Chains (Nick Jonas song)
"Chains" is a song by American singer Nick Jonas, taken from his eponymous second album. It was released on July 30, 2014 by Island and Republic Records as the lead single from the album. The song was written and produced by Jason Evigan, with additional songwriting provided by Ammar Malik, and Danny Parker. It is an R&B song, using kick drum-driven beats, a splash of bass-dropping trap at the intro and bridge as the song's instrumentation. Lyrically, the song talks about feeling trapped in a binding and hopeless love.
"Chains"
Considered a departure from his music with the Jonas Brothers and Nick Jonas & the Administration, the song was praised by music critics for being an adult song, with his vocals and its production being praised. American singers Justin Timberlake and Miguel were influences for the song, as noted by some critics. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Ryan Pallotta and was released on July 30, 2014.
After the success of "Jealous" at radio stations in the US, Island and Republic re-released "Chains" as Jonas' next single. The song impacted Mainstream radio stations on January 20, 2015.[2] It impacted rhythmic radio on March 3, 2015[3] On February 28, 2015 a remix of the song surfaced online featuring the vocals of Jhené Aiko.[4] The song has reached number 13 on the Billboard hot 100, spending 20 weeks on the chart, later receiving a double platinum certification. The remix was released on March 2, 2015.[5] The dance remixes of "Chains" reached number one on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart in its May 23, 2015 issue.[6]
Background[edit]
In February 2013, Jonas Brothers announced they were returning to the music scene with a new single called "Pom Poms".[7] The song received favorable reviews from music critics,[8][9] but had very moderate success on the charts.[10] Later, the band release the song "First Time" in June 2013, as the second single from their then-upcoming fifth studio album.[11] A month later they announced that the album would be called "V".[12] The band also announced a tour, but it was shortly cancelled[13] and later the band announced their split in October, also cancelling the album.[14]
Later, in early 2014, Nick Jonas announced he was going to release a solo record, stating: "I've got a lot of things in the pipeline right now and I'm waiting to release some news about my music and my next steps. It isn't quite locked in yet, but I have started making some music and now it's all about lining up the pieces."[15] During an interview for Time, he commented about the album's musical direction, saying: "I came in really wanting to make a record that was different from anything I'd done in the past, but that was true to my influences: Stevie Wonder, Prince, Bee Gees. And then, more recently, The Weeknd and Frank Ocean. That whole vibe of alternative R&B and pop. It just fell into a really natural place really early."[16] On July 24, 2014, Complex premiered "Chains", which was announced as the lead-single from his upcoming solo album.[17] The song was eventually released to digital download on July 30, 2014.[18]
Composition[edit]
"Chains" was written by Jason Evigan, Ammar Malik and Danny Parker,[19] with Evigan also served as the song's producer.[17][20] It is a midtempo R&B song,[20] being distinctly different from the Jonas Brothers' music, as well as Nick's music with the Administration,[21] having "smooth"[20] and "silky vocals and a decisive R&B aesthetic," which made one Billboard staffer compare the track to a Miguel song."[21] Dylan Mial of Blogcritics added that the song is "a powerful and emotional combination of kick drum-driven beats, a splash of bass-dropping trap at the intro and bridge, with '80s rock ballad vibe that underlays the chorus."[22]
Lyrically, "Chains" talks about being trapped in a hopeless love,[23] with the singer declaring: "Tryna break the chains, but the chains only break me."[21] In an interview with MTV, Jonas stated that, "The story behind 'Chains' is basically that feeling that all people can relate to, it's being trapped. For me specifically in this song, I connected to love and trust and for some people they have said it's broader for them, it's more than love, it can be about anything that entangles you in your life and doesn't let you do what you need to do to feel free," he said. "I think this is a good fit and I fell in love with the song and I really feel like it has become a staple for this album."[23]
Reception[edit]
The song received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who praised Jonas' new musical style and the song's production. Jason Lipshut of Billboard was positive, declaring that the singer was "desperately trying to position himself as an adult artist, and soundly succeeding."[21] Mike Wass of Idolator compared Jonas to Justin Timberlake, writing that "it's a step in the right direction but no 'Like I Love You [Timberlake's debut single]."[20] Emily Blake wrote for MTV News that "Chains" is "drenched in S&M and rather adult themes straight out of 'Fifty Shades of Grey'."[24] Joey DeGroot of Music Times was ambivalent toward its lyrical content, calling it "the song's weakest point", but praised "the production and Jonas' vocal performance", claiming that they were "more than make up for it, [...] earn[ing] Jonas some artistic credibility after toiling in the Disney-pop world for most of his career."[25] Dylan Mial of Blogcritics was complimentary with the song, calling it "by far the greatest, most inspired and powerful track of 2014 – it is pure musical perfection."[22]
Music video[edit]
On July 23, 2014 it was announced that a music video was being shot, being co-produced by Nick Jonas with director Ryan Pallotta.[26] On July 25, 2014 the first 15 seconds of the music video were released online. Later, on July 28, 2014, two other 15 second snippets were released online[27] with the full video premiering on July 30, 2014. The video features Jonas getting dragged across the floor of a church by a mystery woman, and tied up to a chair. On March 31, 2015 a second video of the song was released online. It was called Chains: The Wynwood Walls Edition. The video was filmed at Miami's Wynwood Walls graffiti installation.[28]