In the Dark (Dev song)
Encyclopedia
"In the Dark" is a song performed by American recording artist Dev
. It was written by Dev alongside The Cataracs
, who produced it for Dev's debut studio album, The Night the Sun Came Up
(2011). The song was released as the album's second single on April 25, 2011, through Universal Republic. The inspiration behind "In the Dark" was Dev wanting to make a sexy song to show that she is a grown woman. American rapper Flo Rida
is featured on an official remix of the song and Dev chose to collaborate with the rapper as she believed she would enjoy the song more when hearing it on the radio. Musically, "In the Dark" is a dance-pop
song with a saxophone
hook and influences of Eurodance
and Latin
music. The lyrics emphasize sex drives
and letting sensation of touch fully taking over from sight.
The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, with most of them highlighting its production and the saxophone line. However, critics were divided regarding the song's lyrical content; some referred it to as sexy, while others dismissed it for its metaphors. "In the Dark" enjoyed commercial success in the United States, peaking at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100
chart. It also reached the summit of both Hot Dance Club Songs and Top Heatseekers
. The song achieved its highest national peak in Slovakia, where it reached number one. Elsewhere, the song peaked in the top forty in Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Scotland and the United Kingdom.
The song's accompanying music video was directed by Ethan Lader, who regularly makes videos for Dev and The Cataracs. The clip features shots of dozens of black-painted hands that are touching Dev while she is standing naked. While some of the hands were digitally added, the majority of them were real. According to Dev, the inspiration behind the video was to reflect the sexy and dark aspects of the song, and the initial idea for was to create a Tim Burton
-inspired feel.
, consisting of Niles Hollowell-Dhar and David Singer-Vine, who also produced the track. Dev described the song as "very flavorful" and "hot". In an interview with music blog Idolator
, Dev talked in-depth about the conception of the song, stating, "The idea behind 'In The Dark' was for me to make a sexy song. I'm a grown woman now. I've been working the with The Cataracs for the past three years and I met them when I was kind of young and from a small town. I was like, dammit, I'm gonna make a sexy song! So that's what I did." The song was released on April 25, 2011 via digital download
as the second single from Dev's debut studio album, The Night the Sun Came Up
. It was later sent for rhythmic
airplay in the United States on May 24, 2011, followed by an add on mainstream
radio stations on June 21, 2011. In the United Kingdom, "In the Dark" was released in a digital extended play
(EP) alongside three remixes of the track as well as its music video.
Rapper Flo Rida
is featured on an official remix of "In the Dark", and Dev stated that she wanted to make a remix as it would be refreshing and "great for radio". She said, "I wanted a remix with a rapper on it, because I thought it would suit it well. I know if I heard 'In The Dark' on the radio with a rapper on it, I would probably enjoy it more. We went in thinking about who would be cool on the radio and who would fit the fact that it's kind of a flavorful song and not really a hood rap song. Flo Rida fit, and he completely killed it." 50 Cent
is featured on another remix of the track, while Kanye West
appears on an unofficial remix, of which Dev said: "That was just kind of something that floated onto the Internet and the airwaves, which I don't mind at all because it sounds absolutely amazing and it's one of my favorite remixes too."
song featuring Eurodance
beats and synths, mixed with influences of Latin
music. The song features a house
rhythm and a prominent saxophone
riff that serves as the song's instrumentation. Critics compared the riff to "Mr. Saxobeat
" (2011) by Romanian singer Alexandra Stan
. "In the Dark" opens with Dev's sing-talk vocal style as she sings "On my waist, through my hair / Think about it when you touch me there / Close my eyes, here you are dance-dance-dancing in the dark." According to Nadine Cheung of AOL Radio
, the line borrows the melody from Reel 2 Real
's "I Like to Move It
" (1994). "In the Dark" sees Dev using her singing voice more than her distinctive sing-talk style. Lyrically, the song speaks of sex drives
and letting sensation of touch fully taking over from sight, with Dev repeating the line, "I got a sex drive to push the start".
rated it four stars out of five, particularly praising the saxophone hook. Corner commented, "[Dev] purrs in her sensual and sultry tones, accompanied by that saxophone hook spicier than a extra-hot peri peri chicken from Nandos – and, we should add, just as lip-lickingly addictive." Bill Lamb of About.com
rated "In the Dark" four stars out of five and praised Dev's vocals, as well as the song's sexy lyrics and the saxophone hook. Lamb observed that the song is "nearly pure libido", but said that it works well without explicit lyrics. On the other hand, he criticized the song for being "locked in the current time", writing: "'In the Dark' seems very much a song of the dance pop moment. Like the hit 'Like a G6
,' it is quite possible in a few months 'In the Dark' may sound a bit dated. It does not seem to capture something timeless." Lamb ended on a positive note, however, writing that the song is a worthy addition to party playlists and praised Dev and The Cataracs for "hav[ing] their fingers on the pulse of current party music". Garyn Ganz of Rolling Stone
graded the song three stars out of five and briefly commented: "Dev speak-sings about her sex drive over a Nineties Latin house beat like a top-shelf version of Kesha
– seductive, not sleazy."
While reviewing The Night the Sun Came Up, Slant Magazine
critic Sal Cinquemani named the song the album's best track. He pointed out that, unlike the rest of the album, "In the Dark" avoids "too-aggressive beats and chintzy synths" and instead relies on Dev's "ooh la la" hook and the "sleek" saxophone line. Cinquemani concluded by writing that the song is "almost enough to forgive [The Cataracs] for 'Like a G6'." Tris McCall of The Star-Ledger
named "In the Dark" the "Song of the Week" and compared its saxophone line to Alexandra Stan's "Mr. Saxobeat", and said that while the latter is "total Euroschlock", "In the Dark" preserves "some of the mechanized detachment" of Dev's song "Booty Bounce
" (2010). McCall was mixed on "In the Dark"'s lyrical content and called the line "do your work on me/Open up my body and do some surgery" the "grossest pillow talk" since The Black Eyed Peas
' "My Humps
". Writing for the Dallas Observer
, Shahryar Rizvi was negative on the song and criticized the "cheesy" saxophone sound, saying that it "serves well to show just how mediocre this song is".
chart on the issue dated August 20, 2011; almost three months after the song's release in April. The song steadily ascended on the chart for eight weeks before reaching its peak position of number eleven on the issue dated October 22, 2011. The song proved to be a bigger commercial success than Dev's debut single, "Bass Down Low
" (2010), which reached number 61. Additionally, "In the Dark" reached number one on two of Billboards component charts, Heatseekers Songs and Hot Dance Club Songs. The song also peaked at number eight on both Pop Songs and Radio Songs
. In Canada, "In the Dark" debuted at number 83 on the Canadian Hot 100
chart on the issue dated September 17, 2011 and peaked at number 15 six weeks later on October 22, 2011. In Australia, the song debuted at number 64 on the singles chart, and eventually peaked at number 41. Across Europe, "In the Dark" made its first appearance on the Tracklisten
chart in Denmark on the issue dated July 29, 2011, entering at number 36. The following week, the song reached its peak of number 22 and was listed on the chart for five weeks before falling off. In Slovakia, "In the Dark" debuted at number 30 and peaked at the top position seven weeks later. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted and peaked at number 37 on the UK Singles Chart
on the issue dated August 27, 2011, and failed to match "Bass Down Low"'s peak at number ten. In Ireland, "In the Dark" fared similarly on the Irish Singles Chart
, entering and peaking at number 33.
for "In the Dark" was directed by Ethan Lader. Dev enlisted Lader to make the video as he regularly makes videos for her and The Cataracs. Lader originally contacted her with ideas for the clip, and she soon replied with what she would want in the video. She said, "So we did that back and forth, which he always does with me until I get my point across. [...] and then we met up and we got both of our ideas and feelings across. I wanted to be sexy and dark like the song is, in a really interesting way, and we pulled it off, I think." The video was filmed in Los Angeles, California in late-April 2011, just before Dev joined Usher
as the opening act for his OMG Tour
. Dev took more control over the "In the Dark" video than previous video shoots as she used to let the director "take a little bit of control" when she was inexperienced in the process. In an interview with music blog Idolator, Dev elaborated on the video's concept, stating that she wanted a dark feel similar to Tim Burton
's Alice in Wonderland
: "I wanted the video to be sexy as well. I wanted it to reflect all the dark aspects of the song, and initially we went in thinking that we'd have an Alice in Wonderland/Tim Burton type of feel."
In the video, Dev is seen in a club scene with intense dancing. The main focus is black-painted hands and arms, which are prominent in several shots of Dev as she is standing naked while the hands are touching her body. Some of the hands were digitally added, but the majority of them were real, including the ones touching Dev. She explained, "The extras were amazing, they let me paint their hands and bodies, and they stacked on top of each other and did that for hours. For takes and takes and takes." The video also includes shots of an albino ball python and a tarantula. Cory Lamz of Westword
was positive on the video, writing: "Watching 'In the Dark' is like dancing under a strobe light on ecstasy. In a sea of hands, literally, Dev manages to tease you, seduce you and entice you. She makes you want to touch her, just like every other hand in the video." Contessa Gayles of AOL Music
referred the video to as "freaky" and "funky", writing "Forget 'dancing in the dark,' Dev works it in a sea of dismembered, black-painted hands and arms in this freaky, funky new vid." In contrast, Becky Bain of Idolator called it "somewhat unsettling". Bill Lamb of About.com wrote that the video "will likely leave you never looking at hands exactly the same".
Dev (singer)
Devin Star Tailes , better known by her stage name Dev, is an American singer. She was discovered by The Cataracs via MySpace after her friend Shane Crislip, posted her singing to some beats...
. It was written by Dev alongside The Cataracs
The Cataracs
The Cataracs are an American hip hop indie-pop duo formed in Berkeley, California, consisting of David “Campa” Benjamin Singer-Vine, a songwriter and vocalist and Niles “Cyrano” Hollowell-Dhar, a songwriter, vocalist, and producer. The duo started out as an independent group, during their years at...
, who produced it for Dev's debut studio album, The Night the Sun Came Up
The Night the Sun Came Up
The Night the Sun Came Up is the debut studio album by United States recording artist Dev. It was released on September 2, 2011 by Universal Republic in association with Island Records. Dev worked exclusively with American alternative hip hop production duo The Cataracs, who helmed the production...
(2011). The song was released as the album's second single on April 25, 2011, through Universal Republic. The inspiration behind "In the Dark" was Dev wanting to make a sexy song to show that she is a grown woman. American rapper Flo Rida
Flo Rida
Tramar Dillard , better known by his stage name Flo Rida , is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He released his debut album, Mail on Sunday, in March 2008. His debut single "Low", featuring T-Pain, was a #1 hit for ten weeks in United States in early 2008. Two other singles resulted from...
is featured on an official remix of the song and Dev chose to collaborate with the rapper as she believed she would enjoy the song more when hearing it on the radio. Musically, "In the Dark" is a dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
song with a saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
hook and influences of Eurodance
Eurodance
Eurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
and Latin
Latin pop
Latin pop generally refers to pop music that has what may be perceived a Latin American influence...
music. The lyrics emphasize sex drives
Libido
Libido refers to a person's sex drive or desire for sexual activity. The desire for sex is an aspect of a person's sexuality, but varies enormously from one person to another, and it also varies depending on circumstances at a particular time. A person who has extremely frequent or a suddenly...
and letting sensation of touch fully taking over from sight.
The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, with most of them highlighting its production and the saxophone line. However, critics were divided regarding the song's lyrical content; some referred it to as sexy, while others dismissed it for its metaphors. "In the Dark" enjoyed commercial success in the United States, peaking at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart. It also reached the summit of both Hot Dance Club Songs and Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
. The song achieved its highest national peak in Slovakia, where it reached number one. Elsewhere, the song peaked in the top forty in Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Scotland and the United Kingdom.
The song's accompanying music video was directed by Ethan Lader, who regularly makes videos for Dev and The Cataracs. The clip features shots of dozens of black-painted hands that are touching Dev while she is standing naked. While some of the hands were digitally added, the majority of them were real. According to Dev, the inspiration behind the video was to reflect the sexy and dark aspects of the song, and the initial idea for was to create a Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
-inspired feel.
Background
"In the Dark" was written by Dev alongside The CataracsThe Cataracs
The Cataracs are an American hip hop indie-pop duo formed in Berkeley, California, consisting of David “Campa” Benjamin Singer-Vine, a songwriter and vocalist and Niles “Cyrano” Hollowell-Dhar, a songwriter, vocalist, and producer. The duo started out as an independent group, during their years at...
, consisting of Niles Hollowell-Dhar and David Singer-Vine, who also produced the track. Dev described the song as "very flavorful" and "hot". In an interview with music blog Idolator
Idolator (website)
Idolator is a music blog. Created by the blog network Gawker Media in August 2006, Idolator was later sold to rival blog network Buzz Media, which also owns music blog Stereogum. From the 2007 departure of original head writer Brian Raftery until November 2009, the blog's head writer was Maura...
, Dev talked in-depth about the conception of the song, stating, "The idea behind 'In The Dark' was for me to make a sexy song. I'm a grown woman now. I've been working the with The Cataracs for the past three years and I met them when I was kind of young and from a small town. I was like, dammit, I'm gonna make a sexy song! So that's what I did." The song was released on April 25, 2011 via digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
as the second single from Dev's debut studio album, The Night the Sun Came Up
The Night the Sun Came Up
The Night the Sun Came Up is the debut studio album by United States recording artist Dev. It was released on September 2, 2011 by Universal Republic in association with Island Records. Dev worked exclusively with American alternative hip hop production duo The Cataracs, who helmed the production...
. It was later sent for rhythmic
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
airplay in the United States on May 24, 2011, followed by an add on mainstream
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
radio stations on June 21, 2011. In the United Kingdom, "In the Dark" was released in a digital extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
(EP) alongside three remixes of the track as well as its music video.
Rapper Flo Rida
Flo Rida
Tramar Dillard , better known by his stage name Flo Rida , is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He released his debut album, Mail on Sunday, in March 2008. His debut single "Low", featuring T-Pain, was a #1 hit for ten weeks in United States in early 2008. Two other singles resulted from...
is featured on an official remix of "In the Dark", and Dev stated that she wanted to make a remix as it would be refreshing and "great for radio". She said, "I wanted a remix with a rapper on it, because I thought it would suit it well. I know if I heard 'In The Dark' on the radio with a rapper on it, I would probably enjoy it more. We went in thinking about who would be cool on the radio and who would fit the fact that it's kind of a flavorful song and not really a hood rap song. Flo Rida fit, and he completely killed it." 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
is featured on another remix of the track, while 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...
appears on an unofficial remix, of which Dev said: "That was just kind of something that floated onto the Internet and the airwaves, which I don't mind at all because it sounds absolutely amazing and it's one of my favorite remixes too."
Composition
"In the Dark" is a dance-popDance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
song featuring Eurodance
Eurodance
Eurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
beats and synths, mixed with influences of Latin
Latin pop
Latin pop generally refers to pop music that has what may be perceived a Latin American influence...
music. The song features a house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
rhythm and a prominent saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
riff that serves as the song's instrumentation. Critics compared the riff to "Mr. Saxobeat
Mr. Saxobeat
"Mr. Saxobeat" is an eurodance —Hi-NRG song by Romanian recording artist Alexandra Stan taken off her debut studio album Saxobeats . "Mr. Saxobeat" is an up-tempo Eurodance song with house elements. The song contains a love message, where Stan speaks of a man she is attracted to and the way he...
" (2011) by Romanian singer Alexandra Stan
Alexandra Stan
Alexandra Stan is a Romanian singer-songwriter. She released her debut single in late 2009. The song impacted Romanian mainstream radios in early 2010, peaking at number-eighteen. Her sophomore release, "Mr...
. "In the Dark" opens with Dev's sing-talk vocal style as she sings "On my waist, through my hair / Think about it when you touch me there / Close my eyes, here you are dance-dance-dancing in the dark." According to Nadine Cheung of AOL Radio
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...
, the line borrows the melody from Reel 2 Real
Reel 2 Real
Reel 2 Real is a house music and reggae-influenced duo which had seven Top 10 hits on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the 1990s.-Biography:...
's "I Like to Move It
I Like to Move It
"I Like to Move It" is a 1994 music track performed by Reel 2 Real , featuring ragga vocals by Trinidad and Tobago rapper The Mad Stuntman...
" (1994). "In the Dark" sees Dev using her singing voice more than her distinctive sing-talk style. Lyrically, the song speaks of sex drives
Libido
Libido refers to a person's sex drive or desire for sexual activity. The desire for sex is an aspect of a person's sexuality, but varies enormously from one person to another, and it also varies depending on circumstances at a particular time. A person who has extremely frequent or a suddenly...
and letting sensation of touch fully taking over from sight, with Dev repeating the line, "I got a sex drive to push the start".
Critical reception
"In the Dark" received generally positive reviews from music critics. Lewis Corner of British music website Digital SpyDigital 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....
rated it four stars out of five, particularly praising the saxophone hook. Corner commented, "[Dev] purrs in her sensual and sultry tones, accompanied by that saxophone hook spicier than a extra-hot peri peri chicken from Nandos – and, we should add, just as lip-lickingly addictive." Bill Lamb of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
rated "In the Dark" four stars out of five and praised Dev's vocals, as well as the song's sexy lyrics and the saxophone hook. Lamb observed that the song is "nearly pure libido", but said that it works well without explicit lyrics. On the other hand, he criticized the song for being "locked in the current time", writing: "'In the Dark' seems very much a song of the dance pop moment. Like the hit 'Like a G6
Like a G6
"Like a G6" is a song from Far East Movement's 2010 album Free Wired. The track features female vocals by Dev and male vocals by Far East Movement. It was written and produced by The Cataracs. It was number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks ending November 6, 2010, and then again for...
,' it is quite possible in a few months 'In the Dark' may sound a bit dated. It does not seem to capture something timeless." Lamb ended on a positive note, however, writing that the song is a worthy addition to party playlists and praised Dev and The Cataracs for "hav[ing] their fingers on the pulse of current party music". Garyn Ganz of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
graded the song three stars out of five and briefly commented: "Dev speak-sings about her sex drive over a Nineties Latin house beat like a top-shelf version of Kesha
Kesha
Kesha village is a small village nestled in the mountains of Yongshun County, northwestern Hunan province, China, located at latitude 29 05' 50", longitude 109 57' 9". The name is pronounced in Standard Chinese. The official language is Manderin Chinese....
– seductive, not sleazy."
While reviewing The Night the Sun Came Up, 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 :...
critic Sal Cinquemani named the song the album's best track. He pointed out that, unlike the rest of the album, "In the Dark" avoids "too-aggressive beats and chintzy synths" and instead relies on Dev's "ooh la la" hook and the "sleek" saxophone line. Cinquemani concluded by writing that the song is "almost enough to forgive [The Cataracs] for 'Like a G6'." Tris McCall of The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
named "In the Dark" the "Song of the Week" and compared its saxophone line to Alexandra Stan's "Mr. Saxobeat", and said that while the latter is "total Euroschlock", "In the Dark" preserves "some of the mechanized detachment" of Dev's song "Booty Bounce
Booty Bounce
"Booty Bounce" is a song by American recording artist Dev. It was produced by The Cataracs. Although it was released after, "Booty Bounce" was sampled in Far East Movement's hit single "Like a G6" which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and sold over three million downloads in...
" (2010). McCall was mixed on "In the Dark"'s lyrical content and called the line "do your work on me/Open up my body and do some surgery" the "grossest pillow talk" since The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
' "My Humps
My Humps
"My Humps" is the third single by The Black Eyed Peas from their fourth album, Monkey Business. It samples a section of the song "I Need a Freak" by Sexual Harassment, as well as the 1989 song "Wild Thing" by Tone Lōc and "It's Automatic" by Freestyle. Released in 2005, it reached number three in...
". Writing for the Dallas Observer
Dallas Observer
The Dallas Observer is a free alternative weekly newspaper distributed around the Dallas, Texas . At its inception, it was conceived as a weekly local arts and cinema review publication, with the credo "Advocate for Excellence in the Arts" on the cover. For a time during the early years, the paper...
, Shahryar Rizvi was negative on the song and criticized the "cheesy" saxophone sound, saying that it "serves well to show just how mediocre this song is".
Chart performance
In the United States, "In the Dark" made its debut at number 92 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...
chart on the issue dated August 20, 2011; almost three months after the song's release in April. The song steadily ascended on the chart for eight weeks before reaching its peak position of number eleven on the issue dated October 22, 2011. The song proved to be a bigger commercial success than Dev's debut single, "Bass Down Low
Bass Down Low
"Bass Down Low" is the debut single by American recording artist Dev. It was written by Dev alongside its producers, The Cataracs, who are also featured on the track. The song was released on December 6, 2010, through Universal Republic as the lead single for Dev's debut studio album, The Night the...
" (2010), which reached number 61. Additionally, "In the Dark" reached number one on two of Billboards component charts, Heatseekers Songs and Hot Dance Club Songs. The song also peaked at number eight on both Pop Songs and Radio Songs
Radio Songs
Radio Songs is an album of duo Robin and Linda Williams on the Red House Records label, released in 2007.Radio Songs consists of recordings made when performing on Garrison Keillor's NPR radio program A Prairie Home Companion. Although Robin and Linda first appeared on the show regularly in 1976,...
. In Canada, "In the Dark" debuted at number 83 on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
chart on the issue dated September 17, 2011 and peaked at number 15 six weeks later on October 22, 2011. In Australia, the song debuted at number 64 on the singles chart, and eventually peaked at number 41. Across Europe, "In the Dark" made its first appearance on the Tracklisten
Tracklisten
Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl...
chart in Denmark on the issue dated July 29, 2011, entering at number 36. The following week, the song reached its peak of number 22 and was listed on the chart for five weeks before falling off. In Slovakia, "In the Dark" debuted at number 30 and peaked at the top position seven weeks later. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted and peaked at number 37 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
on the issue dated August 27, 2011, and failed to match "Bass Down Low"'s peak at number ten. In Ireland, "In the Dark" fared similarly on the 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...
, entering and peaking at number 33.
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 "In the Dark" was directed by Ethan Lader. Dev enlisted Lader to make the video as he regularly makes videos for her and The Cataracs. Lader originally contacted her with ideas for the clip, and she soon replied with what she would want in the video. She said, "So we did that back and forth, which he always does with me until I get my point across. [...] and then we met up and we got both of our ideas and feelings across. I wanted to be sexy and dark like the song is, in a really interesting way, and we pulled it off, I think." The video was filmed in Los Angeles, California in late-April 2011, just before Dev joined Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
as the opening act for his OMG Tour
OMG Tour
The OMG Tour is the fifth concert tour by American recording artist Usher. Visiting North America, Europe and Australia, the tour accompanies his sixth studio album, Raymond v. Raymond, as well as his first extended play, Versus.-Background:...
. Dev took more control over the "In the Dark" video than previous video shoots as she used to let the director "take a little bit of control" when she was inexperienced in the process. In an interview with music blog Idolator, Dev elaborated on the video's concept, stating that she wanted a dark feel similar to Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
's Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland (2010 film)
Alice in Wonderland is a 2010 American computer-animated/live action fantasy adventure film directed by Tim Burton, written by Linda Woolverton, and released by Walt Disney Pictures...
: "I wanted the video to be sexy as well. I wanted it to reflect all the dark aspects of the song, and initially we went in thinking that we'd have an Alice in Wonderland/Tim Burton type of feel."
In the video, Dev is seen in a club scene with intense dancing. The main focus is black-painted hands and arms, which are prominent in several shots of Dev as she is standing naked while the hands are touching her body. Some of the hands were digitally added, but the majority of them were real, including the ones touching Dev. She explained, "The extras were amazing, they let me paint their hands and bodies, and they stacked on top of each other and did that for hours. For takes and takes and takes." The video also includes shots of an albino ball python and a tarantula. Cory Lamz of Westword
Westword
Westword is a free alternative weekly newspaper based in Denver, Colorado.Westword was established independently in 1977. In 1983 it was bought by New Times Media. In 2005, New Times acquired Village Voice Media, and changed its name to Village Voice Media...
was positive on the video, writing: "Watching 'In the Dark' is like dancing under a strobe light on ecstasy. In a sea of hands, literally, Dev manages to tease you, seduce you and entice you. She makes you want to touch her, just like every other hand in the video." Contessa Gayles of AOL Music
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...
referred the video to as "freaky" and "funky", writing "Forget 'dancing in the dark,' Dev works it in a sea of dismembered, black-painted hands and arms in this freaky, funky new vid." In contrast, Becky Bain of Idolator called it "somewhat unsettling". Bill Lamb of About.com wrote that the video "will likely leave you never looking at hands exactly the same".
Track listings
- Digital download
- "In the Dark" – 3:48
- Digital EP
- "In the Dark" (Radio Edit) – 3:30
- "In the Dark" (feat. Flo RidaFlo RidaTramar Dillard , better known by his stage name Flo Rida , is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He released his debut album, Mail on Sunday, in March 2008. His debut single "Low", featuring T-Pain, was a #1 hit for ten weeks in United States in early 2008. Two other singles resulted from...
) – 3:40 - "In the Dark" (Proper Villains Remix) – 4:26
- "In the Dark" (Havana BrownHavana Brown (DJ)Havana Brown , is an Australian DJ and recording artist. She is signed to Universal Music Australia, and has been releasing her Crave compilation series ever since. Brown has also toured with artists such as, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Enrique Iglesias and the Pussycat Dolls...
Remix) – 5:33 - "In the Dark" (Music video) – 3:46
- Remix download
- "In the Dark" (feat. Flo Rida) – 3:39
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (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... ) |
13 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
11 |
| US Hot Dance Club Songs (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... ) |
1 |
| US Latin Pop Songs (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... ) |
17 |
| US Latin Songs Hot Latin Songs Hot Latin Songs is a record chart published by Billboard magazine. It is often recognized as the most important music chart for Spanish language Latin music in the American music market. It was established by the magazine on September 6, 1986 with La Guirnalda by Rocío Dúrcal being the first song... (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... ) |
31 |
| US Pop Songs Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart... (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... |
8 |
Radio add dates and release history
| Country | Release date | Format(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | April 25, 2011 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
| Denmark | ||
| United States | April 26, 2011 | |
| May 24, 2011 | Rhythmic radio Rhythmic Contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may... |
|
| June 21, 2011 | Mainstream radio Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts... |
|
| Germany | July 22, 2011 | Digital download |
| Ireland | August 12, 2011 | Digital EP Extended play An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact... |
| United Kingdom | ||
| United States | August 29, 2011 | Remix download |