Talk About Our Love
Encyclopedia
"Talk About Our Love" is a song performed by American
entertainer Brandy
. It was written by producers Kanye West
and Harold Lilly for her fourth studio album, Afrodisiac
(2004), and produced by West, who moreover appears as a featured artist on it. The record contains a samples of Mandrill
's 1978 song "Gilly Hines," penned by Claude Cave II, and Carlos, Louis and Ricardo Wilson.
Recorded late into the production of the Afrodisiac album, the track was an eleventh hour addition to the album's track listing alongside "Where You Wanna Be." It was eventually selected as the album's lead single in a last-minute decision and thus replaced the Timbaland
-crafted single "Black Pepper," resultung into his dissociation of the project. Released to generally positive reviews by critics during the second quarter of 2004 however, "Talk About Our Love" became a moderate chart success around the globe. While it peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart
, the song reached the top thirty in Australia
, Ireland
, and the Netherlands
, but barely made it to the top forty on the U.S. Billboard
Hot 100.
"Talk About Our Love" was not composed until late into the production of Afrodisiac
, eventually becoming one of two eleventh-hour additions to the album's final track listing. Although Brandy considered the project complete by October 2003, Geroid "Gee" Roberson encouraged the singer to attempt additional studio sessions with producer Kanye West
: "One of the executive producers of my album [Roberson] is one of Kanye's managers, so that's how we hooked up," Brandy explained the following year to iVillage Entertainment. "He said he always wanted to work with me [and] having followed his successes, I've always wanted to work with him. When we got together it was like, 'Oh, my God! This is great chemistry. It's magical. Kanye's passionate about the song, and so am I, so it worked out great'!"
Adapting elements of West's own sound, the song incorporates strings by violinist Miri Ben-Ari
, and a retro sample of Mandrill
's 1978 recording "Gilly Hines", written by Carlos, Louis, and Ricardo Wilson, and Claude Cave II. Brandy, who compared the song to Alicia Keys
' 2003 single "You Don't Know My Name
," described "Talk About Our Love" as being about "being in a relationship being so deeply in love that everybody wants to be in your business. Everybody wants to be opinionated about what you do and why you do it and I think everybody in a relationship experiences that kind of stuff, people talking about your business so that is what that song is about."
On March 26, 2004 the song made its world premiere via AOL
's Music's First Listen program, where it was streamed more than 4.6 million times within its first two month of release. By March 28 the final version of the track had leaked. "Talk About Our Love" was shipped to radio in early April 2004, while its CD maxi single in Australia
and the United States was eventually released on April 27, 2004, including a re-worked version of Timbaland
-penned "Turn It Up
," Afrodisiacs first buzz single. Elsewhere, Mike City
produced "Like It Was Yesterday" appeared as a b-side on the CD single.
, the sixth-highest U.S. debut of the week. The single peaked at number 36 on June 3, the same week it earned the Hot 100's greatest retail gainer designation, eventually becoming Brandy's lowest-peaking lead single to date. Moreover, it became Brandy's first single failing to reach the top 20 since 1999's U Don't Know Me (Like U Used To) at number 72. "Talk About Our Love" was more successful on Billboard' s component charts: Benefiting from strong physical sales, it reached the top spot on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Sales chart and number three on the Hot Singles Sales, as well as the top 20 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart. The remix single also peaked at number two on the Hot Dance Singles Sales
.
In the United Kingdom
, where the single reached its highest international peak position, Talk About Our Love debuted at number six, becoming Brandy's fifth non-consecutive top-10 single. The song was the second-highest entry of the week behind Britney Spears
' "Everytime" at number-one, and remained two weeks within the top 10.
Elsewhere, Talk About Our Love enjoyed moderate success. While it still managed to reach the top 40 in Australia
, Ireland
, Italy
, and the Netherlands
, the single failed to enter the top 50 on other foreign markets.
for "Talk About Our Love" was filmed in Los Angeles
between March 6 and 7, 2004 and produced by Rick Revel for Radical Media Inc. It was the third Brandy clip to be directed by Dave Meyers
, who had previously worked with her on the videos for "Another Day in Paradise
" (2001) and "What About Us?" (2002). Apart from producer Kanye West
, who came up with the concept for the video, Brandy's younger brother Ray J
also makes a cameo appearance
in the clip.
The concept of the video was influenced by Brandy's personal experiences at that period, picking up the idea of nosy friends and neighbours, who keep on popping in and out of her house to find out about her affairs. Opening with an additional musical intro, the first scene in the video begins with Brandy confronting West, who's standing behind the kitchen's table, when other people switch constantly in and out the room and watch what's happening. The camera follows West's fleeing steps through the floor, incessantly backspacing on Brandy, who runs after him. The scene shifts into the living-room, where it changes into a sequence with two male dancers (Georvohn Lambert; RT of screen & Carlos Lopez; LF of screen), before Brandy leaves the room to take stairs into the bedroom. West follows and sings to her next on the bed, when once again pop strangers in the room and Brandy and Kanye decide to escape out of the house. The video ends with both singers sitting in an oldtimer
and driving down the street.
The video premiered on May 2, 2004 at the end of its Making the Video
episode on MTV
. It debuted on the network's Total Request Live
on May 10 and on Canada
's MuchMusic
in the week ending May 16. It reached number three on the TRL top ten video countdown on May 21, its seventh day on the countdown; and was retired from the show after spending thirteen days on the countdown. Temporarily, the "Talk About Our Love" video was the most-played clip on BET
, reaching number two on the network's video countdown 106 & Park
. PopMatters
ranked the video among the best music videos of 2004. At the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards
, Brandy and West were nominated in the category of Best R&B Video for "Talk Abour Our Love."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entertainer Brandy
Brandy (entertainer)
Brandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
. It was written by producers Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
and Harold Lilly for her fourth studio album, Afrodisiac
Afrodisiac
Afrodisiac is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Brandy Norwood, released by Atlantic Records on June 28, 2004 on most international territories and on June 29, 2004 in Canada and the United States...
(2004), and produced by West, who moreover appears as a featured artist on it. The record contains a samples of Mandrill
Mandrill (band)
Mandrill is an American funk band formed in Brooklyn, New York City in 1968. The band was formed by three brothers: Carlos Wilson , Lou Wilson and Ric Wilson . The brothers were born in Panama and grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn...
's 1978 song "Gilly Hines," penned by Claude Cave II, and Carlos, Louis and Ricardo Wilson.
Recorded late into the production of the Afrodisiac album, the track was an eleventh hour addition to the album's track listing alongside "Where You Wanna Be." It was eventually selected as the album's lead single in a last-minute decision and thus replaced the Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
-crafted single "Black Pepper," resultung into his dissociation of the project. Released to generally positive reviews by critics during the second quarter of 2004 however, "Talk About Our Love" became a moderate chart success around the globe. While it peaked at number six 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 ...
, the song reached the top thirty in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, but barely made it to the top forty on the U.S. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100.
Writing and recording
"We collaborated and we just came up with a great melody [...] It's about two people in a relationship where everybody is in and out of their business, which is something that everybody in a relationship goes through."—Brandy Norwood
Brandy NorwoodBrandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
, MTV.comMTV NewsMTV 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...
"Talk About Our Love" was not composed until late into the production of Afrodisiac
Afrodisiac
Afrodisiac is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Brandy Norwood, released by Atlantic Records on June 28, 2004 on most international territories and on June 29, 2004 in Canada and the United States...
, eventually becoming one of two eleventh-hour additions to the album's final track listing. Although Brandy considered the project complete by October 2003, Geroid "Gee" Roberson encouraged the singer to attempt additional studio sessions with producer Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
: "One of the executive producers of my album [Roberson] is one of Kanye's managers, so that's how we hooked up," Brandy explained the following year to iVillage Entertainment. "He said he always wanted to work with me [and] having followed his successes, I've always wanted to work with him. When we got together it was like, 'Oh, my God! This is great chemistry. It's magical. Kanye's passionate about the song, and so am I, so it worked out great'!"
Adapting elements of West's own sound, the song incorporates strings by violinist Miri Ben-Ari
Miri Ben-Ari
Miri Ben-Ari is an Israeli violinist, who currently resides in the United States.Ben-Ari grew up playing classical music; she started training at age 5 and at age 12, she was presented with a violin by Isaac Stern. During her mandatory Israeli military service, she was chosen to play for the...
, and a retro sample of Mandrill
Mandrill (band)
Mandrill is an American funk band formed in Brooklyn, New York City in 1968. The band was formed by three brothers: Carlos Wilson , Lou Wilson and Ric Wilson . The brothers were born in Panama and grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn...
's 1978 recording "Gilly Hines", written by Carlos, Louis, and Ricardo Wilson, and Claude Cave II. Brandy, who compared the song to Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
' 2003 single "You Don't Know My Name
You Don't Know My Name
"You Don't Know My Name" is a song by American recording artist Alicia Keys from her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys. Written by Keys, Kanye West, and Harold Lilly and produced by Keys and West, the track was released as the album's lead single in November 2003, and contains a sample...
," described "Talk About Our Love" as being about "being in a relationship being so deeply in love that everybody wants to be in your business. Everybody wants to be opinionated about what you do and why you do it and I think everybody in a relationship experiences that kind of stuff, people talking about your business so that is what that song is about."
On March 26, 2004 the song made its world premiere via 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 Music's First Listen program, where it was streamed more than 4.6 million times within its first two month of release. By March 28 the final version of the track had leaked. "Talk About Our Love" was shipped to radio in early April 2004, while its CD maxi single in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the United States was eventually released on April 27, 2004, including a re-worked version of Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
-penned "Turn It Up
Turn It Up (Brandy song)
"Turn It Up" is a song recorded by American singer Brandy Norwood. It was written by Candice Nelson, Walter Millsap III, and Timbaland for her fourth studio album, Afrodisiac , with the latter two also handling its production....
," Afrodisiacs first buzz single. Elsewhere, Mike City
Mike City
Mike City is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Flowers is also the founder and CEO of Unsung Entertainment, Inc. He's currently working on his personal album titledMike City a.k.a...
produced "Like It Was Yesterday" appeared as a b-side on the CD single.
Chart performance
On May 6, 2004, the song debuted at number 88 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard 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...
, the sixth-highest U.S. debut of the week. The single peaked at number 36 on June 3, the same week it earned the Hot 100's greatest retail gainer designation, eventually becoming Brandy's lowest-peaking lead single to date. Moreover, it became Brandy's first single failing to reach the top 20 since 1999's U Don't Know Me (Like U Used To) at number 72. "Talk About Our Love" was more successful on Billboard
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. The remix single also peaked at number two on the Hot Dance Singles Sales
Hot Dance Singles Sales
Hot Dance Singles Sales is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States, established in 1985. It measures the sale of commercially released singles that deal with dance music and remixes...
.
In the United Kingdom
UK Music Charts
The UK Music Charts are a collection of charts that reflect the music buying habits of people within the United Kingdom. The majority of them are produced by The Official Charts Company.-The charts:...
, where the single reached its highest international peak position, Talk About Our Love debuted at number six, becoming Brandy's fifth non-consecutive top-10 single. The song was the second-highest entry of the week behind Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
' "Everytime" at number-one, and remained two weeks within the top 10.
Elsewhere, Talk About Our Love enjoyed moderate success. While it still managed to reach the top 40 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, the single failed to enter the top 50 on other foreign markets.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Talk About Our Love" was filmed in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
between March 6 and 7, 2004 and produced by Rick Revel for Radical Media Inc. It was the third Brandy clip to be 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...
, who had previously worked with her on the videos for "Another Day in Paradise
Another Day in Paradise
"Another Day in Paradise" is a song by Phil Collins released as the first single from his number-one album But Seriously . As with his song from Genesis, "Man on the Corner" "Another Day in Paradise" was written to bring attention to the problem of homelessness; as such, the song was a substantial...
" (2001) and "What About Us?" (2002). Apart from producer Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, who came up with the concept for the video, Brandy's younger brother Ray J
Ray J
William Ray Norwood Jr. , better known by his stage name Ray J, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and actor.-Early life:...
also makes a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in the clip.
The concept of the video was influenced by Brandy's personal experiences at that period, picking up the idea of nosy friends and neighbours, who keep on popping in and out of her house to find out about her affairs. Opening with an additional musical intro, the first scene in the video begins with Brandy confronting West, who's standing behind the kitchen's table, when other people switch constantly in and out the room and watch what's happening. The camera follows West's fleeing steps through the floor, incessantly backspacing on Brandy, who runs after him. The scene shifts into the living-room, where it changes into a sequence with two male dancers (Georvohn Lambert; RT of screen & Carlos Lopez; LF of screen), before Brandy leaves the room to take stairs into the bedroom. West follows and sings to her next on the bed, when once again pop strangers in the room and Brandy and Kanye decide to escape out of the house. The video ends with both singers sitting in an oldtimer
Classic car
A classic car is an older car; the exact meaning is variable. The Classic Car Club of America maintains that a car must be between 20 and 40 years old to be a classic, while cars over 45 years fall into the Antique Class.- Classic Car Club of America :...
and driving down the street.
The video premiered on May 2, 2004 at the end of its Making the Video
Making the Video
Making the Video is an MTV show, consisting of half-hour episodes, which chronicles the process of filming various music videos. Usually the director outlines the concept of the video and the show often includes light-hearted and humorous moments. It always concludes with a premiere of the...
episode on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. It debuted on the network's Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
on May 10 and on Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
in the week ending May 16. It reached number three on the TRL top ten video countdown on May 21, its seventh day on the countdown; and was retired from the show after spending thirteen days on the countdown. Temporarily, the "Talk About Our Love" video was the most-played clip on BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
, reaching number two on the network's video countdown 106 & Park
106 & Park
106 & Park is a Top Ten Hip-Hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that airs weekdays at 6:00 PM on BET . Since its inception, it was the network's #1 rated show...
. 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,...
ranked the video among the best music videos of 2004. At the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards
2004 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2004 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 29, 2004, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. The show took place at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida, and, unlike in previous years, had no host.-Video of the Year:...
, Brandy and West were nominated in the category of Best R&B Video for "Talk Abour Our Love."
Formats and tracklistings
These are the formats and track listings of major single-releases of "Talk About Our Love".International CD single
- "Talk About Our Love" (Album Version)
- "Talk About Our Love" [One Rascal Remix Aka Albert Cabrera Mix]
- "Like It Was Yesterday"
US CD single
- "Talk About Our Love" (Album Version)
- "Turn It Up" (Edited Version)
Official versions
- "Talk About Our Love" [Extended Mix]
- "Talk About Our Love" [One Rascal Mix]
- "Talk About Our Love" [Bil Hamel Club Mix]
- "Talk About Our Love" [E-Smoove Classic Club Mix]
- "Talk About Our Love" [Ford Trance Mix]
- "Talk About Our Love" [Alan Smithee in Blueblackness Mix]
- "Talk About Our Love" [TKC Club Mix]
- "Talk About Our Love" [Ford House Mix]
- "Talk About Our Love" [Bill Hamel Clubbed Up Dub Mix]
- "Talk About Our Love" [Thick Dick Dub]
Charts
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|
External links
- Brandy music videos — watch "Talk About Our Love" at LAUNCHcast