Tilt Ya Head Back
Encyclopedia
"Tilt Ya Head Back" is a single by rapper
Nelly
that features pop
singer Christina Aguilera
, released in 2004, from Nelly's album Sweat.
, but Spears' record label Jive Records
rejected the idea, because they thought that the song was "too urban", even though Spears wanted to do it. The second choice was Christina Aguilera
, who recorded the song with Nelly in 2004. "Tilt Ya Head Back" was written by Nelly, Dorian Moore, Tejumold Newton and Curtis Mayfield. It was produced by Doe Mo' Beats for Derrty Ent. who also produced the Nelly's "My Place
". The song contains samples of the song "Superfly
" by Curtis Mayfield
. The music video was directed by Little X
. Vocal range, Christina sing belt
s notes of the song: "C5" (long note 3:20), "F5" (2:55).
(the only time the song was performed live by both artists). However, It was later revealed that Nelly's label was insecure about this record, as they felt that Aguilera overshadowed Nelly on his own record and therefore was not given a big push or any other promotion by the record label. The video for the song had already been shot before Nelly's label decided to switch their promotion over to another Nelly song that had been getting major attention, "Over and Over
" a duet with Tim McGraw from his Suit
album. That track began receiving large amounts of airplay and would overshadow the release of Tilt Ya Head Back".
Despite the song only peaking at #58 on the Billboard Hot 100
in the United States
, it still managed to sell over 500,000 digital downloads being certified gold. It also became a top five hit in the United Kingdom
and Australia
.
, Season 7, Cody Linley
and Julianne Hough
danced a Cha-Cha-Cha to the song.
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
Nelly
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
that features 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 Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
, released in 2004, from Nelly's album Sweat.
Background
The producer of the song confirmed that it was originally meant for Nelly and Britney SpearsBritney 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...
, but Spears' record label Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
rejected the idea, because they thought that the song was "too urban", even though Spears wanted to do it. The second choice was Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
, who recorded the song with Nelly in 2004. "Tilt Ya Head Back" was written by Nelly, Dorian Moore, Tejumold Newton and Curtis Mayfield. It was produced by Doe Mo' Beats for Derrty Ent. who also produced the Nelly's "My Place
My Place
"My Place" is the first single by the rapper Nelly from his album Suit. It features Jaheim. It was released as a double A-side with "Flap Your Wings" in the UK and New Zealand. The song is about inviting a girl over to Nelly's house. It reached #4 both on the U.S...
". The song contains samples of the song "Superfly
Superfly (song)
"Superfly" is a song by Curtis Mayfield, the title track from his 1972 soundtrack album for the film of the same name. It was the second single released from the album, following "Freddie's Dead ", and reached #8 on the Billboard Pop chart. The lyrics celebrate the craftiness and determinaton of...
" by Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
. The music video was directed by Little X
Little X
Julien Christian Lutz , better known as Little X, X or Director X, is a Canadian music video director. He also has his own clothing line X Fit...
. Vocal range, Christina sing belt
Belt (music)
Belting refers to a specific technique of singing by which a singer produces a loud sound in the upper middle of the pitch range. It is often described as a vocal register although some dispute this since technically the larynx is not oscillating in a unique way...
s notes of the song: "C5" (long note 3:20), "F5" (2:55).
Music video
Focus is put on an ongoing car containing Nelly singing while Christina is inside a hotel. Nelly gets out of his car and walks into a reception area, where he sees Christina walking down the stairs. They exchange looks then she walks away. Christina is then singing and writhing on a chair. Later,Christina is then shown in a blue outfit singing. It continues as Nelly, while distracting another viewer, watches a tv showing Christina and they alternate lines. Nelly rides a taxi holding Christina Aguilera tickets and watches her perform. The video concludes as the police show up to arrest both of them. However, they evade capture and leave in a car.Chart success
At first, the song was expected to be a big hit for both Nelly and Aguilera, as it tested well at Pop, Urban, and Rhythmic formats. Nelly and Aguilera would hype up the release of the song by performing it at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards2004 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2004 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 29, 2004, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. The show took place at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida, and, unlike in previous years, had no host.-Video of the Year:...
(the only time the song was performed live by both artists). However, It was later revealed that Nelly's label was insecure about this record, as they felt that Aguilera overshadowed Nelly on his own record and therefore was not given a big push or any other promotion by the record label. The video for the song had already been shot before Nelly's label decided to switch their promotion over to another Nelly song that had been getting major attention, "Over and Over
Over and Over (Nelly song)
"Over and Over" is the second single from American rapper Nelly's fourth album Suit. It features country singer Tim McGraw. The song, which was written by Cornell Haynes Jr, Jayson "KoKo" Bridges & James D...
" a duet with Tim McGraw from his Suit
Suit (album)
- Personnel :Credits for Suit adapted from Allmusic.*Nelly - Executive Producer, Composer*Ahm - Producer*Beat Bullies - Producer*Big Boi - Producer*Matt Brauss - Bass*Jayson "Koko" Bridges - Percussion, Drums, Keyboards, Producer, Composer...
album. That track began receiving large amounts of airplay and would overshadow the release of Tilt Ya Head Back".
Despite the song only peaking at #58 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...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, it still managed to sell over 500,000 digital downloads being certified gold. It also became a top five hit 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...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Appearances
On the American TV show, Dancing with the StarsDancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
, Season 7, Cody Linley
Cody Linley
Cody Martin Linley is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his recurring role as Jake Ryan in the television series Hannah Montana and for being a contestant on the seventh season of Dancing With The Stars, in which he was partnered with Julianne Hough.-Career:Linley made his acting...
and Julianne Hough
Julianne Hough
Julianne Alexandra Hough is an American professional ballroom dancer, country music singer and actress. She is most widely known for being a two-time champion of ABC's Dancing with the Stars. She earned a Creative Arts Primetime Emmy nomination in 2007 for choreography...
danced a Cha-Cha-Cha to the song.
Charts
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand RIANZ Charts 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... Singles Chart |
4 |
| 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 ... |
5 |
| Australian ARIA Charts 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... Singles Chart |
5 |
| 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... |
12 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 8 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
16 |
| Greek Singles Top 50 | 16 |
| Swiss Singles Top 100 | 16 |
| U.S. Top 40 Mainstream | 26 |
| German Singles Chart | 27 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
27 |
| U.S. Top 40 Tracks Top 40 Tracks Top 40 Tracks is a defunct airplay chart from Billboard Magazine. It was created in 1998, when Billboard Magazine changed the airplay profile of The Hot 100 Airplay to include more R&B, Country, and Rock stations to its profile . To preserve the notion of the former chart, Top 40 Tracks was... |
28 |
| Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
42 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
58 |