Where Is the Love?
"Where Is the Love?" is a song by American hip hop group the Black Eyed Peas. It was released on May 12, 2003, as the lead single from their third album, Elephunk (2003). The song was written by will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo, Justin Timberlake, Printz Board, Michael Fratantuno, and George Pajon. The track features vocals from Timberlake, although he is not officially credited on the single release. It was the group's first song to feature singer Fergie as an official member.
This article is about the Black Eyed Peas song. For the Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway song, see Where Is the Love (Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway song). For the Hanson song, see Where's the Love. For other uses, see Where's the Love (disambiguation)."Where Is the Love?"
- "Sumthin for That Ass"
- "What's Going Down"
May 12, 2003
December 26, 2001–March 3, 2003[1]
- The Stewchia (Los Feliz, California)
- Glenwood (Burbank, California)[1]
- 4:34 (single version)
- 3:51 (radio edit)
- will.i.am
- apl.de.ap
- Taboo
- Justin Timberlake
- Printz Board
- Michael Fratantuno
- George Pajon
- will.i.am
- Ron Fair
"Where Is the Love?" saw success on radio airplay charts,[2] peaked at number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100, and topped the charts in Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, where it became the biggest-selling single of 2003. The band and Timberlake received two nominations, Record of the Year and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, for "Where Is the Love?" at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards.[3]
Background[edit]
Following the commercial failures of their previous albums and singles, there was doubt over whether the Black Eyed Peas would continue to record together. A&R executive Ron Fair approached them and suggested a crossover to a more mainstream pop sound. will.i.am in particular resisted the idea for fear that they would be seen as sellouts. However, after discussions and some writing sessions, the idea was pursued.[4] After the release of 'Where is the Love' Taboo would claim on the topic of selling out that if he was going to sell out, he'd "rather be selling out arenas than selling out of my trunk on the corner of my block."[5]
In an interview with The Telegraph in 2016, will.i.am alleges the inspiration for the original song came from the generalized anxiety following the September 11 attacks. will.i.am said: “On our last day (of recording sessions in San Francisco), as I was packing my equipment, I saw the first plane fly through the World Trade Center (...) I thought it was a film. The fear of driving back home, y’know going over San Francisco bridge. That 10 minute drive across the bridge felt like an hour.”[6] In the same interview will.i.am claims that the emotions from that time form the base emotions the song's lyrics are composed of.
Shortly after Christmas 2001, three months after 9/11, will.i.am created a loop and a guitar part that he liked. apl.de.ap and Taboo also heard the track and were able to write similar lyrics over it. Justin Timberlake was introduced to the group by Taboo, and got a chance to hear the track that will.i.am created. Impressed with the music, Timberlake helped write and sing the chorus. The production of Where is the Love was halted over the early half of 2002 as the band burned out over what will.i.am claimed was 9/11-induced anxiety during their tour in that year.[6]
Timberlake was in the midst of promotion of his debut solo album, Justified, and his label Jive Records was concerned about possible overexposure. The Black Eyed Peas were worried about this, as getting some assistance from an established pop star like Timberlake had been the original point of this song. A compromise was reached eventually in which Jive gave clearance for the vocals of Timberlake to be released on the song, but he does not appear in the song's music video nor is he officially credited on the song as an artist. By 2008, the single had sold 954,000 digital copies.[7]
Reception[edit]
As part of the album Elephunk, the song was met with critical and commercial success. Elephunk has a Metacritic score of 66/100.[9] The Black Eyed Peas' album Elephunk sold 3.2 million copies as of 2011.[10] David Jeffries of Drowned In Sound noted that it was the "long time coming" Black Eyed Peas hit, praising its dramatic delivery as "epic, positive, and concerned with where the world is going, “Where Is the Love” bounces between positive hip-hop and orchestral soul that royally recalls Marvin Gaye's social meditations."[11] According to The Washington Post, "Where is the Love" propelled the Black Eyed Peas from the underground to the mainstream.[5] Entertainment Weekly was more negative about the song, which deviates sharply from the Black Eyed Peas' rap roots, writing that "the biggest offense for a once smart-sounding rap collective is ”Where Is the Love,” the horrifyingly trite single with Justin Timberlake. It's enough to make longtime fans wonder, ”Where are the Peas?”"[12] Chris Nettleson of Drowned in Sound refrains from commenting on "Where is the Love" directly, but instead notes that other critics have unfairly regarded Elephunk as deviating from standard hip hop. Nettleson writes that "Where is the Love" is a "slightly saccharine hippy anti-gulf war anthem", but in the context of the entire album of Elephunk it is worth listening to.[13]
The song was the biggest selling single of 2003 in the UK. It was also the 25th best-selling single of the 2000s (decade) in the UK.[14]
Music video[edit]
The music video for "Where Is the Love?" was shot in East Los Angeles and features the Black Eyed Peas and various other people, including various young children, asking the world where the love really is. In the video, will.i.am and Taboo act as a soul music road duo who use music to tell people what is wrong with the world, Fergie appears as a peacemaker who places stickers with question marks on them all over the place to ask people where the love is in the world, and apl.de.ap is a criminal who is arrested for using criminal offenses to tell people the truth. Justin Timberlake does not appear in the video, as he was promoting his album Justified at the time,[15] though several different people are seen mouthing his part.
The video features posters from the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, with the question mark symbol plastered over said posters in an apparent protest over the game's violent content.[16] The video later shows gameplay footage from the controversial first-person shooter Postal 2, in which a group of young children are seen playing the game, suggesting that violence in the media and entertainment industry is a corrupting influence to the youth.[17][18] Running With Scissors, creators of the Postal franchise, later claimed in a tweet in 2021 that they were paid for the use of the game's footage.[19] As of April 2024 the YouTube video has accumulated more than one billion views.[20]
"Where's the Love?"
August 31, 2016
5:25
- will.i.am
- Giorgio Tuinfort