Empire State of Mind
Encyclopedia
"Empire State of Mind" is a song by American rapper and hip hop
artist Jay-Z
, featuring vocals and a chorus from R&B
and soul
singer Alicia Keys
. It was released as the third single from Jay-Z's 11th studio album The Blueprint 3 (2009) by his Roc Nation
label in October 2009. The song is an anthemic ode to both artists' native New York, and features a music sample
of "Love on a Two-Way Street
" (1970) by The Moments
. "Empire State of Mind" was originally written by Brooklyn natives Angela Hunte and Jane't "Jnay" Sewell-Ulepic who were feeling homesick while on an overseas trip in February 2009. The following month they sent the song in for consideration at Roc Nation, although it received negative reviews. Initially discouraged, the duo sent the song to Jay-Z after a suggestion by an associate of EMI Music Publishing (EMI), and after an incident which they described as an omen.
After hearing the song Jay-Z immediately recorded it, changing all of the verses but keeping the hook. The single was supposed to feature Hunte on the song's hook, but when Hunte and Sewell-Ulepic were asked if they thought someone else would be more appropriate for the chorus Hunte suggested Keys. Mary J. Blige
was also considered for the part, but Keys was chosen after Jay-Z heard the song's piano loop. The song was viewed as being an "orchestral rap ballad" and has pop-rap musical styles. It contains references to drugs, locations in New York and its famous residents, and describes the city's essence. Profanity is also present throughout the song and, although it is usually included during live performances, it was omitted during the performance at Game 2 of the 2009 World Series
.
It was included in multiple critics top 10 list for the best songs of 2009; including Rolling Stone
magazine's and the New York Timess. The song was also nominated for three Grammy Awards, winning Best Rap Song
and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
. "Empire State of Mind" achieved commercial success worldwide. The track peaked within the top 10 in countries including; the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Italy and Sweden. The single was commercially successful in the United States, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100
for five consecutive weeks, becoming Jay-Z's first number-one single on the chart as a lead artist. It appeared in 2009 year-end charts in Italy, Australia and the US. The song is also the last number one hit of the 2000's.
In the song's music video, which is primarily in black-and-white, Jay-Z and Keys are shown performing the song in various locations in New York. "Empire State of Mind" has been performed by Jay-Z and Keys multiple times, including during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
and the 2009 American Music Awards. Usually when the duo performs the song, an overhead screen shows images of places in New York. Keys has recorded a sequel entitled "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down
", which is featured on her fourth studio album The Element of Freedom
(2009). Her version was positively received by critics and did well commercially, but was not as successful as its predecessor, but it was Top 10 in three countries in the UK, Netherlands and Ireland. She said that she chose to record her own version of "Empire State of Mind" because she wanted to express her own personal feelings about New York.
artist Jay-Z
lived—560 State Street, an address which is mentioned in the song. The track's creation was inspired during an overseas trip Hunte and Sewell-Ulepic made to London in February 2009 when they were both feeling homesick. Hunte was ill during that summer, while Sewell-Ulepic's mother was ill. Hunte recalls, "We said to ourselves, 'we complain so much about New York—about the busy streets, about the crowds and the pushing, about the subway system—but I would trade that for anything right now.' Before we left the hotel that night, we knew we would write a song about our city." Although they wrote the song as a simple way to voice their feelings for their hometown, they sent it to the Roc Nation
music label the following month in hope that Jay-Z would like it and record it. When they received negative reviews about the track they were convinced it would never be recorded. However, in the summer of the same year, EMI Music Publishing's (EMI) Jon "Big Jon" Platt heard the track at a barbecue and fell in love with it, believing that "it would be perfect for Jay-Z".
Hunte and Sewell-Ulepic were hesitant though, as they had sent the track for consideration already and been unsuccessful. According to Hunte, when a Notorious B.I.G. figure she kept by the computer fell over as they played the track for Platt—a statue that had never moved before regardless of how loud they've blasted music—she realized it was an omen. She commented, "We all just looked at each other like, 'if Biggie approves, then, send it to Jay'". The next day Platt sent it to Jay-Z and he "loved it and recorded it that night". Hunte recalls, "We were just so happy he wanted to honor our work and our production. Two female producers/writers, and for him as a rapper to take our song—that's not a combination you see a lot. For him to be so open-minded about it, we just couldn't be any more grateful and thankful." Originally composed as a song to be sung, Jay-Z ended up rewriting new verses inspired from the original lyrics and leaving Hunte on the song's hook. However, when Hunte and Sewell-Ulepic were asked if they thought someone else would be more appropriate for the chorus, Hunte suggested R&B
and soul
artist Alicia Keys
. Hunte said, "She's never done a record with him and she also has my same vocal tone
. She made the song sound so close to the original, She just nailed it and brought it home. It was a great choice." Keys also contributed to writing "Empire State of Mind"s new bridge.
Jay-Z stated in an interview that after he first heard the track's piano loops, he immediately thought of Keys and wanted her to be featured on the song. Keys recalls, "There was a first phone call, and Jay hit me up like, 'I feel like I have this record that's going to be the anthem of New York'". Jay-Z said that Mary J. Blige
was initially considered for Keys' part on "Empire State of Mind" and admitted that he was "two seconds away" from asking Blige to appear on the record's chorus. His second choice for the track's vocals was Keys and that using Blige on the song would have been a safe move, but said that the combination of Keys' sound and piano talent had struck a chord with him. In December 2009 Hunte, who would not reveal many details, said the original version of "Empire State of Mind" will one day be released, adding that "The original is so powerful it's only a matter of time till you hear it down the line".
song with influences of electropop and orchestral pop
. The track also has pop-rap musical styles and contains a music sample
of the 1970 single "Love on a Two-Way Street
" by The Moments
, the sample being the piano component that runs throughout the song. The song is played at a moderate tempo
of 84 beats per minute and is written in the key
of F-sharp major. It has a sequence of F–C/B–B–F as its chord progression
, throughout the single Keys' vocal range
changes from the register of A3 to C5. Pete Cashmore of NME
described Keys as having established "crashing piano chords" during her verses in the track. Mariel Concepcion of Billboard magazine
noted that the track has a "simple piano pattern". Stephen Dalton of The Times
described the song as an "orchestral rap ballad".
Lyrically, "Empire State of Mind" was viewed as taking listeners for a "ride in the back of the Maybach
", detailing Jay-Z's rise from the Marcy Projects to his career success. The single opens with lyrics referencing locations in New York, it name-checks notable neighborhoods and captures the city's essence; from attending Knicks basketball games to its famous residents. In "Empire State of Mind" Jay-Z proclaims himself to be the "new Sinatra
" and states "since I made it here I can make it anywhere". He also sings that he can make "the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can/You know I bleed blue/But I'm not a crip, though". Drug dealing references, "N-words", and profanity are also present throughout the song. Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star
commented on the track's lyrics "I'm the new Sinatra/And since I made it here/I can make it anywhere/Yeah they love me everywhere" remarking "who can argue?" noting that he's "one of those waffling retirees", but is a living "hip hop legend".
Allison Stewart of The Washington Post
described its lyrical content as consisting of "Hova's sports team shout-outs and PG-13 ruminations". Jayson Rodriguez of MTV News felt that Keys "croons" on the track's chorus line, "I'm from Neeeeww Yooooork/These streets will make you feel brand-new/Bright lights will inspire you." Keys said that while recording the song she wanted to make sure she got the hook right explaining, "I did try it a couple of times, but it was more about capturing the kind of grand feeling of it. With the way I sang it the first time, I was actually kind of sick, and I knew that he needed the record, so I was like, 'Let me get to it.'" She added, "I came back and revisited it so that it could be what it is now[.] So it actually took a couple of times, but every time, the energy was just so high." Simon Vozick-Levinson of Entertainment Weekly
felt that the singer who sings the song's hook has a "crucial role", believing that "Empire State of Mind" is a "smash that concert attendees expect Jay to play, and it just wouldn’t work without a big, clear voice to sing that hook".
"Empire State of Mind" received generally positive reception from contemporary music critics, with most reviewers praising Keys' vocal performance. Jon Bush of Allmusic listed the song as being a highlight from The Blueprint 3. He commented that the song is Jay-Z's "king of crossovers ... a New York flag-waver with plenty of landmark name-dropping that turns into a great anthem with help on the chorus from Alicia Keys". Los Angeles Times
writer Greg Kot
commended Jay-Z for his ability to perform with cameos and called the song "the sound of Jay-Z cruising for pop hits." Pete Cashmore of NME described Alicia Keys's cameo as "lusty bellowing". Martin Andrew of PopMatters
called the song "yet another chance" for Jay-Z to show his respect to New York, but commented that it "remains interesting thanks to a fantastic Al Shux beat and celebratory hook from Alicia Keys." He added that "Above all it's a chance for the Marcy emcee to show off shades of a new flow while not losing you for a second."
Writing in Rolling Stone magazine
, Jody Rosen called it a "pallid New York shout-out". USA Today
s Steve Jones perceived a maturity by Jay-Z in the song, writing that "The upper-crust landmarks he now references are a far cry from the grimy Marcy Projects sights that he once detailed, something that perhaps is to be expected from the self-described 'new Sinatra'." The Daily Telegraph
described the song's sound as "anthemic club pop" and called Keys's chorus line a "singalong". Shannon Barbour of About.com
called "Empire State of Mind" the album's apex, while commending Keys for her "excellent display of some unusually strong vocals". Slant Magazine
writer William McBee described it as a "glittering paean to the Big Apple" with Keys "soaring skyscraper-level on the hook and Jay putting on for his city."
IGN
music reviewer Chris Carle described Keys as having "soaring vocals" in the song. New York Post
writer Ryan Brockington called "Empire State of Mind" his favorite song from The Blueprint 3 and Tyler Gray from the same publication said "Empire State of Mind" was the "most soulful" song on the album. Francois Marchand of the Vancouver Sun called the song "shiver-inducing". The Times writer Stephen Dalton called the track a "heartfelt love letter to New York City," with Jay-Z playing the "hip-hop Sinatra" over Keys' "luscious" chorus, and The Guardian
s Alexis Petridis described its chorus as "incredible, breezy pop". Killan Fox of the same publication felt that the track was a "terrific homage" to New York and listed the song as being one of the "really good tracks" on The Blueprint 3. Pitchfork Media
's Ian Cohen stated that "the piledriver hooks of "Run This Town
" and "Empire State of Mind" are content to annoy their way to ubiquity".
s 37th annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll
. Jon Pareles
of The New York Times
placed "Empire State of Mind" at number three on his list of the top songs of 2009, and Pitchfork Media also ranked it at number 44 on its The Top 100 Tracks of 2009 list. Jay-Z, a long-time fan of the New York Yankees
, said that he was elated that his songs, namely "Empire State of Mind" and "Run This Town", had been played during different Yankee player's batting at home games in the 2009 World Series
commenting that it was "incredible" and "beyond explanation" to hear his music being played during Yankee games. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg
commented that "Empire State of Mind" had become "one of the newest anthems of the Yankees". At the 53rd Grammy Awards
ceremony the track won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
and Best Rap Song
. It had also been one of the five nominees for Record of the Year
. In October 2011, NME
placed it at number 13 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
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"Empire State of Mind" achieved commercial success worldwide. In the United States the track peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100
for five consecutive weeks, from November 28 to December 26, replacing "Fireflies
" by Owl City
for the top position and giving Jay-Z his first number one single on that chart as a lead artist in his fourteen year career. The song, which was both artists' fourth number one entry on the chart, became the first Billboard Hot 100 number one single to reference New York in its title. Moreover it was included in Billboards year-end music charts for 2009 at number sixty two and was the last number one single for the 2000s. According to Billboard magazine, the song was the 15th biggest hit by two recording artists for all time.
The single sold 205,000 digital copies in the US in its opening week and its highest week sale was of 360,000 in December 2009. "Empire State of Mind" has also peaked at number one on the Billboard component chart for the sales of legal digital downloads
on October 3, 2009, as well as topping the Billboard component chart for singles with the most radio airplay throughout the country for eight consecutive weeks from November 28 to January 23, 2010. The track also peaked at the top position on the R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart for three consecutive weeks, as well as topping the Billboard Rap Songs chart for nine consecutive weeks. After five months of release "Empire State of Mind" was certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) for the shipment of over 3,000,000 units in the US. Total sales for the single in US stand at 4,000,000 copies.
In the United Kingdom the track debuted at number fifteen and, in the two succeeding weeks, the single peaked at number two, having been held from the top position by Taio Cruz
's "Break Your Heart
". "Empire State of Mind" peaked at number three on the Canadian Hot 100 and was listed as being the top digital gainer on December 12. The song peaked at number four in Australia, and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) for the shipment of 35,000 units in the country. "Empire State of Mind" was also included in Australia's 2009 year-end music chart at number sixty-four. In New Zealand the song peaked at number six. Furthermore, the single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
(RIANZ) for the shipment of over 7,500 units in New Zealand. The single debuted at number eighteen in France, eventually peaking at number eight in the following three weeks. It also peaked at number four in Belgium's Flemish
and French
charts. In Portugal the song debuted at number 48 and eventually rose to number one where, to date, it was at number one for eighteen consecutive weeks. The song also peaked within the top ten positions in the music charts of Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden. In Italy "Empire State of Mind" was certified platinum. "Empire State of Mind"s least commercially successful charting territories were Austria, Brazil, and Spain; peaking at number thirteen, seventeen, and twenty-seven respectively.
by Hype Williams
. The video, which was filmed on location, features black-and-white images of New York City intercut with full-color shots of Jay-Z and Keys performing in Times Square
. "Empire State of Mind"s music video began filming on September 29, in Tribeca
and around Ground Zero
, and was released on October 30, 2009. Keys praised the music video and said that the video has all the key elements of a homage to her hometown.
, street signs and stairwells leading to train stations.
Next we see black and white clips of Keys, who is wearing large hoop-earrings with high heels, a black shirt and pants, playing a Yamaha
piano that has an image of the Statue of Liberty
on it. She is singing her verse of the song in a street at night while cars drive by. Keys' performance is then intercut with aerial views of skyscrapers and clips of the Yankee Stadium
, clips of the New York Police, and NYPD cars and logos. Some people, such as ones who are walking around New York or wearing Yankee emblems, have their faces shown or blurred out. Keys and Jay-Z, both wearing sunglasses at night, are then shown performing the song together as the video continues to be intercut with clips of them performing "Empire State of Mind" individually, as well as images of New York. The video ends with clips shown in color of; the duo singing on red-colored stairs waving their hands in the air, clips of Keys performing, and images of New York.
Jay-Z’s Lifestyle blog came out with an alternative video which features supermodels.
on September 11, 2009, where it was the opening song. All ticket proceeds from the show went to the New York Police and Fire Widows and Children’s Fund. The song was then performed live at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
(MTV VMA) on September 13, 2009, where it closed the awards show. The VMA performance was the first time Jay-Z and Keys performed the song together. Shaheem Redi of MTV News commented on the performance that, "Their set was elegant and 'hood at the same time, and it was such a powerful moment". Ryan Brockington of the New York Post wrote "Alicia's buttery voice and Jay-Z's impeccable stage presence made for an audio adrenaline overload" and placed the performance third on his list of the "top six performances" from the MTV VMAs. For the performance Jay-Z wore his signature Yankees cap and Keys wore all black while playing the piano. During the MTV VMA performance images of locations in New York, such as the Empire State Building and the Apollo Theatre
, were shown on an overhead screen behind Jay-Z and Keys. Towards the end of the performance rapper Lil' Mama got up onto the stage uninvited and posed with Jay-Z and Keys while they were finishing the final verse of the track. Lil' Mama said she did not mean to disrespect either performer but the song had her "emotions running high", adding that "in that moment I came up onstage to celebrate my two icons singing about NY." Keys responded to the incident saying "We can appreciate her being overwhelmed and inspired, but we would have appreciated it if she would have done it from her seat", and Jay-Z added, "It was a lot of planning that went into that performance. To disrupt that was outta line." Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly said that the duo "brought some genuine street heat to the tongue-twisting torrents" of "Empire State of Mind". She added that "Keys, on piano and soaring chorus, brought the feminine strength and soul."
Jay-Z was due to perform "Empire State of Mind" with Keys during the opening game of the baseball 2009 World Series in early October 2009 but, due to an inclement weather, the duo did not perform. They ultimately performed the song live in the Yankee Stadium before Game 2 of the 2009 World Series in mid October. The two musicians performed the song on a custom-made stage adorned with Yankees flags, while images of New York City flashed across several large screens throughout the stadium. Jayson Rodriguez of MTV News wrote of the performance, "If the Yankees were looking to change their tune heading into Game 2 of the World Series, they couldn't have picked better musical guests." During most live performances of the track, the lyrics containing profanity are included in the song, but they were omitted for the World Series set. On November 5, 2009, Jay-Z and Keys sung "Empire State of Mind" at the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA) in Berlin, Germany, while performing in front of a New York cityscape. Jocelyn Vena and Eric Ditzian of MTV News noted that Jay-Z "took his hometown pride rather seriously" during the performance. Jay-Z also performed the song with Keys at the Yankees' World Series victory ceremonies in New York City Hall
on November 6, 2009. As Keys sang the last verse of the song Yankee members got up from their seats to shower Jay-Z with handshakes and hugs.
The single was also performed by Jay-Z and Keys at the American Music Awards
(AMA) on November 22, 2009. They began their performance of "Empire State of Mind" with a rendition of Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York". Keys played on a piano on a stage with blue lights in front of a backdrop that had tall buildings. Also, the words "New York" scrolled across screens on the stage. Towards the end of the song, Keys sung with Jay-Z at the front of the stage while holding up a "I love you" sign. Todd Martens of the Los Angeles Times felt that the song had "worn out its welcome", and gave the performance a letter grade "D". However, Jeremy Blacklow of Access Hollywood
had a more positive feeling towards the performance, describing it as being "so great" in his live blog for the award ceremony. On November 29, Keys performed the song's chorus in a medley alongside "Doesn't Mean Anything
" and "No One
", on the sixth season of the United Kingdom television show, The X Factor
. In March, Jay-Z joined Keys onstage during one of her Freedom Tours
New York concerts to perform "Empire State of Mind", while images of New York were shown throughout the concert arena. Jay-Z performed "Empire State of Mind" as well as three of his other singles, at California's Coachella music festival in April 2010. Jay-Z and Keys performed the song live on an episode of Saturday Night Live
on May 9, 2010. Jay-Z performed the song with a medley of his other singles, including "On to the Next One
". Keys wore a black micro mini dress and Jay-Z wore a white t-shirt with a black leather vest while performing the song on a stage light by blue lights, with musicians playing instruments in the far back. Caitlyn Millat of San Diego's NBC
felt that Jay-Z "brought the house down" during his performances of the melodies. Rodriguez of MTV News said that Keys "turned more than a few heads" because the outfit she was wearing was "tighter than her boss' rhyme".
", appeared on Keys' fourth studio album The Element of Freedom
which was released in December 2009. The original version, entitled "Empire State of Mind Part 2", included both Keys' vocals and a new rap verse from Jay-Z, but the final product did not include Jay-Z. Discussing the record, Keys claimed that it acts as a dichotomy of strength and vulnerability, commenting that "The music is really strong, and the drums are really aggressive, but my voice is vulnerable and delicate".
"Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down" was generally well received by contemporary music critics in their reviews for The Element of Freedom. Allison Stewart of The Washington Post noted that the track, which is a pop ballad, had replaced "Empire State of Mind" sports team references and ruminations with "even milder and less controversial string of generalities", highlighting Keys' version's lyrics "If I could make it here/I could make it anywhere". The track was not as commercially successful as "Empire State of Mind", peaking at number four in the United Kingdom, number forty on the Canadian Hot 100, and number sixty-nine in Sweden.
" parodies the song, replacing references to the "Empire State" of New York with of the smaller Welsh
city of Newport
. In the Welsh language
Ymerodraeth means "empire". "Newport (Ymerodraeth State of Mind)" was directed by British filmmaker M-J Delaney and featured London-based actors Alex Warren and Terema Wainwright, rapping and singing respectively. Days after its release Delaney said: "I hope Jay-Z and Alicia get to see the video as long as their publishing people don't force us to take it offline. It's only tongue in cheek." Its participants were invited to appear on national television news and their work was reported in national newspapers. Their work was also so well-received in Wales that they were invited to the reopening of the Newport Transporter Bridge
. It achieved viral video
status when it reached nearly a million hits in 3 days and, by August 2010, nearly 2.5 million people had watched it on YouTube
. In July both Warren and Wainwright met with Universal Records
(the music publishers to discuss releasing the track as a single, with some of the proceeds going to the mental health charity Newport Mind. But the seven co-writers of "Empire State of Mind" refused to give permission for the Newport single, a situation which led to the video being removed from YouTube on 10 August.
"Empire State of Mind" was covered by the cast of the US television series Glee
for the second season
premiere
episode "Audition
" on September 21, 2010. In the episode the fictional William McKinley High School glee club
, upon learning that Nationals will be held in New York, decide to perform "Empire State of Mind" at the school courtyard, in the hopes it will pique the interest of their schoolmates. MTV's Kyle Anderson felt that the choreography of "Empire State of Mind" compensated for any awkwardness in its delivery. Aly Semigran, also writing for the same publication, thought the cast's performance was lacking the gravitas of the original version, but reported that Keys had deemed the Glee cover "amazing". Lisa de Moraes of the The Washington Post found the song's performance to be "maybe-trying-too-hard". Music critic Tom Stack, of Entertainment Weekly, had a more positive assessment of Glees take on it in the episode, stating that from the wardrobe to the choreography, it was "spectacular" and elating. He gave it an letter grade of "A". Glees cover version was released as a single and debuted at number twenty-one on the Billboard Hot 100, taking the title for biggest jump of that week. It also charted number twenty in Australia. The Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps played this song for part of their 2011 show New York Morning.
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Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
artist Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, featuring vocals and a chorus from R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
. It was released as the third single from Jay-Z's 11th studio album The Blueprint 3 (2009) by his Roc Nation
Roc Nation
Roc Nation is an American management, music publishing and entertainment company founded by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter.-History:In April 2008, Live Nation partnered with Jay-Z to create Roc Nation...
label in October 2009. The song is an anthemic ode to both artists' native New York, and features a music sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
of "Love on a Two-Way Street
Love on a Two-Way Street
"Love on a Two-Way Street" is a Soul ballad written by Sylvia Robinson and Bert Keyes in 1968. The song was originally recorded by Lezli Valentine, an artist signed to All Platinum, the record label that Sylvia Robinson co-owned with her husband, Joe...
" (1970) by The Moments
Ray, Goodman & Brown
Ray, Goodman & Brown is an American R&B vocal group. The group originated as The Moments, who formed in the mid-1960s and whose greatest successes came in the 1970s with hits including "Love on a Two-Way Street", "Sexy Mama" and "Look at Me "...
. "Empire State of Mind" was originally written by Brooklyn natives Angela Hunte and Jane't "Jnay" Sewell-Ulepic who were feeling homesick while on an overseas trip in February 2009. The following month they sent the song in for consideration at Roc Nation, although it received negative reviews. Initially discouraged, the duo sent the song to Jay-Z after a suggestion by an associate of EMI Music Publishing (EMI), and after an incident which they described as an omen.
After hearing the song Jay-Z immediately recorded it, changing all of the verses but keeping the hook. The single was supposed to feature Hunte on the song's hook, but when Hunte and Sewell-Ulepic were asked if they thought someone else would be more appropriate for the chorus Hunte suggested Keys. Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
was also considered for the part, but Keys was chosen after Jay-Z heard the song's piano loop. The song was viewed as being an "orchestral rap ballad" and has pop-rap musical styles. It contains references to drugs, locations in New York and its famous residents, and describes the city's essence. Profanity is also present throughout the song and, although it is usually included during live performances, it was omitted during the performance at Game 2 of the 2009 World Series
2009 World Series
The 2009 World Series was the 105th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Philadelphia Phillies, champions of the National League and defending World Series champions, and the New York Yankees, champions of the American League...
.
It was included in multiple critics top 10 list for the best songs of 2009; including Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's and the New York Timess. The song was also nominated for three Grammy Awards, winning Best Rap Song
Grammy Award for Best Rap Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song was first awarded in 2004. It is a songwriting award given to all who wrote the lyrics and music of the song. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year...
and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
The Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs on which rappers and singers collaborate...
. "Empire State of Mind" achieved commercial success worldwide. The track peaked within the top 10 in countries including; the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Italy and Sweden. The single was commercially successful in the United States, peaking at number one on 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...
for five consecutive weeks, becoming Jay-Z's first number-one single on the chart as a lead artist. It appeared in 2009 year-end charts in Italy, Australia and the US. The song is also the last number one hit of the 2000's.
In the song's music video, which is primarily in black-and-white, Jay-Z and Keys are shown performing the song in various locations in New York. "Empire State of Mind" has been performed by Jay-Z and Keys multiple times, including during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
2009 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 13, 2009, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, honoring the best music videos from June 19, 2008, to June 29, 2009. Comedian Russell Brand hosted the event for the second time in a row. The awards were held a few months after Michael...
and the 2009 American Music Awards. Usually when the duo performs the song, an overhead screen shows images of places in New York. Keys has recorded a sequel entitled "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down
Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down
"Empire State of Mind Broken Down" is a song performed by American recording artist Alicia Keys. It is an answer song to the Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z, on which Keys is featured...
", which is featured on her fourth studio album The Element of Freedom
The Element of Freedom
Keys began working on the album in May 2009. During this time, Keys and her audio engineer bought several vintage keyboards, describing the Moog as her "special best friend". Recording took place in The Oven Studios in Long Island, New York. Keys expressed that she "didn't know what to do" when she...
(2009). Her version was positively received by critics and did well commercially, but was not as successful as its predecessor, but it was Top 10 in three countries in the UK, Netherlands and Ireland. She said that she chose to record her own version of "Empire State of Mind" because she wanted to express her own personal feelings about New York.
Background and writing
"Empire State of Mind" was originally created by singer-songwriter-producer Angela Hunte, a native of Brooklyn, along with writing partner Jane't "Jnay" Sewell-Ulepic. Hunte grew up in the same building where rapper and hip hopHip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
artist Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
lived—560 State Street, an address which is mentioned in the song. The track's creation was inspired during an overseas trip Hunte and Sewell-Ulepic made to London in February 2009 when they were both feeling homesick. Hunte was ill during that summer, while Sewell-Ulepic's mother was ill. Hunte recalls, "We said to ourselves, 'we complain so much about New York—about the busy streets, about the crowds and the pushing, about the subway system—but I would trade that for anything right now.' Before we left the hotel that night, we knew we would write a song about our city." Although they wrote the song as a simple way to voice their feelings for their hometown, they sent it to the Roc Nation
Roc Nation
Roc Nation is an American management, music publishing and entertainment company founded by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter.-History:In April 2008, Live Nation partnered with Jay-Z to create Roc Nation...
music label the following month in hope that Jay-Z would like it and record it. When they received negative reviews about the track they were convinced it would never be recorded. However, in the summer of the same year, EMI Music Publishing's (EMI) Jon "Big Jon" Platt heard the track at a barbecue and fell in love with it, believing that "it would be perfect for Jay-Z".
Hunte and Sewell-Ulepic were hesitant though, as they had sent the track for consideration already and been unsuccessful. According to Hunte, when a Notorious B.I.G. figure she kept by the computer fell over as they played the track for Platt—a statue that had never moved before regardless of how loud they've blasted music—she realized it was an omen. She commented, "We all just looked at each other like, 'if Biggie approves, then, send it to Jay'". The next day Platt sent it to Jay-Z and he "loved it and recorded it that night". Hunte recalls, "We were just so happy he wanted to honor our work and our production. Two female producers/writers, and for him as a rapper to take our song—that's not a combination you see a lot. For him to be so open-minded about it, we just couldn't be any more grateful and thankful." Originally composed as a song to be sung, Jay-Z ended up rewriting new verses inspired from the original lyrics and leaving Hunte on the song's hook. However, when Hunte and Sewell-Ulepic were asked if they thought someone else would be more appropriate for the chorus, Hunte suggested R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
artist Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
. Hunte said, "She's never done a record with him and she also has my same vocal tone
Voice type
A voice type is a particular kind of human singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics. Voice classification is the process by which human voices are evaluated and are thereby designated into voice types...
. She made the song sound so close to the original, She just nailed it and brought it home. It was a great choice." Keys also contributed to writing "Empire State of Mind"s new bridge.
Jay-Z stated in an interview that after he first heard the track's piano loops, he immediately thought of Keys and wanted her to be featured on the song. Keys recalls, "There was a first phone call, and Jay hit me up like, 'I feel like I have this record that's going to be the anthem of New York'". Jay-Z said that Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
was initially considered for Keys' part on "Empire State of Mind" and admitted that he was "two seconds away" from asking Blige to appear on the record's chorus. His second choice for the track's vocals was Keys and that using Blige on the song would have been a safe move, but said that the combination of Keys' sound and piano talent had struck a chord with him. In December 2009 Hunte, who would not reveal many details, said the original version of "Empire State of Mind" will one day be released, adding that "The original is so powerful it's only a matter of time till you hear it down the line".
Composition
"Empire State of Mind" features rap verses from Jay-Z and vocals during the song's chorus from Keys, who is credited as a featured artist. It is a rap hip hopHip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
song with influences of electropop and orchestral pop
Traditional pop music
Traditional pop or classic pop or standards music denotes, in general, Western popular music that either wholly predates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s, or to any popular music which exists concurrently to rock and roll but originated in a time before the appearance of rock and roll,...
. The track also has pop-rap musical styles and contains a music sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
of the 1970 single "Love on a Two-Way Street
Love on a Two-Way Street
"Love on a Two-Way Street" is a Soul ballad written by Sylvia Robinson and Bert Keyes in 1968. The song was originally recorded by Lezli Valentine, an artist signed to All Platinum, the record label that Sylvia Robinson co-owned with her husband, Joe...
" by The Moments
Ray, Goodman & Brown
Ray, Goodman & Brown is an American R&B vocal group. The group originated as The Moments, who formed in the mid-1960s and whose greatest successes came in the 1970s with hits including "Love on a Two-Way Street", "Sexy Mama" and "Look at Me "...
, the sample being the piano component that runs throughout the song. The song is played at a moderate tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
of 84 beats per minute and is written in the key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
of F-sharp major. It has a sequence of F–C/B–B–F as its chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
, throughout the single Keys' vocal range
Vocal range
Vocal range is the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. Although the study of vocal range has little practical application in terms of speech, it is a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech and language pathology, particularly in relation to the study...
changes from the register of A3 to C5. Pete Cashmore of NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
described Keys as having established "crashing piano chords" during her verses in the track. Mariel Concepcion of Billboard magazine
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...
noted that the track has a "simple piano pattern". Stephen Dalton of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
described the song as an "orchestral rap ballad".
Lyrically, "Empire State of Mind" was viewed as taking listeners for a "ride in the back of the Maybach
Maybach
Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH is a German luxury car manufacturer. It was founded in 1909 by Wilhelm Maybach and his son. The company was originally a subsidiary of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH and was itself known as Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH until 1912.Today, the ultra-luxury car brand is owned by...
", detailing Jay-Z's rise from the Marcy Projects to his career success. The single opens with lyrics referencing locations in New York, it name-checks notable neighborhoods and captures the city's essence; from attending Knicks basketball games to its famous residents. In "Empire State of Mind" Jay-Z proclaims himself to be the "new Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
" and states "since I made it here I can make it anywhere". He also sings that he can make "the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can/You know I bleed blue/But I'm not a crip, though". Drug dealing references, "N-words", and profanity are also present throughout the song. Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
commented on the track's lyrics "I'm the new Sinatra/And since I made it here/I can make it anywhere/Yeah they love me everywhere" remarking "who can argue?" noting that he's "one of those waffling retirees", but is a living "hip hop legend".
Allison Stewart of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
described its lyrical content as consisting of "Hova's sports team shout-outs and PG-13 ruminations". Jayson Rodriguez of MTV News felt that Keys "croons" on the track's chorus line, "I'm from Neeeeww Yooooork/These streets will make you feel brand-new/Bright lights will inspire you." Keys said that while recording the song she wanted to make sure she got the hook right explaining, "I did try it a couple of times, but it was more about capturing the kind of grand feeling of it. With the way I sang it the first time, I was actually kind of sick, and I knew that he needed the record, so I was like, 'Let me get to it.'" She added, "I came back and revisited it so that it could be what it is now[.] So it actually took a couple of times, but every time, the energy was just so high." Simon Vozick-Levinson of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
felt that the singer who sings the song's hook has a "crucial role", believing that "Empire State of Mind" is a "smash that concert attendees expect Jay to play, and it just wouldn’t work without a big, clear voice to sing that hook".
Reviews
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
writer Greg Kot
Greg Kot
Greg Kot is an American writer and journalist. Since 1990, Kot has been the music critic at the Chicago Tribune, where he has covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and business issues...
commended Jay-Z for his ability to perform with cameos and called the song "the sound of Jay-Z cruising for pop hits." Pete Cashmore of NME described Alicia Keys's cameo as "lusty bellowing". Martin Andrew of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
called the song "yet another chance" for Jay-Z to show his respect to New York, but commented that it "remains interesting thanks to a fantastic Al Shux beat and celebratory hook from Alicia Keys." He added that "Above all it's a chance for the Marcy emcee to show off shades of a new flow while not losing you for a second."
Writing in Rolling Stone magazine
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, Jody Rosen called it a "pallid New York shout-out". USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
s Steve Jones perceived a maturity by Jay-Z in the song, writing that "The upper-crust landmarks he now references are a far cry from the grimy Marcy Projects sights that he once detailed, something that perhaps is to be expected from the self-described 'new Sinatra'." The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
described the song's sound as "anthemic club pop" and called Keys's chorus line a "singalong". Shannon Barbour of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
called "Empire State of Mind" the album's apex, while commending Keys for her "excellent display of some unusually strong vocals". Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
writer William McBee described it as a "glittering paean to the Big Apple" with Keys "soaring skyscraper-level on the hook and Jay putting on for his city."
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
music reviewer Chris Carle described Keys as having "soaring vocals" in the song. New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
writer Ryan Brockington called "Empire State of Mind" his favorite song from The Blueprint 3 and Tyler Gray from the same publication said "Empire State of Mind" was the "most soulful" song on the album. Francois Marchand of the Vancouver Sun called the song "shiver-inducing". The Times writer Stephen Dalton called the track a "heartfelt love letter to New York City," with Jay-Z playing the "hip-hop Sinatra" over Keys' "luscious" chorus, and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
s Alexis Petridis described its chorus as "incredible, breezy pop". Killan Fox of the same publication felt that the track was a "terrific homage" to New York and listed the song as being one of the "really good tracks" on The Blueprint 3. Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's Ian Cohen stated that "the piledriver hooks of "Run This Town
Run This Town
"Run This Town" is a 2009 song performed by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West. The song features Rihanna. The track was produced by Kanye West alongside No I.D. It is released as the second single of Jay-Z's eleventh studio album The Blueprint 3...
" and "Empire State of Mind" are content to annoy their way to ubiquity".
Rankings and honors
"Empire State of Mind" has been included in multiple music critics list for the best songs of 2009. The single was ranked the 8th best song of 2009 by MTV, the second-best song of 2009 by Rolling Stone magazine, and was voted the best single of 2009 by The Village VoiceThe Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
s 37th annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll
Pazz & Jop
The Pazz & Jop critics' poll is a poll of music critics run by The Village Voice newspaper. It is compiled every year from the top ten lists of hundreds of music critics...
. Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
placed "Empire State of Mind" at number three on his list of the top songs of 2009, and Pitchfork Media also ranked it at number 44 on its The Top 100 Tracks of 2009 list. Jay-Z, a long-time fan of the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, said that he was elated that his songs, namely "Empire State of Mind" and "Run This Town", had been played during different Yankee player's batting at home games in the 2009 World Series
2009 World Series
The 2009 World Series was the 105th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Philadelphia Phillies, champions of the National League and defending World Series champions, and the New York Yankees, champions of the American League...
commenting that it was "incredible" and "beyond explanation" to hear his music being played during Yankee games. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
commented that "Empire State of Mind" had become "one of the newest anthems of the Yankees". At the 53rd Grammy Awards
53rd Grammy Awards
The 53rd annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the telecast on February 11. Nominations were...
ceremony the track won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
The Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs on which rappers and singers collaborate...
and Best Rap Song
Grammy Award for Best Rap Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song was first awarded in 2004. It is a songwriting award given to all who wrote the lyrics and music of the song. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year...
. It had also been one of the five nominees for Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
. In October 2011, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
placed it at number 13 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
Chart performance
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...
for five consecutive weeks, from November 28 to December 26, replacing "Fireflies
Fireflies (Owl City song)
"Fireflies" is a song and the debut single from synthpop artist Owl City's album Ocean Eyes. Relient K vocalist Matt Thiessen is featured as a guest vocalist in the song...
" by Owl City
Owl City
Owl City is an American electronica musical project by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young formed in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. Young created the project while experimenting with music in his parents' basement...
for the top position and giving Jay-Z his first number one single on that chart as a lead artist in his fourteen year career. The song, which was both artists' fourth number one entry on the chart, became the first Billboard Hot 100 number one single to reference New York in its title. Moreover it was included in Billboards year-end music charts for 2009 at number sixty two and was the last number one single for the 2000s. According to Billboard magazine, the song was the 15th biggest hit by two recording artists for all time.
The single sold 205,000 digital copies in the US in its opening week and its highest week sale was of 360,000 in December 2009. "Empire State of Mind" has also peaked at number one on the Billboard component chart for the sales of legal digital downloads
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on October 3, 2009, as well as topping the Billboard component chart for singles with the most radio airplay throughout the country for eight consecutive weeks from November 28 to January 23, 2010. The track also peaked at the top position on the R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart for three consecutive weeks, as well as topping the Billboard Rap Songs chart for nine consecutive weeks. After five months of release "Empire State of Mind" was certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) for the shipment of over 3,000,000 units in the US. Total sales for the single in US stand at 4,000,000 copies.
In the United Kingdom the track debuted at number fifteen and, in the two succeeding weeks, the single peaked at number two, having been held from the top position by Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz is a British singer-songwriter, record producer, occasional rapper, and entrepreneur. In 2008, he released his debut album Departure, which Cruz wrote, arranged and produced himself. It achieved initial success in the UK and earned him a MOBO Award nomination...
's "Break Your Heart
Break Your Heart
"Break Your Heart" is a song by English singer-songwriter Taio Cruz. The song serves as the lead single from his second studio album Rokstarr. It was written by Cruz and Fraser T. Smith and produced by Smith. It was first released in the UK on 20 September 2009, followed by a release in the United...
". "Empire State of Mind" peaked at number three on the Canadian Hot 100 and was listed as being the top digital gainer on December 12. The song peaked at number four in Australia, and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) for the shipment of 35,000 units in the country. "Empire State of Mind" was also included in Australia's 2009 year-end music chart at number sixty-four. In New Zealand the song peaked at number six. Furthermore, the single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
(RIANZ) for the shipment of over 7,500 units in New Zealand. The single debuted at number eighteen in France, eventually peaking at number eight in the following three weeks. It also peaked at number four in Belgium's Flemish
Ultratop 50
Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995...
and French
Ultratop 40
Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization...
charts. In Portugal the song debuted at number 48 and eventually rose to number one where, to date, it was at number one for eighteen consecutive weeks. The song also peaked within the top ten positions in the music charts of Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden. In Italy "Empire State of Mind" was certified platinum. "Empire State of Mind"s least commercially successful charting territories were Austria, Brazil, and Spain; peaking at number thirteen, seventeen, and twenty-seven respectively.
Music video
The music video for "Empire State of Mind" was directedMusic video director
A music video director is driven by a given music track. These are called music videos and are then used as promotional tools for popular music singles...
by Hype Williams
Hype Williams
Harold "Hype" Williams , previously known as HYPE, is an American music video and film director of African-American and Honduran descent. His nickname "Hype" comes from his hyperactive nature as a child....
. The video, which was filmed on location, features black-and-white images of New York City intercut with full-color shots of Jay-Z and Keys performing in Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
. "Empire State of Mind"s music video began filming on September 29, in Tribeca
TriBeCa
Tribeca is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York in the United States. Its name is an acronym based on the words "Triangle below Canal Street", and is properly bounded by Canal Street, West Street, Broadway, and Vesey Street...
and around Ground Zero
Ground zero
The term ground zero describes the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation...
, and was released on October 30, 2009. Keys praised the music video and said that the video has all the key elements of a homage to her hometown.
Content
The music video opens with black and white images of locations in New York being shown in the form of a slideshow. The slideshow is then intercut with a black and white clip of Jay-Z, wearing a Yankees cap and a vest with no sleeves, performing the song on a street in front of apartment buildings. Then the video begins to rotate from images of New York being shown briefly, to clips of Jay-Z singing "Empire State of Mind" in several locations with different outfits. Images shown include a monument to John D. Rockefeller, Jr.John D. Rockefeller, Jr.
John Davison Rockefeller, Jr. was a major philanthropist and a pivotal member of the prominent Rockefeller family. He was the sole son among the five children of businessman and Standard Oil industrialist John D. Rockefeller and the father of the five famous Rockefeller brothers...
, street signs and stairwells leading to train stations.
Next we see black and white clips of Keys, who is wearing large hoop-earrings with high heels, a black shirt and pants, playing a Yamaha
Yamaha
Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
piano that has an image of the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
on it. She is singing her verse of the song in a street at night while cars drive by. Keys' performance is then intercut with aerial views of skyscrapers and clips of the Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
, clips of the New York Police, and NYPD cars and logos. Some people, such as ones who are walking around New York or wearing Yankee emblems, have their faces shown or blurred out. Keys and Jay-Z, both wearing sunglasses at night, are then shown performing the song together as the video continues to be intercut with clips of them performing "Empire State of Mind" individually, as well as images of New York. The video ends with clips shown in color of; the duo singing on red-colored stairs waving their hands in the air, clips of Keys performing, and images of New York.
Jay-Z’s Lifestyle blog came out with an alternative video which features supermodels.
Live performances
"Empire State of Mind" was first performed at Jay-Z's "Answer the Call" benefit concert in Madison Square GardenMadison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
on September 11, 2009, where it was the opening song. All ticket proceeds from the show went to the New York Police and Fire Widows and Children’s Fund. The song was then performed live at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
(MTV VMA) on September 13, 2009, where it closed the awards show. The VMA performance was the first time Jay-Z and Keys performed the song together. Shaheem Redi of MTV News commented on the performance that, "Their set was elegant and 'hood at the same time, and it was such a powerful moment". Ryan Brockington of the New York Post wrote "Alicia's buttery voice and Jay-Z's impeccable stage presence made for an audio adrenaline overload" and placed the performance third on his list of the "top six performances" from the MTV VMAs. For the performance Jay-Z wore his signature Yankees cap and Keys wore all black while playing the piano. During the MTV VMA performance images of locations in New York, such as the Empire State Building and the Apollo Theatre
Apollo Theatre
The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. Designed by architect Lewin Sharp for owner Henry Lowenfield, and the fourth legitimate theatre to be constructed on the street, its doors opened on 21 February 1901 with the American...
, were shown on an overhead screen behind Jay-Z and Keys. Towards the end of the performance rapper Lil' Mama got up onto the stage uninvited and posed with Jay-Z and Keys while they were finishing the final verse of the track. Lil' Mama said she did not mean to disrespect either performer but the song had her "emotions running high", adding that "in that moment I came up onstage to celebrate my two icons singing about NY." Keys responded to the incident saying "We can appreciate her being overwhelmed and inspired, but we would have appreciated it if she would have done it from her seat", and Jay-Z added, "It was a lot of planning that went into that performance. To disrupt that was outta line." Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly said that the duo "brought some genuine street heat to the tongue-twisting torrents" of "Empire State of Mind". She added that "Keys, on piano and soaring chorus, brought the feminine strength and soul."
Jay-Z was due to perform "Empire State of Mind" with Keys during the opening game of the baseball 2009 World Series in early October 2009 but, due to an inclement weather, the duo did not perform. They ultimately performed the song live in the Yankee Stadium before Game 2 of the 2009 World Series in mid October. The two musicians performed the song on a custom-made stage adorned with Yankees flags, while images of New York City flashed across several large screens throughout the stadium. Jayson Rodriguez of MTV News wrote of the performance, "If the Yankees were looking to change their tune heading into Game 2 of the World Series, they couldn't have picked better musical guests." During most live performances of the track, the lyrics containing profanity are included in the song, but they were omitted for the World Series set. On November 5, 2009, Jay-Z and Keys sung "Empire State of Mind" at the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA) in Berlin, Germany, while performing in front of a New York cityscape. Jocelyn Vena and Eric Ditzian of MTV News noted that Jay-Z "took his hometown pride rather seriously" during the performance. Jay-Z also performed the song with Keys at the Yankees' World Series victory ceremonies in New York City Hall
New York City Hall
New York City Hall is located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA, between Broadway, Park Row, and Chambers Street. The building is the oldest City Hall in the United States that still houses its original governmental functions, such as...
on November 6, 2009. As Keys sang the last verse of the song Yankee members got up from their seats to shower Jay-Z with handshakes and hugs.
The single was also performed by Jay-Z and Keys at the American Music Awards
American Music Awards of 2009
The 37th American Music Awards took place on November 22, 2009 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The nominees were announced on October 13, 2009. For the first time in history, there was no host for the year's ceremony. Instead, various celebrities introduced the performers similar...
(AMA) on November 22, 2009. They began their performance of "Empire State of Mind" with a rendition of Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York". Keys played on a piano on a stage with blue lights in front of a backdrop that had tall buildings. Also, the words "New York" scrolled across screens on the stage. Towards the end of the song, Keys sung with Jay-Z at the front of the stage while holding up a "I love you" sign. Todd Martens of the Los Angeles Times felt that the song had "worn out its welcome", and gave the performance a letter grade "D". However, Jeremy Blacklow of Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
had a more positive feeling towards the performance, describing it as being "so great" in his live blog for the award ceremony. On November 29, Keys performed the song's chorus in a medley alongside "Doesn't Mean Anything
Doesn't Mean Anything
"Doesn't Mean Anything" is a song by American recording artist Alicia Keys. It written and produced by Keys and longtime partner Kerry "Krucial" Brothers for her fourth studio album, The Element of Freedom , with its lyrics speaking about the importance of love against materialism and fake...
" and "No One
No One (Alicia Keys song)
"No One" is a song by American recording artist Alicia Keys from her third studio album, As I Am. Written and produced by Keys, Kerry Brothers, Jr., and George M. Harry, and released as the album's lead single in September 2007...
", on the sixth season of the United Kingdom television show, The X Factor
The X Factor (UK series 6)
The sixth series of British television music competition The X Factor started on ITV on 22 August 2009 and was won by Joe McElderry on 13 December 2009. Cheryl Cole emerged as the winning mentor for the second consecutive year, the first time in the show's history that a mentor has won back-to-back...
. In March, Jay-Z joined Keys onstage during one of her Freedom Tours
The Freedom Tour
The Freedom Tour was the fourth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys in support of her fourth studio album, The Element of Freedom. The tour commenced at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa on February 26, 2010. The tour continued onto North America visiting Europe as well...
New York concerts to perform "Empire State of Mind", while images of New York were shown throughout the concert arena. Jay-Z performed "Empire State of Mind" as well as three of his other singles, at California's Coachella music festival in April 2010. Jay-Z and Keys performed the song live on an episode of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
on May 9, 2010. Jay-Z performed the song with a medley of his other singles, including "On to the Next One
On to the Next One
"On to the Next One" is a single by American hip hop rapper Jay-Z, released as the fourth single from his studio album The Blueprint 3 on his Roc Nation label, also released as the fourth single in the United Kingdom after "Young Forever"...
". Keys wore a black micro mini dress and Jay-Z wore a white t-shirt with a black leather vest while performing the song on a stage light by blue lights, with musicians playing instruments in the far back. Caitlyn Millat of San Diego's NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
felt that Jay-Z "brought the house down" during his performances of the melodies. Rodriguez of MTV News said that Keys "turned more than a few heads" because the outfit she was wearing was "tighter than her boss' rhyme".
Sequel
Following the release of "Empire State of Mind" in January 2010, Keys stated that she was planning to release a second version of the song as a single the following month, featuring only her vocals. The track, entitled "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken DownEmpire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down
"Empire State of Mind Broken Down" is a song performed by American recording artist Alicia Keys. It is an answer song to the Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z, on which Keys is featured...
", appeared on Keys' fourth studio album The Element of Freedom
The Element of Freedom
Keys began working on the album in May 2009. During this time, Keys and her audio engineer bought several vintage keyboards, describing the Moog as her "special best friend". Recording took place in The Oven Studios in Long Island, New York. Keys expressed that she "didn't know what to do" when she...
which was released in December 2009. The original version, entitled "Empire State of Mind Part 2", included both Keys' vocals and a new rap verse from Jay-Z, but the final product did not include Jay-Z. Discussing the record, Keys claimed that it acts as a dichotomy of strength and vulnerability, commenting that "The music is really strong, and the drums are really aggressive, but my voice is vulnerable and delicate".
"Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down" was generally well received by contemporary music critics in their reviews for The Element of Freedom. Allison Stewart of The Washington Post noted that the track, which is a pop ballad, had replaced "Empire State of Mind" sports team references and ruminations with "even milder and less controversial string of generalities", highlighting Keys' version's lyrics "If I could make it here/I could make it anywhere". The track was not as commercially successful as "Empire State of Mind", peaking at number four in the United Kingdom, number forty on the Canadian Hot 100, and number sixty-nine in Sweden.
Covers
The music video for "Newport (Ymerodraeth State of Mind)Newport (Ymerodraeth State of Mind)
The music video "Newport " is a parody of the Jay-Z and Alicia Keys song "Empire State of Mind," replacing references to the "Empire State" of New York with references to the city of Newport in South Wales...
" parodies the song, replacing references to the "Empire State" of New York with of the smaller Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
city of Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
. In the Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
Ymerodraeth means "empire". "Newport (Ymerodraeth State of Mind)" was directed by British filmmaker M-J Delaney and featured London-based actors Alex Warren and Terema Wainwright, rapping and singing respectively. Days after its release Delaney said: "I hope Jay-Z and Alicia get to see the video as long as their publishing people don't force us to take it offline. It's only tongue in cheek." Its participants were invited to appear on national television news and their work was reported in national newspapers. Their work was also so well-received in Wales that they were invited to the reopening of the Newport Transporter Bridge
Newport Transporter Bridge
The Newport Transporter Bridge is a transporter bridge that crosses the River Usk in Newport, South Wales. It is a Grade I listed structure. Designed by French engineer Ferdinand Arnodin, it was built in 1906 and opened by Godfrey Charles Morgan, 1st Viscount Tredegar on 12 September 1906...
. It achieved viral video
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
status when it reached nearly a million hits in 3 days and, by August 2010, nearly 2.5 million people had watched it on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. In July both Warren and Wainwright met with Universal Records
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
(the music publishers to discuss releasing the track as a single, with some of the proceeds going to the mental health charity Newport Mind. But the seven co-writers of "Empire State of Mind" refused to give permission for the Newport single, a situation which led to the video being removed from YouTube on 10 August.
"Empire State of Mind" was covered by the cast of the US television series Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
for the second season
Glee (season 2)
The second season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired between September 21, 2010 and May 24, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
premiere
Season premiere
In North America, a season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a given television show. It often airs in September or October, after several months of reruns.-Evaluating the changes:...
episode "Audition
Audition (Glee)
"Audition" is the second season premiere and 23rd episode overall of the American television series Glee. The episode was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Brad Falchuk, and premiered on the Fox network on September 21, 2010...
" on September 21, 2010. In the episode the fictional William McKinley High School glee club
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
, upon learning that Nationals will be held in New York, decide to perform "Empire State of Mind" at the school courtyard, in the hopes it will pique the interest of their schoolmates. MTV's Kyle Anderson felt that the choreography of "Empire State of Mind" compensated for any awkwardness in its delivery. Aly Semigran, also writing for the same publication, thought the cast's performance was lacking the gravitas of the original version, but reported that Keys had deemed the Glee cover "amazing". Lisa de Moraes of the The Washington Post found the song's performance to be "maybe-trying-too-hard". Music critic Tom Stack, of Entertainment Weekly, had a more positive assessment of Glees take on it in the episode, stating that from the wardrobe to the choreography, it was "spectacular" and elating. He gave it an letter grade of "A". Glees cover version was released as a single and debuted at number twenty-one on the Billboard Hot 100, taking the title for biggest jump of that week. It also charted number twenty in Australia. The Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps played this song for part of their 2011 show New York Morning.
Track listings and formats
- International CD-Maxi
- "Empire State of Mind" (Explicit Version) – 4:36
- Jay-Z – "Jockin' Jay-Z" (Explicit Version) – 4:32
- Jay-Z + Rihanna + Kanye West – "Run This Town" (Live From Madison Square Garden — Explicit) – 6:24
- Germany CD Single
- Jay-Z + Alicia Keys – "Empire State of Mind" (Explicit Version) – 4:36
- Jay-Z – "Jockin' Jay-Z" (Explicit Version) – 3:41
- US 12" Vinyl
- A "Empire State of Mind" (Explicit Album Version) – 4:36
- B "Empire State of Mind" (Amended Album Version) – 4:36
Credits and personnel
- Vocals – Jay-ZJay-ZShawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, Alicia KeysAlicia KeysAlicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano... - Writers(s) – Janet Sewell, Angela Hunte, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Sylvia Robinson, Burt Keyes, Alicia Keys, Alexander Shuckburgh
- Producer(s) – Alexander ShuckburghAl ShuxAlexander William Shuckburgh is a music producer and songwriter known for producing the song "Empire State of Mind". He is also credited as Alexander Shuckburgh, Al Shuckburgh, Al Shux, or Shux....
- Keyboards – Jeff Bhasker, Kevin Randolph
- Engineer – Chris Godbey, Andrew Dawson, Karl Heilbron, Marcos Tovar, Miki Tsutsumi, Ann Mincieli
- Arranger – Hart Gunther,
- Assistant – Jason Wilkie
- Mixing – Ken Duro IfillKen Duro IfillKen "Duro" Ifill is the CEO of Desert Storm Records and a six-time Grammy Award-winning mix engineer.-Desert Storm Records:In 1997, Duro, DJ Clue, and Skane developed Desert Storm Records. The labels first major artist is rapper, Fabolous. In September 2001, Fabolous released his debut album Ghetto...
- Mixing – Chris Godbey
- Mastering – Tony Dawsey
- Editor – Jason Wilkie
- Recording – Ann Mincieli, Luke Steele
- Music samples – "Love on a Two-Way StreetLove on a Two-Way Street"Love on a Two-Way Street" is a Soul ballad written by Sylvia Robinson and Bert Keyes in 1968. The song was originally recorded by Lezli Valentine, an artist signed to All Platinum, the record label that Sylvia Robinson co-owned with her husband, Joe...
" by The MomentsRay, Goodman & BrownRay, Goodman & Brown is an American R&B vocal group. The group originated as The Moments, who formed in the mid-1960s and whose greatest successes came in the 1970s with hits including "Love on a Two-Way Street", "Sexy Mama" and "Look at Me "...
Chart positions
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA 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... ) |
4 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... ) |
13 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... Flanders) |
4 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization... Wallonia) |
4 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... ) |
3 |
| Czech Republic (IFPI IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... ) |
1 |
| Denmark (Tracklisten Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... ) |
2 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) | 9 |
| France (SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... ) |
8 |
| Germany (Media Control Charts Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... ) |
13 |
| Italy (FIMI Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... ) |
3 |
| Ireland (IRMA Irish Recorded Music Association Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:... ) |
2 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... ) |
2 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... ) |
6 |
| Norway (VG-lista VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... ) |
5 |
| Scotland (Scottish Singles Charts Scottish Singles and Albums Chart The Scottish Singles Chart and Scottish Albums Chart are charts compiled by The Official Charts Company, based on physical and digital sales in the STV North, STV Central and ITV Border regions.... ) |
4 |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE PROMUSICAE Spanish Music Producers is a trade group representing the Spanish recording industry... ) |
27 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... ) |
6 |
| Switzerland (Swiss Music Charts Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... ) |
4 |
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) | 2 |
| UK R&B Chart (The Official Charts Company) | 2 |
| U.S. 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... |
1 |
| U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
1 |
| U.S. Rap Songs | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 64 |
| Australian Urban Singles | 17 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 45 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 22 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 63 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 91 |
| U.K Singles Chart | 30 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 62 |
| U.S R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 80 |
| U.S Rap Songs | 27 |
| Chart (2010) | Position |
| Australian Singles Chart | 19 |
| Australian Digital Tracks | 15 |
| Australian Urban Singles | 9 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 47 |
| Belgium Ultratop (Flanders) | 32 |
| Belgium Ultratop (Wallonia) | 16 |
| Canadian Hot 100 | 24 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 48 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 33 |
| European Hot 100 Singles | 18 |
| German Singles Chart | 64 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 51 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 47 |
| Romanian Top 100 | 68 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 93 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 10 |
| U.K Singles Chart | 78 |
| U.S. 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... |
21 |
| U.S. Pop Songs | 34 |
| U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 49 |
| U.S. Rap Songs | 8 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
3× Platinum |
| Belgium | Gold |
| Austria IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
Gold |
| Denmark IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
Platinum |
| Germany | Gold |
| Italy | Platinum |
| New Zealand Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
Platinum |
| United States Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
3× Platinum |
Chart succession and procession
|-|-
|-
|-
|-
See also
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2009 (U.S.)
- List of R&B number-one singles of 2009 (U.S.)
- Worldwide top ten singles in 2009
- List of Top 25 singles for 2010 in Australia
- California GurlsCalifornia Gurls"California Gurls" is an electropop song by American singer-songwriter Katy Perry and is the lead single of her third studio album, Teenage Dream. The song features rapper Snoop Dogg, and was produced by Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Benny Blanco. According to Perry, the song is an answer song to...
, a reputed answer songAnswer songAn answer song is, as the name suggests, a song made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. It is also known as a response song. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s through 1950s...
to Empire State of Mind