Love in This Club
"Love in This Club" is a song by American R&B singer Usher. Featuring rapper Young Jeezy, it was released on February 22, 2008, as the lead single from Usher's fifth studio album, Here I Stand. The song was written by Usher, Polow da Don, Jeezy, Darnell Dalton, Ryon Lovett, Lamar Taylor and Keith Thomas, and produced by da Don, with a Las Vegas-inspired synth-driven beat. Its lyrics refer to seducing someone in a nightclub. The song was originally leaked by da Don prior to its release.
"Love in This Club"
February 22, 2008
Zac Recording (Atlanta), Hitland (Alpharetta, Atlanta)
4:19
- Usher Raymond
- Polow da Don
- Young Jeezy
- Lamar Taylor
- Ryon Lovett
- Keith Thomas
- Darnell Dalton
"Love in This Club" reached number one in New Zealand and the United States as well as the top 10 in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Scotland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The accompanying music video, which received a nomination at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, features cameo appearances from several musicians. In the video, R&B singer Keri Hilson plays Usher's love interest in a club. Usher performed the song at the 2008 BET Awards, as well as on several television programs. A remix of the song, titled "Love in This Club Part II", features Beyoncé and Lil Wayne.
Background[edit]
Atlanta-based music producer Polow da Don was inspired to create a beat during his weekend stay in Las Vegas for the MTV Video Music Awards. He said of the song, "If you listen to the beat, the synths and everything has a [Las] Vegas feel to it. Making love in the club, people in [Las] Vegas are kinda wild." He also noted its Euro influences. When he finished working on the material, da Don felt it fit for Usher, hoping that it would keep female listeners interested in Usher's music, as his popularity had declined among women since his marriage to stylist Tameka Foster in July 2007.[2][3] Da Don and Usher wrote the track with rapper Young Jeezy, Darnell Dalton, Ryon Lovett, Lamar Taylor and Keith Thomas, and it was recorded at Zac Recording, Atlanta and Hitland Studios, Alpharetta.[4]
It was not originally planned for Jeezy to appear on the track. After hearing "Love in This Club", he wanted to contribute to it. Da Don was skeptical, but recorded Jeezy's verse. He played the new version to Usher who, enjoying the new version, allowed the verse to stay.[5] Usher has since called Jeezy "one of the greatest rappers of our generation".[6] According to Alabama rapper Gucci Mane, it was initially intended that he feature on the track, rather than Jeezy.[7]
Composition[edit]
"Love in This Club" is a mid-tempo R&B slow jam,[8][9] with a brass bassline, and shuddering synth-driven beats that have been called "space age" and "sex-drenched" by critics.[9][10][11] It contains hip-hop influences.[12] The song's beat consists mainly of synth loops from a Jam Pack from Apple's musical software GarageBand (Euro Hero Synth).[13] Rap-Up likened the song to Lil Jon's song, "Lovers and Friends", on which Usher appeared,[14] while Fraser McAlpine of BBC Radio 1 wrote that it features vague similarities to "No Woman, No Cry" by Bob Marley.[15] According to the sheet music published by Hal Leonard Corporation at Musicnotes.com, the song is written in common time with a tempo of 70 beats per minute and follows the chord progression of C major–E minor–A minor–F major.[16]
About.com's Mark Edward Nero wrote that "on the song, Usher talks about a lust so immediate, so powerful, that it makes him want to get down [and have sex] right then and there".[17] The song's chorus consists of the hook, "I wanna make love in this club".[18] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly called the lyrics of the song "libidinous".[11]
Chart performance[edit]
"Love in This Club" debuted at number eighty-three on the Billboard Hot 100, on the issue dated March 1, 2008.[35] The next week it moved to number fifty-one, due to high airplay.[36] The song continued to receive many spins, and in its third week it reached the top of the Hot 100, gaining the 'Airplay Gainer' honor the same week. Replacing "Low" by Flo Rida and T-Pain, "Love in This Club" also sold 198,000 downloads in that week.[37] On April 5, 2008, the song was again named the 'Airplay Gainer', however it was shifted from the number-one spot by Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love", having spent three weeks atop the chart.[38] It fell off on June 7, having spent twelve weeks on the chart.[39]
On the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, the song first appeared on February 23, 2008, at number fifty-one making it the highest debut of the week.[40] On April 12, it replaced Keyshia Cole's "I Remember" at number one.[41] After four weeks "Love in This Club" was moved from the top spot by Lil Wayne's "Lollipop".[42] The song also reached number four on the Pop 100,[43] and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). On the year-end charts for 2008, it was ranked number eight on the Hot 100,[44] number fifteen on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and number thirteen on the Pop 100.[45][46] It was also ranked number eighty-five on the 2000s' Hot 100 list,[47] and number ninety-nine on the decade-end Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[48] As of August 1, 2010, "Love in This Club" has sold 2,453,000 units, according to Nielsen Soundscan.[49]
Internationally, the song reached the top ten of numerous singles charts. It reached number six on the Canadian Hot 100,[50] number four on the UK Singles Chart,[51] number eight on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart,[52] number three on the Irish Singles Chart,[53] and number five on the Japan Hot 100,[54] and was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and 2× Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Having been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand, it also topped the New Zealand Singles Chart, replacing "No Air" by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown on May 5, 2008.[55] After one week it was removed by Brown's "Forever",[56] and was certified platinum on June 1, 2008.
The single also found chart success in Europe, reaching number three on the European Hot 100 Singles. In individual countries, "Love in This Club" attained top-ten places in Flanders,[57] France,[58] Germany,[59] Norway,[60] Slovakia,[61] Sweden[62] and Switzerland.[63] It also appeared on the singles charts of Austria,[64] Wallonia,[65] Czech Republic,[66] Denmark,[67] Finland,[68] Hungary,[69] and the Netherlands.[70] In 2008, "Love in This Club" sold 5.6 million digital downloads worldwide.[71]
Live performances[edit]
Usher sang "Love in This Club" with Young Jeezy at reality television show The Hills' third season finale on May 12,[81] and again, by himself, at the finale of the sixth season of Dancing with the Stars on May 20, 2008.[82] On June 23, 2008, at the opening of the 2008 BET Awards, Usher performed the song.[83] Usher also appeared on television shows The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Good Morning America, where he performed the song.[84][85][86] Usher performed the song at the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show.
Remix[edit]
A remix, "Love in This Club Part II", was released as the second single from Here I Stand in April 2008. Featuring vocals from R&B singer Beyoncé and rapper Lil Wayne, the sequel samples The Stylistics' "You Are Everything",[4] and has a slower tempo than the original. It appeared on the Billboard Hot 100, the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, the Canadian Hot 100 and the ARIA Singles Chart.[87][88]