Somebody to Love (Justin Bieber song)
Encyclopedia
"Somebody to Love" is a song performed by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber
. The song served as the second single from his album, My World 2.0
. It was written by Bieber along with Heather Bright and The Stereotypes
, and produced by the latter. The song was originally recorded as a demo by Bieber's mentor, R&B singer, Usher
, for his sixth studio album, Raymond v. Raymond (2010). After things went stale with Usher's label, The Stereotypes were encouraged to give the song to Bieber, who recorded it, with Usher performing background vocals. The song is an upbeat dance-pop
song, which also derives from R&B
genre, while making use of Eurodisco influences. It impacted US mainstream
and rhythmic
radio on April 20, 2010.
Usher re-recorded featured vocals for the official remix of the song, which was released on June 25, 2010. A variation of the track with slightly different production done by Benny Blanco
, features Usher on lead vocals and Bieber as the featured artist. It is included on the follow-up release of Raymond v. Raymond, titled Versus. In Japan, the song was released dually with "Never Say Never
" as a double A-side single. The song received positive reviews, with critics complimenting the track's dance feel, and the lyrical content. "Somebody to Love" became Bieber's third consecutive top ten hit in Canada, and his fourth consecutive top twenty single in the United States. It also reached the top twenty in Germany, New Zealand and Australia.
The accompanying music video for the official remix, directed by Dave Meyers
, was intended to rely solely on choreography, and integrate different styles of dance. It features appearances from several dance crews, such as Beat Freaks
and Poreotics
. According to critics, the video makes allusions to previous dance-heavy clips by Usher and Chris Brown. Bieber performed the song at a number of venues, including the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
and on the seventh series
of The X Factor
in the United Kingdom.
, "Lingerie" leaked onto the internet in early 2010, along with a premature version of "Somebody to Love". However, neither were found on the final cut of Raymond v. Raymond. The song was later announced as a track from Bieber's My World 2.0
, with backing vocals from Usher's version remaining on the final cut. In an April 2010 interview with MTV News
, Bieber said that he was anticipating the song to be released as the second single from My World 2.0, commenting that he does not have the final decision and noting that it may be "U Smile
" or another track. Speaking about the song, Bieber said, "It's basically about somebody to love. It's cool. It's young. It's nice. I think it's like a universal record." Usher re-recorded vocals on the official remix of the song, which was released for digital download
in numerous countries after the single went for adds on radio.
In a Q&A with Rap-Up
, Jonathan Yip of The Stereotypes confirmed that record was originally made for Usher, but things did not go through right with his label. According to Yip, Perez Hilton
was the one who recommended the song for Bieber, and after that the producers agreed. Yip said that Usher's label, Jive Records
"wasn't sure what they wanted to do with the record for Usher", so they contacted Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun
, and Bieber was able to record the track. On the remix, Jonathan Yip commented, "Usher's now back on the record, on the remix, so we can't really complain." A variation of the track with slightly different production, featuring Usher as lead vocalist and Bieber as the guest vocalist, is included on a follow-up release to his sixth studio album, titled Versus. The Versus version of the song was produced by Benny Blanco
.
song, blending Bieber's R&B
vocals. The song also integrates elements of Euro disco
. Set it common time
, the song is written in the key
of G minor
, and Bieber's vocals span from the low note of G3 to high note of C5. It follows the basic chord progression of Cm–E–F.
The song has been described by Jocelyn Vena of MTV News
as a "dance track in which he professes his love for a girl and tells her he'd do anything for her" and a "club-friendly pop tune." Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone
said the song was a "thumping Eurodisco." Lauren Carter of the Boston Herald
called the track "fun and upbeat" and said, "is a standout and the track to download – give listeners time to dance or daydream, as the case may be." Fraser McAlpine of BBC Music
wrote that "Somebody to Love is a straightforward plea for a soul mate; it says something we’ve all felt." Monica Herrera of Billboard
commented, "Somebody to Love" offers the clearest evidence yet that he's more than capable of clearing the hurdle from teen to adult stardom." Bill Lamb of About.com
ranked "Somebody to Love" at number eighty-seven on his list of "Top 100 Pop Songs of 2010."
The song received digital sales after the release of My World 2.0
, propelling it to debut at ninety-four on the Canadian Hot 100
. The song fell off the chart the following week and re-entered on the week of June 12, 2010 at its previous peak of ninety-one. After re-entering and steadily ascending the charts, the single reached a new peak of ten on the week issued July 3, 2010. It also peaked at twenty and thirty-six on the US Pop Songs chart and US Latin Pop Songs
, respectively.
The song performed well in several international markets. "Somebody to Love" entered the UK Singles Chart
at forty-seven on the issue date of June 6, 2010. The following week the song fell to position sixty-two. In the succeeding week the single reached thirty-three where it reached its peak. In Australia, "Somebody to Love" entered the chart at forty-seven on the week of July 5, 2010. The following week, the single rose to its peak position of number twenty. On the Japan Hot 100
, the song peaked within the top ten, at number three. "Somebody to Love" also peaked within the top twenty in Germany and New Zealand, the top thirty of Austria, and elsewhere in Switzerland and on the Belgian
charts. Its numerous chartings in Europe allowed the song to peak at number thirty-three on the European Hot 100.
. The video was choreographed by Jamaica Craft, notable for her work with choreography on videos for Usher and Ciara
. Rather than a storyline as in Bieber's previous videos, the video focuses on a dance and choreography aspect. Meyers stated that he wanted the video to be more playful, stating,
A preview of the video was posted on AOL
's PopEater.com, and subsequently on Bieber's VEVO
channel, including behind the scenes clips of Bieber with the dancers, and highlights of the video with Usher and in front of a green screen. Bieber said, "It's really awesome to be able to work with professional dancers, you know, people that were in, like, ABDC, and also got an approval from choreographer Jamaica, who said Bieber was "killing it" and that she didn't have to give him any corrections. It made its premiere during the June 17, 2010 results show of the seventh season
of So You Think You Can Dance, and was introduced by Usher after his performance of "OMG
". It later premiered that night on VEVO and on June 18, 2010 on 20/20. The video features dance crews including, America's Best Dance Crew
season 5 winners Poreotics
, and Season 3's runner up Beat Freaks
, as well as The Syrenz, LXD, Medea Sirkas, solo acts Daniela Castro and Bboy Fly, and other dancers and crews. Singer/actress and model Katerina Graham
makes a cameo in a scene with Poreotics. Bieber's best friend Ryan Butler, who appeared in the "One Time" video, also appears alongside Bieber, wearing a t-shirt advertising his Twitter
account. According to Tamar Antai of MTV News
the video "makes vague allusions" to clips for Busta Rhymes
' "Pass the Courvoisier, Part II
" and Chris Brown's "Wall to Wall
". A backpack choreography scene with LXD recalls Usher's 1997 video for "You Make Me Wanna
".
-style choreography with two male dancers, shirtless with red hats and red suspenders. With the aid of smoke, the video moves to Bieber dancing with Beat Freaks
. Usher sings his verse along with The Syrenz as dancers in a room with metal chandeliers before uniting with Bieber dancing in the scene aided by Poreotics
. Then Bieber and Usher sing and dance with Medea Sirkas in ninja attire in front of a background of Chinese calligraphy ("Love") and flames, before returning to the black backdrop and metal chandeliers as Bieber dances with Daniela Castro and LXD in a scene with bookbags. The ending features Bieber and several of the dancers featured performing group choreography before cutting to Bieber and Usher with the in front of the calligraphy and flames.
Monica Herrera of Billboard
said Usher's "star power is clearly rubbing off on the 16-year-old", commenting that Bieber "shows off his smoothest moves yet " and "tackles his toughest choreography." Jocelyn Vena of MTV News commented, "While Bieber had previously teased his dancing skills in the "Baby
" video, he really channeled Usher's smooth moves in this newest clip." Tamar Antai also of MTV said, "Usher does most of the heavy lifting where dancing is concerned, and Justin Bieber, who's more of a singer than a dancer, is in no danger of upstaging Usher on the dance floor." Antai compared Bieber's moves to Usher in his "Caught Up" video, commenting "it's nice to see Justin expanding the scope of talents to include pelvic thrusts, Matrix-style slo-mo leans" and, "it's also nice to see Justin looking a little more mature and sophisticated in a hoodie and leather jacket....and his videos are growing up with him, as this is his flashiest, most grandiose video yet. Antai also commented on the appeal of the video, commending Meyers, "who put that classic early '00s-style big-money polish on the piece – for employing fire, shirtless dudes, white ninjas..."
. On most televised performances the song was performed alongside "Baby
" and more of his previous songs. He performed the song at a number of venues, in Wales
at Radio 1's Big Weekend on May 22, 2010. Additionally Bieber performed it on Today with "Baby" and "One Time" on June 4, 2010 He performed the song with "Baby
," assisted by Drake on June 21, 2010 at the 2010 MuchMusic Video Awards
. The song was performed with "Baby" at Macy's
Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular on July 4, 2010.
"Somebody to Love" was also performed with "U Smile" and "Baby" at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
on September 12, 2010, accompanied by a full dance team and band. For the performance, Bieber, donning a black and red letter jacket and a '50's style cardigan, drove into the Nokia Theater in a 1957 red Chevrolet car, and was chased by girls (paying homage to The Beatles
' "A Hard Day's Night
." He then proceeded to perform "U Smile
" as a introduction, followed by "Baby" and "Somebody to Love", which had dance parts in which his background dancers wore the same attire as he. During the "Somebody to Love" performance Bieber and backup dancers performed an elaborate dance routine including younger children, which was followed by a drum solo by the singer. During the performance of the song, black and red confetti fell from the sky. Critics appreciated the performance, with a Jocelyn Vena of MTV News
calling Bieber a "triple threat." "Baby" and "Somebody to Love" were performed by Bieber on the seventh series
of The X Factor
in the United Kingdom on November 28, 2010.
Source
Notes
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
. The song served as the second single from his album, My World 2.0
My World 2.0
My World 2.0 is the latter of two-part debut studio album from Canadian singer Justin Bieber, and is his first full studio release. The album is the follow-up to the first platinum certified half of the album, which was released on November 17, 2009, via Island Records, and 2.0 was first released...
. It was written by Bieber along with Heather Bright and The Stereotypes
Stereotypes (producers)
Stereotypes are a R&B/hip hop/dance production team created in 2003, composed of Jonathan Yip, Ray Romulus and Jeremy Reeves. They were listed as Top 10 Songwriters and Producers to Watch in the June 5, 2010 Billboard magazine. The first artists on their production company/label is Far*East...
, and produced by the latter. The song was originally recorded as a demo by Bieber's mentor, R&B singer, Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
, for his sixth studio album, Raymond v. Raymond (2010). After things went stale with Usher's label, The Stereotypes were encouraged to give the song to Bieber, who recorded it, with Usher performing background vocals. The song is an upbeat dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
song, which also derives from R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
genre, while making use of Eurodisco influences. It impacted US mainstream
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...
and rhythmic
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
radio on April 20, 2010.
Usher re-recorded featured vocals for the official remix of the song, which was released on June 25, 2010. A variation of the track with slightly different production done by Benny Blanco
Benny Blanco
Benjamin Levin , better known as Benny Blanco, is an American songwriter and producer from Reston, Virginia. He first came to the attention of Internet blogosphere producing a collaborative EP with Spank Rock. Working with producer Dr...
, features Usher on lead vocals and Bieber as the featured artist. It is included on the follow-up release of Raymond v. Raymond, titled Versus. In Japan, the song was released dually with "Never Say Never
Never Say Never (Justin Bieber song)
"Never Say Never" is a song by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber. The song serves as the theme song for The Karate Kid , and features rap interludes from the film's star, Jaden Smith. It was originally a risque demo with sexual lyrics performed by American singer Travis Garland, it was...
" as a double A-side single. The song received positive reviews, with critics complimenting the track's dance feel, and the lyrical content. "Somebody to Love" became Bieber's third consecutive top ten hit in Canada, and his fourth consecutive top twenty single in the United States. It also reached the top twenty in Germany, New Zealand and Australia.
The accompanying music video for the official remix, directed by Dave Meyers
Dave Meyers (director)
David "Dave" Meyers is an American music video director.-Career:Meyers has directed over 200 music videos including: P!nk's "There You Go", "Most Girls", "You Make Me Sick", "Get The Party Started", "Don't Let Me Get Me", "Feel Good Time", "Stupid Girls", "U + Ur Hand", "So What", "Please Don't...
, was intended to rely solely on choreography, and integrate different styles of dance. It features appearances from several dance crews, such as Beat Freaks
Beat Freaks
Beat Freaks is an all-female breaking dance crew from Los Angeles, California. Each of its nine members had achieved individual success dancing before the creation of the group in 2003. The Beat Freaks were featured on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew and finished the show as runners-up.- Overview...
and Poreotics
Poreotics
Poreotics, also known as Poreotix, is an American all-male dance crew from Westminster, California. The crew was formed in 2007 by "Dumbo" Nguyen and specializes in popping, choreography and robotics, hence the name Po-reo-tics...
. According to critics, the video makes allusions to previous dance-heavy clips by Usher and Chris Brown. Bieber performed the song at a number of venues, including the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
2010 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 12, 2010 at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year...
and on the seventh series
The X Factor (UK series 7)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent; the winner of which receives a £1 million recording contract with the Syco Music record label. The seventh series started on ITV on 21 August 2010 and ended on 12 December 2010. The winner was Matt Cardle and...
of The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
in the United Kingdom.
Background
The song was originally produced by The Stereotypes for Usher's sixth studio album, Raymond v. Raymond. A song produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry LewisJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
, "Lingerie" leaked onto the internet in early 2010, along with a premature version of "Somebody to Love". However, neither were found on the final cut of Raymond v. Raymond. The song was later announced as a track from Bieber's My World 2.0
My World 2.0
My World 2.0 is the latter of two-part debut studio album from Canadian singer Justin Bieber, and is his first full studio release. The album is the follow-up to the first platinum certified half of the album, which was released on November 17, 2009, via Island Records, and 2.0 was first released...
, with backing vocals from Usher's version remaining on the final cut. In an April 2010 interview with 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...
, Bieber said that he was anticipating the song to be released as the second single from My World 2.0, commenting that he does not have the final decision and noting that it may be "U Smile
U Smile
"U Smile" is a song performed by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber. It was written by Bieber, Jerry Duplessis, Arden Altino, and Dan August Rigo, and produced by Duplessis and Altino. According to Bieber, the song is dedicated to his fans. The song was released as the second digital-only...
" or another track. Speaking about the song, Bieber said, "It's basically about somebody to love. It's cool. It's young. It's nice. I think it's like a universal record." Usher re-recorded vocals on the official remix of the song, which was released for 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...
in numerous countries after the single went for adds on radio.
In a Q&A with Rap-Up
Rap-Up
Rap-Up is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the hip hop and R&B aspect of the music industry, and...
, Jonathan Yip of The Stereotypes confirmed that record was originally made for Usher, but things did not go through right with his label. According to Yip, Perez Hilton
Perez Hilton
Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. , better known as Perez Hilton , is an American blogger and television personality. His blog, Perezhilton.com , is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities...
was the one who recommended the song for Bieber, and after that the producers agreed. Yip said that Usher's label, Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
"wasn't sure what they wanted to do with the record for Usher", so they contacted Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun
Scooter Braun
Scott Samuel "Scooter" Braun is an American talent manager. His acts appear on two record labels, Raymond-Braun Media Group and Schoolboy Records. The most prominent artist Braun represents is Justin Bieber, who is signed to Raymond-Braun Media Group...
, and Bieber was able to record the track. On the remix, Jonathan Yip commented, "Usher's now back on the record, on the remix, so we can't really complain." A variation of the track with slightly different production, featuring Usher as lead vocalist and Bieber as the guest vocalist, is included on a follow-up release to his sixth studio album, titled Versus. The Versus version of the song was produced by Benny Blanco
Benny Blanco
Benjamin Levin , better known as Benny Blanco, is an American songwriter and producer from Reston, Virginia. He first came to the attention of Internet blogosphere producing a collaborative EP with Spank Rock. Working with producer Dr...
.
Composition and critical reception
"Somebody to Love" is a moderate-tempo, urban dance-popDance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
song, blending Bieber's 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...
vocals. The song also integrates elements of Euro disco
Euro disco
Euro disco is an all encompassing colloquial term used to describe a variety of European electronic dance music that first originated from disco in the 1970s; incorporating elements of pop, New Wave and rock into disco-like continuous dance atmosphere...
. Set it common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
, the song 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 G minor
G minor
G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. For the harmonic minor scale, the F is raised to F. Its relative major is B-flat major, and its parallel major is G major....
, and Bieber's vocals span from the low note of G3 to high note of C5. It follows the basic chord progression of Cm–E–F.
The song has been described by Jocelyn Vena 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 a "dance track in which he professes his love for a girl and tells her he'd do anything for her" and a "club-friendly pop tune." 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...
said the song was a "thumping Eurodisco." Lauren Carter of the Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
called the track "fun and upbeat" and said, "is a standout and the track to download – give listeners time to dance or daydream, as the case may be." Fraser McAlpine of BBC Music
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...
wrote that "Somebody to Love is a straightforward plea for a soul mate; it says something we’ve all felt." Monica Herrera 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...
commented, "Somebody to Love" offers the clearest evidence yet that he's more than capable of clearing the hurdle from teen to adult stardom." Bill Lamb of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
ranked "Somebody to Love" at number eighty-seven on his list of "Top 100 Pop Songs of 2010."
Chart performance
In the United States, "Somebody to Love" entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number ninety-eight. After weeks of steadily ascending the charts, the single reached a peak of fifteen on the issue week July 17, 2010.The song received digital sales after the release of My World 2.0
My World 2.0
My World 2.0 is the latter of two-part debut studio album from Canadian singer Justin Bieber, and is his first full studio release. The album is the follow-up to the first platinum certified half of the album, which was released on November 17, 2009, via Island Records, and 2.0 was first released...
, propelling it to debut at ninety-four 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...
. The song fell off the chart the following week and re-entered on the week of June 12, 2010 at its previous peak of ninety-one. After re-entering and steadily ascending the charts, the single reached a new peak of ten on the week issued July 3, 2010. It also peaked at twenty and thirty-six on the US Pop Songs chart and US Latin Pop Songs
Latin Pop Airplay
Latin Pop Airplay is a record chart published on Billboard magazine. It features Latin music information from pop music usually in Spanish. It was established by the magazine on October 8, 1994 with Mañana by Cristian Castro being the first song to reach number-one...
, respectively.
The song performed well in several international markets. "Somebody to Love" entered 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 ...
at forty-seven on the issue date of June 6, 2010. The following week the song fell to position sixty-two. In the succeeding week the single reached thirty-three where it reached its peak. In Australia, "Somebody to Love" entered the chart at forty-seven on the week of July 5, 2010. The following week, the single rose to its peak position of number twenty. On the 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 ....
, the song peaked within the top ten, at number three. "Somebody to Love" also peaked within the top twenty in Germany and New Zealand, the top thirty of Austria, and elsewhere in Switzerland and on the Belgian
Ultratop
Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts...
charts. Its numerous chartings in Europe allowed the song to peak at number thirty-three on the European Hot 100.
Background
The music video for the official remix version featuring Usher was filmed during the week of May 9, 2010, directed by Dave MeyersDave Meyers (director)
David "Dave" Meyers is an American music video director.-Career:Meyers has directed over 200 music videos including: P!nk's "There You Go", "Most Girls", "You Make Me Sick", "Get The Party Started", "Don't Let Me Get Me", "Feel Good Time", "Stupid Girls", "U + Ur Hand", "So What", "Please Don't...
. The video was choreographed by Jamaica Craft, notable for her work with choreography on videos for Usher and Ciara
Ciara
Ciara Princess Harris , known mononymously as Ciara, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, actress and fashion model. Born in Austin, Texas, she traveled around the world during her childhood, only to land in Atlanta, Georgia where she met music producer, Jazze Pha...
. Rather than a storyline as in Bieber's previous videos, the video focuses on a dance and choreography aspect. Meyers stated that he wanted the video to be more playful, stating,
We're bringing Justin into the world of dance on this one, giving Justin the chance to integrate to different styles of dance. So we kind of kept it simple with the art direction, just real graphic and really highlighting the dance. No big story lines, no crowds of people, just real clean.
A preview of the video was posted on 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 PopEater.com, and subsequently on Bieber's VEVO
Vevo
Vevo is a music video website. It is a joint venture among Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009...
channel, including behind the scenes clips of Bieber with the dancers, and highlights of the video with Usher and in front of a green screen. Bieber said, "It's really awesome to be able to work with professional dancers, you know, people that were in, like, ABDC, and also got an approval from choreographer Jamaica, who said Bieber was "killing it" and that she didn't have to give him any corrections. It made its premiere during the June 17, 2010 results show of the seventh season
So You Think You Can Dance (season 7)
So You Think You Can Dance is a United States television reality program and dance competition airing on the Fox Broadcasting Company network. Season seven premiered on May 27, 2010...
of So You Think You Can Dance, and was introduced by Usher after his performance of "OMG
OMG (song)
"OMG" is a song by American recording artist Usher. The song features will.i.am, who also wrote and produced the song. It uses the auto-tune effect in several lines, as well as Jock Jams-esque sports arena chanting. It was released on March 22, 2010 as the first worldwide single off his sixth...
". It later premiered that night on VEVO and on June 18, 2010 on 20/20. The video features dance crews including, America's Best Dance Crew
America's Best Dance Crew
America's Best Dance Crew, often abbreviated as ABDC, is an American competitive dance reality television series that features street dance crews from the United States and around the world. It is produced by American Idol judge Randy Jackson and airs on MTV...
season 5 winners Poreotics
Poreotics
Poreotics, also known as Poreotix, is an American all-male dance crew from Westminster, California. The crew was formed in 2007 by "Dumbo" Nguyen and specializes in popping, choreography and robotics, hence the name Po-reo-tics...
, and Season 3's runner up Beat Freaks
Beat Freaks
Beat Freaks is an all-female breaking dance crew from Los Angeles, California. Each of its nine members had achieved individual success dancing before the creation of the group in 2003. The Beat Freaks were featured on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew and finished the show as runners-up.- Overview...
, as well as The Syrenz, LXD, Medea Sirkas, solo acts Daniela Castro and Bboy Fly, and other dancers and crews. Singer/actress and model Katerina Graham
Katerina Graham
Katerina Alexandre "Kat" Graham is an American actress, singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and model. She has appeared in numerous television shows and film productions, as well as music videos...
makes a cameo in a scene with Poreotics. Bieber's best friend Ryan Butler, who appeared in the "One Time" video, also appears alongside Bieber, wearing a t-shirt advertising his Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account. According to Tamar Antai 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...
the video "makes vague allusions" to clips for Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
' "Pass the Courvoisier, Part II
Pass the Courvoisier, Part II
"Pass the Courvoisier, Part II" is a hit single by Busta Rhymes. It also features rapper P. Diddy, and R&B singer Pharrell and was the fourth and final single from Busta Rhymes's fifth studio album Genesis. The song was also featured on the soundtrack to the 2003 film, Love Don't Cost a Thing...
" and Chris Brown's "Wall to Wall
Wall to Wall (song)
"Wall to Wall" is a song by American singer Chris Brown, released as the first single from his second studio album, Exclusive. The song was produced by Sean Garrett and features a riff similar to "Release the Beast" by Breakwater.-Music video:...
". A backpack choreography scene with LXD recalls Usher's 1997 video for "You Make Me Wanna
You Make Me Wanna
"You Make Me Wanna..." is a song by American recording artist Usher. It was released by LaFace Records and Arista Records as the lead single from Usher's second studio album, My Way on August 5, 1997. "You Make Me Wanna..." was written by Usher along with Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, who both...
".
Synopsis and reception
The video features Bieber dancing along several dance crews along a black backdrop, and a scene with ninjas and a flame outline. The video begins with Bieber dancing with different members of the crews with use of a spotlight effect, followed by Bieber being flaunted by a single female dancer. Then the video cuts to Bieber performing Stepping (African-American)Stepping (African-American)
Stepping or step-dancing is a form of percussive dance in which the participant's entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and hand claps...
-style choreography with two male dancers, shirtless with red hats and red suspenders. With the aid of smoke, the video moves to Bieber dancing with Beat Freaks
Beat Freaks
Beat Freaks is an all-female breaking dance crew from Los Angeles, California. Each of its nine members had achieved individual success dancing before the creation of the group in 2003. The Beat Freaks were featured on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew and finished the show as runners-up.- Overview...
. Usher sings his verse along with The Syrenz as dancers in a room with metal chandeliers before uniting with Bieber dancing in the scene aided by Poreotics
Poreotics
Poreotics, also known as Poreotix, is an American all-male dance crew from Westminster, California. The crew was formed in 2007 by "Dumbo" Nguyen and specializes in popping, choreography and robotics, hence the name Po-reo-tics...
. Then Bieber and Usher sing and dance with Medea Sirkas in ninja attire in front of a background of Chinese calligraphy ("Love") and flames, before returning to the black backdrop and metal chandeliers as Bieber dances with Daniela Castro and LXD in a scene with bookbags. The ending features Bieber and several of the dancers featured performing group choreography before cutting to Bieber and Usher with the in front of the calligraphy and flames.
Monica Herrera 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...
said Usher's "star power is clearly rubbing off on the 16-year-old", commenting that Bieber "shows off his smoothest moves yet " and "tackles his toughest choreography." Jocelyn Vena of MTV News commented, "While Bieber had previously teased his dancing skills in the "Baby
Baby (Justin Bieber song)
"Baby" is a song by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber. It was released as the lead single from the latter half of Bieber's debut album, My World 2.0. The track was written by Bieber with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash, both of whom worked with Bieber on "One Time",...
" video, he really channeled Usher's smooth moves in this newest clip." Tamar Antai also of MTV said, "Usher does most of the heavy lifting where dancing is concerned, and Justin Bieber, who's more of a singer than a dancer, is in no danger of upstaging Usher on the dance floor." Antai compared Bieber's moves to Usher in his "Caught Up" video, commenting "it's nice to see Justin expanding the scope of talents to include pelvic thrusts, Matrix-style slo-mo leans" and, "it's also nice to see Justin looking a little more mature and sophisticated in a hoodie and leather jacket....and his videos are growing up with him, as this is his flashiest, most grandiose video yet. Antai also commented on the appeal of the video, commending Meyers, "who put that classic early '00s-style big-money polish on the piece – for employing fire, shirtless dudes, white ninjas..."
Live performances
Bieber performed "Somebody to Love" on multiple occasions, including as a part of his set list on the My World TourMy World Tour
The My World Tour is the debut concert tour by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber. It is Bieber's first concert tour which supports his two-part debut album My World and My World 2.0. The tour was officially announced on March 16, 2010, a week before My World 2.0 was released...
. On most televised performances the song was performed alongside "Baby
Baby (Justin Bieber song)
"Baby" is a song by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber. It was released as the lead single from the latter half of Bieber's debut album, My World 2.0. The track was written by Bieber with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash, both of whom worked with Bieber on "One Time",...
" and more of his previous songs. He performed the song at a number of venues, in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
at Radio 1's Big Weekend on May 22, 2010. Additionally Bieber performed it on Today with "Baby" and "One Time" on June 4, 2010 He performed the song with "Baby
Baby (Justin Bieber song)
"Baby" is a song by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber. It was released as the lead single from the latter half of Bieber's debut album, My World 2.0. The track was written by Bieber with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash, both of whom worked with Bieber on "One Time",...
," assisted by Drake on June 21, 2010 at the 2010 MuchMusic Video Awards
2010 MuchMusic Video Awards
The 2010 MuchMusic Video Awards were held in Toronto, Canada at MuchMusic's headquarters on June 20, 2010. Along with the MuchMusic VJ's, it was confirmed on the MuchMusic website that Miley Cyrus will co-host the show. The artists with the most nominations are Drake and Hedley with six. For the...
. The song was performed with "Baby" at Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular on July 4, 2010.
"Somebody to Love" was also performed with "U Smile" and "Baby" at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
2010 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 12, 2010 at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year...
on September 12, 2010, accompanied by a full dance team and band. For the performance, Bieber, donning a black and red letter jacket and a '50's style cardigan, drove into the Nokia Theater in a 1957 red Chevrolet car, and was chased by girls (paying homage to The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "A Hard Day's Night
A Hard Day's Night (song)
"A Hard Day's Night" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. Written by John Lennon, and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was released on the movie soundtrack of the same name in 1964...
." He then proceeded to perform "U Smile
U Smile
"U Smile" is a song performed by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber. It was written by Bieber, Jerry Duplessis, Arden Altino, and Dan August Rigo, and produced by Duplessis and Altino. According to Bieber, the song is dedicated to his fans. The song was released as the second digital-only...
" as a introduction, followed by "Baby" and "Somebody to Love", which had dance parts in which his background dancers wore the same attire as he. During the "Somebody to Love" performance Bieber and backup dancers performed an elaborate dance routine including younger children, which was followed by a drum solo by the singer. During the performance of the song, black and red confetti fell from the sky. Critics appreciated the performance, with a Jocelyn Vena 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...
calling Bieber a "triple threat." "Baby" and "Somebody to Love" were performed by Bieber on the seventh series
The X Factor (UK series 7)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent; the winner of which receives a £1 million recording contract with the Syco Music record label. The seventh series started on ITV on 21 August 2010 and ended on 12 December 2010. The winner was Matt Cardle and...
of The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
in the United Kingdom on November 28, 2010.
Track listing
- European Promo CD
- "Somebody to Love" – 3:40
- "Somebody to Love" (Remix featuring UsherUsher (entertainer)Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
) – 3:43
- UK Digital Download Single
- "Somebody To Love" – 3:40
- "Where Are You NowMy World 2.0My World 2.0 is the latter of two-part debut studio album from Canadian singer Justin Bieber, and is his first full studio release. The album is the follow-up to the first platinum certified half of the album, which was released on November 17, 2009, via Island Records, and 2.0 was first released...
" – 4:27
- Japanese CD Single (Version B)
- "Somebody to Love" (Remix featuring Usher) – 3:43
- "Never Say NeverNever Say Never (Justin Bieber song)"Never Say Never" is a song by Canadian recording artist Justin Bieber. The song serves as the theme song for The Karate Kid , and features rap interludes from the film's star, Jaden Smith. It was originally a risque demo with sexual lyrics performed by American singer Travis Garland, it was...
" (featuring Jaden SmithJaden SmithJaden Christopher Syre Smith is an American child actor, rapper, songwriter, dancer, and the son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. He is the elder brother of singer Willow Smith...
) – 3:49 - "Somebody to Love" (Remix featuring Usher) [Instrumental] – 3:41
- "Somebody to Love" (Remix featuring Usher) [Video: Making Of]
Credits and personnel
- Songwriting – Justin BieberJustin BieberJustin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
, Heather Bright, Jonathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy ReevesStereotypes (producers)Stereotypes are a R&B/hip hop/dance production team created in 2003, composed of Jonathan Yip, Ray Romulus and Jeremy Reeves. They were listed as Top 10 Songwriters and Producers to Watch in the June 5, 2010 Billboard magazine. The first artists on their production company/label is Far*East... - ProductionRecord 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...
– Jonathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves - Background vocals – UsherUsher (entertainer)Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
- MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
– Jaycen JoshuaJaycen JoshuaJaycen Joshua is a Grammy Award winning mix engineer who works at Larrabee Sound Studios in North Hollywood, California. Joshua started his Mix career In 2006 when he became partners with his mentor Dave Pensado thus forming The Penua Project. In his young career, Joshua has won a Grammy as mix...
, assisted by Giancarlo Lino - EngineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
– additional by Pat Thrall
Source
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
Year-end charts
| Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Hot 100 | 87 |
Notes
- All chartings are conjunctions of the single/album version and remix, with the exception of Australia and Sweden, which are chartings of the official remix version exclusively.
Release history
| Region | Date | Version | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | April 20, 2010 | Album version | Mainstream 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... , rhythmic Rhythmic Contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may... airplay |
| Canada | May 24, 2010 | Top 40 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... , AC airplay |
|
| United Kingdom | May 31, 2010 | CD single CD single A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s... |
|
| New Zealand | June 25, 2010 | Official remix | 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... |
| United States | June 29, 2010 | Digital download | |
| Urban Urban contemporary Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music... airplay |
|||
| Japan | CD single |