Acapella (Kelis song)

"Acapella" is a song by American singer Kelis from her fifth studio album, Flesh Tone (2010). The song is a departure from her past singles in that it is a dance/electronic track rather than hip hop/R&B-oriented.[2] The song was first premiered on her Twitter page and her official website in November 2009,[2] and was released on February 23, 2010, as the lead single from the album.[3]

"Acapella"
Single by Kelis
from the album Flesh Tone
ReleasedFebruary 20, 2010
GenreElectro house[1]
Length6:56 (extended mix)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)David Guetta
Kelis singles chronology
"Lil Star"
(2007)		 "Acapella"
(2010)		 "4th of July (Fireworks)"
(2010)

The song's co-writer Makeba Riddick revealed that the song had previously been called "Majestic".[4] Kelis stated that she wrote the song "with love and life in my mind"[5] and as a tribute to her son, Knight.[6] It has received positive reviews from critics many of whom praise the song for its inspirational lyrics and for its uptempo feel-good vibe which includes angelic harmonies. The song was listed at number 20 on the NME's best tracks of 2010; they described it as "her most thrilling tune since 'Milkshake'".[7]

Reception

The single received universally positive reviews. Pitchfork Media gave the song a positive review, rating the track an 8 [out of a possible 10] and saying: "'Acapella' is a smooth, Donna Summer-style track with Kelis as an icy electro queen, a robotic embrace of house's metronomic bliss."[8] About.com's "Dance Music" section reviewed the track favorably, calling the song "majestic" and named it its "Song of the Day".[9] Entertainment Weekly called the song a "feathery dance-floor delight"[5] and placed the song on its "The MustList" for 2010 whilst Billboard magazine added the song to its 2010's "Best Bits" listing.[5] NME magazine also loved the song calling it "the most thrilling tune since "Milkshake"[10] whilst Heat said the "banger" deserves four stars.[10]

Nick Levine of Digital Spy was more than impressed by the song. He said "Will.i.am's been a busy boy lately, but what's the best thing he's done for us – the new Usher single ['OMG']? Nah. 'Meet Me Halfway'? Hmm... maybe. Signing Kelis... Bingo! We say this because 'Acapella' is quite possibly the most sublime slice of club pop we'll hear all year. Over tub-thumping beats ... Kelis delivers a heartfelt tribute to her baby son, Knight. 'Before you my whole life was acapella', she gushes on the near-hymnal chorus, 'Now a symphony is the only song to sing'. The result is so uplifting, so full of energy and emotion, it doesn't just make you want to dance – it makes you want to dance with everyone who's a little bit special to you."[6] Fraser McAlpine of BBC Chart Blog was also gushing with praise for the song, saying it is "a song which is itself so sparkling and loveable as to make other pop songs seem un-inspired and un-glorious, even the really good ones. [The] melody has been launched from a throat of pure devotion, and is borne aloft by a host of angelic harmonies."[11]

Chart performance

"Acapella" is Kelis's third solo U.S. dance chart-topper and first since 2003's "Milkshake", not including her 2004 feature on Enrique Iglesias's "Not in Love" that also reached the top of the dance chart.[12] It remained at number one for one week, but the single did fail to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

On April 15, 2010, "Acapella" debuted on the Irish Singles Chart at number 30, and climbed two places to 28 the following week. On its third week in the chart, the single rose a further 6 places to its current peak of 22. By the fifth week the single rose to number 17 on the Irish music charts breaking into the top 20. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number five making it the singer's sixth top-five hit and ninth top-ten hit on the chart. In its second week it fell to number seven, however on the UK Dance Chart it went to number one for two consecutive weeks.

In Germany, it is her most successful single since "Trick Me" from the year 2004, reaching number 21.[13]

Music video

The video was filmed in Los Angeles on February 19–20, 2010,[14][15] by British duo Rankin & Chris, consisting of portrait and fashion photographer Rankin and musical director Chris Cottam.[16] It was premiered on singer's website and released to her official Vevo account on March 29, 2010.[17] A making-of video was released on April 29, 2010.[14]

Synopsis

The video begins with Kelis walking in a jungle as a huntress and then putting on a crown made out of peacock skin and singing. This scene was filmed in black and white. Another scene shows her in front of a fabric and the next shows her on the floor, demonstrating her breathing. The chorus shows Kelis on a chair with a black background with glitter falling down. The next verse shows the chorus scene in a lion's mouth and then in gold body paint. The chorus shows Kelis in a yellow dress that fills half of the scene, and then the final verse shows her on a desert island dressed in brown. The chorus shows Kelis shooting an arrow in the black and white scene and then the video's ending shows Kelis on the desert island with her baby boy (making his first appearance) on her back in a carrier.

Track listing

Personnel and credits

Recording

"Acapella" was recorded at Casa de Kelis and mixed at Gum Prod Studios in Paris.[25]

Song
  • Production – David Guetta
  • Co-production – Frédéric Riesterer
  • Mixing – David Guetta
  • Recording – Brian B Russ
  • Lead vocals – Kelis

Music video

Adapted from VideoStatic.[26]

  • Directors – Rankin, Chris Cottam, Nicole Ehrlich
  • Producers – Coleen Haynes, Ron Mohrhoff, Nicole Ehrlich
  • Production company – HSI Productions
  • Director of photography – Christopher Probst
  • Editor – Adam "Zuk" Zuckerman
  • Production designer – Charles Infante
  • Stylist – Paula Bradley
  • Hairstylist – Anthony Dickey
  • Make-up artist – Kathy Yeung
  • Body painter – Nelly Recchia

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[52] Silver 200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Country Date Format Label
United States February 23, 2010 Digital download will.i.am music
France April 5, 2010[53] Polydor Records
United Kingdom April 11, 2010
Germany May 7, 2010 CD single Universal Music[54]
United Kingdom May 10, 2010 Polydor Records[55]

References
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  2. "Kelis "Flesh Tone" Album Preview". Billboard.com. September 14, 2009. Archived from the original on April 14, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  3. "Acapella: Kelis: MP3 Downloads". Amazon. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  4. "Makeba Riddick 'Change Up' album". Musicremedy.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  5. ""Acapella," Lead Single From Grammy-Nominated Singer-Songwriter Kelis' New Album, Available Now On The Itunes Music Store". Hip Hop Press. February 23, 2010. Archived from the original on March 1, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  6. Levin, Nick (April 16, 2010). "Music Reviews: Kelis Acapella". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  7. NMe's List of the best tracks of 2010 NME Retrieved December 2, 2010
  8. "Track Reviews: Kelis - "Acapella"". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 12, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  9. "Song of the Day: Kelis - "Acapella"". Dancemusic.about.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  10. "UK press loves Acapella". iamkelis.com. April 26, 2010. Archived from the original on July 12, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  11. McAlpine, Fraser (April 15, 2010). "BBC Chart Blog: Kelis is back with Acapella (review)". BBC Chart Blog. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
  12. "Chart Beat Thursday: Taio Cruz, Ludacris, Peter Gabriel – Chart Beat". Billboard.com. September 14, 2009. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  13. musicline.de / PhonoNet GmbH. "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, News, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche". musicline.de. Archived from the original on July 27, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
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