Price Tag
"Price Tag" is a song by English singer-songwriter Jessie J, featuring American rapper B.o.B. It was released in late January 2011, in the United Kingdom as the second single from Jessie J's debut studio album, Who You Are (2011).[1] "Price Tag" was written by Jessie J, Courtney L Richardson, Dr. Luke, Claude Kelly and B.o.B, and it was produced by Dr. Luke. It serves as the album's lead single in the United States. An official remix features British rapper Devlin.[2] The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart. The single also topped the charts in Ireland and New Zealand, becoming Jessie J's first number-one single in these countries and her native United Kingdom.[3][4] In the United States, "Price Tag" peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 causing the song to appear on the 2011 compilation album Now That's What I Call Music! 39.[5] Additionally, the song charted at number one in eight countries, becoming Jessie J's biggest hit to date. The song was also the biggest-selling collaboration of the year in the UK.[6] At the 2012 Brit Awards, "Price Tag" was nominated for Best British Single.[7]
This article is about the Jessie J song. For price markers, see Price tag. For violence aimed at Palestinians, see Price tag policy."Price Tag"
25 January 2011
2010
Conway Recording Studios (Los Angeles); Stadium Red Studios (New York City); GCR Audio (Buffalo, New York)
3:42 (album version)
3:18 (single version)
3:08 (without rap)
Dr. Luke
Jessie J has performed the song live many times, with other singers filling in for B.o.B or his verse being completely removed. The video features an oversized teddy bear, a money tree, and Jessie J as a ballerina in a large jewellery box. The single has sold 1,240,000 copies in the UK as of October 2015[8] and over three million copies worldwide.
Critical reception[edit]
Popjustice said it was a "ridiculously addictive introduction to an effortlessly great, new(ish) talent."[15] The Guardian's Caspar Smith referred to both the song and J's previous single "Do It Like A Dude" as "planet-saving R&B-based hits-in-waiting."[16] AOL Radio's James Wells said that it "shows off the tirelessly upbeat, Motown-tinged singing and songwriting for which Jessie J has become known." He went on to contrast the song from other tracks from J's debut album Who You Are, calling it less aggressive and more "about the positive vibes."[10] Nick Levine of Digital Spy compared the song to Miley Cyrus's "Party in the U.S.A." (2009), which was co-written by Jessie J. He said, "Truth be told, 'Price Tag' does come off a little bit corny, but thanks in no small part to Jessie's spunky likability" and described it as a "sun-dappled, hip-hop-inflected midtempo head-nodder".[17]
Chart performance[edit]
The song debuted at number twelve in Ireland on 4 February 2011.[18] In the United Kingdom, the single entered at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 6 February 2011―for the week ending dated 12 February 2011―with first week sales of 84,000 copies. It became Jessie J's first number-one single on the chart. The song's charting also gave B.o.B his third UK number-one single.[3] "Price Tag" became the first single to top the UK Singles Chart after being released to radio and retail on the same day, following a new "On Air, On Sale" initiative by Universal Music.[19][20] On its second week on the chart, the song retained its number-one position by a margin of less than 5%, selling over 90,000 copies, preventing Lady Gaga's new single "Born This Way" and Chipmunk's "Champion" from debuting at number one.[21] As of October 2015, the song had sold 1,240,000 copies in the UK.[8] In the United States, the song debuted at number 88 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week of 16 March 2011 and reached number 23.[5] It went straight to number one in New Zealand and on Billboard's Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles[22] and peaked at number 1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play. It also received Radio Disney airplay, peaking at number 2 on the Top 30 Countdown for 2 weeks, behind "On My Mind" by Cody Simpson.
Live performances[edit]
Jessie J performed an acoustic version of the song on the BBC's Later... with Jools Holland.[26] "Price Tag" was also performed at the club Scala in London on 18 January 2011, with UK rapper Devlin performing B.o.B's verse.[27] The song was performed in the US for the first time in a New York club.[28] She performed the song, along with a track titled "Nobody's Perfect" from her debut album, in a studio session at Maida Vale studios for MistaJam.[29] Jessie J also performed Price Tag on The Graham Norton Show on 25 February and has also performed it on Lets Dance for Comic Relief. Jessie also performed the song (along with "Mamma Knows Best") alongside B.o.B on Saturday Night Live on 12 March 2011, making it her first performance on American television.[30] She has also performed the song on the French X Factor[31] and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.[32] In 2011, she performed the song in the Times Square subway station.[33] Also, Jessie presented the song in the 2011 MTV VMAs and 2011 MTV EMAs. She performed the song at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. On May, 2016 Jessie performed the song at 3rd Indonesian Choice Awards along with "Masterpiece" and "Domino". This song is also featured in Disney's Have a Laugh! cartoons in Re-Micks! musical segment.
Credits adapted from Who You Are album liner notes.[39]