me" was directed by Chris Robinson
and primarily filmed in Hollywood, California between July 14, and 15 2002. "The theme of the video is me just getting up, going about a normal day," Monica said. "I got a chance to just go shopping and stuff like that, but this scene is more of me dancing and having a good time, like the song says, in the club. So that's basically the whole theme of it. Just to have a good time."
The video features guest appearances by rappers Missy Elliott
, Jermaine Dupri
, Ludacris
, Trina
, and Mia X
, and Monica's younger brother Montez Arnold. "All Eyez on Me" was partially choreographed by Devyne Stephens. The video world premiered at the end of BET
's Access Granted on July 26, 2002.
Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart in the week of June 29, 2002. A week later the song entered Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks as the Hot Shot Debut of the week, debuting at number 67. However, it took until mid-August 2002 the single was released to mainstream audiences, and it could enter the Billboard Hot 100
chart as another Hot Shot Debut at number 70. It eventually peaked at number 69 a week later, thus making it Monica's lowest-charting leading single to date as well as her least-successful, video-accompanied single release since 1999's "Street Symphony
." Although the track suffered from low sales, "All Eyez on Me" was slightly more successful on Billboard' s component charts: It reached number 19 on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart and the top 40 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay
, and Top 40 Mainstream charts.
Outside the United States, "All Eyez on Me" charted at number 29 in New Zealand
and number 39 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart
as well as inside the lower halves of the national top 100 charts in Germany
and Switzerland
. The track would eventually become Monica's latest-charting single in years as no further single has been released or charted there ever since.
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
song written by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B singer Monica, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and LaShawn Daniels
LaShawn Daniels
LaShawn Ameen Daniels is an American songwriter, best known for his work with longtime colleague Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Daniels has written several of the Darkchild Team's hit songs, among them "The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy & Monica, "Say My Name" and "Lose My Breath" by Destiny's Child, "You...
for her original third studio album, All Eyez on Me
All Eyez on Me (Monica album)
All Eyez on Me is the third studio album by American singer Monica. Named after its leading single, the album was released by J Records on October 21, 2002 in Japan only, featuring production by Dallas Austin, Bryan Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, Rodney Jerkins, and Soulshock & Karlin among...
(2002). It was produced by Jerkins, incorporating excerpts of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's 1983 hit "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
"P.Y.T. " is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The original demo version of the song was written by Jackson and Greg Phillinganes. It is the sixth single from Jackson's sixth solo album, Thriller . Quincy Jones passed on the song itself but liked the title and, with James Ingram,...
," penned by Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
and James Ingram
James Ingram
James Ingram is an American soul musician. He is best known as a vocalist. He is also a self-taught musician who plays piano, guitar, bass, drums and keyboards...
.
Picked as the album's leading single and Monica's first release on the newly-founded J Records
J Records
J Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:...
label, "All Eyez on Me" was released in June 2002 to U.S. radios. Its impact on the charts, however, was moderate in comparison with previous releases as it reached the top 40 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
but completely failed to enter the higher half of the U.S. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100 chart. The lukewarm response to the track and its follow-up "Too Hood
Too Hood
"Too Hood" is a song by American singer Monica. It was written by Bryan Michael Cox, Harold Lilly, Jermaine Dupri and Monica, and was produced by guest rapper Dupri, featuring additional production by Cox for the singer for her original third studio album All Eyez on Me...
" eventually resulted into the reconstruction of the same-titled album, which received a Japan-wide release only and was subsequently retooled into a new version, branded After the Storm
After the Storm
After the Storm is the fourth studio album by American R&B singer Monica, released June 17, 2003, on J Records. Conceived from her abandoned project All Eyez on Me , it was recorded during 2001 to 2003 at Doppler Studios, Patchwerk Studios, and SouthSide Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, Soulpower...
(2003).
Writing and recording
"The world has had plenty of tragedy to deal with recently so I wanted to do something that had a 'feel good' flavor to it [...] So when you go out and have a good time, if you get dressed up in the right thing, all eyes will be on you — it doesn't matter if it's Monica or whoever else."—Monica Arnold, MTV News
"All Eyez on Me" was one of the first songs Monica, Rodney Jerkins, and his Darkchild crew worked on in the Patchwerk recording studios in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, and is one out of nine songs the singer wrote or co-wrote for the album. Monica has described the track as a "party record" and "a feel-good song for the summer," stylistically comparing it with Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's 1983 hit single "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
"P.Y.T. " is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The original demo version of the song was written by Jackson and Greg Phillinganes. It is the sixth single from Jackson's sixth solo album, Thriller . Quincy Jones passed on the song itself but liked the title and, with James Ingram,...
", which the song partially samples. "The same way that 'P.Y.T.' was, I was hoping 'All Eyez on Me' would be - more relaxing and you could have a good time. It's not based on anything emotional or anything sad." Jackson hand-delivered the original masters of the song for the production.
The song's title also is a nod to Tupac Shakur
Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
, whose same titled song
All Eyez on Me
All Eyez on Me is the fourth studio album by American rapper 2Pac, released February 13, 1996 on Death Row Records and Interscope Records....
from 1996 was "somewhat of an inspiration", Monica explained. "I always liked the idea of 'all eyes on me,' even from his perspective. Because sometimes that's what our life becomes. I thought that would grab the attention of a lot of people." In an interview with Vibe Magazine she replied, that song is "not one of those vain, stuck-up songs, like, 'Everybody's lookin' at me'," and that all what she was trying to portray on the song was "I like to have a good time. If we go somewhere, 'All eyes on me, let's have a good time together.' That was the idea of the song."
The song doesn't appear on the re-tooled version of the album "After the Storm
After the Storm
After the Storm is the fourth studio album by American R&B singer Monica, released June 17, 2003, on J Records. Conceived from her abandoned project All Eyez on Me , it was recorded during 2001 to 2003 at Doppler Studios, Patchwerk Studios, and SouthSide Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, Soulpower...
" because it didn't flow with the rest of the album, "I felt that the first single was a great song, but it didn't reflect the rest of the album, it was misleading" Monica explained.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "All Eyez on Me" was directed by Chris Robinson
Chris Robinson (director)
Chris Robinson is an American film director working mostly with music videos and commercials. He has directed commercials for brands such as iPod, Coca Cola and Verizon and music videos for songs like "Fallin'" and "You Don't Know My Name" by Alicia Keys, "Roc Boys" by Jay-Z, the grammy nominated...
and primarily filmed in Hollywood, California between July 14, and 15 2002. "The theme of the video is me just getting up, going about a normal day," Monica said. "I got a chance to just go shopping and stuff like that, but this scene is more of me dancing and having a good time, like the song says, in the club. So that's basically the whole theme of it. Just to have a good time."
The video features guest appearances by rappers Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
, Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...
, Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
, Trina
Trina
Katrina Laverne Taylor , better known by her stage name Trina, is an American rapper, songwriter and model from Miami, Florida. Trina first gained notoriety in 1998 with her appearance on Trick Daddy's second studio album www.thug.com to the single "Nann Nigga"...
, and Mia X
Mia X
Mia Young , better known by her stage name Mia X, was the first female emcee to sign with No Limit Records. In 1992, she released a single titled “Ask Them Niggas.” From 1995 to 1998, Mia X released three albums for No Limit: Good Girl Gone Bad, Unlady Like, and Mama Drama...
, and Monica's younger brother Montez Arnold. "All Eyez on Me" was partially choreographed by Devyne Stephens. The video world premiered at the end of BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
's Access Granted on July 26, 2002.
Chart performance
First released stateside, "All Eyez on Me" debuted at number-one on the U.S. BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart in the week of June 29, 2002. A week later the song entered Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks as the Hot Shot Debut of the week, debuting at number 67. However, it took until mid-August 2002 the single was released to mainstream audiences, and it could enter the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart as another Hot Shot Debut at number 70. It eventually peaked at number 69 a week later, thus making it Monica's lowest-charting leading single to date as well as her least-successful, video-accompanied single release since 1999's "Street Symphony
Street Symphony
"Street Symphony" is a song by American R&B singer Monica, written and produced by Dallas Austin for her second studio album The Boy Is Mine . It was released in US as the album's fourth single in mid-to-late 1999, and peaked at number 50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart...
." Although the track suffered from low sales, "All Eyez on Me" was slightly more successful on Billboard
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart is the airplay component chart of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. It is not the R&B subset of The Hot 100 Airplay, but rather a separate panel of R&B stations in urban markets used for the R&B/Hip-Hop chart...
, and Top 40 Mainstream charts.
Outside the United States, "All Eyez on Me" charted at number 29 in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and number 39 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
as well as inside the lower halves of the national top 100 charts in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The track would eventually become Monica's latest-charting single in years as no further single has been released or charted there ever since.
Formats and tracklistings
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "All Eyez on Me."- CD single
- "All Eyez on Me" (Radio Edit) - 3:58
- "All Eyez on Me" (BlacksmithBlacksmithA blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
Club Radio Mix) - 4:22 - "All Eyez on Me" (MaUVe Vocal Mix) - 7:33
- "All Eyez on Me" (MaUVe Dub Mix) - 7:14
- 12" single
- "All Eyez on Me" (Radio Edit) - 3:58
- "All Eyez on Me" (Instrumental) - 3:58
- "All Eyez on Me" (Radio Mix) - 3:58
- "All Eyez on Me" (Acappella) - 3:58
Credits and personnel
- Lead vocals: Monica Arnold
- Audio mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
: Manny Marroquin - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
: Tommy Martin - All music by Rodney Jerkins
- ProducerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
: Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins - Additional production: LaShawn Daniels
- Recorded by Fabian Marascuillo at Patchwerk Studios, Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
Charts
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|
External links
- Monica.com — official Monica site
- Monica music videos — watch "All Eyez On Me" at LAUNCHcast