Love on Top
Encyclopedia
"Love on Top" is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles
from her fourth studio album 4
(2011). It was written by Knowles, Terius Nash
and Shea Taylor; and production was handled by Knowles and Taylor. Knowles took inspiration from her state of mind while playing Etta James
. A throw-back to the 1980s music, the up-tempo R&B
song exhibits similar styles of Stevie Wonder
, Luther Vandross
, Anita Baker
, Whitney Houston
, Diana Ross
and The Jackson 5
. While incorporating six key changes, Knowles also adopts her high range
when repeating the song's chorus towards the end of the song. She sings about a man who she can always call, even after facing grief and hard work, finally earning his love and respect. The song is set to be released as 4s fifth overall single on December 4, 2011.
"Love on Top"s musical composition, as well as Knowles' vocals and versatility, surprised critics. In July 2011, the song charted at number three for three consecutive weeks in South Korea. Knowles also sang "Love on Top" at 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
, announcing her pregnancy at the end of her live performance. This caused the upsurge of the song on to several charts worldwide. It appeared at number 75 in the United Kingdom and at number 14 in New Zealand. The song also debuted at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100
chart, becoming the second highest debut of Knowles' career as a solo artist. It has so far peaked at number 20 in Australia and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA).
Mainly inspired by the work of the American band, New Edition
, the accompanying music video for "Love on Top" shows Knowles along with five male dancers, performing choreographed moves in a penthouse studio in New York City
overlooking the Hudson River
towards New Jersey
. Critics generally commended the simplicity of the video, the wardrobe changes with every key change, and Knowles' youthful exuberance throughout the clip. The song was part of Knowles' set list
for her revue
, 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé
. Critics commented that the song was even more impressive in person and that going through four key changes towards the last two minutes of the song while performing it live, remains a difficult task.
, Terius Nash
and Shea Taylor while production was handled by Knowles and Taylor. From June 16 to June 27, 2011, the songs from 4 were available to listen to in full each day on Knowles' official website, paired with its accompanying photo spread from the album packaging and a quote. On June 26, 2011, "Love on Top" was the eighth song to be chosen. The quote found Knowles elaborating on the song's inspiration:
Knowles, who has covered "At Last" which is a song originally recorded by James, portrayed the artist in the 2008 musical
biopic
, Cadillac Records
. She won critical acclaim for her portrayal of James. Knowles told Billboard
magazine: "I realized that Etta James was so unapologetic, bold and strong that playing her was a big risk for me. It gave me the confidence and the push to challenge myself a little more with my music."
song viewed as a modern take on old school
music. It also exhibits elements of retro
-soul music
, the 1980s pop music
, funk
music, and classic disco
music. According to Slant Magazine
Eric Henderson, "Love on Top" is a "bright, breezy tribute to the freshness of mid-[19]80s, pre-new-jack-FM R&B reminiscent of a pre-crack Whitney Houston
and pre-wack Anita Baker
." He also noted the song to be the "perfect and totally inverted fraternal twin" of another song on 4, being "Rather Die Young". "Love on Top"s retro elements are further illustrated by its use of finger snaps
, a "distorted" bass
groove, and a melding of horns
as well as sweet backing harmonies, especially in the bridge
and the chorus
of the song. It is instrumentally complete with a thumping bassline
, synthesizers, tribal drum
s and an arena-rock music
piano
, a guitar
and some backing vocals. Rich Juzwiak of The Village Voice
, who compared "Love on Top" to Raydio
's "You Can't Change That
" (1979) and New Edition
's "Mr. Telephone Man
" (1984), noted that Knowles "ecstatically and hyperactively" changes keys
six times during the entire song.
According to the digital sheet music published at musicnotes.com by EMI Music Publishing
, "Love on Top" is written in the key
of C major
with a metronome of 94 beats per minute
. Knowles' vocal range in the song spans from the low note of A♭3 to the high note of C6
. "Love on Top" is set as "both a sweet love song and an expression of girl power" as stated by Georgette Cline of AOL Music. Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club
and David Amidon of PopMatters
noted that "Love on Top" features "mature lyrics" alongside Knowles "sounding vocally giddy and aggressive while portraying the message." Lyrically, the song finds Knowles as the female protagonist expressing the happiness she feels for to have her love interest in her life. "The languid, synth-soul smoocher allows for enjoyably euphoric tone" before Knowles chimes in with "Bring the beat in!", introducing "a mid-album interlude of mid-[19]80s pop", as stated by Andy Gill of The Independent
as well as Hamish MacBain of NME
.
As stated by Scott Shetler of PopCrush, Knowles constantly sings praises of her love interest in the first verse
where she also seemingly sends him subtle digs as he did not give her his full attention in the past, this being illustrated in lyrics such as: "[...] after fighting through my fears [...] finally you've put me first." The chorus
, complimented with sweet backing harmonies, then arrives, with Knowles chanting: "Baby it’s you, you’re the one I love / You’re the one I need / You’re the only one I see / Come on baby it’s you / You’re the one that gives your all / You’re the one I can always call / When I need you make everything stop / Finally you put my love on top." The chorus carries the final two minutes of the song through four key changes. This was highlighted by Henderson who wrote that "the spirit carries both her and the song into a Stevie Wonder
-reminiscent climax of continually rising key changes." In this way, the word "baby" is said about 24 times throughout the song. As soon as the synthesizers drop out, the song fades out almost instantaneously.
complimented the song as "easy listening/easier dancing boogie vibe". Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club
viewed "Love on Top" as an exception on the album, calling it "a first-listen earworm with its breezy, retro-soul style." Matthew Horton of BBC
joked about the climax of the song, stating that the album 4 "was named after the four key changes in the final, teetering chorus of 'Love on Top' to ram the point home." Greg Kot of The Chicago Tribune
commended the song for putting a "bounce" in Knowles' step. Similarly, Matthew Perpetua of Rolling Stone
named "Love on Top" a blast as Knowles creates a modern take on old-school Whitney Houston
. Hamish MacBain of NME
favored the song's up-tempo style, stating that it was much needed after the "ballad-heavy" first half of the album. Stating that "Love on Top" is reminiscent of 1980's R&B, Erika Ramirez of Billboard
magazine complimented the song as a "Halcyon love song, perfect to be whisked away to." Spence D. of IGN
commented Knowles' "cheery disposition" and the "brash horns" will remind listeners of "damn good" mid-1980s R&B can be. While including the song as a "must hear" from the album, Andy Gill of The Independent
named "Love on Top" as "a small footnote to Stevie Wonder's innovatory genius."
Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine
also gave "Love on Top" a positive review, favoring "the infectious upbeat spirit" of the song, and comparing it to the styling of Stevie Wonder, Anita Baker
and Whitney Houston. He also complimented the fact that the various key changes throughout the song "force Beyoncé out of her scold range and into some winningly girlish soprano whoops." Similarly, Joey Guerra of The Houston Chronicle
commented that "Love on Top" is a "bouncy jam" which finds Knowles in "feel-good diva mode". He added that it might have turned up on early albums from Natalie Cole
, Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey
. Guerra concluded that Knowles "rarely has sounded so charming, even as she soars through several key changes." Ricky Schweitzer of One Thirty BPM
stated that "Love on Top" is instantaneously reminiscent of Michael Jackson
and Janet Jackson
, and Stevie Wonder, and favored Knowles' numerous key changes, writing:
Becky Bain of the website Idolator
viewed "Love on Top" as "joyful tune that doubles as a throwback to a simpler time" and added that Knowles' energy is "infectious". Conrad Tao of Sputnikmusic
showed high favoritism towards "Love on Top", writing: "[...] as she forces herself into a rarely-used high range, she sets for a perfect catharsis for the burgeoning sexual passions of the album's first two thirds", and describing the outcome as "absolutely magnificent". Melinda Newman of HitFix
commented "the soulful, exuberant, mid-tempo finger snapper, 'Love On Top' is deliciously sunny and sweet." James Reed of The Boston Globe
wrote that "Love on Top' sounds like the pretty young thing of Michael Jackson's 'P.Y.T.
' grew up to make a sequel to that 1983 hit." Similarly, Joanne Dorken of MTV UK who described "Love on Top" as "scream[ing] 'classic disco', catchy, [being] more uptempo and differing from the rest of the album", concluded that the song shows Knowles' versatility and that it is "very Jackson 5
". Ben Cardew of Music Week
stated that "Love on Top" is summery and "laidback, rather than massively immediate". However, he added that it proves to be a grower as it "ratchets up the key changes on the final third", further writing that Knowles' voice sounds "particularly impressive". A mixed review came from Adam Markovitz of Entertainment Weekly
, who compared Knowles' work on "Love on Top" to that of past idols such as Luther Vandross
and Diana Ross
, but felt the tone overshadowed Knowles' style, stating "she gets lost in her idols' polyester-swathed shadows."
at number three, selling 89,942 digital downloads. "Love on Top" remained at number three in its second week and third week, selling 52,462 downloads and 42,261 downloads respectively. It remained in the top ten positions of the chart for five consecutive weeks.
After Knowles' performance of "Love on Top" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
, the song was propelled into the top five positions of the US iTunes Store
. Gil Kaufman of MTV News added that its sales picked up by 221 percent. Despite not being an official single, it has become the highest charting song from 4 on the US iTunes Store. Eventually, for the week ending, September 10, 2011, "Love on Top" debuted at number 135 on the US Hot Digital Songs
chart, and subsequently charted at number 22 on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
chart. The following week, the song soared number 10 on the Hot Digital Songs chart, selling 113,000 downloads. Keith Caulfield of Billboard
magazine reported that download sales were up by 803%. This prompted "Love on Top"s debut at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100
chart issue dated September 17, 2011. The Hot 100 launch of "Love on Top" became Knowles' second highest among her 29 solo career entries; only "Ring the Alarm
" began at a higher position, at number 12 in 2006. For the same week ending, the song opened at number 85 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart. For the week ending October 29, 2011, "Love on Top" debuted at number 36 on the BDS
Urban AC National airplay chart, having amassed 106 spins, including 55 in 7 days. Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems reported that 18 Urban AC radio stations had added the song to their playlists. The following week, it ascended to number 30, and in its third week, it further climbed to 17, with 2.680 listener impressions on Urban AC radios only.
Similarly owing to the live performance, "Love on Top" debuted at number 65 on the Canadian Hot 100
chart issue dated September 17, 2011. The song also entered at number 75 on the UK Singles Chart
on September 4, 2011, and at number 14 on the New Zealand Singles Chart
the following day. After falling to number 39 the following week and escalating to number 34 in the third week on the New Zealand Singles Chart, "Love on Top" left the chart on September 26, 2011. However, it re-entered the chart at number 40 on October 24, 2011 after the premiere of its music video. In Ireland, "Love on Top" made its debut at number 47 on September 8, 2011. The song also entered at number 40 on the Australian Singles Chart
on September 12, 2011. The following week, it moved to number 32 on the Singles Chart and it debuted at number nine of the Urban Singles Chart. For the same week, "Love on Top" was the most added song to radios in Australia. It has so far peaked at number 20 on the Australian Singles Chart and number four on the Urban Singles Chart. The song was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA), for selling 70,000 digital copies. On September 24, 2011, "Love on Top" bubbled at number 28 on the Dutch Tip Parade chart, which is equivalent to number 68 on the Dutch Top 40
Singles Chart.
for "Love on Top" was shown on the Australian television program, Sunday Night
, on October 9, 2011. The visuals showed Knowles in a black leotard
, stockings, high-top sneakers, and medal-adorned military cap. Together with her five male dancers, they perform choreographed moves in a penthouse studio overlooking New York City
. The preview was inspired to the music video for "If It Isn't Love
" by American band New Edition
. The full video was initially supposed to be premiered on October 17, 2011 on Australia's Today Show
. However, the release date was pushed up and it was released on October 16, 2011 instead. That same day, Knowles posted the following statement regarding the video on her official website:
Although the song is initially 4 minutes and 27 seconds long, the full video is only 3 minutes and 17 seconds long; this is because of the fact that the second verse of the song is omitted from the video. Erika Ramirez of Billboard
magazine and Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly
highlighted the fact that Knowles wears several different clothes including the dress that was worn during her performance at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
. The clip starts with a casually dressed Knowles moving in coordination with the her male back-up dancers who are also wearing casual clothes and high-top Nike
Dunks. Wearing a black body suit with black hose, Knowles puts on a display of footwork before breaking into the song. About halfway through, the visuals suddenly switch to night as Knowles lights up the space in various formal looks, including a gold pantsuit, white suit, and finally a tuxedo complete with coattails, top hat, and cane. The choreography from here resembles that of the 1960s male groups. The wardrobe changes in fact correspond with every key change, except the final one. The video ends with Knowles yelling "cut!" and the shot returns to them at rehearsal.
s Alex Young praised the simplicity of the concept adding that it costs "more money than your entire life fortune." That was somehow echoed by Andrew Martin of Prefix Magazine who called the video "super-simplistic, [and] albeit effective." Sarah Fitzmaurice of Daily Mail
also gave a positive review for the video praising its simple and energetic concept accompanied by the "fierce outfits". A writer of OK!
compared the video with Will Smith
s work in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
adding that Knowles "has gone back to video basics." A writer of The Huffington Post
called the video a "fresh take on a New Edition classic" and concluded that it was a "lot more simple than it sounds." Lisa Potter of Marie Claire
also praised the energy and Knowles figure in the video, writing, "The pregnant superstar puts on another energetic performance during the video, showing off her fabulous figure in a skimpy black leotard complete with a military fetish cap and Isabel Marant sneakers, before changing into a series of tailored suits." Jenna Hally Rubenstein of MTV Buzzyworthy wrote that the video was similar to Michael Jackson
's Dangerous era adding, "While some might say the basic concept of Beyoncé's 'Love On Top' video is too straightforward, we actually think it's amazing – just let Beyoncé sing, dance, look fuhLAWless and wear a cute hat! What else do you people need?!" A writer of The Sun wrote that Knowles used "an old school formular" for "Love on Top"s video with the help of her dancing moves.
Comparing the video with works by Stevie Wonder
, Matthew Perpetua of Rolling Stone
wrote, "compared to the over-the-top sensory overload of 'Countdown
,' the 'Love On Top' clip is very simple and straightforward, with the singer performing with backup singers and dancers in a spare room. Still, she changes wardrobe with every key change as the song reaches its euphoric climax." Similarly, Leah Collins of Dose
magazine wrote, "New jack swing dance moves and costume changes are pretty much the focus of this one. [...] Still, Beyonce reveals a talent we never knew she had: the ability to switch costumes every time she switches keys. (This, it turns out, is a good thing. That pantsless African dictator look in the first scene? Maybe we're the only ones, but we're not really feeling Idi Amin
-chic this season.)" Georgette Cline of The Boombox found similarities between the video for "Love on Top" and the earlier videos that Knowles made with Destiny's Child
while Sarah Anne Hughes of The Washington Post
called the video fancy and an "obvious homage to New Edition's 'If It Isn’t Love.'" A more mixed review was given by Amanda Dobbins of New York
magazine who wrote that "The video will do nothing to silence Beyoncé plagiarism or baby bump conspiracy theorists; the first half borrows from an old New Edition video, and the entire thing was clearly filmed before her bump began to show." However, she added, "Still, Vulture salutes any artistic undertaking that requires a costume change with every key change."
of the New Edition told Theybf.com
, "When I saw Beyonce on the MTV awards in the sequined jacket this year and with the dancers in R&B group positions, I knew then she was showing love to NE! The video teaser was part two... the classic video 'If It Isn't Love' reference." After the release of the full video, Johnny Gill
told S2S magazine that he considers "Love on Top"s video to be a tribute and that Knowles as well as her backup dancers did a great job of capturing New Edition's essence. In his opinion, that is why "she is one of the greatest living performers." He went on to say, "[The video] was so cool. There's no more Michael Jackson but I think she's a beast to begin with. It's such an honor to have someone who knew, and knows, her history and to be aware of where it all started."
held at Roseland Ballroom
in New York City. Wearing a gold dress, she performed the song in front of 3,500 people and she was backed by her all-female band and her backing singers, called the Mamas. For the performance, "Love on Top" was given an "uptempo overhaul" and eventually got everyone "moving to the catchy [synthesizers]", as stated by Mike Wass of Idolator
. Wass also wrote that "Love On Top" was one of the highlights of the revue
. Jon Caramanica of The New York Times
gave Knowles critical acclaim, favoring performances of "underdog tracks" such as "Party" and "Love on Top". Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone
also complimented Knowles performance of the song, commending how she turned "the groovy 'Love on Top' into a vintage soul showcase, dropping on bended knee to unleash melismas at the top of her vocal range." Jozen Cummings of The Wall Street Journal
commented that "the focus was on her voice [on] 'Love on Top' [...] she changes key four times — impressive on the album but even more so in person." Yolanda Sangweni of Essence
magazine stated that the fact that Knowles goes through four key changes is "quite a feat for any singer."
At the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
, Knowles performed "Love on Top" after having announced her pregnancy on the black carpet about an hour previous to going on stage. Before beginning her live performance, she said to the audience: "Tonight I want you to stand up on your feet, I want you to feel the love that's growing inside of me", giving a hint about the news that she had alluded to on the black carpet. She took the stage in "a purple spangly tuxedo jacket, black pants and white tuxedo shirt, still rocking her fierce six-inch heels of old, pregnant or not", as stated by Gil Kaufman of MTV News
. As she performed, her blond hair blowing in the wind, and backed by six dancers wearing similar shimmering tuxes, Knowles gave new meaning to the lyrics: "Now everybody asks me why I'm smiling out from ear to ear." She kept her dancing to a minimum for most of the song as she held onto the microphone stand while singing "Love on Top". Eventually making her way to the extended lip in front of the stage and throwing down, she encouraged the audience to put their hands together. Knowles ended the performance by dropping the mic, opening her jacket, rubbing her belly, and announcing her pregnancy to the world.
Describing Knowles as "a veteran on the VMA stage", Kaufman wrote that "the audience was clearly feeling the love also" and praised how Knowles "[got] a bit wild as she brought the tune home with some of her signature." Staff members of the AOL
's The BoomBox commented that the lyrics of the song "felt especially meaningful" to announce her pregnancy to the world. Staff members of Rolling Stone called the performance "spectacular" while Todd Martens of The Los Angeles Times
called it "rousing". Awarding the performance a B+ rating, Claire Suddath of Time
magazine commented that "this offering from the reigning queen of pop music is relatively toned down and yet she still looked and sounded better than nearly everyone else at the awards." Similarly, Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly
wrote that "If you had to pick one defining moment, it would have to be Beyoncé’s baby bump. The diva's rendition of 'Love on Top' might not have been her best VMA performance ever, but there’s no denying the sheer electricity in the room when she ended her set by proudly revealing her pregnant tummy." A critic of Essence magazine concluded that "[Knowles'] performance of "Love on Top" at the 2011 VMAs [...] will surely be one of the year's most memorable pop culture moments."
.
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
from her fourth studio album 4
4 (Beyoncé Knowles album)
4 is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles, released through Columbia Records on June 24, 2011. Three weeks before its scheduled release, 4 leaked in full. The twelve-song set marks the first release by Knowles since separating professionally with father and manager,...
(2011). It was written by Knowles, Terius Nash
The-Dream
Terius Youngdell Nash , better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is known for co-writing "Umbrella" for Rihanna and "Single Ladies " for Beyoncé, as well as for his three solo albums, Love Hate, Love vs...
and Shea Taylor; and production was handled by Knowles and Taylor. Knowles took inspiration from her state of mind while playing Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
. A throw-back to the 1980s music, the up-tempo 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...
song exhibits similar styles of Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
, Anita Baker
Anita Baker
Anita Baker is an American R&B/soul jazz singer-songwriter. To date, Baker has won eight Grammy Awards, and has four platinum albums and two gold albums to her credit....
, Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
, Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
and The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
. While incorporating six key changes, Knowles also adopts her high 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...
when repeating the song's chorus towards the end of the song. She sings about a man who she can always call, even after facing grief and hard work, finally earning his love and respect. The song is set to be released as 4s fifth overall single on December 4, 2011.
"Love on Top"s musical composition, as well as Knowles' vocals and versatility, surprised critics. In July 2011, the song charted at number three for three consecutive weeks in South Korea. Knowles also sang "Love on Top" at 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
2011 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards took place on August 28, at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. On July 20, the nominees were announced...
, announcing her pregnancy at the end of her live performance. This caused the upsurge of the song on to several charts worldwide. It appeared at number 75 in the United Kingdom and at number 14 in New Zealand. The song also debuted at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart, becoming the second highest debut of Knowles' career as a solo artist. It has so far peaked at number 20 in Australia and was certified platinum 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).
Mainly inspired by the work of the American band, New Edition
New Edition
New Edition is an R&B group formed in Boston in 1978. The group reached its height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync...
, the accompanying music video for "Love on Top" shows Knowles along with five male dancers, performing choreographed moves in a penthouse studio in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
overlooking the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
towards New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Critics generally commended the simplicity of the video, the wardrobe changes with every key change, and Knowles' youthful exuberance throughout the clip. The song was part of Knowles' set list
Set list
A set list, or setlist, is a document that lists the songs that a band or musical artist intends to play, or has played, during a specific concert performance...
for her revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
, 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé
4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé
4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé was a revue by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles. Held in four non-consecutive nights in August 2011, the concerts were part of Knowles' campaign in support of her fourth studio album 4 . Knowles performed to a standing room-only audience at the Roseland...
. Critics commented that the song was even more impressive in person and that going through four key changes towards the last two minutes of the song while performing it live, remains a difficult task.
Background and development
"Love on Top" was written by Beyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
, Terius Nash
The-Dream
Terius Youngdell Nash , better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is known for co-writing "Umbrella" for Rihanna and "Single Ladies " for Beyoncé, as well as for his three solo albums, Love Hate, Love vs...
and Shea Taylor while production was handled by Knowles and Taylor. From June 16 to June 27, 2011, the songs from 4 were available to listen to in full each day on Knowles' official website, paired with its accompanying photo spread from the album packaging and a quote. On June 26, 2011, "Love on Top" was the eighth song to be chosen. The quote found Knowles elaborating on the song's inspiration:
When I played Etta James it was the most I'd learned about myself until the recording of this album. When I went into the studio I used the same passion, honesty, and approach with my vocals I channeled as Etta James. It does not sound like the vocals on my past albums. It's a lot rawer. It comes from a deep place.
Knowles, who has covered "At Last" which is a song originally recorded by James, portrayed the artist in the 2008 musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
biopic
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
, Cadillac Records
Cadillac Records
Cadillac Records is a 2008 musical biopic written and directed by Darnell Martin. The film explores the musical era from the early 1940s to the late 1960s, chronicling the life of the influential Chicago-based record-company executive Leonard Chess, and the musicians who recorded for Chess...
. She won critical acclaim for her portrayal of James. Knowles told Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine: "I realized that Etta James was so unapologetic, bold and strong that playing her was a big risk for me. It gave me the confidence and the push to challenge myself a little more with my music."
Composition
"Love on Top" is an up-tempo R&BContemporary 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...
song viewed as a modern take on old school
Old school
In slang, old school can refer to anything that is from an earlier era. Old school refers to something that is fairly old and not very recent. Depending on the context and intent, the term can imply a high regard or respect, or be a pejorative...
music. It also exhibits elements of retro
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
-soul music
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...
, the 1980s pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
music, and classic disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
music. According to 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 :...
Eric Henderson, "Love on Top" is a "bright, breezy tribute to the freshness of mid-[19]80s, pre-new-jack-FM R&B reminiscent of a pre-crack Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
and pre-wack Anita Baker
Anita Baker
Anita Baker is an American R&B/soul jazz singer-songwriter. To date, Baker has won eight Grammy Awards, and has four platinum albums and two gold albums to her credit....
." He also noted the song to be the "perfect and totally inverted fraternal twin" of another song on 4, being "Rather Die Young". "Love on Top"s retro elements are further illustrated by its use of finger snaps
Snap (fingers)
Snapping one's fingers is the act of creating a cracking/clicking sound with one's fingers. Primarily this is done by building tension between the thumb and another finger and then moving the other finger forcefully downward so it hits the palm of the same hand at a high speed...
, a "distorted" bass
Bass (instrument)
Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
groove, and a melding of horns
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
as well as sweet backing harmonies, especially in the bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
and the chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
of the song. It is instrumentally complete with a thumping bassline
Bassline
A bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
, synthesizers, tribal drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s and an arena-rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, a guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and some backing vocals. Rich Juzwiak of The Village Voice
The 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...
, who compared "Love on Top" to Raydio
Raydio
Raydio was an American funk and R&B vocal group formed in 1977, by Ray Parker Jr., with Vincent Bohnam, Jerry Knight, and Arnell Carmichael.-Career:...
's "You Can't Change That
You Can't Change That
"You Can't Change That" is a song by Raydio from their album Rock On. Released as a single in 1979, it reach number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number three on the R&B chart....
" (1979) and New Edition
New Edition
New Edition is an R&B group formed in Boston in 1978. The group reached its height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync...
's "Mr. Telephone Man
Mr. Telephone Man
"Mr. Telephone Man" is a 1984 song by R&B/pop group, New Edition, and the second single from their eponymous second album, New Edition.-Overview:"Mr...
" (1984), noted that Knowles "ecstatically and hyperactively" changes keys
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...
six times during the entire song.
According to the digital sheet music published at musicnotes.com by EMI Music Publishing
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, "Love on Top" 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 C major
C major
C major is a musical major scale based on C, with pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats/sharps.Its relative minor is A minor, and its parallel minor is C minor....
with a metronome of 94 beats per minute
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:...
. Knowles' vocal range in the song spans from the low note of A♭3 to the high note of C6
C (musical note)
C or Do is the first note of the fixed-Do solfège scale. Its enharmonic is B.-Middle C:Middle C is designated C4 in scientific pitch notation because of the note's position as the fourth C key on a standard 88-key piano keyboard...
. "Love on Top" is set as "both a sweet love song and an expression of girl power" as stated by Georgette Cline of AOL Music. Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
and David Amidon 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,...
noted that "Love on Top" features "mature lyrics" alongside Knowles "sounding vocally giddy and aggressive while portraying the message." Lyrically, the song finds Knowles as the female protagonist expressing the happiness she feels for to have her love interest in her life. "The languid, synth-soul smoocher allows for enjoyably euphoric tone" before Knowles chimes in with "Bring the beat in!", introducing "a mid-album interlude of mid-[19]80s pop", as stated by Andy Gill of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
as well as Hamish MacBain 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...
.
As stated by Scott Shetler of PopCrush, Knowles constantly sings praises of her love interest in the first verse
Song structure (popular music)
The structures or musical forms of songs in popular music are typically sectional, repeating forms, such as strophic form. Other common forms include thirty-two-bar form, verse-chorus form, and the twelve bar blues...
where she also seemingly sends him subtle digs as he did not give her his full attention in the past, this being illustrated in lyrics such as: "[...] after fighting through my fears [...] finally you've put me first." The chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
, complimented with sweet backing harmonies, then arrives, with Knowles chanting: "Baby it’s you, you’re the one I love / You’re the one I need / You’re the only one I see / Come on baby it’s you / You’re the one that gives your all / You’re the one I can always call / When I need you make everything stop / Finally you put my love on top." The chorus carries the final two minutes of the song through four key changes. This was highlighted by Henderson who wrote that "the spirit carries both her and the song into a Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
-reminiscent climax of continually rising key changes." In this way, the word "baby" is said about 24 times throughout the song. As soon as the synthesizers drop out, the song fades out almost instantaneously.
Critical reception
"Love on Top" was acclaimed by music critics who appreciated the 1980s-vibe Knowles attempted and they compared the song to multiple artists of that time, including Stevie Wonder and Whitney Houston. Rich Juzwiak of 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...
complimented the song as "easy listening/easier dancing boogie vibe". Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
viewed "Love on Top" as an exception on the album, calling it "a first-listen earworm with its breezy, retro-soul style." Matthew Horton of BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
joked about the climax of the song, stating that the album 4 "was named after the four key changes in the final, teetering chorus of 'Love on Top' to ram the point home." Greg Kot of The Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
commended the song for putting a "bounce" in Knowles' step. Similarly, Matthew Perpetua of 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...
named "Love on Top" a blast as Knowles creates a modern take on old-school Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
. Hamish MacBain 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...
favored the song's up-tempo style, stating that it was much needed after the "ballad-heavy" first half of the album. Stating that "Love on Top" is reminiscent of 1980's R&B, Erika Ramirez of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine complimented the song as a "Halcyon love song, perfect to be whisked away to." Spence D. of 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...
commented Knowles' "cheery disposition" and the "brash horns" will remind listeners of "damn good" mid-1980s R&B can be. While including the song as a "must hear" from the album, Andy Gill of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
named "Love on Top" as "a small footnote to Stevie Wonder's innovatory genius."
Eric Henderson of 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 :...
also gave "Love on Top" a positive review, favoring "the infectious upbeat spirit" of the song, and comparing it to the styling of Stevie Wonder, Anita Baker
Anita Baker
Anita Baker is an American R&B/soul jazz singer-songwriter. To date, Baker has won eight Grammy Awards, and has four platinum albums and two gold albums to her credit....
and Whitney Houston. He also complimented the fact that the various key changes throughout the song "force Beyoncé out of her scold range and into some winningly girlish soprano whoops." Similarly, Joey Guerra of The Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
commented that "Love on Top" is a "bouncy jam" which finds Knowles in "feel-good diva mode". He added that it might have turned up on early albums from Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole
Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
, Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
. Guerra concluded that Knowles "rarely has sounded so charming, even as she soars through several key changes." Ricky Schweitzer of One Thirty BPM
One Thirty BPM
One Thirty BPM is a New York-based online publication providing reviews, news, media, interviews, features, and more from both the independent and mainstream spheres of the music world...
stated that "Love on Top" is instantaneously reminiscent of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
and Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
, and Stevie Wonder, and favored Knowles' numerous key changes, writing:
'Love On Top' employs a similar pacing [to 'Party'], though tonally, this track reminds one more immediately of Michael and Janet Jackson, as well as Stevie Wonder. This effervescent throwback escapes corniness by reveling in its pure joy and as such, it becomes one of the highlights of the album. The numerous key changes that flood the end of the song could seem masturbatory, but Beyoncé is not proving that she can sing as high as Mariah [Carey] or Whitney because we already trust her to. It is energy and not ego that drives the constantly rising progression.
Becky Bain of the website Idolator
Idolator (website)
Idolator is a music blog. Created by the blog network Gawker Media in August 2006, Idolator was later sold to rival blog network Buzz Media, which also owns music blog Stereogum. From the 2007 departure of original head writer Brian Raftery until November 2009, the blog's head writer was Maura...
viewed "Love on Top" as "joyful tune that doubles as a throwback to a simpler time" and added that Knowles' energy is "infectious". Conrad Tao of Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
showed high favoritism towards "Love on Top", writing: "[...] as she forces herself into a rarely-used high range, she sets for a perfect catharsis for the burgeoning sexual passions of the album's first two thirds", and describing the outcome as "absolutely magnificent". Melinda Newman of HitFix
HitFix
HitFix, or the HitFix.com is an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information and providing reviews and critiques of film, music and television...
commented "the soulful, exuberant, mid-tempo finger snapper, 'Love On Top' is deliciously sunny and sweet." James Reed of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
wrote that "Love on Top' sounds like the pretty young thing of Michael Jackson's 'P.Y.T.
P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
"P.Y.T. " is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The original demo version of the song was written by Jackson and Greg Phillinganes. It is the sixth single from Jackson's sixth solo album, Thriller . Quincy Jones passed on the song itself but liked the title and, with James Ingram,...
' grew up to make a sequel to that 1983 hit." Similarly, Joanne Dorken of MTV UK who described "Love on Top" as "scream[ing] 'classic disco', catchy, [being] more uptempo and differing from the rest of the album", concluded that the song shows Knowles' versatility and that it is "very Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
". Ben Cardew of Music Week
Music Week
Music Week is a trade paper for the UK record industry.Founded in 1959 as Record Retailer, it was relaunched on 18 March 1972 as Music Week . On 17 January 1981 the title was again changed, owing to the increasing importance of sell-through videos, to Music & Video Week...
stated that "Love on Top" is summery and "laidback, rather than massively immediate". However, he added that it proves to be a grower as it "ratchets up the key changes on the final third", further writing that Knowles' voice sounds "particularly impressive". A mixed review came from Adam Markovitz 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...
, who compared Knowles' work on "Love on Top" to that of past idols such as Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
and Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
, but felt the tone overshadowed Knowles' style, stating "she gets lost in her idols' polyester-swathed shadows."
Chart performance
During the week beginning June 26, 2011 and ending July 2, 2011, "Love on Top" debuted on the South Korea Gaon International Singles ChartGaon Chart
The Gaon Chart is a national record chart of South Korea. It is complied by the Korea Music Content Industry Association and sponsored by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism; with an aim to create a national chart for Korea similar to the Billboard charts and Oricon charts...
at number three, selling 89,942 digital downloads. "Love on Top" remained at number three in its second week and third week, selling 52,462 downloads and 42,261 downloads respectively. It remained in the top ten positions of the chart for five consecutive weeks.
After Knowles' performance of "Love on Top" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
2011 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards took place on August 28, at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. On July 20, the nominees were announced...
, the song was propelled into the top five positions of the US iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
. Gil Kaufman of MTV News added that its sales picked up by 221 percent. Despite not being an official single, it has become the highest charting song from 4 on the US iTunes Store. Eventually, for the week ending, September 10, 2011, "Love on Top" debuted at number 135 on the US Hot Digital Songs
Hot Digital Songs
The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of...
chart, and subsequently charted at number 22 on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100...
chart. The following week, the song soared number 10 on the Hot Digital Songs chart, selling 113,000 downloads. Keith Caulfield of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine reported that download sales were up by 803%. This prompted "Love on Top"s debut at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart issue dated September 17, 2011. The Hot 100 launch of "Love on Top" became Knowles' second highest among her 29 solo career entries; only "Ring the Alarm
Ring the Alarm
"Ring the Alarm" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . It was composed by Knowles, Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, and Sean Garrett...
" began at a higher position, at number 12 in 2006. For the same week ending, the song opened at number 85 on the US 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,...
chart. For the week ending October 29, 2011, "Love on Top" debuted at number 36 on the BDS
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems, better known as BDS, is a service that tracks monitored radio, television and internet airplay of songs based on the number of spins and detections...
Urban AC National airplay chart, having amassed 106 spins, including 55 in 7 days. Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems reported that 18 Urban AC radio stations had added the song to their playlists. The following week, it ascended to number 30, and in its third week, it further climbed to 17, with 2.680 listener impressions on Urban AC radios only.
Similarly owing to the live performance, "Love on Top" debuted at number 65 on the 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...
chart issue dated September 17, 2011. The song also entered at number 75 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
on September 4, 2011, and at number 14 on the New Zealand Singles Chart
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...
the following day. After falling to number 39 the following week and escalating to number 34 in the third week on the New Zealand Singles Chart, "Love on Top" left the chart on September 26, 2011. However, it re-entered the chart at number 40 on October 24, 2011 after the premiere of its music video. In Ireland, "Love on Top" made its debut at number 47 on September 8, 2011. The song also entered at number 40 on the Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
on September 12, 2011. The following week, it moved to number 32 on the Singles Chart and it debuted at number nine of the Urban Singles Chart. For the same week, "Love on Top" was the most added song to radios in Australia. It has so far peaked at number 20 on the Australian Singles Chart and number four on the Urban Singles Chart. The song was certified platinum 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 selling 70,000 digital copies. On September 24, 2011, "Love on Top" bubbled at number 28 on the Dutch Tip Parade chart, which is equivalent to number 68 on the 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...
Singles Chart.
Background and synopsis
A preview of the music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Love on Top" was shown on the Australian television program, Sunday Night
Sunday Night (Australian TV program)
Sunday Night is an Australian news and current affairs program produced and broadcast by the Seven Network. The program airs on Sunday nights at 6:30 pm, and is presented by Seven News Sydney presenter Chris Bath.-Overview:...
, on October 9, 2011. The visuals showed Knowles in a black leotard
Leotard
A leotard is a skin-tight one-piece garment that covers the torso but leaves the legs free. It was made famous by the French acrobatic performer Jules Léotard ....
, stockings, high-top sneakers, and medal-adorned military cap. Together with her five male dancers, they perform choreographed moves in a penthouse studio overlooking New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The preview was inspired to the music video for "If It Isn't Love
If It Isn't Love
"If It Isn't Love" is a 1988 song by R&B/Pop group New Edition, and the first single from their fifth studio album, Heart Break.-Overview:...
" by American band New Edition
New Edition
New Edition is an R&B group formed in Boston in 1978. The group reached its height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync...
. The full video was initially supposed to be premiered on October 17, 2011 on Australia's Today Show
Today (Australian TV program)
Today and Weekend Today are Australian breakfast television programmes, the show is often referred to as The Today Show. The show has been broadcast live by the Nine Network each morning since 1982...
. However, the release date was pushed up and it was released on October 16, 2011 instead. That same day, Knowles posted the following statement regarding the video on her official website:
I am excited to give my Australian fans the World Premiere of 'Love On Top'! Thank you for the amazing response to the song at radio. I have worked very hard on this video, this song is special to me and I had an idea for the video based on some of my favorite male groups. I remember seeing videos from New Edition, The Jackson 5 and the Temptations, bands I love for their beautiful harmonies, and precise choreography and I always wanted to make a video and be part of a boy group myself. It was so much fun. I put my heart and soul into 'Love On Top' and I hope you love it.
Although the song is initially 4 minutes and 27 seconds long, the full video is only 3 minutes and 17 seconds long; this is because of the fact that the second verse of the song is omitted from the video. Erika Ramirez of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine and Melissa Maerz 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...
highlighted the fact that Knowles wears several different clothes including the dress that was worn during her performance at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
2011 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards took place on August 28, at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. On July 20, the nominees were announced...
. The clip starts with a casually dressed Knowles moving in coordination with the her male back-up dancers who are also wearing casual clothes and high-top Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
Dunks. Wearing a black body suit with black hose, Knowles puts on a display of footwork before breaking into the song. About halfway through, the visuals suddenly switch to night as Knowles lights up the space in various formal looks, including a gold pantsuit, white suit, and finally a tuxedo complete with coattails, top hat, and cane. The choreography from here resembles that of the 1960s male groups. The wardrobe changes in fact correspond with every key change, except the final one. The video ends with Knowles yelling "cut!" and the shot returns to them at rehearsal.
Reception
Consequence of SoundConsequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound, also known often as CoS, is a Chicago-based music website featuring news, album and concert reviews, and editorials. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook micro-site, which serves as an on-line database for music festival news and rumors...
s Alex Young praised the simplicity of the concept adding that it costs "more money than your entire life fortune." That was somehow echoed by Andrew Martin of Prefix Magazine who called the video "super-simplistic, [and] albeit effective." Sarah Fitzmaurice of Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
also gave a positive review for the video praising its simple and energetic concept accompanied by the "fierce outfits". A writer of OK!
OK!
OK! is a British weekly magazine specializing in celebrity news. Originally launched as a monthly, its first issue was published in April 1993. In September 2004, OK! publishers Northern and Shell launched in Australia as a monthly title – the magazine went weekly in October 2006...
compared the video with Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
s work in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their...
adding that Knowles "has gone back to video basics." A writer of The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
called the video a "fresh take on a New Edition classic" and concluded that it was a "lot more simple than it sounds." Lisa Potter of Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Marie Claire is a monthly women's magazine first published in France but also distributed in other countries with editions specific to them and in their languages. While each country shares its own special voice with its audience, the United States edition focuses on women around the world and...
also praised the energy and Knowles figure in the video, writing, "The pregnant superstar puts on another energetic performance during the video, showing off her fabulous figure in a skimpy black leotard complete with a military fetish cap and Isabel Marant sneakers, before changing into a series of tailored suits." Jenna Hally Rubenstein of MTV Buzzyworthy wrote that the video was similar to Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's Dangerous era adding, "While some might say the basic concept of Beyoncé's 'Love On Top' video is too straightforward, we actually think it's amazing – just let Beyoncé sing, dance, look fuhLAWless and wear a cute hat! What else do you people need?!" A writer of The Sun wrote that Knowles used "an old school formular" for "Love on Top"s video with the help of her dancing moves.
Comparing the video with works by Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Matthew Perpetua of 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...
wrote, "compared to the over-the-top sensory overload of 'Countdown
Countdown (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Countdown" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles from her fourth studio album, 4 . It was written by Terius Nash, Shea Taylor, Knowles, Ester Dean, Cainon Lamb, Julie Frost, Michael Bivins, Nathan Morris and Wanya Morris. The song's development was motivated when Knowles wanted to...
,' the 'Love On Top' clip is very simple and straightforward, with the singer performing with backup singers and dancers in a spare room. Still, she changes wardrobe with every key change as the song reaches its euphoric climax." Similarly, Leah Collins of Dose
Dose (magazine)
Dose is a daily Canadian news website and former daily print magazine.Dose was a mixture of standalone features and coverage of daily news, sometimes from an irreverent perspective...
magazine wrote, "New jack swing dance moves and costume changes are pretty much the focus of this one. [...] Still, Beyonce reveals a talent we never knew she had: the ability to switch costumes every time she switches keys. (This, it turns out, is a good thing. That pantsless African dictator look in the first scene? Maybe we're the only ones, but we're not really feeling Idi Amin
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...
-chic this season.)" Georgette Cline of The Boombox found similarities between the video for "Love on Top" and the earlier videos that Knowles made with Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
while Sarah Anne Hughes 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...
called the video fancy and an "obvious homage to New Edition's 'If It Isn’t Love.'" A more mixed review was given by Amanda Dobbins of New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine who wrote that "The video will do nothing to silence Beyoncé plagiarism or baby bump conspiracy theorists; the first half borrows from an old New Edition video, and the entire thing was clearly filmed before her bump began to show." However, she added, "Still, Vulture salutes any artistic undertaking that requires a costume change with every key change."
New Edition's reactions
After the release of the sneak peak, Michael BivinsMichael Bivins
Michael Lamont Bivins, a.k.a. Biv , is the founder and member of the R&B group New Edition and the hip hop group Bell Biv DeVoe...
of the New Edition told Theybf.com
Theybf.com
Theybf.com is a celebrity gossip website which focuses on news regarding prominent African American figures in Hollywood. Theybf.com, which is an abbreviation for the Young, Black and Fabulous, was launched in July 2005 by Natasha Eubanks after she noticed a lack of African Americans featured on...
, "When I saw Beyonce on the MTV awards in the sequined jacket this year and with the dancers in R&B group positions, I knew then she was showing love to NE! The video teaser was part two... the classic video 'If It Isn't Love' reference." After the release of the full video, Johnny Gill
Johnny Gill
Johnny Gill is an American R&B singer-songwriter. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B supergroup New Edition, and was also a member of another supergroup called LSG; with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. His signature song "My, My, My" has been included on numerous romantic...
told S2S magazine that he considers "Love on Top"s video to be a tribute and that Knowles as well as her backup dancers did a great job of capturing New Edition's essence. In his opinion, that is why "she is one of the greatest living performers." He went on to say, "[The video] was so cool. There's no more Michael Jackson but I think she's a beast to begin with. It's such an honor to have someone who knew, and knows, her history and to be aware of where it all started."
Live performances
Knowles performed "Love on Top" live for first time on August 14, 2011 during her 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé
4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé was a revue by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles. Held in four non-consecutive nights in August 2011, the concerts were part of Knowles' campaign in support of her fourth studio album 4 . Knowles performed to a standing room-only audience at the Roseland...
held at Roseland Ballroom
Roseland Ballroom
The Roseland Ballroom is a multi-purpose hall, in a converted ice skating rink, with a colorful ballroom dancing pedigree, in New York City's theatre district, on West 52nd Street....
in New York City. Wearing a gold dress, she performed the song in front of 3,500 people and she was backed by her all-female band and her backing singers, called the Mamas. For the performance, "Love on Top" was given an "uptempo overhaul" and eventually got everyone "moving to the catchy [synthesizers]", as stated by Mike Wass of Idolator
Idolator (website)
Idolator is a music blog. Created by the blog network Gawker Media in August 2006, Idolator was later sold to rival blog network Buzz Media, which also owns music blog Stereogum. From the 2007 departure of original head writer Brian Raftery until November 2009, the blog's head writer was Maura...
. Wass also wrote that "Love On Top" was one of the highlights of the revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
. Jon Caramanica 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...
gave Knowles critical acclaim, favoring performances of "underdog tracks" such as "Party" and "Love on Top". Jody Rosen of 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...
also complimented Knowles performance of the song, commending how she turned "the groovy 'Love on Top' into a vintage soul showcase, dropping on bended knee to unleash melismas at the top of her vocal range." Jozen Cummings of The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
commented that "the focus was on her voice [on] 'Love on Top' [...] she changes key four times — impressive on the album but even more so in person." Yolanda Sangweni of Essence
Essence (magazine)
Essence is a monthly magazine for African-American women between the ages of 18 and 49. The magazine covers fashion, lifestyle and beauty with an intimate girlfriend-to-girlfriend tone.-History:...
magazine stated that the fact that Knowles goes through four key changes is "quite a feat for any singer."
At the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
2011 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards took place on August 28, at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. On July 20, the nominees were announced...
, Knowles performed "Love on Top" after having announced her pregnancy on the black carpet about an hour previous to going on stage. Before beginning her live performance, she said to the audience: "Tonight I want you to stand up on your feet, I want you to feel the love that's growing inside of me", giving a hint about the news that she had alluded to on the black carpet. She took the stage in "a purple spangly tuxedo jacket, black pants and white tuxedo shirt, still rocking her fierce six-inch heels of old, pregnant or not", as stated by Gil Kaufman of MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
. As she performed, her blond hair blowing in the wind, and backed by six dancers wearing similar shimmering tuxes, Knowles gave new meaning to the lyrics: "Now everybody asks me why I'm smiling out from ear to ear." She kept her dancing to a minimum for most of the song as she held onto the microphone stand while singing "Love on Top". Eventually making her way to the extended lip in front of the stage and throwing down, she encouraged the audience to put their hands together. Knowles ended the performance by dropping the mic, opening her jacket, rubbing her belly, and announcing her pregnancy to the world.
Describing Knowles as "a veteran on the VMA stage", Kaufman wrote that "the audience was clearly feeling the love also" and praised how Knowles "[got] a bit wild as she brought the tune home with some of her signature." Staff members of the AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
's The BoomBox commented that the lyrics of the song "felt especially meaningful" to announce her pregnancy to the world. Staff members of Rolling Stone called the performance "spectacular" while Todd Martens of The Los Angeles Times
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....
called it "rousing". Awarding the performance a B+ rating, Claire Suddath of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine commented that "this offering from the reigning queen of pop music is relatively toned down and yet she still looked and sounded better than nearly everyone else at the awards." Similarly, Darren Franich 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...
wrote that "If you had to pick one defining moment, it would have to be Beyoncé’s baby bump. The diva's rendition of 'Love on Top' might not have been her best VMA performance ever, but there’s no denying the sheer electricity in the room when she ended her set by proudly revealing her pregnant tummy." A critic of Essence magazine concluded that "[Knowles'] performance of "Love on Top" at the 2011 VMAs [...] will surely be one of the year's most memorable pop culture moments."
Credits and personnel
Credits to the song were adapted from 4s liner notesLiner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
.
- Beyoncé Knowles – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, songwriterSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer... - Alex Asher – tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Nikki Gallespi – drums
- Serban GheneaSerban GheneaSerban Ghenea is a four-time Grammy Award and three-time Latin Grammy Award-winning mixer. He has mixed songs for such artists as Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood, Jewel, Santana, Ozomatli, Shakira, Jill Scott, R. Kelly, Rod Stewart, and Dave Matthews Band...
– mixerAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - John Hanes – mix engineerMix engineerA mix engineer, also referred to as "mixing engineer", is a person who, once all instruments, voices, and sounds, etc., have been recorded, creates what is called the final version of a song, hence the term "mix engineer"...
- Cole Kamen-Green – trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Terius "The-Dream" NashThe-DreamTerius Youngdell Nash , better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is known for co-writing "Umbrella" for Rihanna and "Single Ladies " for Beyoncé, as well as for his three solo albums, Love Hate, Love vs...
– songwriter - Drew Sayers – tenor, baritone saxophoneBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
- Phil Seaford – mix engineer assistant
- Robert "R.T." Taylor – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Shea Taylor – producer, songwriter, alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
- Pat Thrall – guitar
- Nick Videen – tenor, alto saxophone
- Pete Wolford – engineer assistant
- Scott Barnett - engineer assistant
- Josiah Woodson – trumpet
- Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young – recorder
Weekly charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
20 |
| Australian Urban Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
4 |
| 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... |
65 |
| Dutch Tip Parade 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... |
25 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
47 |
| Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... |
85 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart 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... |
14 |
| Slovak Airplay Chart | 79 |
| South Korea International Singles Chart Gaon Chart The Gaon Chart is a national record chart of South Korea. It is complied by the Korea Music Content Industry Association and sponsored by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism; with an aim to create a national chart for Korea similar to the Billboard charts and Oricon charts... |
3 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
54 |
| UK R&B Chart UK R&B Chart The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week... |
15 |
| US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Hot 100 |
20 |
| US 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,... |
28 |
Certifications
| Region | Certifications |
|---|---|
| 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... |
Platinum |
Radio dates and release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | September 12, 2011 | Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts... |
| Italy | October 28, 2011 | |
| United Kingdom | November 9, 2011 | Mainstream radio BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock... |
| November 10, 2011 | Urban radio BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a digital radio station in the United Kingdom from the BBC specialising in new black music, sometimes referred to as urban music. Launched at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been codenamed Network X during the consulation period and is the sister station to BBC Radio 1... |
|
| December 4, 2011 | Digital download 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... |
|