On the Floor
"On the Floor" is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her seventh studio album, Love? (2011). Featuring American rapper Pitbull, it was released by Island Records on February 8, 2011, as the lead single from the album. "On the Floor" was written by Kinnda "Kee" Hamid, AJ Junior, Teddy Sky, Bilal "The Chef" Hajji, Pitbull, Gonzalo Hermosa, Ulises Hermosa, along with the song's producer RedOne. It is a pop song combining techno, Latin, dance-pop and house music and with a common time tempo of 130 beats per minute. Lopez recorded a Spanish-language version of the song titled "Ven a Bailar" (English: "Come to Dance"), which includes additional lyrical contributions from Julio Reyes Copello and Jimena Romero.
For other uses, see On the Floor (disambiguation)."On the Floor"
February 8, 2011
2010
3:51
RedOne
The song's development was motivated by Lopez's Latin heritage and pays homage to her career-beginnings as a dancer. Interpolated within the song are recurrent elements of the 1982 Bolivian composition "Llorando se fue" written by Gonzalo and Ulises Hermosa of Los Kjarkas, a composition that gained notoriety when it was covered by Kaoma in their 1989 single "Lambada". Lopez described "On the Floor" as an evolution of her classic sound and as something which sounded very current. The debut and release of "On the Floor" coincided with Lopez's appointment as a judge on the tenth season of US reality TV show American Idol, as well as several other product endorsement deals. American Idol also provided a platform to debut the single's music video, as well as the stage for Lopez's first live performance of the song.
Editors from BBC Music and Los Angeles Times drew comparisons to Lopez's debut single, "If You Had My Love" (1999) and follow-up single "Waiting for Tonight" (1999). In the United States, it was Lopez's first single in four years to garner airplay, and has sold 3.8 million copies, earning a triple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was ranked by Billboard as the eleventh-biggest hit of 2011 on the year-end Billboard Hot 100 chart. "On the Floor" finished in first in Austria, Finland, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, and other countries.
A music video was directed by TAJ Stansberry and choreographed by Frank Gatson Jr, with fans being given the chance to vote for their preferred ending for the video. The completed clip premiered simultaneously on Vevo and during the March 3, 2011 episode of American Idol. It depicts a Los Angeles underground club culture where Lopez portrays a "queen of the nightclub", among other characters. The video received critical acclaim for its lavish production, styling, and choreography, all of which critics felt highlighted Lopez's skills as a dancer. "On the Floor" sold over eight million copies worldwide in 2011, making it the best-selling single of that year by a female artist.
Composition[edit]
"On the Floor" is an up-tempo pop and dance-pop song[2][19] combining elements of Latin,[2] house[2] and techno music.[2] American rapper Pitbull starts the song with a rap introduction while the melody interpolates elements of the Los Kjarkas composition, "Llorando se fue", popularized by Kaoma's 1989 hit single "Lambada".[20][21] "On the Floor" was written in the time signature of common time, set at a tempo of 130 beats per minute and in the key of E♭ minor[22] by Bilal "The Chef" Hajji, Kinnda Hamid, Gonzalo Hermosa, Ulises Hermosa, Achraf "AJ Junior" Janussi, Nadir "RedOne" Khayat", Pitbull and Teddy Sky.[23] Lopez's vocal range spans from A♭3 to B♭4 while the melody uses a simple chord progression of E♭ minor–C♭ major–G♭ major–B♭ minor.[22] The song was adapted in Spanish as "Ven a Bailar" which featured additional lyrics by Julio Reyes Copello and Jimena Romero.[24]
"On the Floor" was produced by RedOne with additional vocal production by Kuk Harrell. Josh Gudwin joined Harrell to record the vocals whilst the whole composition was recorded and engineered by RedOne, Christopher "TEK" O'Ryan and Trevor Muzzy at Cove Studios in New York and Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles.[21] O'Ryan, RedOne and Harrell also edited Lopez's vocals while the latter two also arranged vocals for the final track, with Harrell also providing background vocals.[21] All instruments and programming were carried out by RedOne with the exception of the accordion which was tasked to Alessandro Giulini. Pitbull appears courtesy of Mr. 305, Polo Grounds Music and RCA Records. His vocals were recorded by Al Burna at Al Burna Studios in Davie, Florida and At El Studios Indamix in Dominican Republic. Final mixing was carried out by Muzzy.[21]
According to Idolator and Gerrick Kennedy from the Los Angeles Times, "On the Floor" is reminiscent of Lopez's single, "Waiting for Tonight" (1999).[12] Kennedy elaborated on the comparisons, stating that "listeners haven't heard this dance-electro-pop side of Lopez since 1999... much of her back catalog flirts with more gritty urban-pop sounds."[12] Editors for the New York Daily News made some comparisons between "On the Floor" and another RedOne production, Kat DeLuna's 2010 single, "Party O'Clock".[25] DeLuna's song contains the lyrics "Party in Ibiza, Party in New York/All the way to Africa/Love in the Caribbean/On my way to Vegas" whereas Lopez sings the nearly identical line, "Brazil, Morocco/London to Ibiza/Straight to L.A. New York/Vegas to Africa."[25]
Chart performance[edit]
North America[edit]
"On the Floor" made its chart debut in Canada, during the week beginning February 12, 2011. It debuted at number eighty-six on the Canadian Hot 100, despite not being released until February 22, 2011,[40][41] thus becoming the first release from Love? to receive airplay recognition. Neither the album's Epic Records buzz single ("Fresh Out the Oven", which also features Pitbull), nor the previous lead single "Louboutins" charted on US Billboard Charts.[7] In the chart week dated April 16, 2011, "On the Floor" became Lopez's fourth Canadian chart-topper, and highest-charting single in nine years following "If You Had My Love" (1999), "Love Don't Cost a Thing" (2001) and "Jenny from the Block" (2002).[42] In the United States, "On the Floor" made its chart debut on the Hot Dance Club Songs, at number twenty-six.[43] Additionally it debuted on the US Pop Songs chart at number forty, marking Lopez's first appearance on pop airplay charts since 2007.[43] The single went on to make its Billboard Hot 100 debut at number nine, becoming the highest debuting Hot 100 single of Lopez's career.[44] "On the Floor" became Lopez's tenth top-ten hit on the Hot 100, of which, six have featured other artists. Billboard's Gary Trust reported that it was Lopez's highest peaking chart position since her 2006 feature on LL Cool J's "Control Myself," although it was actually in 2003 when Lopez last released a top-ten peaking single as a lead artist ("All I Have" with LL Cool J).[44] The full single was not released until February 22, almost one month after it was uploaded to YouTube and serviced to radio, despite a remix EP being available before hand.[45][46] Keith Caulfield from Billboard noted that Island Def Jam Music's strategy of delaying the release was unusual as fellow pop contemporaries, such as Lady Gaga and Britney Spears, "released their singles to digital retailers at about the same time they were serviced to radio and streaming sites."[46] The single's release was synchronized with the debut of the music video on season ten of American Idol, resulting in first week sales of 170,000 copies and a Hot Digital Songs chart position of number three.[44][46] The Spanish version of the song also became a success on Latin radio stations where it peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart.
As a direct result, Kaoma's 1989 single "Lambada" re-entered the charts after more than two decades, making its digital chart debut at number three on the Billboard World Digital Chart.[47] In the week following the music video's debut, "On the Floor" experienced a 31% increase in sales, which totaled 232,000 copies, and landed the song at number two on the Hot Digital Songs chart, as well as number five on the Hot 100.[48] "On the Floor" thus became Lopez's seventh top-five hit in the United States.[42] It is the first single since "So What" (2008) by Pink to debut in the top-ten of the Hot 100, and then climb up the chart in its second week.[49] Just over a month after release "On the Floor" had sold over 600,000 copies in the United States, according to USA Today's Bill Keveney.[50] Keveney, attributed Lopez's commercial comeback to product endorsement deals with L'Oreal and Gillette, also noting her appointment as a judge on American Idol a contributing factor in the growth of her popularity.[50] During the week ending May 8, 2011, "On the Floor" rose from number seven to a new peak of number three on the Hot 100.[51] By March 28, 2011, "On the Floor" reached number one on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart, becoming her fifth consecutive US dance chart topper, with three coming from her album Love?, including "Fresh Out the Oven" (with Pitbull) and "Louboutins" (2009). "On the Floor" brings Lopez's US dance number ones total to nine singles since she launched her career in 1999.[7][52][53] Since then, it has been certified 3× Multi-Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of three million copies.[54] As a result of Lopez's first televised performance of the song on May 5, 2011, "On the Floor" logged 175,000 digital sales that week (up 25% on the previous week), earning Lopez the "Digital Gainer" title that week.[55] Consequently, "On the Floor" reached a new peak of number three on the Hot 100 and number five on the US Pop Songs chart, becoming her highest-charting single commercial single as a lead artist, as well as her most successful airplay hit on contemporary hit radio, since 2002's "Jenny from the Block".[42][56][57] By April 2012, the song has sold 3.49 million downloads in the US alone.[58] A year later in April 2013, it was reported that "On the Floor" had sold 3.8 million downloads in the United States.[59]
Europe and Oceania[edit]
Globally, "On the Floor" topped 37 national single charts and has sold 11 million copies as of June 2017.[60] On the Slovakia Airplay chart, the single debuted at number sixteen, before peaking at number one where it remained for two weeks beginning on March 7, 2011.[61] It returned to the top of the chart in the first week of April 2011, after dipping to number two at the end of March, and made a third return to number one in the third week of April.[61] In total, "On the Floor" spent a total of seven weeks at number one.[61] It also topped both the Flemish and Wallonian single charts in Belgium. On the Flanders Ultratop 50, "On the Floor" peaked at number one, remaining there for four weeks.[62] Meanwhile, on the Wallonia Ultratop 50, the single remained at number one for four weeks, before dropping to number four and then returning to number one for a fifth week.[63][64] In both territories, it is Lopez's first number one single in Belgium.[62][63] The Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA) certified the single gold, for selling 15,000 copies.[65] In Finland, "On the Floor" debuted at number one, giving Lopez her third number one in the country, behind "Love Don't Cost a Thing" (2001) and her debut single "If You Had My Love" (1999).[66] Selling platinum with over 12,000 copies, "On the Floor" was the second-best-selling single of 2011 in Finland[67] and in total it spent nine weeks at number one, making it Lopez's longest-serving number-one, as well as her longest-charting single in the country.[66][68]
"On the Floor" also reached number one in Spain (fifteen weeks), Germany (six weeks) and France (one week).[69][70] In Spain, "On the Floor" reached number one on March 13, 2011, where it remained for fifteen weeks.[70] Consequently, the single was certified Triple Platinum, by the Productores de Música de España (PROMUSICAE), for shipments of 120,000 copies.[70] It was also certified 2× Platinum by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI), in Germany, for shipping 600,000 copies.[71] In Italy, "On the Floor" entered the Italian Singles Chart at number four before ascending to the summit, where it would remain for four weeks.[72] It is Lopez's fourth Italian number-one, and first English-language single to reach number one since "Get Right" (2005), though Spanish single "Qué Hiciste" reached number one in 2007.[72] The Federation of the Italian Music Industry (FIMI) certified "On the Floor" Multi-Platinum for shipping 60,000 copies.[73] The single experienced similar success in Sweden and Switzerland, where it respectively spent three and five weeks at the top of the countries' singles charts.[74][75] In Sweden it is Lopez's first number one single, whereas in Switzerland it is her second, following 2007's "Qué Hiciste".[74][75] In both countries the single was certified Double Platinum, shipping 40,000 copies in Sweden and 60,000 copies in Switzerland.[76][77] As of July 26, 2011 "On the Floor" had official sales of 1.41 million copies.[78]
In Australia, "On the Floor" debuted at number ten, becoming Lopez's first top-ten single in the country since 2005's "Get Right". It has since reached number one, becoming her second Australian chart topper, and first in nearly twelve years since 1999's "If You Had My Love".[79] It was certified 4× platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of 280,000 copies.[80] It reached number two in New Zealand, and was certified double-Platinum for sales of 30,000 copies.[81][82] In Ireland, "On the Floor" debuted at number twelve on the Irish Singles Chart on March 10, 2011.[83] It continued a steady climb to the top spot, spending two weeks at number two before finally reaching number one on April 14, 2011.[84][85] In the United Kingdom, "On the Floor" was added to playlists on mainstream radio in March 2011.[16] On April 3, 2011, "On the Floor" made its UK Singles Chart debut at number one, becoming Lopez's third chart-topper in that country. Overall it is Lopez's twelfth UK top-five hit, and topped the UK Digital Songs chart after logging first week sales of 130,000 copies – the highest first week sales for Lopez in the UK.[86][87][88] "On the Floor" also debuted at the top of the R&B Singles Chart.[89] It remained at number one for two weeks, becoming the only single by Lopez to do so.[90] The song was the biggest selling R&B / hip hop single of 2011 in the UK.[91] As of May 2012, "On the Floor" had sold 822,056 copies, becoming Lopez' biggest-selling single in the UK.[92]
Globally[edit]
By the end of 2011, International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) noted that "On the Floor" had sold over 8.4 million copies worldwide, making it the best selling single by a female artist.[93]
Music video[edit]
Background and development[edit]
The music video for "On the Floor" was filmed on January 22–23, 2011, with TAJ Stansberry serving as the director and Frank Gatson as the choreographer.[17][94] Lopez told MTV News that for the video she was holding an open casting call to find club kids, "[We want] those kids who go to the club and they dance all night and that's all they care about? It's just about having a good time, getting all sweaty, and it's all about the music and leaving it on the dance floor. I don't want to say what the video is, but that's the type of dancers. We're doing a big casting call..."[17] Meanwhile, Gatson said that Lopez wanted a post-2AM Los Angeles club vibe for the video. He said,