Want U Back
"Want U Back" is a song by English singer Cher Lloyd from her debut studio album, Sticks and Stones (2011). It was released as the third single from the album on 3 February 2012, and it was released as the lead single from the US version of the album on 22 May 2012.[1][2] The UK single release features guest vocals from The X Factor US contestant Astro. In the United States, the song was released as a solo single, without Astro's verses. Its remix features Snoop Dogg. The song was written by Savan Kotecha and Shellback, with production being handled by the latter.[3] Musically, "Want U Back" is a pop song, with elements of bubblegum and synth-pop, while lyrically the song is about a girl who's jealous of her ex-boyfriend's new relationship, and tries to sabotage the new relationship.
This article is about the song by Cher Lloyd. For other uses, see Want You Back (disambiguation)."Want U Back"
3 February 2012
- 3:34 (album version)
- 3:44 (featured versions)
Shellback
The song received acclaim from most music critics, some praised her sassy attitude on the song and labelled it "infectious". There are two videos for the song: the UK version and the US version. The UK video features Lloyd traipsing through old photographs with her former beau and some with his new girlfriend and wreaking havoc on the happy couple, while the US version features Lloyd at a diner (Cadillac Jack's) wreaking havoc on her ex's new girlfriend. The song reached number three on the New Zealand Singles Chart, number 11 on the Canadian Hot 100, number 18 on the Irish Singles Chart and number 25 on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, the song peaked at number nine on Billboard's Pop Songs chart, and number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it her first top 40 hit in the United States. To date, it is Lloyd's biggest hit worldwide.
Background and release[edit]
On 15 December 2011, it was announced that "Want U Back" would be released as the third single from Lloyd's debut album, Sticks and Stones.[4] The artwork was revealed on 22 December 2011.[5] In an interview with Metro News's Daniella Graham, Lloyd stated that she hoped the track would help her get into the American market, saying "I don’t expect anyone to know who I am because I live in the UK. I'm from The X Factor and I came fourth. It's crazy and it gives me a lot of hope. With the USA, I'm not going to run before I can walk but you never know what's going to happen."[6] The UK single release features The X Factor US season one contestant Astro. L.A. Reid, who mentored Astro, had recently signed Lloyd to Epic Records in the US. A new version of "Want U Back" was released as Lloyd's debut single in the US.[7] Lloyd was reported to have collaborated with rapper Snoop Dogg on "Want U Back" for her US debut.[8] The version with Snoop Dogg was released as a bonus track to Sticks and Stones on Lloyd's online store and on the Japanese edition of the album.[9] The US version of the song appears as one of the 16 main tracks on Now That's What I Call Music! 43.
Chart performance[edit]
"Want U Back" first appeared on the UK Singles Chart on the week ending 19 November 2011. The track debuted at number 194, following digital downloads from the respective album.[23] The song then re-entered the chart at number 56 on the week ending 21 January 2012 – following the release of the music video and confirmation of its release as a single. On its third charting week, the song rose 30 places to number 26 with sales of 9,730.[24] In New Zealand, "Want U Back" was a massive success, reaching #3.
The song debuted at number 38 on the US Pop Songs chart.[25] It also charted at number 39 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart.[26]
On the Billboard Hot 100 chart, it debuted at number 75 on the issue date of 30 June,[27] The next week it rose to number 51,[28] rising to number 35 the following week [29] and climbing to number 27 the next week [30] and still climbing to chart at number 16 on the issue date of 28 July;[31] dropping one position the next week to number 17 [32] and climbing to its peaking position, number 12, the next week.[33] It was last seen on the Billboard Hot 100, close to exiting the top 75, later moving to "recurrent status" after 20 weeks if fallen below position number 50.[34] "Want U Back" dropped to number 73 on the issue date of 10 November [35] to drop the chart the following week. "Want U Back" has since peaked number 9 on Billboard Pop Songs, number 5 on the Digital Songs and number 23 on Adult Pop Songs. It also debuted at number 95 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart and has since peaked at number 11.[36] As of February 2013, the track has sold over 2,000,000 copies in the US, and almost 3,000,000 copies worldwide.[37]
Live performances[edit]
Lloyd has performed the track live at every radio station she visited on her radio tour. The majority of these performances were done acoustically. On 25 July 2012 Lloyd made her US television debut after a performance on an America's Got Talent results show. On 30 August 2012, Lloyd performed the song, along with her next single, "With Ur Love", on Today to an audience of hundreds of fans. She sang the song with Taylor Swift on Swift's Red Tour on 19 August 2013.[41]