"On the Floor" is a song by American recording artist Jennifer Lopez, taken from her upcoming seventh studio album Love? (2011). Written by Bilal Hajji, Kinda Hamid, Gonzalo G. Hermosa, Gonzalo U. Hermosa, Achraf Janussi, Armando Perez, Geraldo Sandell and co-written & produced by RedOne, the up-tempo dance-pop, electropop, house music song features vocals from American rapper Pitbull. Additionally, it incorporates latin beats with a sample of Kaoma's 1989 hit single "Lambada." In production, it is similar to Lopez's debut single "If You Had My Love" (1999) and millennium hit single "Waiting for Tonight" (2000). Lopez recorded the song as it incorporated both the singing and dancing elements of her career.
"On the Floor" serves as Lopez's debut release with The Island Def Jam Music Group, after the singer ended her ten-year partnership with Epic Records. It is also the first single from Love? to be released by Island Records, and the second time that Lopez and Pitbull collaborated on a song; the first being Love?'s 2009 promotional single, "Fresh Out the Oven". The release of the single coincides with Lopez's appointment as a judge on season ten of American Idol. "On the Floor" premiered on January 18, 2011 On Air with Ryan Seacrest, where it was met with positive reception. The song was sent to both mainstream and rhythmic radio stations on February 8, 2011, and released as a digital download from February 11, 2011.
Although critics criticized RedOne for being unimaginative with the song, they applauded the song for updating Lopez's traditional dance-pop sound with the right mix of latin beats, as well as having a vintage Lopez sound. It has also been applauded as Lopez's best work in recent years, with a global appeal. However, both the song garnered some critisms for allegedly copying elements of the lyrics from fellow Latina singer Kat DeLuna's 2010 single "Party O'Clock", also produced by RedOne. Following its release, "On the Floor" has become the singer's most successful single in eight years, topping the singles chart in Finland, Spain , Belgium and Australia as well as becoming, at least, a top-three hit in Canada, France and the United States.
An accompanying music video, directed by TAJ Stansberry and choreographed by Frank Gatson, was released on March 3, 2011. The final ending was selected by fans, who were opted to vote between three alternative endings. Scenes in the video depict an underground club culture and with the styling, choreography and fashion paying homage to the dance-beginnings of Lopez's career. It premiered simultaneously on American Idol and through Vevo. It received critical acclaim for showcasing the best of Lopez's abilities as a dancer and for its expensive high quality finish, that critics felt complemented the song which also received a warm reception.
Background
Lopez's seventh studio album, Love?, has been in conception since late 2007 and early 2008.[1] Then, under contract to Epic Records, Lopez released "Louboutins," a song written and produced by The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, as the project's lead single.[2] However, upon release the song failed to garner any airplay, despite topping the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. Lopez subsequently left Epic Records, by mutual consent, citing that she had fulfilled her contractual obligations and now wished to release the Love? with a new label.[3] Upon signing with Island DefJam Music, Lopez worked further with The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, in addition to working with new collaborators such asRedOne.[4] It wasn't until January 2011 that Lopez teased the media about the new lead single for Love? In a tweet on her official Twitteraccount, Lopez posted: "I see u @RedOne_Official! We're making BIG things happen 'On the Floor' this new year!!!".[5] Subsequently on January 16, 2011, an unfinished snippet of "On the Floor" leaked online via Rap-Up.com. It was produced by RedOne and features a rap fromPitbull.[6] It is the second time that Lopez and Pitbull have collaborated on, the first being "Fresh Out the Oven", the leaked 2009 club single which reached number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart.[7]
According to the Los Angeles Times's Gerrick D. Kennedy, a full length unfinished version leaked online over the same weekend, just in time for Lopez's new L'Oreal commericial which premiered during the telecast of the 68th Golden Globe Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. The timing of the leak also coincides with Lopez's debut as a full-time member of the judging panel on season ten of American Idol.[8] Lopez confirmed the single's title as "On the Floor" during the red carpet ceremony at The Golden Globes, before appearing On Air with Ryan Seacrest radio show the following day for the song's live world premiere.[5] Following its airing live on Seacreast's radio show, the official version of "On the Floor", along with the single cover, were uploaded to Ryanseacrest.com. The site's editor Sadao Turner, revealed that the final master of the song was different to the previously leaked and unfinished version.[9] When asked my MTV News, "What was it like working with Lopez?", RedOne replied "Let's face it: With J.Lo, you have to go big or go home". He said that to make a song that sounded right for Lopez he would need "dance, parties and her Latina heritage". Consequently the duo came up with "On the Floor" which also features a rap from Pitbull. Commenting on the studio process, RedOne said, "She's a dancer. She can sing. I was really amazed, and I had so much fun working with her, her energy and everything about her is a star, and it was natural for me to do what we did."[10] "On the Floor" made its debut in the United Kingdom, on January 28, 2011 when it was played by DJ Scott Mills on his radio show, Ready for the Weekend.[11] Benji Eisen from AOL Music stated that Lopez had used "genius marketing and branding" by synchronising the digital release of "On the Floor" with the premiere of its music video on American Idol.[12] It was added the B-playlist on the UK's biggest mainstream radio station, BBC Radio 1, on March 16, 2011.[13]
[edit]Composition
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"On the Floor" is an up-tempo dance and electropop song with strong elements ofelectrohouse, produced by RedOne. It features a rap introduction from Latino rapperPitbull and a sample from "Lambada" originally written by Bolivian group Los Kjarkas in 1981 as a slow ballad entitled "Llorando se fue," which was revised and popularized as the lambada-rhythmic dance single "Chorando se foi" by Brazilian singer-songwriter MĂ¡rcia Ferreira in 1986[14] and covered later by Kaoma in 1989.[15]"On the Floor" was written by Bilal Hajji, Kinda Hamid, Gonzalo Hermosa, Ulises Hermosa, Achraf Janussi, RedOne, Pitbull and Geraldo Sandell.[16] When speaking of the record, Lopez said that she wanted a song that would evolved her sound, "it feels like me today, which I like. It's not something that you hear and you're like, 'That's not her,' but you also go, 'Is that her? I like that. It's new,' and that's what I wanted. I wanted it to be very me, but I wanted it to be me not from my first album or my second album, but for today."[17]
According to Idolator and Gerrick Kennedy from the Los Angeles Times, "On the Floor" is reminiscent of Lopez's hit millennium single, "Waiting for Tonight".[18] About.com's Bill Lamb also compared the song to Lopez's debut single "If You Had My Love" (1999).[19] Idolator noted that the song mixes "latin sounds with a heavy club beat",[18] while Melinda Newman from Hitfix.com said it has a "retro spirit" and was less heavy than some of Lopez's previous efforts.[7] Kennedy agreed 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."[8] Idolator's Robbie Daw commented that the final mastered version of the single trimmed one minute off the original leaked song as was more "radio-ready".[20]
However, comparisons were made between "On the Floor" and another RedOne production, Kat DeLuna's 2010 single, "Party O'Clock", which was also produced by RedOne.[21] In "Party O'Clock" DeLuna sings "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 "Cuz London to Ibiza/Straight to L.A. New York/Vegas to Africa" in "On the Floor".[21] Meanwhile, Lopez said she had to record "On the Floor" because it captured both sides of her career, singing and dancing. "The minute RedOne played it for me, I made him play it 20 times in a row, and I just sat there at the board and I kept listening to it and listening to it ... Because I really feel like, emotionally, I connected to it, but also because of how much I love to dance and how much that's always been such a big part of who I am since I started. Since I was a little girl, I just totally connected with the idea of getting out there."[22] About.com's Bill Lamb likened the song to having the same exotic touch that "Stereo Love" (2010) by Edward Maya had, this is done by taking the accordian style instrumental from "stereo love" and implementing it as a main component of "On the Floor".[23]
[edit]Critical reception
Reviews by critics were generally positive. Bill Lamb from About.com positively reviewed the track, rating it 4 stars (out of a possible 5), enjoying "Jennifer Lopez' authoritative party leading vocals", the "irresistible dance-pop groove" and the "small touch of the exotic".[23] He further went to say that: "Jennifer Lopez sings with an authority in her voice that makes her completely convincing as the party leader. This is a record and party ready to take off, and if you miss it, then it is your loss.[23] Staff from Idolator were impressed with the song saying, "Our verdict: we’re pretty happy with the latest from Lopez." However the site noted that some people might be put off by the lack of originality. "Apart from Pitbull’s introduction, there may not be enough hip hop flavor here to make a splash at the clubs — the track may be too much of a throwback to older dance hits, without bringing anything new or innovative to the party."[18] Melinda Newman from Hitfix.com said that "On the Floor" demonstrated RedOne's "ability to bring out the best in his artists". Of the song, Newman said "'On the Floor' is so much better than than the ham-fisted, truly awful 'Louboutins' that we can only be thankful she came to her senses."[7] In his article for the Los Angeles Times, Gerrick Kennedy said the song was a "sweat-inducing, sticky dance floor track" which was catchier than either of her previous releases, "Louboutins" or "Fresh Out the Oven". Although praising RedOne's production skills, he noted that it was not as "inventive as the pop gems he crafts with muse Lady Gaga" and criticised Pitbull's "throwaway verse" but added that the single was "vintage J.Lo."[8] Nadine Cheung from AOL Radio Blog concurred with comments by her fellow critics, saying that "Jennifer Lopez reinforces her renaissance woman status with the release of her new single".[5] Nick Levine from Digital Spy called "On the Floor" a song that the Black Eyed Peas would have been "proud to have released". Levine agreed with other reviewers, that it was a "welcome comeback for Lopez". He praised the "no so-subtle" sample and "latin-tinged electro-housy" production for making the song "the antithesis of classy," and although not original, "there's no denying that this gets the job done."[15] R Reitz, program director at WFHN (Fun 107) in New Bedford, Massachusetts, said "We thought the song was a hit the first time we listened. It's the perfect Jennifer Lopez song, her voice sounds great, and Pitbull makes it very contemporary and relevant. The song is already a hit in our market and I think she can easily have more."[24]
Fans of fellow Latino singer Kat DeLuna claimed that "On the Floor" was similar to DeLuna's 2010 single "Party O'Clock". In a statement issued to the New York Daily News, DeLuna said "It's cool that artists like J.Lo are inspired by my musical sound and style. ... Jennifer helped pave the way for Latinas like myself. I love her", and insisted that there wasn't an issue.[21] DeLuna said she was inspired by Lopez, and saw her as someone who opened the doors for people like her to sing.[21] Lopez was interviewed about the issue on Latin-American entertainment programme Despierta America. Lopez replied "What? Really? I'm not aware of that...," and when pressed by the presenter a second time, insisted she had not heard rumors of the comparisons.[25] It was alleged that "J.Lo's camp specifically requested that nothing about the Deluna debacle be brought up during the interview."[25]
[edit]Chart performance
In the chart week ending February 12, 2011, "On the Floor" made its official chart debut in Canada. It opened at number eighty-six on theCanadian Hot 100.[26] It is the first song from Love? to receive recognition on Billboard charts, as neither the album's Epic Records buzz single ("Fresh Out the Oven", which also features Pitbull), or the previous lead single "Louboutins" had received airplay.[3] The single also debuted on the Slovakia Airplay chart at number sixteen[27] and has since become a top 5 hit, and the Czech Airplay chart at number seventy-four.[28] In its second week, "On the Floor" rose to number seventy-nine in Canada.[29] In Belgium, the single made a top-forty debut on the Ultratip charts. It opened at number thirty-three on the Wallonia chart and thirty-nine on the Flanders chart.[30][31]
In Australia it debuted at number ten, becomming 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, since "If You Had My Love" (1999).[32] Follwing its worldwide release (excluding the UK), "On the Floor" made several top-five debuts, including in Finland and number four in Spain.[33][34] In France, the single debuted at number one on the French Digital chart.[35] Furthermore, three weeks into its premiere in Canada, the single experienced a surge in popularity upon release, rising sixty-six places to number two.[36] To date the single has gone top-ten in every territory released, excluding The Netherlands. It had peaked at number one on both Belgian charts in addition to Finland, Slovakia and Spain.[33][27][37] In the United Kingdom, "On the Floor" was added straight the the B-playlist on mainstream radio.[13]
In the United States, "On the Floor" made its first chart debut on the Hot Dance Club Songs, debuting at number twenty-six. Additionally it debuted on the US Pop Songs chart at number forty, marking Lopez's first appearance on Pop airplay charts since 2007.[38] In comparison, Lopez's previous single from Love? ("Louboutins") failed to register any airplay on the Billboard airplay charts.[3] Consequently, "On the Floor" made its Billboard Hot 100 chart debut at number nine, becoming the highest debuting Hot 100 single of Lopezs' career. Furthermore it is her tenth top-ten hit, six of which have featured other artists. Its her best US chart position, as a lead artist, since "All I Have" with LL Cool J, although she did appear in the top-ten in 2006 as a featured artist on LL Cool J's "Control Myself".[39][40] It was released in the United States almost one month after it was released to YouTube and radio stations. First week sales for "On the Floor" came in at over 170,000 copies, landing it at number three on the Hot Digital Songs chart.[41] In its second week, "On the Floor" climbed to number fifteen on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart.[42]
As a direct result, Kaoma's 1989 "Lambada" single re-entered the charts after more than two decades, making its digital chart debut at number three on the Billboard World Digital Chart.[43] Additionally, "On the Floor" saw a 31% increase in sales following the premier of its music video on American Idol. With second week sales of 232,000 copies, the song rose to number two on the Hot Digital Songs chart and number five on the Hot 100. It is Lopez's seventh top-five hit in the United States.[39] "On the Floor" was also noted for being the first song to debut in the top-ten and climb up the chart in its second week, since Pink's single "So What" achieved the same feat in September 2008.[44]To date, the single has sold 609,000 copies in the United States. USA Today attributes Lopez's commercial comeback to endorsement deals with L'Oreal and Gillette. USA Today's Bill Keveney also noted that Lopez's appointment as a judge on American Idol is also linked to the growth in her popularity.[45]
[edit]Music video
[edit]Development
The music video for "On the Floor" was filmed over the weekend of January 22/23, 2011,[17] with TAJ Stansberry as the director and Frank Gatson serving as choreographer.[46] 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] Pitbull will appear in the video. He commented on his approach to filming music videos for dance songs like "On the Floor". He said "When you got these big, big house records or club records that are very global, I try to come in on what I was raised on, what I'm a fan of, which is just spitting hard."[47] Meanwhile Gatson said that Lopez wanted a post-2AM Los Angeles club vibe for the video. He said,
"[We're trying to create a vibe] that's so amazing. [It's like] everybody had some watermelon and the watermelon made them high, it gave them a little buzz — but a good buzz, a real magical buzz, a dance buzz, a buzz that makes you feel like fried chicken, so she just wants everybody to have a good old time.... The club must have this vibe, where you get on the floor and everybody's bringing it," he added. "We've seen so many club videos, but we want to see a club video with a vibe unique to Jennifer Lopez."[46]
Just ahead of the casting call and video shoot, Stansberry revealed his views on what the concept for the video would be. He told MTV News, the video is all about originality. "Originality, being you. This song is about being who you want. It's about letting loose. There's no explanation. This is this underground video, this underground party."[46] During the video shoot, Lopez spoke to MTV about the concept. She said "I play one character where she kind of runs this party, acts like she's kind of over it, but at the same time loves it and loves this kind of underground kind of party dance culture,... So I got to be wild and crazy, and at the same time I got to be sexy and sweet too."[47] The video makes use of product placement, including BMW, Swarovski and Crown Royal according to Tanner Stransky from Entertainment Weekly.Stransky also noted the "unintentional placement" of fake eyelashes and wigs, weaves, and other hair-extending products.[48]
Lopez later confirmed, in an interview On Air with Ryan Seacrest, that the completed music video will premiere jointly on season ten ofAmerican Idol and on Vevo on March 3, 2011. Fans could vote between three alternative endings through Idol's official website.[49] Lopez said the idea behind giving fans the choice was to give them a chance to see what she experiences. "You get to do what I do,... Like, I go in there with my videos and I start editing and picking all the shots I like and the things that I like and what I feel the best kind of feeling for the record is. You guys get to do that. We picked two different ones and we weren't sure."[50] The alternative endings included three varying scenes: in the first, the video ends with a close-up of Lopez's face in the silver lace catsuit; the second ends with a shot of dancers defying gravity on the walls and ceiling, while the final ending ends with a shot of Lopez on the dance floor in her harem pants.[51]
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[edit]Synopsis
The clip begins with Lopez arriving at a club in a black BMW, one example of the product placementused throughout the video.[48] As the music begins, she is putting on a pair Swarovski crystal earrings as the camera switches to and descends from above, showing the club scene unfolding. Las Vegas-style crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling.[48] Choreographer Frank Gatson Jr. called the club, "the best dance party in town," with Lopez playing several different characters.[52] The scenes and Lopez were both styled to pay homage to her background as a professional dancer. Lopez said the video as "introducing people to a new J.Lo-ration of party people".[52][53] In one scene, she plays a dominant queen of the party who watches from above, on a balcony surrounded by servants.[47] When portraying this character, Lopez is styled with "a big beehive bun, gold gladiator heels and a glittery gold gown with Gaga-esque detailing in its high collar and leaves (upper image)."[52][54] The 'queen' character "dangles lazily on a couch" and "regally oversees a crowd of people getting down on the dancefloor."[54][55] In another seen Lopez wears a silver crystal and lace skin-tight catsuit, designed by Zuhair Murad, as she dances against a "gold cardio barre".[54][56] According to the Los Angeles Times, she shakes her "money maker [(derrière)]."[57] Spliced in between these scenes, Lopez is is seen dressed in black harem pants and a bikini top, Lopez walks through the crowd to mount a circular stage on the Las Vegas-style dancefloor. Here, she "tears up the floor," and "breaks it down 'fly-girl' style" (lower image).[54][58]
[edit]Reception
The music video received almost unanimous positive reception for returning Lopez to her dance roots. Most critics praised the styling of Lopez and the scenery as well as the Lopez's physique. Tanner Stransky from Entertainment Weekly said that the video brought together a flawless realness with an expensive set-up, something which Stransky felt were "very important elements in the pop music world and to the old Lopez that everyone knew and loved."[59] Upon the video's fill premiere, Stransky added added that the video was "sexy and sultry."[48]Kyle Anderson from MTV's Newsroom felt that the premier of Lopez's video almost overshadowed the episode of American Idol that it was shown in. Commending the "gorgeous and exquisite execution," Anderson praised the video particularly noting Lopez's "incredible hairstyles" and the "gorgeous club interiors-[set design]."[60] Emma Collins from Hollyscoop.com agreed that the video was fun and catchy, mainly for Lopez's fabulous physique but was annoyed that "On the Floor" continues the current trend of product placement in music videos. Collins made specific reference to former label-mate Britney Spears' music video for "Hold It Against Me."[61]
Following the premier of the video, Benji Eisen called "On the Floor" a "comeback of sorts" for Lopez, particularly noting clever cross-promotion and applauding Lopez for moving on from her previous lack of commercial success in recent years. "These days, she's crushing it."[12] The Daily Star's Kim Dawson also praised the video for returning Lopez to her "day job" despite being everyone's "favourite Idoljudge."[62] The sex appeal in the video for "On the Floor" was likened to that last show by Lopez in the video for "I'm Gonna Be Alright" (2002). A reviewer from the Daily Express said "Jennifer Lopez once told us in song that 'I’m Gonna Be Alright' and now she’s proved it... The curves she displayed when she recorded the hit video nine years ago have been replaced by a leaner, fitter look."[63] Matthew Perpetua fromRollingstone magazine agreed with comparisons to Lopez's earlier work: "Basically, this is classic Lopez tweaked for 2011... visuals that update late-Nineties bling with a high fashion wardrobe nearly as eccentric as that of Rihanna and Lady Gaga."[53] As a result of the video's premiere, the number of views of Lopez's official Vevo account increased 1000%.[64] As of 17 March 2011, the video has been viewed over thirty million times on Lopez's official Vevo page, according to USA Today.[45]
[edit]Track listing
- Digital download[65]
- "On the Floor" (featuring Pitbull) – 3:51
- Digital Remixes[66]
- "On the Floor" (CCW Radio Mix) – 3:44
- "On the Floor" (Low Sunday Radio Edit) – 3:51
- "On the Floor" (Ralphi's Jurty Radio Edit) – 3:57
- "On the Floor" (Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda La to Ibiza Radio Edit) – 3:16
- "On the Floor" (CCW Club Mix) – 6:26
- "On the Floor" (Low Sunday Club) – 6:22
- "On the Floor" (Ralphi's Jurty Club Vox) – 8:43
- "On the Floor" (Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda La to Ibiza Mix) – 6:40
- "On the Floor" (CCW Dub Mix) – 6:07
- "On the Floor" (Low Sunday Dub) – 6:37
- "On the Floor" (Ralphi's Jurty Dub) – 8:43
- "On the Floor" (Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda La to Ibiza Dub) – 5:36
- Spanish digital download[67]
- "Ven a Bailar (On the Floor)" (featuring Pitbull) – 4:52
[edit]Personnel
- Bilal Hajji – songwriter
- Kinda Hamid – songwriter
- Gonzalo G. Hermosa – songwriter
- Gonzalo U. Hermosa – songwriter
- Achraf Janussi – songwriter
- Nadir "RedOne" Khayat – producer, songwriter
- Jennifer Lopez – lead vocalist
- Armando "Pitbull" Perez – lead rap vocalist, songwriter
- Geraldo Sandell – songwriter
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