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Do It (Nelly Furtado song)

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"Do It"
Single by Nelly Furtado
from the album Loose
ReleasedJuly 24, 2007 (2007-07-24)
Recorded2006
StudioHit Factory Criteria (Miami)
GenreDance-pop
Length3:41
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Nelly Furtado
  • Tim Mosley
  • Nate Hills
Producer(s)
Nelly Furtado singles chronology
"Te Busqué"
(2007) 		"Do It"
(2007) 		"In God's Hands"
(2007)

"Do It" is a song by Canadian singer Nelly Furtado from her third studio album, Loose (2006). It was written by Furtado, Tim "Timbaland" Mosley and Nate Hills. It was produced by Timbaland and Nate "Danja" Hills. The song features a prominent influence of 1980s dance music and sexually suggestive lyrics, in which the song's protagonist asks a lover to satisfy her sexually.

"Do It" reached the top twenty in Canada and was a number-one dance hit in the United States, where it became Furtado's lowest peaking single on the Billboard Hot 100.

The music video for "Do It" was directed by Aaron A. (the documentarian on Furtado's Get Loose Tour), and co-directed by Furtado. It was shot on location in Detroit. The video was premiered on MuchMusic on July 13, 2007,[1] and on MTV's Total Request Live on August 1, 2007.

In January 2007, it was revealed that Timbaland plagiarized the synth line in "Do It" from an earlier track by Finnish demoscener Janne Suni and Glenn Rune Gallefoss.

Composition

Furtado has credited the influence of 1980s musicians such as Blondie, Madonna, the Police, Prince and Talking Heads on Loose, saying that the album's creative team "were picking up on some of the more surreal, theatrical elements of '80s music, the stuff that puts you in sort of a dream state. There's a mysterious, after-midnight vibe to this album that's extremely visceral. I want people to escape into the music and indulge their most animalistic impulses."[2] Referring to the sexually suggestive lyrics in "Do It" and other songs on Loose, Furtado cited the influence of what she described as "the assertive female sexuality of '90s hip-hop, from Queen Latifah to MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, Salt-N-Pepa, TLC. They were sexy, smart and creative—strong women in control. That's what I like about the sexual content on Loose: It's very organic."[3]

The melody, chord progression and other elements were taken from the track "Acidjazzed Evening" by Janne Suni.[4]

Critical reception

Billboard magazine said "[it] again demonstrates Furtado's striking versatility [...] Missy Elliott is stripped onto the single version, with a midsection breakdown . . . amusing, but hardly necessary in scoring yet another essential moment from [Loose]".[5] Stylus magazine cited the track and "No Hay Igual" as the album's "undisputed highlights [...] The two songs couldn't possibly be more different, yet the duo [Furtado and Timbaland] manages to convincingly pull off both of them."[6] Slant Magazine said the song is "a deliciously uptempo 80's cut",[7] and The Guardian wrote that Furtado "delivers irresistible hooks of Maneater, Promiscuous and Do It with punchy, playful charisma rather than breathy cooing."[8] Blogcritics published a more negative assessment of the song:

The songs are much more upbeat and not recognizable as the Nelly Furtado that has come to make our ears flutter with her beautiful eclectic sounds. Take for example the song "Do It". What a blast from the '80s past! Here we have a song that would be a huge hit in the '80s thrown in on an album that so desperately wants to score a club hit so that teenagers will download the song as a ringtone. It's a mess. Should we blame Timbaland for the need to clean up aisle 3?[9]

The Village Voice wrote that the song "weakly evokes J.J. Fad" and exemplified why Loose "isn't a love child [between Furtado and Timbaland], but a bump-and-grind that never finds a groove".[10] The Northern Light editorialised, "Although "Do It" fits well after "Say It Right" [the preceding track on the album], there is something very D+ about the song. As cute as it is, it sounds like something that was just better than a filler track."[11] MTV News summarised "Do It" as a "roller-skating jam [that] is all percolating, bubblegum keyboards", and said it contained "one of Timbaland's best beats since he put the snakey whistle on Ludacris' "The Potion"".[3] Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times wrote of the album and song, "Ms. Furtado and Timbaland love unexpected details, and this secretly meticulous CD is full of them [...] in "Do It", Ms. Furtado mutters a casual "Yeah"; Timbaland samples it and turns it into a rhythm instrument that returns at the end of the song, to reward everyone who's paying attention."[12] Billboard magazine wrote that the song contains "breezy uptempo rhythmic instrumentation alongside a sensual lyric that requests a suitor to deliver the physical goods", and that it is one of the tracks on Loose on which "she extorts Gwen Stefani's '80s vibe and schoolgirl chants". Hope, Clover.[13] Other critics have identified a 1980s influence in the song. Stylus magazine described "Do It" as an "undeniable '80s dance-pop" song on which "she [Furtado] conjures the ghost of Vanity, weaving her wickedly mischievous falsetto through Timbaland's synth splashes."[6] According to The Northern Light, Furtado "sings on a bouncy '80s-style track—complete with the keyboard solo—about something reminiscent of a night of high school romance. The track echoes Gwen Stefani's "Crash", but with less of a dance groove."[11] The Observer said that the song "drops an early Eighties Street Sounds electro-pop motif into some frisky footwork from Timbaland",[14] and Slant Magazine characterised the song as an "'80s uptempo cut that imagines what The Jets would've sounded like if they'd been singing about getting some instead of just having crushes".[7] The website Okayplayer called "Do It" and the Loose tracks "Maneater" and "Glow" "electronic-influenced dance songs" similar to another track, "Promiscuous", with "a club-friendly '80s-influenced synthesizer melody."[15] Sun Media described it as "'80s-era Madonna-reminiscent",[16] and a writer for the blog MTV Buzzworthy said it sounds like "a mash-up of old-school Madonna".[17]

Music video

The music video for "Do It" was co-directed by Furtado and Aaron A, the documentarian on Furtado's Get Loose Tour. The filming took place on location in Detroit, one of the stops on the tour.[18] It begins in a women's restroom, in which dancers on Furtado's tour are getting ready to go out. Furtado emerges and starts singing, and she and the dancers leave the restroom and walk out of the club while Furtado is holding a gnome. During daytime, Furtado's dancers walk down the street to her apartment, walk into her bedroom and wake her up. They get dressed and ready to dance, run down the stairs and tow a car into the studio, where Furtado begins performing choreography with her dancers. The video is intercut with shots of Furtado and her dancers wearing white clothing while singing in feathers.

The video was premiered on MuchMusic on July 13, 2007,[1] and on MTV's Total Request Live on August 1, 2007. It debuted on the TRL top ten countdown on August 9, returned to it on August 27[19] and reached number one on six days. The video spent seventeen days on the countdown.[20][21] It also reached number one on VH1's VSpot Top 20 Countdown, Furtado's most successful video on that countdown [22]

Controversy

Main article: Timbaland plagiarism controversy

In January 2007, several news sources reported that Timbaland was alleged to have plagiarized several elements (both motifs and samples) in the song "Do It" without giving credit or compensation. The song itself was released as the fifth North American single from Loose on July 24, 2007.

The original track, titled "Acidjazzed Evening", is a chiptune-style 4-channel Amiga module composed by Finnish demoscener Janne Suni.[23]

Chart performance

The song debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number eighty-eight[24] but dropped off the next week.[25] It peaked at number sixty on the Billboard Pop 100. "Do It" was Furtado's second consecutive single not to reach the top twenty on the Hot 100 or Pop 100 charts, and the lowest peaking single from Loose on both charts; it is also Furtado's lowest charting entry on the Hot 100. It became the fifth consecutive number-one single from Loose on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. On the Canadian Hot 100, the song debuted at number sixty in early August 2007 and peaked at number eleven.[25]

In Europe, "Do It" reached number twenty-two in Germany, remaining on the singles chart for nine weeks.[26] The single reached the top twenty in the Netherlands and Norway and the top forty in Switzerland and Belgium. It charted outside the top forty in Austria.[25] In the United Kingdom, "Do It" debuted at number ninety-five and peaked on its fourth week of charting at number seventy-five[27] and dropped off the next week.[25]

Track listings

Personnel

Credits adapted from the Loose liner notes.[28]

Charts

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Do It"
Region Date Format Version Label Ref.
United States July 24, 2007 Contemporary hit radio featuring Missy Elliott
[59]
August 7, 2007 Digital download [60]
DACH September 28, 2007
Various Universal [61][62]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Nelly Furtado's Do It premier". MuchMusic.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2007.
  2. ^ "Nelly Furtado :: Loose" Archived October 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Universal Music Canada.
  3. ^ a b Shepherd, Julianne. "How Nelly Furtado Got Her Ghetto Pass" Archived April 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. MTV News. June 7, 2006.
  4. ^ Rose, Janus (March 18, 2011). "Timbaland Stole Chiptune, The Internet Stole It Back". Vice. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  5. ^ Taylor, Chuck. "Do It". Billboard.
  6. ^ a b Schwartz, Barry. "Nelly Furtado – Loose" Archived October 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Stylus. June 19, 2006.
  7. ^ a b Keefe, Jonathan. "Nelly Furtado – Loose". Slant Magazine. 2006.
  8. ^ Lynskey, Dorian. "Nelly Furtado, Loose". The Guardian. June 9, 2006.
  9. ^ Robert, James. "CD Review: Nelly Furtado – Loose" Archived 5 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Blogcritics. July 4, 2006.
  10. ^ Catucci, Nick. "Get Away From Him". The Village Voice. July 3, 2006.
  11. ^ a b Ozoma, Onyelo. "Furtado's low not bad" Archived January 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. The Northern Light. July 11, 2006, section A & E.
  12. ^ Sanneh, Kelefa. "Critics' Choice – New CD's – Nelly Furtado – "Loose" (Geffen)". The New York Times. June 19, 2006.
  13. ^ "Album Reviews – Loose – Nelly Furtado". Billboard.
  14. ^ Flynn, Paul. Timbaland used the snare effect from Prince's Raspberry Beret to further image the 80's sound. Though it remains uncredited."Nelly Furtado, Loose". The Observer. May 21, 2006.
  15. ^ Ruhi, Adrian. "Nelly Furtado – Loose" Archived December 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Okayplayer.
  16. ^ Stevenson, Jane. "Save On Foods Memorial Centre, Victoria – March 21, 2007". Sun Media. March 22, 2007.
  17. ^ "Help! We're Obsessed...". MTV Buzzworthy. August 6, 2007.
  18. ^ Staff. "Mariah Carey Says Tommy Mottola Was 'Restrictive'; Plus Diddy, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Ja Rule, Game & More, In For The Record". MTV News. August 22, 2007.
  19. ^ "The TRL Archive – Recap – August 2007" Archived October 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. atrl.net. Retrieved September 7, 2007.
  20. ^ "The TRL Archive – Recap – September 2007" Archived October 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. atrl.net. Retrieved October 3, 2007.
  21. ^ "The TRL Archive – Recap – October 2007" Archived December 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. atrl.net.
  22. ^ VH1 Countdown Archive Archived July 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine ATRL.com
  23. ^ "Janne 'Tempest' Suni". www.fairlight.fi.
  24. ^ Cohen, Jonathan. "Kanye Caps Banner Week With Hot 100 Chart-Topper". Billboard. September 20, 2007.
  25. ^ a b c d "Nelly Furtado ft. Missy Elliott – Do It". aCharts.us.
  26. ^ GmbH, musicline.de / PhonoNet. "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche – musicline.de". musicline.de. Archived from the original on July 7, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  27. ^ OfficialCharts.com
  28. ^ (2006) Album notes for Loose by Nelly Furtado [Booklet]. Santa Monica, CA; Geffen Records.
  29. ^ "Nelly Furtado – Do It". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  30. ^ "Nelly Furtado – Do It" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  31. ^ "Nelly Furtado – Do It" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  32. ^ "Nelly Furtado – Do It" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  33. ^ "Nelly Furtado Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  34. ^ "Nelly Furtado Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  35. ^ "Nelly Furtado Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  36. ^ "Nelly Furtado Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  37. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 48. týden 2007 in the date selector.
  38. ^ "Nelly Furtado – Chart Search" Billboard European Hot 100 Singles for Nelly Furtado. [dead link‍]
  39. ^ "Nelly Furtado: Do It" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  40. ^ "Nelly Furtado – Do It" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  41. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  42. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Dance Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  43. ^ "Nelly Furtado – Do It". Top Digital Download.
  44. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 41, 2007" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  45. ^ "Nelly Furtado – Do It" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  46. ^ "Nelly Furtado feat. Missy Elliott – Do It". Top 40 Singles.
  47. ^ "Nelly Furtado – Do It". VG-lista.
  48. ^ "Romanian Top 100" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on November 14, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  49. ^ "Nelly Furtado – Do It". Tophit. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
  50. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200737 into search.
  51. ^ "Nelly Furtado – Do It". Swiss Singles Chart.
  52. ^ "Nelly Furtado: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  53. ^ "Nelly Furtado Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  54. ^ "Nelly Furtado Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  55. ^ "Nelly Furtado Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  56. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2007". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  57. ^ "Rádiós Top 100 – hallgatottsági adatok alapján – 2008". Mahasz. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  58. ^ "Romanian Top 100 2007" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on August 1, 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  59. ^ "FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!". fmqb.com. Archived from the original on February 27, 2008. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  60. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20071101093430/http://www.amazon.com/Do-It/dp/B000VZFSWO
  61. ^ "Do It". September 28, 2007 – via Amazon.
  62. ^ "Do It". September 28, 2007 – via Amazon.
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