Right Round
Encyclopedia
“Right Round” is a song performed by American rapper Flo Rida
featuring pop
singer Kesha
from R.O.O.T.S.
, his second studio album. It was released to radio as the album's lead single
on January 27, 2009 and was digitally released on February 10 by Poe Boy Entertainment
and Atlantic Records
. The song lyrically speaks of developing a crush on a woman at a strip club, while musically incorporating a sample of the 1984 Dead or Alive
song “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
” in its hook. According to one of the song's writers, the chorus refers to oral sex
. Electropop singer Kesha
contributed guest vocals to the song, but was only credited internationally.
The song received mostly negative reviews from critics, who claimed it was kitsch
and misogynistic
. However, it was a commercial success, reaching the top ten of the charts in nineteen countries worldwide. In the United States, it became Flo Rida's second number-one single and broke the record for first-week sales when it was released to digital retailers. The single's accompanying music video was directed by Malcolm Jones and nominated for an MTV Video Music Award. It was also used in the end credits of the movie The Hangover
.
, Allan Grigg, Justin Franks, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars
, Aaron Bay-Schuck, Pete Burns
, Steve Coy
, Mike Percy and Tim Lever. It was produced by Luke and Koool Kojak
and features guest vocals from American pop singer Kesha
, (who was not credited on the American release of the single). According to Flo Rida, the song is about "a young lady, she might be in the strip club
and she's got my head spinning round, [...] Or any young lady that I might see walking past me that's getting my attention. She got it going on! I'm going crazy over her."
The song contains a sample
of Dead or Alive
's 1984 single "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
". Flo Rida explained that he listened to that and similar records growing up as a result of the varying music genres his seven sisters listened to. However, his A&R Aaron Bay-Schuck had been the one to originally come up with the idea. He told HitQuarters
that he had been listening to a shuffle beat produced by DJ Frank E on a CD of potential beats and had kept hearing in his head the melody off the Dead or Alive song over the top of it. Co-A&R Mike Caren
then brought the sample to the attention of Flo Rida.
As R.O.O.T.S. was Flo Rida's second studio album, he wanted to show listeners musical growth by "broaden[ing] my horizons," which was why he decided to record the song. After Luke produced the sample, the song was recorded. It was recorded primarily at Conway Studios in Hollywood
, California
, with additional recording at Atlantic Studios
, also located in Hollywood.
themes of Flo Rida's music; specifically, similarities were noted between the song and "Low
" (2007), with Allmusic reviewer David Jeffries calling "Right Round" its "heir apparent". The song is "swaggering" and "bass-heavy", according to Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly
. The lyrics discuss being in a strip club with friends and tossing money at a woman performing a striptease
. Additionally, the chorus
line "You spin my head right round, right round / When you go down, when you go down, down" can be interpreted as a reference to fellatio
. Bruno Mars
, co-writer of the song confirmed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly
that the song's chorus was referring to oral sex
. The song's sexual themes have been compared to those of "If U Seek Amy
" (2009) by Britney Spears
.
called the song "[b]ionic and empty". In a review of R.O.O.T.S., Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe
stated, "His music is pure ear candy that must make Britney [Spears] envious, yet he wants to come off as a thug." He continued that it is unlikely that "Right Round" would have gone over well in Brooklyn
in the '80s, calling it "as hard as Jell-O
." Alex Fletcher of Digital Spy
stated in his review of the song, "It's pretty difficult to ruin a pop classic, but Flo Rida gives it a pretty good stab here." He added that "Right Round" is "[f]illed with more misogyny than a 1970s working mens' club", and called it "an unpleasant affair that's only saved from the trashcan by its sample." Fletcher concluded, "The fuzzy synths, electro beats and infectious chorus hook sung by Ke$ha are almost enough to fool the casual listener into enjoying themselves. But sadly it's never too long before Flo Rida turns up again to spoil things." Simon Vozick-Levinson of Entertainment Weekly
called the song "a horrendous rap remake of Dead or Alive's 'You Spin Me Round (Like a Record).'" Noting that the song was, at the time, the number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100
, he added, "What does all this say about us as a society? Mainly that we really, really enjoy cheesetastic '80s hair-pop
hits in whatever form we can get 'em, I guess."
There were also a few positive reviews. One such review came from Fraser McAlpine of BBC
, who opened, "It's one of the fundamental laws of pop, anything which tips a nod to 'You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)' by Dead Or Alive is going to be worth a listen." He continued, "Even though this is just a song written from the perspective of a randy man watching a pole-dancer and bragging about how much money he has [...] in a manner which would make Akon
blush, there's just something kind of cute about the whole thing." McAlpine attributed this to the song's "Tigger
-beat", explaining, "How can anything too sordid be going on when everyone is bouncing around like they're on spacehoppers
?" Bill Lamb of About.com
commented, "You will hear echoes of another pop classic, but the new song stands on its own feet." However, he noted that while pop music fans would appreciate it, hip hop listeners would likely dismiss it, and he added that "[i]t's not groundbreaking by any means".
chart with sales of 636,000, breaking the record of first-week sales established only the week before by Eminem
, Dr. Dre
and 50 Cent
's "Crack a Bottle
" (418,000). It remained atop the Hot 100 for six consecutive weeks. "Right Round" also topped the Pop 100
in the United States, and peaked at the third position on the Hot Rap Tracks chart, and appeared on the Hot 100's year-end and decade-end charts at positions six and eighty, respectively. By March 12, 2009, the song was certified gold and platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
, and by March 31, achieved double-platinum status. To date, it has been certified triple-platinum by the RIAA. "Right Round" made its Canadian debut at the seventy-fifth position, moved to the forty-seventh position in its second week, and peaked at the top of the charts—where it spent nine non-consecutive weeks—its third week. At the end of 2009, it was ranked the number-three song on the Canadian Hot 100
. As of September 2011 its sold 5,000,000 digital units in USA.
The song debuted at the top of the Australian ARIA Singles Chart
and maintained its position for seven non-consecutive weeks. It has been certified twice-platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
. It was the number-five song of the year and appeared on the decade-end chart at number eighteen. In New Zealand, "Right Round" debuted at number nine and moved to number five in its second week. It remained in the top five for four weeks before reaching a peak of number two, where it remained for four consecutive weeks. The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
has certified the song platinum, and it was ranked as the seventh most popular song of 2009.
"Right Round" also performed well in Europe, peaking at the second position on the European Hot 100 Singles chart and at number sixteen on the chart's year-end list. It debuted at number one in the United Kingdom
on 8 March 2009 (for the week ending 14 March 2009), then dropped to number two in its second charting week. It remained in the top ten for six weeks. In Ireland, it debuted at number four and remained in the top five for four weeks. In its fifth week, it topped the chart and remained at the top position for three consecutive weeks. Elsewhere in Europe, the song reached the top ten in Austria (where it was certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry), Belgium (number one in Wallonia, number two in Flanders), Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland, France, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Germany.
and directed by Malcolm Jones. Kesha was asked to appear in the video, but declined; in an interview with Esquire
magazine, she said, "They [Flo Rida's team] wanted me in the video, and I said, 'Nah, I want to make my own name for myself.'" The video begins with Flo Rida standing on a revolving circular platform, while his name appears in gold on a screen behind him. A young woman then joins him on the platform, with shots alternating between the two together and each individually. During the first verse, the screen behind him alternates between images of a rotating globe and locations such as Tokyo
, Paris
, London
and New York City
. Shortly after, the silhouettes of three women appear behind Flo Rida while the clip is intercut with shots of a rotating disco ball
and several women on a circular bed. Several women are then seen dancing on or around cars while Flo Rida stands in front of them. A waitress comes in to serve them an unidentified beverage. As the video ends, Flo Rida is seen once again on the circular platform while the screen behind him shows a red background with a gold Poe Boy Entertainment
sticker. The video was nominated for Best Hip-Hop Video
at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
, but lost to Eminem
's "We Made You
" (2009).
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...
featuring pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer 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....
from R.O.O.T.S.
R.O.O.T.S.
R.O.O.T.S. is the second studio album by American rapper, Flo Rida. The album was released on March 31, 2009.-Background:...
, his second studio album. It was released to radio as the album's 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...
on January 27, 2009 and was digitally released on February 10 by Poe Boy Entertainment
Poe Boy Entertainment
Poe Boy Music Group is a record label and was created by Elric "E-Class" Prince, the label's founder and CEO, in 1999. President of Poe Boy Music Group Elvin "Big Chuck" Prince. CEO of Hiram Group Entertainment & CEO of 24hourhiphop.com...
and Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. The song lyrically speaks of developing a crush on a woman at a strip club, while musically incorporating a sample of the 1984 Dead or Alive
Dead or Alive (band)
Dead or Alive were a British New Wave band from Wirral, England, United Kingdom, Europe. The band rose to fame in the 1980s with their number one single on the UK Singles Chart, "You Spin Me Round ". They were the first group to have a number one single under the production team Stock Aitken Waterman...
song “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
"You Spin Me Round " is a song by British band Dead or Alive on their 1985 album Youthquake. The song was the first UK number-one hit by the Stock Aitken Waterman production trio. Released in November 1984, the record reached number one in March 1985, taking seventeen weeks to get there...
” in its hook. According to one of the song's writers, the chorus refers to oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
. Electropop singer 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....
contributed guest vocals to the song, but was only credited internationally.
The song received mostly negative reviews from critics, who claimed it was kitsch
Kitsch
Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
and misogynistic
Misogyny
Misogyny is the hatred or dislike of women or girls. Philogyny, meaning fondness, love or admiration towards women, is the antonym of misogyny. The term misandry is the term for men that is parallel to misogyny...
. However, it was a commercial success, reaching the top ten of the charts in nineteen countries worldwide. In the United States, it became Flo Rida's second number-one single and broke the record for first-week sales when it was released to digital retailers. The single's accompanying music video was directed by Malcolm Jones and nominated for an MTV Video Music Award. It was also used in the end credits of the movie 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 recording
“Right Round” was written by Flo Rida, Dr. LukeDr. Luke
Lukasz Gottwald , better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs...
, Allan Grigg, Justin Franks, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez , better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an Filipino-American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age...
, Aaron Bay-Schuck, Pete Burns
Pete Burns
Pete Burns is an English singer-songwriter, author and television personality who founded the band Dead or Alive in 1980, for which he acted as the vocalist and songwriter, and which rose to mainstream success with their 1985 single "You Spin Me Round "...
, Steve Coy
Steve Coy
Steve Coy is an English singer-songwriter, percussionist and composer. In 1982 he joined the band Dead or Alive, which was fronted by his friend Pete Burns. Currently Burns and Coy are the only remaining members of the band...
, Mike Percy and Tim Lever. It was produced by Luke and Koool Kojak
Kool Kojak
Allan Grigg, also known as Kool Kojak, is a Brazilian-American songwriter, producer and artist notable for co-writing and co-producing Flo Rida’s #1 Billboard hit single “Right Round”...
and features guest vocals from American pop singer 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....
, (who was not credited on the American release of the single). According to Flo Rida, the song is about "a young lady, she might be in the strip club
Strip club
A strip club is an adult entertainment venue in which striptease or other erotic or exotic dance is regularly performed. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, but can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style....
and she's got my head spinning round, [...] Or any young lady that I might see walking past me that's getting my attention. She got it going on! I'm going crazy over her."
The song contains a sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
of Dead or Alive
Dead or Alive (band)
Dead or Alive were a British New Wave band from Wirral, England, United Kingdom, Europe. The band rose to fame in the 1980s with their number one single on the UK Singles Chart, "You Spin Me Round ". They were the first group to have a number one single under the production team Stock Aitken Waterman...
's 1984 single "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)
"You Spin Me Round " is a song by British band Dead or Alive on their 1985 album Youthquake. The song was the first UK number-one hit by the Stock Aitken Waterman production trio. Released in November 1984, the record reached number one in March 1985, taking seventeen weeks to get there...
". Flo Rida explained that he listened to that and similar records growing up as a result of the varying music genres his seven sisters listened to. However, his A&R Aaron Bay-Schuck had been the one to originally come up with the idea. He told HitQuarters
HitQuarters
HitQuarters is an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It is noted for in-depth interviews with industry figures, with past subjects including Simon Cowell, Martin Kierszenbaum, Jason Flom, Diane Warren, Peter Edge, Ron Fair and RedOne, as well as its A&R...
that he had been listening to a shuffle beat produced by DJ Frank E on a CD of potential beats and had kept hearing in his head the melody off the Dead or Alive song over the top of it. Co-A&R Mike Caren
Mike Caren
Mike Caren is an American Record Producer, Executive Vice President of A&R for Atlantic Records and Co-President of Elektra Records. After completing jobs with SRC/Loud Records and Ruthless Records, he started his career at Atlantic in 1995 at the age of seventeen as Manager of Rap Marketing for...
then brought the sample to the attention of Flo Rida.
As R.O.O.T.S. was Flo Rida's second studio album, he wanted to show listeners musical growth by "broaden[ing] my horizons," which was why he decided to record the song. After Luke produced the sample, the song was recorded. It was recorded primarily at Conway Studios in Hollywood
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, with additional recording at Atlantic Studios
Atlantic Studios
Atlantic Studios was the recording studio of Atlantic Records. It was located at 1841 Broadway , in New York City. According to the address written in the original liner notes of Charles Mingus' The Clown, it was initially located at 157 W 57th Street. The American record label first recorded in...
, also located in Hollywood.
Composition
Musically, "Right Round" is a southern hip hop song. It uses the recurring pop rapHip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
themes of Flo Rida's music; specifically, similarities were noted between the song and "Low
Low (Flo Rida song)
"Low" is the debut single by American rapper Flo Rida, featured on his debut album Mail On Sunday and also featured on the soundtrack to the 2008 film Step Up 2: The Streets. The song features T-Pain and was co-written with T-Pain. There is also a remix in which the hook is sung by Flo Rida rather...
" (2007), with Allmusic reviewer David Jeffries calling "Right Round" its "heir apparent". The song is "swaggering" and "bass-heavy", according to Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment 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...
. The lyrics discuss being in a strip club with friends and tossing money at a woman performing a striptease
Striptease
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner...
. Additionally, the chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
line "You spin my head right round, right round / When you go down, when you go down, down" can be interpreted as a reference to fellatio
Fellatio
Fellatio is an act of oral stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner. It involves the stimulation of the penis by the use of the mouth, tongue, or throat. The person who performs fellatio can be referred to as the giving partner, and the other person is the receiving partner...
. Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez , better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an Filipino-American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age...
, co-writer of the song confirmed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment 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...
that the song's chorus was referring to oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
. The song's sexual themes have been compared to those of "If U Seek Amy
If U Seek Amy
"If U Seek Amy" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on March 13, 2009 by Jive Records as the third single of the album, and was chosen by a poll on Spears's official website. "If U Seek Amy" was co-written and produced by Max...
" (2009) by Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
.
Critical reception
Reviews for "Right Round" were mostly negative. A reviewer for The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called the song "[b]ionic and empty". In a review of R.O.O.T.S., Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
stated, "His music is pure ear candy that must make Britney [Spears] envious, yet he wants to come off as a thug." He continued that it is unlikely that "Right Round" would have gone over well in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
in the '80s, calling it "as hard as Jell-O
Jell-O
Jell-O is a brand name belonging to U.S.-based Kraft Foods for a number of gelatin desserts, including fruit gels, puddings and no-bake cream pies. The brand's popularity has led to it being used as a generic term for gelatin dessert across the U.S. and Canada....
." Alex Fletcher of Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
stated in his review of the song, "It's pretty difficult to ruin a pop classic, but Flo Rida gives it a pretty good stab here." He added that "Right Round" is "[f]illed with more misogyny than a 1970s working mens' club", and called it "an unpleasant affair that's only saved from the trashcan by its sample." Fletcher concluded, "The fuzzy synths, electro beats and infectious chorus hook sung by Ke$ha are almost enough to fool the casual listener into enjoying themselves. But sadly it's never too long before Flo Rida turns up again to spoil things." Simon Vozick-Levinson of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment 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 the song "a horrendous rap remake of Dead or Alive's 'You Spin Me Round (Like a Record).'" Noting that the song was, at the time, the number-one single 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...
, he added, "What does all this say about us as a society? Mainly that we really, really enjoy cheesetastic '80s hair-pop
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
hits in whatever form we can get 'em, I guess."
There were also a few positive reviews. One such review came from Fraser McAlpine of BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, who opened, "It's one of the fundamental laws of pop, anything which tips a nod to 'You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)' by Dead Or Alive is going to be worth a listen." He continued, "Even though this is just a song written from the perspective of a randy man watching a pole-dancer and bragging about how much money he has [...] in a manner which would make Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
blush, there's just something kind of cute about the whole thing." McAlpine attributed this to the song's "Tigger
Tigger
Tigger is a fictional tiger-like character originally introduced in A. A. Milne's book The House at Pooh Corner. Like other Pooh characters, Tigger is based on one of Christopher Robin Milne's stuffed animals...
-beat", explaining, "How can anything too sordid be going on when everyone is bouncing around like they're on spacehoppers
Space hopper
A space hopper, also known as a moon hopper, skippyball, kangaroo ball, bouncer, hoppity hop, or hop ball, is a rubber ball with handles which allow one to sit on it without falling off...
?" 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....
commented, "You will hear echoes of another pop classic, but the new song stands on its own feet." However, he noted that while pop music fans would appreciate it, hip hop listeners would likely dismiss it, and he added that "[i]t's not groundbreaking by any means".
Chart performance
In the United States, "Right Round" debuted at number seventy-four on the Billboard Hot 100 based solely on airplay. The next week, it rose sixteen positions to chart at number fifty-eight. In its third chart week, issue dated February 19, 2009, it jumped fifty-seven positions to the top spot, becoming Flo Rida's second number-one hit after 2007's "Low". That week, it also debuted at the top of the Hot Digital SongsHot Digital Songs
The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of...
chart with sales of 636,000, breaking the record of first-week sales established only the week before by Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
, Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
and 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...
's "Crack a Bottle
Crack a Bottle
"Crack a Bottle" is a hip hop song by American rappers Eminem, Dr. Dre, and 50 Cent from Eminem's sixth studio album Relapse. On February 12, 2009, the song broke the first week digital sales record with 418,000 downloads, topping the previous record held by "Live Your Life" by T.I. featuring...
" (418,000). It remained atop the Hot 100 for six consecutive weeks. "Right Round" also topped the Pop 100
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...
in the United States, and peaked at the third position on the Hot Rap Tracks chart, and appeared on the Hot 100's year-end and decade-end charts at positions six and eighty, respectively. By March 12, 2009, the song was certified gold and 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...
, and by March 31, achieved double-platinum status. To date, it has been certified triple-platinum by the RIAA. "Right Round" made its Canadian debut at the seventy-fifth position, moved to the forty-seventh position in its second week, and peaked at the top of the charts—where it spent nine non-consecutive weeks—its third week. At the end of 2009, it was ranked the number-three song 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...
. As of September 2011 its sold 5,000,000 digital units in USA.
The song debuted at the top of the Australian ARIA Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
and maintained its position for seven non-consecutive weeks. It has been certified twice-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...
. It was the number-five song of the year and appeared on the decade-end chart at number eighteen. In New Zealand, "Right Round" debuted at number nine and moved to number five in its second week. It remained in the top five for four weeks before reaching a peak of number two, where it remained for four consecutive weeks. 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...
has certified the song platinum, and it was ranked as the seventh most popular song of 2009.
"Right Round" also performed well in Europe, peaking at the second position on the European Hot 100 Singles chart and at number sixteen on the chart's year-end list. It debuted at number one in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on 8 March 2009 (for the week ending 14 March 2009), then dropped to number two in its second charting week. It remained in the top ten for six weeks. In Ireland, it debuted at number four and remained in the top five for four weeks. In its fifth week, it topped the chart and remained at the top position for three consecutive weeks. Elsewhere in Europe, the song reached the top ten in Austria (where it was certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry), Belgium (number one in Wallonia, number two in Flanders), Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland, France, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Germany.
Music video
The song's accompanying music video was shot in Miami, FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and directed by Malcolm Jones. Kesha was asked to appear in the video, but declined; in an interview with Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
magazine, she said, "They [Flo Rida's team] wanted me in the video, and I said, 'Nah, I want to make my own name for myself.'" The video begins with Flo Rida standing on a revolving circular platform, while his name appears in gold on a screen behind him. A young woman then joins him on the platform, with shots alternating between the two together and each individually. During the first verse, the screen behind him alternates between images of a rotating globe and locations such as Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Shortly after, the silhouettes of three women appear behind Flo Rida while the clip is intercut with shots of a rotating disco ball
Disco ball
A disco ball is a roughly spherical object that reflects light directed at it in many directions, producing a complex display...
and several women on a circular bed. Several women are then seen dancing on or around cars while Flo Rida stands in front of them. A waitress comes in to serve them an unidentified beverage. As the video ends, Flo Rida is seen once again on the circular platform while the screen behind him shows a red background with a gold Poe Boy Entertainment
Poe Boy Entertainment
Poe Boy Music Group is a record label and was created by Elric "E-Class" Prince, the label's founder and CEO, in 1999. President of Poe Boy Music Group Elvin "Big Chuck" Prince. CEO of Hiram Group Entertainment & CEO of 24hourhiphop.com...
sticker. The video was nominated for Best Hip-Hop Video
MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Video
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Video was first given out at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards. The award, according to MTV, was originally intended for hip-hop-inspired songs, not necessarily actual hip-hop music videos . This explains the recognition of non-hip-hop songs such as "Thong...
at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
2009 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 13, 2009, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, honoring the best music videos from June 19, 2008, to June 29, 2009. Comedian Russell Brand hosted the event for the second time in a row. The awards were held a few months after Michael...
, but lost to Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
's "We Made You
We Made You
"We Made You" is a song by American hip hop musician Eminem. It was released as the first single from his sixth studio album Relapse on April 7, 2009. Produced by Dr. Dre and co-produced by Doc Ish and Eminem himself, the song samples "Hot Summer Nights" by Walter Egan. Eminem performed this song...
" (2009).
Track listings and formats
- EU CD 1 / US / AUS CD single
- "Right Round" – 3:27
- GER CD single
- "Right Round" – 3:27
- "LowLow (Flo Rida song)"Low" is the debut single by American rapper Flo Rida, featured on his debut album Mail On Sunday and also featured on the soundtrack to the 2008 film Step Up 2: The Streets. The song features T-Pain and was co-written with T-Pain. There is also a remix in which the hook is sung by Flo Rida rather...
" (Travis BarkerTravis BarkerTravis Landon Barker is an American musician, producer and entrepreneur, most noted as the drummer for the American pop punk band Blink-182, as well as the alternative rock band +44, the rap rock band The Transplants, and the alternative rock band Box Car Racer. He was a frequent collaborator with...
Remix) – 4:16
- EU CD 2 / US maxi CD single
- "Right Round" (Benny BenassiBenny BenassiMarco Benassi , better known as Benny Benassi, is a Grammy Award winning Italian disc jockey and record producer of electro house music. He is best known for his 2002 summer club hit "Satisfaction"...
Remix) – 6:31 - "Right Round" (Benny Benassi Remix Edit) – 3:22
- "Right Round" (Mark Brown Remix) – 6:51
- "Right Round" (Mark Brown Remix Dub) – 6:51
- US 12" vinyl
- "Right Round" – 3:27
- "Right Round" (Instrumental) – 3:23
- "ShoneShone"Shone" is the first promo single from Flo Rida's second studio album, R.O.O.T.S.. It features Pleasure P and is produced by Jim Jonsin and Dre & Vidal...
" (Album Version) – 4:13 - "Shone" (Instrumental) – 4:13
- EU CD 3
- "Right Round" – 3:27
- "Right Round" (Instrumental) – 3:23
- "In the AyerIn the Ayer"In the Ayer" is the third single from rapper Flo Rida's debut album Mail on Sunday. It was produced by and features will.i.am. Tiffany Villarreal performs the background vocals, but she is uncredited. The song's backdrop and beat are sampled from Pretty Tony's freestyle classic "Jam the Box",...
" (Jason NevinsJason NevinsJason Nevins is an American DJ, producer and remixer, who is most widely known for his pop dance productions.-Career:In the early 1990s, Nevins began releasing singles under various monikers through various dance labels, but achieved global recognition in 1998 with his production of Run-DMC's...
Remix) – 6:47 - "Right Round" (Music Video) – 3:26
Credits and personnel
- Dr. LukeDr. LukeLukasz Gottwald , better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs...
– producerRecord 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...
, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock... - Koool KojakKool KojakAllan Grigg, also known as Kool Kojak, is a Brazilian-American songwriter, producer and artist notable for co-writing and co-producing Flo Rida’s #1 Billboard hit single “Right Round”...
– producer, drums, keyboards, programming - Emily Wright – recorderSound recording and reproductionSound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
, vocal editor - Sam Holland – recorder
- Aniela Gottwald – assistant vocal editor
- Chex Lunix – assistant vocal editor
- Juan Pablo Negrete Ortiz – additional recorder
- Serban GheneaSerban GheneaSerban Ghenea is a four-time Grammy Award and three-time Latin Grammy Award-winning mixer. He has mixed songs for such artists as Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood, Jewel, Santana, Ozomatli, Shakira, Jill Scott, R. Kelly, Rod Stewart, and Dave Matthews Band...
– mixerAudio 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...
- John Hanes – mixing engineerAudio 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...
- Tim Roberts – assistant mixing engineer
- 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...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - KeshaKeshaKesha 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....
– vocals - Philip Lawrence – additional vocals
- Gary "G" Silver – production coordinatorProduction coordinatorA Production Coordinator is a unionized position in stagecraft under the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and is governed in Los Angeles by ....
- Vanessa Silberman – production coordinator
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
Certifications
| Country | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| Australia 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... |
3× Platinum |
| Austria | Gold |
| Finland | Gold |
| Germany | Gold |
| 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... |
Platinum |
| United States 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... |
4× Platinum |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
5 |
| 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... |
3 |
| European Hot 100 Singles | 16 |
| German Singles Chart | 20 |
| Hungarian Airplay Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
8 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 68 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart 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... |
7 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 6 |
| 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... |
6 |
| 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 ... |
22 |
Decade-end charts
| Chart (2000–2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
18 |
| 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... |
80 |
See also
- List of number-one singles in Australia in 2009
- List of Belgian Wallonia Ultratop 40 number-one hits of 2009Ultratop 40 number-one hits of 2009This is a list of songs that topped the Belgian Wallonia Ultratop 40 in 2009....
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2009 (Canada)
- List of number-one singles of 2009 (Ireland)
- List of number-one singles from the 2000s (UK)
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2009 (U.S.)
- List of Mainstream Top 40 number-one hits of 2009 (U.S.)
External links
- "Right Round" music video at MTV.comMTVMTV, 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....
- "Right Round" lyrics at Flo Rida's official website