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Yeah! (Usher song)
Encyclopedia
"Yeah!" is a song by American singer Usher
, released on 3 February 2004 as the lead single from his hit fourth studio album
Confessions
. The song was written by Lil Jon
, Sean Garrett
, Patrick J. Que Smith
, Ludacris
, Robert McDowell, and LRoc
. It was produced by Lil Jon, who combined crunk
and R&B
in the song's beat. The song features vocals from Lil Jon and Ludacris.
The song was remixed with Tego Calderón
. It features a three-note melody that continues throughout the track. The song reached number one on 20 different charts in 15 countries, and gained several platinum certifications, including by the RIAA
and RIANZ
. The single topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
for 12 weeks, the longest-running of 2004, and its huge success added to Usher's hit success that year. With over two million worldwide sales in one year, it is one of the fastest selling hip hop songs ever. The song ranks second on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade for 2000–2009. Usher performed "Yeah!" at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2008 as runway soundtrack. The song won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
at the 47th Grammy Awards. The song was also used in the 2005 film Hitch
and part of the song was used in the 2009 film The Hangover
.
, to his label Arista Records
, thinking it was already completed. However, when Usher and the company's then-president Antonio "LA" Reid listened to the songs, they felt the album needed a lead single
. Although they had "Burn
", the first song created early in the making of the album, as waiting list, Usher had to record a few more tracks.
Usher went back to the studio and enlisted fellow Atlantians
rapper-producer Lil Jon
, alongside rapper-actor Ludacris
, to produce songs for him. Lil Jon recalled: "He needed a single. They had 'Burn,' 'Burn' was hot, but they needed that first powerful monster. That's when I came in."
Several months before Lil Jon came into the production of Confessions, he was commissioned by Jive Records
to produce fifteen beats for rapper Mystikal
. The rapper would only choose two tracks, which would give Lil Jon the chance to peddle the leftovers to other record labels. Without Lil Jon's knowledge, Jive Records gave one of the tracks that Mystikal passed on to hip hop
artist Petey Pablo
, who also records for the label. Lil Jon went to Pablo, who had already recorded the song, which later became "Freak-a-Leek". Lil Jon tried to settle it with Jive by making another beat for Pablo; however, Pablo did not give up the track, in light of the fact that it was already recorded and had been getting responses from South radio. Lil Jon comments, "With so much invested, Jive wouldn't give up the cut." Lil Jon reworked the track and a new instrumental
was used, from which "Yeah!" was based. The song was co-written by Sean Garrett
, Patrick J. Que Smith
, Ludacris
, Robert McDowell, and James Elbert "LRoc" Phillips
.
According to the sheet music published by Windswept Holdings at Musicnotes.com, "Yeah!" is written in common time
in the key of G minor
, and Usher's vocal range spans from the low note of B4 to the high note of B5.
rep Kawan "KP" Prather commented: "'Burn' being a great song is one thing, but it's one of them things where people said, 'It's strong, but can we make history with that?' At the end of the day, you want an event." Usher was also skeptical if "Yeah!" was the right choice.
After Lil Jon leaked "Yeah!" to street DJs across the United States, Usher opted "Burn" as the lead single of the album and was already planning for its music video. The song was not intended to be a proper single and only a teaser for Usher's fans after waiting for years. However, the responses of "Yeah!" were overwhelmingly favorable, and "Yeah!" was released as the first single instead of "Burn", which became the second single from the album. The single was released in the United States on January 27, 2004 as a CD single
and 12" single
. In the United Kingdom, it was released as a CD single, containing the album and instrumental version of the song, and two unreleased tracks from the album, "Red Light" and "Sweet Lies".
called it "irresistibly crunked-out", adding, "ensuing track glides smoothly between club-friendly hip-hop soul and ballads." Laura Sinagra Rolling Stone
commented that the song "creates sensual panic by combining Usher's jumpy attacks with Jon's sublime, frayed beats." Jon Caramanica of Blender
noted that "Yeah!" is the first song to mix "mainstream R&B and menacing Southern crunk." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine
said that the song has brought Usher to a "whole new level of crunk." Andy Kellman of Allmusic described the song as a "crunk-meets-R&B foundation" which features an "instantly addictive eight-note keyboard vamp". He added that because it is "absorbing", Ludacris' voice cannot be noticed that much. Matt Cibula of Popmatters
characterized the song as a "full-fledged club über-crunk salacious" but he added that it fails to be a "club banger". Steve Jones of USA Today
referred to "Yeah!" as a "club-rattling" song from a combination of "Atlanta's vibrant music scene", Lil Jon's "insistent beats" and Ludacris' "racy rhymes".
Critics complimented Usher for the song. Aswad called it the "grittiest song" Usher had sung for revealing his "newfound maturity". Caramanica said that it is "probably the scariest record — in a good way — he's ever made" and Usher "smartly shares the spotlight." Cibula stated that Usher's "smoove-ass" singing and Ludacris' presence contributes to the success of the single.
"Yeah!" was nominated at the 2005 Grammy Awards
for Record of the Year
, and won the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
award. At the 2005 Soul Train Music Awards, "Yeah!" was nominated for best R&B/Soul or Rap Dance Cut.
The songs rights were released to the creators of Glee
for the final song for their season two finale
. It was sung by the Crawford County Girls Choir, a competing group in the National Show Choir Competition.
at number fifty-three on January 13, 2004, prior to its physical release. Seven weeks later, it peaked on the chart at number one on March 2, staying there for twelve consecutive weeks. "Yeah!" became Usher's fourth number-one single; Lil Jon's first; and Ludacris' second. The single remained on the Hot 100 for forty-five weeks. "Yeah!" became the most-played song in 2004. Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems
placed the song on the top for getting 496,805 total plays, above Hoobastank
's single "The Reason
" with 489,976 spins. The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
on June 11, 2006 for reaching one million shipments. "Yeah!" became the 2004's best-performing single in the United States. The single ranks at number 11 on The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs
. As of March 2011, the song has sold over 3,000,000 digital copies since release.
Internationally, "Yeah!" received similar responses, topping many charts. The single reached number 1 in the Australia Singles Top 50, Austria Singles Top 75, Canadian Singles Chart, Denmark Singles Top 40, Dutch Top 40, France Singles Top 100, Germany Singles Top 100, Ireland Singles Top 50, New Zealand Top 40, Norway Singles Top 20, Swiss Singles Top 100, and the UK Singles Top 75. Overall, the single charted to different charts worldwide for a year, early in 2004 to early in 2005. The single was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
for selling 70,000 units. At the 2004 Year Ender charts, "Yeah!" became the twenty-eighth best-selling single in Australia. It was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
.
" and "U Got It Bad
". Mr. X said that the song reminded him of laser beams . He felt the sound was a laser beam for him, referring to the beat as "distinctive". Usher and Mr. X combined ideas to create a dance video for "Yeah!". The treatment was accompanied of how Usher wanted to be portrayed in the video, particularly showcasing his dance moves.
The music video was filmed in a vacant art gallery in Los Angeles over two days. When the shooting started, Mr. X recalled Michael Jackson
's "low-tech" and "laser-flashing" 1979 "Rock With You" video, and used it as a reference. Forty extras were commissioned to dance with Usher, and two ladies to tempt him in different scenes. They went through photo browsing and phone calling, opting for Destiny, a friend of Mr. X, who seduces Usher in the club ala Marilyn Monroe
wardrobe to complement the lyrics. Usher's other would-be seductress is portrayed by model Melyssa Ford
. Lil Jon acted as an assistant director during the sessions. Usher took charge of his ideas on his wardrobe and choreography, with additional routines, specifically the Rockaway and the thunderclap, which Mr. X learned from Jamaica. The Rockaway influenced Fat Joe and Terror Squad's "Lean Back" video.
Usher's dancing in front of the green and blue laser beams is prominently featured throughout the video. Lil Jon and Ludacris appeared on the video as well. Ludacris protégé Chingy
also appears near the end of the video, holding up his chain which shows his name. P. Diddy
's former assistant, Farnsworth Bentley, makes a cameo at the end of the video as well, when he was in Los Angeles and Mr. X begged him to dance in the video with his violin
. The end of video also features a 19 second-long rap from Lil Jon, which is not heard on the radio edit
.
The music video debuted on MTV
's TRL
at number ten on February 19, 2004. "Yeah!" topped the countdown, and retired on May 3 at number six after appearing on the countdown for fifty days. "Yeah!" became one of the most successful music videos by Usher, alongside "Confessions Part II
", which also remained for fifty days. At the 2005 Soul Train Music Awards, the video was nominated for Michael Jackson
Award for best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video.
UK CD 2
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...
, released on 3 February 2004 as the lead single from his hit fourth studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
Confessions
Confessions (Usher album)
Confessions is the fourth studio album by American R&B recording artist Usher, released March 23, 2004, on Arista-imprint label LaFace Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2003 to 2004 with production by Jermaine Dupri, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and Lil Jon...
. The song was written by Lil Jon
Lil Jon
Jonathan Mortimer Smith , better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, music producer, entrepreneur, and occasional disc jockey who was a member of the group Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz. Lil Jon formed the group in 1997, and the group released several albums between then and 2004...
, Sean Garrett
Sean Garrett
Garrett Hamler, better known by his stage name Sean Garrett is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He has produced fifteen number one singles in only seven years of producing music. That number puts him in fifth place on the Billboard list of producers with the most number...
, Patrick J. Que Smith
Patrick J. Que Smith
Patrick "j.Que" Smith is an American Grammy nominated record producer and Songwriter. He has contributed to songs from Usher, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Fantasia, Ciara, Avant, Chris Brown, The Gospellers, and Omarion....
, Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
, Robert McDowell, and LRoc
LRoc
LRoc is a staff songwriter and producer at Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings. He has co-written and co-produced singles like Janet Jackson's "Call on Me" , Monica's "Everytime Tha Beat Drop", Mariah Carey's "Get Your Number", Murphy Lee's "Wat Dat Hook Gonna Be", Usher's "Yeah!", LL Cool J's...
. It was produced by Lil Jon, who combined crunk
Crunk
Crunk is a music style that originated in Memphis, Tennessee in the mid-to-late 1990s and gained mainstream success around 2003–2004. Performers of crunk music are sometimes referred to as crunksters. An archetypal crunk track most frequently uses a drum machine rhythm, heavy bassline, and...
and 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...
in the song's beat. The song features vocals from Lil Jon and Ludacris.
The song was remixed with Tego Calderón
Tego Calderón
Tegui Calderón Rosario is a Puerto Rican rapper and actor.-Early life:Calderón was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, the son of Pilar Rosario Parrilla, a schoolteacher, and Esteban Calderón Ilarraza, a government worker for Puerto Rico's Department of Health. Moving at a young age from his native...
. It features a three-note melody that continues throughout the track. The song reached number one on 20 different charts in 15 countries, and gained several platinum certifications, including by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
and RIANZ
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
. The single topped 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...
for 12 weeks, the longest-running of 2004, and its huge success added to Usher's hit success that year. With over two million worldwide sales in one year, it is one of the fastest selling hip hop songs ever. The song ranks second on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade for 2000–2009. Usher performed "Yeah!" at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2008 as runway soundtrack. The song won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
The Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs on which rappers and singers collaborate...
at the 47th Grammy Awards. The song was also used in the 2005 film Hitch
Hitch (film)
Hitch is a 2005 romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant and starring Will Smith. The film, which was written by Kevin Bisch, co-stars Eva Mendes, Kevin James, and Amber Valletta. Smith plays a professional matchmaker who makes a living teaching men how to woo women...
and part of the song was used in the 2009 film The Hangover
The Hangover (film)
The Hangover is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Todd Phillips and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The film stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha and Jeffrey Tambor...
.
Background and composition
In 2003, Usher submitted his fourth studio album, ConfessionsConfessions (Usher album)
Confessions is the fourth studio album by American R&B recording artist Usher, released March 23, 2004, on Arista-imprint label LaFace Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2003 to 2004 with production by Jermaine Dupri, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and Lil Jon...
, to his label Arista Records
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...
, thinking it was already completed. However, when Usher and the company's then-president Antonio "LA" Reid listened to the songs, they felt the album needed a lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
. Although they had "Burn
Burn (Usher song)
"Burn" is a song by American R&B singer Usher, which he wrote with American songwriters Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox. The song was produced by Dupri and Cox for Usher's fourth studio album, Confessions...
", the first song created early in the making of the album, as waiting list, Usher had to record a few more tracks.
Usher went back to the studio and enlisted fellow Atlantians
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
rapper-producer Lil Jon
Lil Jon
Jonathan Mortimer Smith , better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, music producer, entrepreneur, and occasional disc jockey who was a member of the group Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz. Lil Jon formed the group in 1997, and the group released several albums between then and 2004...
, alongside rapper-actor Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
, to produce songs for him. Lil Jon recalled: "He needed a single. They had 'Burn,' 'Burn' was hot, but they needed that first powerful monster. That's when I came in."
Several months before Lil Jon came into the production of Confessions, he was commissioned by 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...
to produce fifteen beats for rapper Mystikal
Mystikal
Michael Lawrence Tyler , better known by his stage name Mystikal, is an American rapper, and actor from New Orleans.-1993-1994: Early career:...
. The rapper would only choose two tracks, which would give Lil Jon the chance to peddle the leftovers to other record labels. Without Lil Jon's knowledge, Jive Records gave one of the tracks that Mystikal passed on to hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
artist Petey Pablo
Petey Pablo
Moses Mortimer Barrett III , known by the stage name Petey Pablo, is an American rapper from Greenville, North Carolina.-Biography:...
, who also records for the label. Lil Jon went to Pablo, who had already recorded the song, which later became "Freak-a-Leek". Lil Jon tried to settle it with Jive by making another beat for Pablo; however, Pablo did not give up the track, in light of the fact that it was already recorded and had been getting responses from South radio. Lil Jon comments, "With so much invested, Jive wouldn't give up the cut." Lil Jon reworked the track and a new instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
was used, from which "Yeah!" was based. The song was co-written by Sean Garrett
Sean Garrett
Garrett Hamler, better known by his stage name Sean Garrett is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He has produced fifteen number one singles in only seven years of producing music. That number puts him in fifth place on the Billboard list of producers with the most number...
, Patrick J. Que Smith
Patrick J. Que Smith
Patrick "j.Que" Smith is an American Grammy nominated record producer and Songwriter. He has contributed to songs from Usher, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Fantasia, Ciara, Avant, Chris Brown, The Gospellers, and Omarion....
, Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
, Robert McDowell, and James Elbert "LRoc" Phillips
LRoc
LRoc is a staff songwriter and producer at Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings. He has co-written and co-produced singles like Janet Jackson's "Call on Me" , Monica's "Everytime Tha Beat Drop", Mariah Carey's "Get Your Number", Murphy Lee's "Wat Dat Hook Gonna Be", Usher's "Yeah!", LL Cool J's...
.
According to the sheet music published by Windswept Holdings at Musicnotes.com, "Yeah!" is written in 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...
in the key 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 Usher's vocal range spans from the low note of B4 to the high note of B5.
Release
Though "Yeah!" had been created, the label was not ready to decide whether it would be released as the lead single, considering they had "Burn" on queue. Usher's friend and former A&RA&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
rep Kawan "KP" Prather commented: "'Burn' being a great song is one thing, but it's one of them things where people said, 'It's strong, but can we make history with that?' At the end of the day, you want an event." Usher was also skeptical if "Yeah!" was the right choice.
After Lil Jon leaked "Yeah!" to street DJs across the United States, Usher opted "Burn" as the lead single of the album and was already planning for its music video. The song was not intended to be a proper single and only a teaser for Usher's fans after waiting for years. However, the responses of "Yeah!" were overwhelmingly favorable, and "Yeah!" was released as the first single instead of "Burn", which became the second single from the album. The single was released in the United States on January 27, 2004 as a 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...
and 12" single
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
. In the United Kingdom, it was released as a CD single, containing the album and instrumental version of the song, and two unreleased tracks from the album, "Red Light" and "Sweet Lies".
Reception
"Yeah!" was lauded by contemporary critics for its production. Jem Aswad of Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
called it "irresistibly crunked-out", adding, "ensuing track glides smoothly between club-friendly hip-hop soul and ballads." Laura Sinagra 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...
commented that the song "creates sensual panic by combining Usher's jumpy attacks with Jon's sublime, frayed beats." Jon Caramanica of Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
noted that "Yeah!" is the first song to mix "mainstream R&B and menacing Southern crunk." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
said that the song has brought Usher to a "whole new level of crunk." Andy Kellman of Allmusic described the song as a "crunk-meets-R&B foundation" which features an "instantly addictive eight-note keyboard vamp". He added that because it is "absorbing", Ludacris' voice cannot be noticed that much. Matt Cibula of Popmatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
characterized the song as a "full-fledged club über-crunk salacious" but he added that it fails to be a "club banger". Steve Jones of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
referred to "Yeah!" as a "club-rattling" song from a combination of "Atlanta's vibrant music scene", Lil Jon's "insistent beats" and Ludacris' "racy rhymes".
Critics complimented Usher for the song. Aswad called it the "grittiest song" Usher had sung for revealing his "newfound maturity". Caramanica said that it is "probably the scariest record — in a good way — he's ever made" and Usher "smartly shares the spotlight." Cibula stated that Usher's "smoove-ass" singing and Ludacris' presence contributes to the success of the single.
"Yeah!" was nominated at the 2005 Grammy Awards
Grammy Awards of 2005
The 47th Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2005 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were hosted by Queen Latifah , and televised in the United States by CBS. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year...
for Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
, and won the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
The Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs on which rappers and singers collaborate...
award. At the 2005 Soul Train Music Awards, "Yeah!" was nominated for best R&B/Soul or Rap Dance Cut.
The songs rights were released to the creators of Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
for the final song for their season two finale
New York (Glee)
"New York" is the twenty-second episode and season finale of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 44th overall. The episode was written and directed by series creator Brad Falchuk, filmed in part on location in New York City, and first aired on May 24, 2011 on...
. It was sung by the Crawford County Girls Choir, a competing group in the National Show Choir Competition.
Commercial acclaim
"Yeah!" charted well on various charts worldwide. The single debuted on the U.S. 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...
at number fifty-three on January 13, 2004, prior to its physical release. Seven weeks later, it peaked on the chart at number one on March 2, staying there for twelve consecutive weeks. "Yeah!" became Usher's fourth number-one single; Lil Jon's first; and Ludacris' second. The single remained on the Hot 100 for forty-five weeks. "Yeah!" became the most-played song in 2004. Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems, better known as BDS, is a service that tracks monitored radio, television and internet airplay of songs based on the number of spins and detections...
placed the song on the top for getting 496,805 total plays, above Hoobastank
Hoobastank
Hoobastank is an American rock band, best known for their 2004 hit "The Reason" and other hits "Crawling in the Dark" and "Running Away". They formed in 1994 in Agoura Hills, California, with singer Doug Robb, guitarist Dan Estrin, drummer Chris Hesse, and original bassist Markku Lappalainen. They...
's single "The Reason
The Reason (Hoobastank song)
"The Reason" is the 2004 hit single by the modern rock band Hoobastank, off their album The Reason. The song is Hoobastank's most commercially successful single, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart , and #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks. In addition, it topped the singles charts in both...
" with 489,976 spins. The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
on June 11, 2006 for reaching one million shipments. "Yeah!" became the 2004's best-performing single in the United States. The single ranks at number 11 on The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs
Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs
The Billboard Hot 100 50 Year Anniversary Charts are historical charts from the Billboard Hot 100's first 50 years, August 1958 through July 2008. "Alfred Music" publishing house, saluted the 50th, by publishing the "Hot 100 50th Anniversary Songbook."...
. As of March 2011, the song has sold over 3,000,000 digital copies since release.
Internationally, "Yeah!" received similar responses, topping many charts. The single reached number 1 in the Australia Singles Top 50, Austria Singles Top 75, Canadian Singles Chart, Denmark Singles Top 40, Dutch Top 40, France Singles Top 100, Germany Singles Top 100, Ireland Singles Top 50, New Zealand Top 40, Norway Singles Top 20, Swiss Singles Top 100, and the UK Singles Top 75. Overall, the single charted to different charts worldwide for a year, early in 2004 to early in 2005. The single was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
for selling 70,000 units. At the 2004 Year Ender charts, "Yeah!" became the twenty-eighth best-selling single in Australia. It was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
.
Music video
Mr. X, formerly Little X, had previously directed videos for Usher's singles "U Don't Have to CallU Don't Have To Call
"U Don't Have to Call" is a 2001 single from Usher's 2001 album 8701. It was the third US single from the album and the fifth UK single, peaking at number 3 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. In the UK, it was released as part of a double A-side with his collaboration with P....
" and "U Got It Bad
U Got It Bad
"U Got It Bad" is a 2001 single from Usher's 2001 album 8701. It was the second US single from the album and the third international single, reaching number 1 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, and reaching the top 5 in the United Kingdom and Australia.The song was produced by...
". Mr. X said that the song reminded him of laser beams . He felt the sound was a laser beam for him, referring to the beat as "distinctive". Usher and Mr. X combined ideas to create a dance video for "Yeah!". The treatment was accompanied of how Usher wanted to be portrayed in the video, particularly showcasing his dance moves.
The music video was filmed in a vacant art gallery in Los Angeles over two days. When the shooting started, Mr. X recalled Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's "low-tech" and "laser-flashing" 1979 "Rock With You" video, and used it as a reference. Forty extras were commissioned to dance with Usher, and two ladies to tempt him in different scenes. They went through photo browsing and phone calling, opting for Destiny, a friend of Mr. X, who seduces Usher in the club ala Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
wardrobe to complement the lyrics. Usher's other would-be seductress is portrayed by model Melyssa Ford
Melyssa Ford
Melyssa Savannah Ford is a Canadian model and actress. She attended York University and studied in the field of forensic psychology. Ford's father is Afro-Barbadian and her mother is Russian and Norwegian...
. Lil Jon acted as an assistant director during the sessions. Usher took charge of his ideas on his wardrobe and choreography, with additional routines, specifically the Rockaway and the thunderclap, which Mr. X learned from Jamaica. The Rockaway influenced Fat Joe and Terror Squad's "Lean Back" video.
Usher's dancing in front of the green and blue laser beams is prominently featured throughout the video. Lil Jon and Ludacris appeared on the video as well. Ludacris protégé Chingy
Chingy
Howard Bailey, Jr. , better known by his stage name Chingy, is an American rapper.Chingy grew up in the Walnut Park section of St. Louis and began rapping in earnest in his late teens...
also appears near the end of the video, holding up his chain which shows his name. P. Diddy
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
's former assistant, Farnsworth Bentley, makes a cameo at the end of the video as well, when he was in Los Angeles and Mr. X begged him to dance in the video with his violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
. The end of video also features a 19 second-long rap from Lil Jon, which is not heard on the radio edit
Radio edit
In music, a radio edit is a modification to make a song more suitable for airplay, whether it be adjusted for length, profanity, subject matter, instrumentation, or form...
.
The music video debuted 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....
's TRL
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...
at number ten on February 19, 2004. "Yeah!" topped the countdown, and retired on May 3 at number six after appearing on the countdown for fifty days. "Yeah!" became one of the most successful music videos by Usher, alongside "Confessions Part II
Confessions Part II
"Confessions Part II" is a song by R&B singer Usher, and co-produced by Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox for Usher's fourth album Confessions. Written by Usher, Dupri and Cox, the song is a confession of a man to his woman about his impregnated mistress, a continuation of "Confessions Part I"...
", which also remained for fifty days. At the 2005 Soul Train Music Awards, the video was nominated for Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
Award for best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video.
Track listings
UK CD 1- "Yeah!" (featuring Lil JonLil JonJonathan Mortimer Smith , better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, music producer, entrepreneur, and occasional disc jockey who was a member of the group Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz. Lil Jon formed the group in 1997, and the group released several albums between then and 2004...
and LudacrisLudacrisChristopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
) – 4:10 - "Red Light" (Smith, Patrick J Que/Smith, Jonathan/Hilson, Keri/McDowell, Robert/Garrett, Sean) – 4:48
- "Yeah!" (Reggaeton remix)
UK CD 2
- "Yeah!" – 4:10
- "Red Light" – 4:48
- "Sweet Lies" (Williams, Pharrell/Hugo, Chad) – 4:09
- "Yeah!" (Instrumental) – 4:09
Peak positions
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
Decade-end charts
| Charts (2000–2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| German Singles Chart | 70 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2004) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 28 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 7 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart | 10 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 5 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 10 |
| French Singles Chart | 26 |
| German Singles Chart | 3 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 8 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 4 |
| UK Singles Chart | 5 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Platinum | 2004 | 70,000 |
| Austria | Gold | May 17, 2004 | 15,000 |
| Belgium | Platinum | June 5, 2004 | 50,000 |
| Canada | Platinum | September 30, 2004 | 10,000 |
| Germany | Platinum | 2004 | 300,000 |
| New Zealand | 2× Platinum | September 6, 2004 | 30,000 |
| Norway | Platinum | 2004 | 10,000 |
| Sweden | Gold | May 6, 2004 | 10,000 |
| Switzerland | Gold | 2004 | 20,000 |
| U.S. | Platinum | November 6, 2006 | 1,000,000 |
See also
- List of number-one singles in Australia in 2004
- List of number-one hits of 2004 (Austria)
- List of Ultratop 40 number-one singles of 2004
- List of Canadian number-one singles of 2001–07
- List of number-one singles from the 2000s (Denmark)
- List of European number-one hits of 2004
- List of number-one hits of 2004 (France)
- List of number-one hits of 2004 (Germany)
- List of number-one singles of 2004 (Ireland)
- List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 2004
- List of number-one singles from the 2000s (New Zealand)
- List of number-one hits in Norway
- List of number-one hits of 2004 (Switzerland)
- List of number-one singles from the 2000s (UK)
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2004 (U.S.)
- List of number-one R&B singles of 2004 (U.S.)
- List of Mainstream Top 40 number-one hits of 2004 (U.S.)