It's OK (Cee Lo Green song)
Encyclopedia
"It's OK" is the second single from American soul singer Cee Lo Green's third studio album, The Lady Killer
. The song is produced by Element
, and written by Cee Lo, Element and Noel Fisher. The single was released on December 27, 2010 and has so far peaked at number 20 on the UK Singles Chart
. In the UK the single made BBC Radio 1
's A-Playlist (which is argued to be its "most influential playlist.")
says, "[It's OK] honors and tweaks the tropes of vintage songcraft with hefty doses of sweet Motown/Stax
boogie." Andy Gill for The Belfast Telegraph
argues, "when [Green] pushes the Motown buttons again, as in "Cry Baby", and "It's OK", it's done with such panache and wit that staleness never becomes an issue: rather than just footnotes to the source inspiration, these are fully rounded artworks in their own right." Colin Somerville of Scotland on Sunday
describes It's OK as a "luxuriant stomp" with a "Northern Soul" influence, and lists it in his tracks to download from The Lady Killer.
Not all reviews of "It's OK" were positive, however. Robin Murray for Clash Magazine (reviewing It's OK as a single release) opines, "blessed with an undoubtedly pleasant voice, it’s a shame that Cee Lo Green uses it on such undramatic material. Sure, ‘Forget You’ had it’s cheeky charm but you can’t help but feel that Cee Lo could do so much more. ‘It’s OK’ is another pleasant, melodic single which will be adopted by the nation but the middle of the road is such a boring way to travel."
at #44, and in its fourth week rose to #24. In its fifth week on the UK Singles Chart
, the song peaked at #20. In the subsequent week, the song dropped to #33. The song entered the UK R&B charts at #54 a week before its release, and upon its release it climbed to #20. The song rose to #17 in its second week, #14 in its third week, and subsequently peaked at #6 in its fourth week. The song has not yet charted in the United States. The song has peaked at #94 on the Dutch charts. Entering at #30, It's OK eventually peaked at #17 on the Belgian airplay chart. In its fourth week on the Scottish Charts, It's OK rose to #23 from its previous week's position at #43. In its fifth week on the Scottish Charts the song peaked at #19, and fell to #36 in its subsequent week.
on December 2, 2010, and features Solange Knowles
. Gil Kaufman published this summary of the video for MTV.com:
, performing this song on
November 11, 2010, as part of the Symmetry Live Concert Series at the W Hotel in Midtown Manhattan
, New York,
February 25, 2011, for Shockwaves NME Awards
Big Gig opening for Foo Fighters
at Wembley Arena
,
and throughout their 2011 concert tours.
Cee Lo also appeared on the latest series of Alan Carr: Chatty Man
to promote the single.
Promotional CD Single
Source:
The Lady Killer (album)
The Lady Killer is the third studio album by American recording artist Cee Lo Green, released November 5, 2010, on Elektra Records. Production for the album was handled by Salaam Remi, Element, The Smeezingtons, Fraser T...
. The song is produced by Element
ELEMENT (production team)
Element is a Norwegian record production and songwriting team, consisting of Hitesh Ceon and Kim Ofstad. Some of the latest productions of the team include two songs for U.K...
, and written by Cee Lo, Element and Noel Fisher. The single was released on December 27, 2010 and has so far peaked at number 20 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 ...
. In the UK the single made BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's A-Playlist (which is argued to be its "most influential playlist.")
Background
Unlike the first single from the album, "It's OK" was exclusively released in the UK and certain areas of Europe. The song received its first recognition on the British charts following the video premiering on 4 Music on December 9, 2010. The single was released on two formats only: the physical release, which features the main album version and the Paul Epworth remix of the title track; and the digital release, which includes two remixes of the title track, exclusive B-Side "Bridges" and a live recording of "Radioactive" taken from the Radio 1 Live Lounge Sessions.Critical reception
In the context of The Lady Killer, the song was positively reviewed. David Carr for Chicks With Guns (CWG) Magazine says, "On the more up tempo numbers [on The Lady Killer], “Cry Baby, [and] It’s OK,” you may feel as if you are watching reruns of the 70’s TV show Love American Style as Cee Lo creates some great lyrical vignettes to go with his amazingly versatile voice. Don’t even think of asking if the man uses auto-tune because the answer is a resounding no!" Leah Greenblatt for 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...
says, "[It's OK] honors and tweaks the tropes of vintage songcraft with hefty doses of sweet Motown/Stax
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...
boogie." Andy Gill for The Belfast Telegraph
The Belfast Telegraph
The Belfast Telegraph is a daily evening newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland by Independent News & Media.It was first published as the Belfast Evening Telegraph on 1 September 1870 by brothers William and George Baird...
argues, "when [Green] pushes the Motown buttons again, as in "Cry Baby", and "It's OK", it's done with such panache and wit that staleness never becomes an issue: rather than just footnotes to the source inspiration, these are fully rounded artworks in their own right." Colin Somerville of Scotland on Sunday
Scotland on Sunday
Scotland on Sunday is a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published in Edinburgh by The Scotsman Publications Ltd and consequently assuming the role of Sunday sister to its daily stablemate The Scotsman...
describes It's OK as a "luxuriant stomp" with a "Northern Soul" influence, and lists it in his tracks to download from The Lady Killer.
Not all reviews of "It's OK" were positive, however. Robin Murray for Clash Magazine (reviewing It's OK as a single release) opines, "blessed with an undoubtedly pleasant voice, it’s a shame that Cee Lo Green uses it on such undramatic material. Sure, ‘Forget You’ had it’s cheeky charm but you can’t help but feel that Cee Lo could do so much more. ‘It’s OK’ is another pleasant, melodic single which will be adopted by the nation but the middle of the road is such a boring way to travel."
Commercial performance
After its December 27, 2010 release, It's OK entered the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at #44, and in its fourth week rose to #24. In its fifth week 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 peaked at #20. In the subsequent week, the song dropped to #33. The song entered the UK R&B charts at #54 a week before its release, and upon its release it climbed to #20. The song rose to #17 in its second week, #14 in its third week, and subsequently peaked at #6 in its fourth week. The song has not yet charted in the United States. The song has peaked at #94 on the Dutch charts. Entering at #30, It's OK eventually peaked at #17 on the Belgian airplay chart. In its fourth week on the Scottish Charts, It's OK rose to #23 from its previous week's position at #43. In its fifth week on the Scottish Charts the song peaked at #19, and fell to #36 in its subsequent week.
Music video
The for "It's OK" was released to YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
on December 2, 2010, and features Solange Knowles
Solange Knowles
Solange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...
. Gil Kaufman published this summary of the video for MTV.com:
Live performances
Cee Lo is touring with an all-female backing band named Scarlet FeverScarlet Fever (band)
Scarlet Fever is an all-female backing band touring with Cee Lo Green. Originally formed for promotional tour events, popularity of the "Fuck You" single and The Lady Killer album led to multiple television appearances reaching an audience of millions in Europe and North America...
, performing this song on
November 11, 2010, as part of the Symmetry Live Concert Series at the W Hotel in Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
, New York,
February 25, 2011, for Shockwaves NME Awards
NME Awards
The NME Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine, NME .The first awards show was held in 1953 as the NME Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of the magazine....
Big Gig opening for Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
at Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
,
and throughout their 2011 concert tours.
Cee Lo also appeared on the latest series of Alan Carr: Chatty Man
Alan Carr: Chatty Man
Alan Carr: Chatty Man is a British comedy chat show presented by comedian Alan Carr. The award-winning show is on Channel 4. The show features interviews with celebrity guests, sketches, topical chat and music....
to promote the single.
Tracklisting
Digital Download- "It's OK" (Album Version) - 3:46
- "It's OK" (Paul Epworth Version) - 3:31
- "It's OK" (Michael Gray Remix) - 7:06
- "Bridges" - 4:07 (Cee-LoCee-LoThomas DeCarlo Callaway , better known by his stage name Cee Lo Green, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor...
, Pharrell WilliamsPharrell WilliamsPharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...
, Chad HugoChad HugoCharles Edward Hugo is an American musician and record producer. He is best known as one half of the music production and writing duo The Neptunes and as a member of the funk/rock band N.E.R.D. He is a saxophonist, pianist and guitarist...
) - "Radioactive" (BBC Live Version) - 3:24
Promotional CD Single
- "It's OK" (Paul Epworth Version) - 3:31
- "It's OK" (Album Version) - 3:46
Personnel
- SongwritingSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
- Cee Lo Green, Hitesh Ceon, Kim Ofstad, Noel Fisher - Recording - [At Elementary Studios, Oslo, Norway] - Hitesh, Kim
- Recording [At Pre Productions Studios] - Mark Rankin
- ProductionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
- Element* - ProductionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
(co-production) - Paul Epworth - EngineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- [Engineered At Metropolis Studios, London, England] - Dan Parry* - Management [Element] - Danny D, Tim Blacksmith
- MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Tom Elmhirst - Backing Vocals - Philip Lawrence*
- Performers [instruments] - Hitesh Ceon, Jacob Lutrell, Jerry Wonder, Kim Ofstad, Mike Caren, Nikolaj Torp Larsen, Paul Epworth
Source:
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | December 27, 2010 | CD single CD single A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s... , 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... |
Elektra Elektra Records Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.... |