What Do You Want
Encyclopedia
"What Do You Want" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music
singer Jerrod Niemann
. It is the third single from his first major-label album, 2010's Judge Jerrod & the Hung Jury
. The song is his second top 40 hit on the Hot Country Songs
charts, following his number-one single "Lover, Lover".
, he said that he wrote the song from an experience he had with a former girlfriend who had moved to India
. He said that after breaking up with her, writing "What Do You Want" helped him "climb out of the funk".
The song features acoustic guitar
, percussion and an organ. Niemann wrote it with Richie Brown and Rachel Bradshaw, the daughter of National Football League
quarterback Terry Bradshaw
, who also sings a backing vocal on it.
, directed by Chris Hicky
, was filmed at a mansion in Nashville, Tennessee
. It was recorded in black and white. Niemann said that the video is "sort of abstract" because he wanted to leave parts of the storyline to the viewer's imagination. Rachel Bradshaw also plays the girlfriend in the video.
chart dated for the week ending October 9, 2010. The song is Niemann's second top 40 hit on this chart. In April 2011, the song received a gold
certification from the Recording Industry Association of America
. That same month, it peaked at number 4 on the country chart.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer Jerrod Niemann
Jerrod Niemann
Jerrod Lee Niemann is an American country music artist. Active since 2001, he has recorded two independent albums. In 2006, he signed to Category 5 Records and charted with the single "I Love Women "...
. It is the third single from his first major-label album, 2010's Judge Jerrod & the Hung Jury
Judge Jerrod & the Hung Jury
-Musicians:*Rachel Bradshaw – background vocals*Dave Brainard – background vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar, bass guitar, ukulele, keyboards, programming*Taryn Brainard – background vocals*Cliff Canterbury – bass guitar, background vocals...
. The song is his second top 40 hit on the Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
charts, following his number-one single "Lover, Lover".
Content
The song is about a phone call received by a former girlfriend with whom the narrator has broken up. In an interview with CMTCMT
- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...
, he said that he wrote the song from an experience he had with a former girlfriend who had moved to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He said that after breaking up with her, writing "What Do You Want" helped him "climb out of the funk".
The song features acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, percussion and an organ. Niemann wrote it with Richie Brown and Rachel Bradshaw, the daughter of National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
quarterback Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
, who also sings a backing vocal on it.
Critical reception
Karlie Justus of The 9513 gave the song a "thumbs up" in her review. She said that the song "relies on emotion over production" and thought that the lyrics and production had "oddly comforting repetition". Roughstock critic Matt Bjorke rated the song four stars out of five, calling it a "moody, emotive piece of music" and thought that it showed Niemann's voice more strongly than "Lover, Lover" did.Music video
The song's 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...
, directed by Chris Hicky
Chris Hicky
Chris Hicky is a Grammy nominated music video director from Forrest City, Arkansas, best known for directing many of Keith Urban's videos. Hicky has also directed videos for many other artists in the country music genre, including Dierks Bentley, Kellie Pickler, Deana Carter, Carrie Underwood, Lady...
, was filmed at a mansion in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. It was recorded in black and white. Niemann said that the video is "sort of abstract" because he wanted to leave parts of the storyline to the viewer's imagination. Rachel Bradshaw also plays the girlfriend in the video.
Chart performance
"What Do You Want" debuted at number 49 on the Hot Country SongsHot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart dated for the week ending October 9, 2010. The song is Niemann's second top 40 hit on this chart. In April 2011, the song received a gold
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,...
certification from 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...
. That same month, it peaked at number 4 on the country chart.
| Chart (2010-2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|