Spotlight (Jennifer Hudson song)
Encyclopedia
"Spotlight" is an R&B
song written and produced by Ne-Yo
and Norwegian
production duo Stargate
for Jennifer Hudson
's self titled debut album
. It was released digitally on June 10, 2008 as the album's first single, and reached the top thirty of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
. Outside the States, the track has reached the top twenty in Turkey
and the United Kingdom
.
The song received two Grammy Award
nominations at the 2009 ceremony for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The video was voted 12th on BET: Notarized Top 100 videos of 2008.
said that "If you were one of the people wondering if Jennifer Hudson could sustain her vocal energy, power and passion on a full album like she did in the role of Effie in the movie Dreamgirls and like she also does on the album's opening song and first single, "Spotlight," then wonder no more: the answer's a definite yes. "Spotlight" exemplifies the album as a whole: it's got a strong, independent woman singing strongly about love and relationships. In this case, the song is about a controlling lover: "If I'm just love's prisoner, then I'm bustin' out," she sings.".AllHipHop
said that "“Spotlight” as catchy as it is was not debut single-worthy, and a brand new artist wouldn't have been looked at twice; but because it was Jennifer (and penned by Ne-Yo) attention was paid.".Allmusic said that " 'Spotlight' was both promising and satisfying, nearly a dead-center bull's-eye — dramatic but not over the top, powerful but not a gratuitous fireworks display, a melancholy but striking midtempo track with a gently thumping four-four pulse.".Digital Spy
said that Hudson "navigates the emotional complexities of 'Spotlight', on which she plays a downtrodden girlfriend"..New York Daily News
said that the song's "trendy, staccato backup vocals give the song spine. Better, the character presented by the lyrics - a put-upon woman who's finally stepping out - fits Hudson's persona as the angry queen of payback.".Slant magazine
said that "Lead single "Spotlight" is a serviceable, pulsating, you-did-me-wrong jam that is, thanks to Stargate and Ne-Yo, perfectly in line with today's trends." The Times
said the song "is predictably mid-tempo as it tries to please all her fan bases at once."
was directed by Chris Robinson
and Hudson introduced its premiere screening on BET's
106 and Park on June 24, 2008. Ryan Gentles
from the plays Madea Goes to Jail
and Diary of a Mad Black Woman appears in the video as Hudson's love interest.
Hudson appears talking on her cellphone to her friend, complaining about her over-protective boyfriend. After she gets off her cellphone, she puts on a jacket and a scarf and leave her house into an alley, then entering a nightclub
, dancing and having a good time until she sees her boyfriend Gentles
. She then takes his hand and leads him into a white room with stripes telling him that she loves him but that he needs to realize that she is a good girl and not to worry before it is too late. Towards the end of the video, Hudson is walking down a runway with her boyfriend sitting in front of the runway. The video ends with Hudson getting off her cellphone. A bottle of Campari
is prominently displayed in the video in a scene featuring Hudson and Gentles at the nightclub
.
Hot 100
, giving Hudson her first top thirty hit to date on the chart. The song also peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
, spending two consecutive weeks at number one.
On September 21, 2008, the song entered the UK Singles Chart
at number fifteen on downloads alone. It is her first top twenty hit in the UK, and climbed to number eleven on September 28 despite there being no CD single
release. It also peaked at #1 on UK Airplay Chart. All in all the song performed better on the charts in the UK than in her native United States. As of mid-May 2009 "Spotlight" still remained on the Hit40UK
Chart (a now defunct alternate chart to the UK Singles Chart which was based on download sales and airplay only). In 2008, "Spotlight" was the biggest selling non-top ten single of the year.
US CD single
German basic CD
German premium CD
UK Digital Single
UK Download Bundle
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 written and produced by Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
and Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
production duo Stargate
Stargate (production team)
This is a list of songs written and produced by the Norwegian production team Stargate.-Produced singles:-1999:5ive - Invincible*05. "Two Sides to Every Story"*06. "You Make Me a Better Man"Noora Noor - Curious*01. "Curious"...
for Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson is an American recording artist, actress and spokesperson. She came to prominence in 2004 as one of the finalists on the third season of American Idol coming in seventh place...
's self titled debut album
Jennifer Hudson (album)
Upon its release, Jennifer Hudson received mixed reviews from music critics. Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe said that, "Despite its flaws, Hudson's debut comes on much like her Dreamgirls character, with admirable self-assurance and real-girl sensuality." Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly...
. It was released digitally on June 10, 2008 as the album's first single, and reached the top thirty of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Outside the States, the track has reached the top twenty in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The song received two Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations at the 2009 ceremony for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The video was voted 12th on BET: Notarized Top 100 videos of 2008.
Critical reception
The song received generally positive reviews. About.comAbout.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....
said that "If you were one of the people wondering if Jennifer Hudson could sustain her vocal energy, power and passion on a full album like she did in the role of Effie in the movie Dreamgirls and like she also does on the album's opening song and first single, "Spotlight," then wonder no more: the answer's a definite yes. "Spotlight" exemplifies the album as a whole: it's got a strong, independent woman singing strongly about love and relationships. In this case, the song is about a controlling lover: "If I'm just love's prisoner, then I'm bustin' out," she sings.".AllHipHop
AllHipHop
AllHipHop.com is a hip hop news website. It was founded in 1998. At five million visitors a month, it is the world's most popular hip hop website. Essence magazine has dubbed it "the CNN of hip-hop". In 2006, AllHipHop won the Rising Stars Award from Black Enterprise magazine. In 2007, PC Magazine...
said that "“Spotlight” as catchy as it is was not debut single-worthy, and a brand new artist wouldn't have been looked at twice; but because it was Jennifer (and penned by Ne-Yo) attention was paid.".Allmusic said that " 'Spotlight' was both promising and satisfying, nearly a dead-center bull's-eye — dramatic but not over the top, powerful but not a gratuitous fireworks display, a melancholy but striking midtempo track with a gently thumping four-four pulse.".Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
said that Hudson "navigates the emotional complexities of 'Spotlight', on which she plays a downtrodden girlfriend"..New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
said that the song's "trendy, staccato backup vocals give the song spine. Better, the character presented by the lyrics - a put-upon woman who's finally stepping out - fits Hudson's persona as the angry queen of payback.".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 :...
said that "Lead single "Spotlight" is a serviceable, pulsating, you-did-me-wrong jam that is, thanks to Stargate and Ne-Yo, perfectly in line with today's trends." The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
said the song "is predictably mid-tempo as it tries to please all her fan bases at once."
Music video
The song's 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...
was directed by Chris Robinson
Chris Robinson (director)
Chris Robinson is an American film director working mostly with music videos and commercials. He has directed commercials for brands such as iPod, Coca Cola and Verizon and music videos for songs like "Fallin'" and "You Don't Know My Name" by Alicia Keys, "Roc Boys" by Jay-Z, the grammy nominated...
and Hudson introduced its premiere screening on BET's
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
106 and Park on June 24, 2008. Ryan Gentles
Ryan Gentles (actor)
Ryan Gentles is an American actor who has worked with Tyler Perry in the stage play Madea Goes to Jail. He played Nate, Sonny's boss and Vanessa's boyfriend. He was also in the movie version of "Madea's Family Reunion" as a stripper. He appeared on the new stage play What's Done in the Dark and...
from the plays Madea Goes to Jail
Madea Goes to Jail
Madea Goes to Jail is a 2009 comedy-drama film adaptation written and directed by Tyler Perry, which was based on Perry's 2006 play of the same name. The play and the film deal with Perry's recurring character Madea Simmons going to jail for her uncontrollable anger management problems...
and Diary of a Mad Black Woman appears in the video as Hudson's love interest.
Hudson appears talking on her cellphone to her friend, complaining about her over-protective boyfriend. After she gets off her cellphone, she puts on a jacket and a scarf and leave her house into an alley, then entering a nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
, dancing and having a good time until she sees her boyfriend Gentles
Ryan Gentles
Ryan Michael Gentles is the manager of the New York City-based band, The Strokes and the Chief Executive Officer of Wiz Kid Management. Before meeting the Strokes, he was the vocalist and guitarist in two bands, Timmsie's First Time, which broke up in 1995 and The Selzers, which broke up in 2000...
. She then takes his hand and leads him into a white room with stripes telling him that she loves him but that he needs to realize that she is a good girl and not to worry before it is too late. Towards the end of the video, Hudson is walking down a runway with her boyfriend sitting in front of the runway. The video ends with Hudson getting off her cellphone. A bottle of Campari
Campari
Campari is an alcoholic apéritif obtained from the infusion of herbs and fruit in alcohol and water. It is a bitters characterized by its dark red color....
is prominently displayed in the video in a scene featuring Hudson and Gentles at the nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
.
Chart performance
"Spotlight" peaked at number twenty-four on the BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
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...
, giving Hudson her first top thirty hit to date on the chart. The song also peaked at number one on the Billboard 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,...
, spending two consecutive weeks at number one.
On September 21, 2008, the song 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 number fifteen on downloads alone. It is her first top twenty hit in the UK, and climbed to number eleven on September 28 despite there being no 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...
release. It also peaked at #1 on UK Airplay Chart. All in all the song performed better on the charts in the UK than in her native United States. As of mid-May 2009 "Spotlight" still remained on the Hit40UK
Hit40uk
Hit40UK was a networked Top 40 chart show broadcasting on around 130 UK commercial radio stations every Sunday from 4pm to 7pm. It is now a TV programme shown on 4Music. The radio version was produced in house by Global Radio and Somethin' Else...
Chart (a now defunct alternate chart to the UK Singles Chart which was based on download sales and airplay only). In 2008, "Spotlight" was the biggest selling non-top ten single of the year.
Formats and tracklistings
These are the formats and track listings of major single-releases of "Spotlight."US CD single
- "Spotlight" (album version) — 4:10
- "Spotlight" (instrumental) — 4:11
- "Spotlight" (call out hook) — 0:11
German basic CD
- "Spotlight" (album version) — 4:10
- "Spotlight" (part 2; featuring Young JeezyYoung JeezyJay Wayne Jenkins , better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is the member of the hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America and a former member of BMF...
) — 5:07
German premium CD
- "Spotlight" (main version) — 4:10
- "Spotlight" (Moto BlancoMoto BlancoMoto Blanco is an English DJ and electronic music duo consisting of Danny Harrison and Arthur Smith.They are also regularly joined by british record producer Jon Cohen.-History:...
club mix) —— 7:56 - "Spotlight" (Quentin Harris Dark Collage club mix) — 11:31
- "Spotlight" (Johnny ViciousJohnny ViciousJohnny Vicious is an American house DJ, producer and remixer. He DJed in New York City clubs Mars and Paladium in the 1980s, and in the early 1990s started his own label, Vicious Musik Records, with Jeffrey Rodman....
Muzik mix) — 9:30 - "Spotlight" (music video) – 3:39
UK Digital Single
- "Spotlight" (U.K. Radio Edit) - 3:44
UK Download Bundle
- "Spotlight" - 4:10
- "Spotlight" (Moto Blanco Club Mix) - 7:56
- "Spotlight" (Quentin Harris Dark College Club Mix) - 8:49
- "Spotlight" (Johnny Vicious Muzik Mix) - 6:45
- "Spotlight" (Moto Blanco Dub) - 6:58
- "Spotlight" (Johnny vicious Warehouse Dub) - 7:11
- "Spotlight" (Moto Blanco Radio Mix) - 4:11
- "Spotlight" (Johnny Vicious Radio Mix) - 3:52
Charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 96 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 73 |
| 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... |
69 |
| European Hot 100 Singles | 36 |
| German Singles Chart | 58 |
| Hungarian Singles Chart | 19 |
| 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... |
32 |
| 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 .... |
15 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 21 |
| 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 ... |
11 |
| U.S. Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Hot 100 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... |
24 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
8 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
56 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| Hungarian Singles Chart | 55 |
Release history
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Airplay Airplay * Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay... |
Arista Arista Records Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records... |
|
| Digital download | |||
| United Kingdom | 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... |
Cover versions
- The song was covered on the season 3Glee (season 3)A third season of the Fox musical comedy-drama television series Glee was commissioned on May 23, 2010 while the first season aired. It premiered on September 20, 2011, and is being produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Ryan Murphy Television, with executive producers Dante Di Loreto and...
episode "Asian FAsian F"Asian F" is the third episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 47th overall. Written by series co-creator Ian Brennan and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, it first aired on Fox in the United States on October 4, 2011...
" of GleeGlee (TV series)Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
by Mercedes JonesMercedes JonesMercedes Jones is a fictional character from the Fox popular musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Amber Riley, and has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Mercedes was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and...
(Amber RileyAmber RileyAmber Patrice Riley is an American actress and singer best known for her role on the series Glee as Mercedes Jones.-Early life and career:...
).
External links
- JenniferHudsonOnline.com — official site