Whistle (Flo Rida song)

"Whistle" is an electropop song characterized by a whistling melody. Upon its release, the song received mostly mixed-to-negative reviews from music critics who generally praised its pop sound and noted that it had the potential of becoming another hit with its "catchy" hook but panned the lyrics for being interpreted as a thinly veiled euphemism for oral sex, calling it "the least subtle song ever". The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Flo Rida's third number one hit and his first since 2009's "Right Round".^[1] Outside of the United States, "Whistle" topped the charts in several other countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Republic of Ireland, and peaked within the top ten of the charts in many others, including Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom.


An accompanying music video for the song, directed by Marc Klasfeld, was released on May 24, 2012. It was filmed in Acapulco, Mexico and makes use of split screen at various points. It mostly shows shots of Flo Rida and several girls on a beach. Upon its release, it received mixed to positive reviews from critics, who noted that it was a perfect accompaniment for the song. Flo Rida also promoted the song by performing it during the finale of the talent show, The Voice. This song is the second track on Now 44. The cover image of the single also drew praise for its subtlety and originality.

Music video[edit]

The music video for "Whistle" was directed by Marc Klasfeld and premiered on May 24, 2012, at 4 p.m. EST.^[27][28][29] A preview of the video was released on May 21, 2012.^[28] It was filmed in Acapulco, Mexico.^[4][30] A behind-the-scenes video was released the next day on May 25, 2012.^[29] It makes use of split screen at various points. It mostly shows Flo Rida lying on a bed on a beach singing the song.


Hamish Macbain of NME described the video, "The video setting: Flo Rida, topless, head shaved, shorts on, on a cliff edge. Other video personnel: women in bikinis, some allowed to whistle to take Flo Rida’s dream outlined at the beginning of this track one step closer to reality."^[9] Becky Bain of Idolator reviewed the video positively, saying: "Flo Rida's thinly-veiled sexual euphimism, 'Whistle', gets exactly the type of video you’d expect: shot in sunny Acalpulco, the ... vid[eo] features boobs, babes, bikinis, and little else. The clip also acts as a video pamphlet for any millionaires out there looking to find the next location for their luxury vacation. Flo Rida and his booty-shakin’ ladies not included, but with an unbelievable setting like this, you can do more than just whistle the night away."^[30] A writer of Rap-Up noted that "Water, women, and wild parties rule" with the video and further wrote that viewers will "escape to paradise with Flo".^[31] Katherine St Asaph of Popdust gave a mixed review for the video, writing that "it's fitting that the 'Whistle' video is basically an update of 'Wild Ones,' with less Sia and more whistling".^[32] However, she praised the landscapes in the video, saying that "This could double as a travel commercial–a commercial for the very idea of travel.".^[32]