"Lay Up Under Me" is a recorded by song performed by American singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer Sean Garrett for his debut studio album, Turbo 919 (2008). It was written by Garrett, Mikkel Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen and Shea Taylor, while is production was handled by Garrett and Stargate. Interscope Records released "Lay Up Under Me" was released as a promotional single in the United States on November 25, 2008. Garrett's employs essentially soft vocals while singing the song. Music critics generally praised the collaboration between Garrett and Stargate. The song charted at number 19 on the US Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. "Lay Up Under Me" was later rerecorded by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles for the deluxe edition of her fourth studio album, 4 (2011).
Background and reception [edit]
"Lay Up Under Me" was written by Sean Garrett, Mikkel Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen and Shea Taylor, while is production was handled by Garrett and Stargate.[2] The song was announced through Interscope Records' official website as Garrett's next single on November 25, 2008;[3] it was released as a promotional single in the United States through iTunes Store the same day.[1] "Lay Up Under Me" is an R&B song, in which Garrett uses soft vocals while Stargate provides accompaniment.[4]
A writer from DJ Booth wrote that it bears resemblance to the alternate music Stargate had produced, including Joe's 2007 song "If I Was Your Man" and Jennifer Hudson's 2008 song "Spotlight".[4] He awarded "Lay Up Under Me" a rating of three stars out of five, writing that the song could find a comfortable spot in rotation with some quality radio promotion. He added that it might be "the spark needed to start the engine" of Garrett's career as a lead singer.[4] A writer from Yahoo! noted that "Lay Up Under Me" is an interesting collaboration between Sean and StarGate, before adding, "[It] is vastly different than most of the rest of the album and this is a welcome change."[5] Following the album release, "Lay Up Under Me" charted for four weeks on US Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart, and peaked at number 19.[6]
Beyoncé version [edit]
American singer Beyoncé Knowles rerecorded "Lay Up Under Me" for the deluxe edition of her fourth studio album, 4 (2011) that was sold exclusively at Targets until January 2012, when the album was released to iTunes Stores worldwide. The song's lyrics were slightly modified; Knowles did some additional writing for the version she recorded. Shea Taylor alongside Knowles reworked the arrangement of "Lay Up Under Me". A horn-heavy instrumental was included to transform Garrett's original slow jam version into an uptempo one. Knowles impersonates a content-sounding woman as she sings the lyrics. The song was generally well received by music critics, who noted it to be reminiscent of the tracks from American recording artist Michael Jackson's Off the Wall era (1979-80).
Background and composition [edit]
The version of "Lay Up Under Me" on 4 was written by Beyoncé Knowles, Sean Garrett, Mikkel Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Shea Taylor, with production by Knowles and Taylor.[7] It was made available on the deluxe edition of 4, which could only be purchased at Target Corporation until January 2012.[8] The deluxe edition was released to iTunes Stores on January 2, 2012.[9] It includes two additional tracks, "Schoolin' Life" and "Dance for You", and three remixes of the lead single "Run the World (Girls)" (2011).[8]
Knowles' version of "Lay Up Under Me" is an upbeat but smooth R&B and funk song,[10][11] which recalls the classic 1970s soul music.[12] As noted by Danielle Cheesman of MSN Music, it is reminiscent of "the feel-good flair from earlier" because of its heavy use of retro style horns;[13] the inclusion of the horns on Knowles' version is what transformed Garrett's "slow jam bedroom song to a horn heavy uptempo joint".[14] "Lay Up Under Me" features a content-sounding Knowles gushing over the lyrics. She tells her romantic interest to forget the club as the party is right at home with her, and that she will be the "entertainment for the night",[11] as she sings, "You ain't gotta worry 'bout a club, just come on lay up under me tonight."[15]
Reception [edit]
The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. Danielle Cheesman of MSN Music wrote that "Lay Up Under Me" is the type of song to which people "step to at a barbecue".[13] Bradley Stern of MuuMuse found the song to be as "soul-warming" as "Love on Top".[12] Likewise, Andrew Tidball of the New Zealand-based website Cheese on Toast commented that "Lay Up Under Me" is a Motown-esque number in the vein of "Love on Top", adding the that latter's "style repeated to good effect [in the former].[16] He concluded that the song should have been included on the standard version of 4.[16] Alexandra Boisvert of Musiqtone wrote, "'Lay Up Under Me' is a song about exactly what it sounds like. The fact that the song is so catchy and upbeat almost distracts from the message, but it enhances the emotions portrayed."[10] Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork Media wrote:
After 2008's I Am... Sasha Fierce, which saw Beyoncé catching up to trends when she wasn't trying Streisand-wannabe ballads, 4 is more akin to her wily sophomore solo album, B'Day. But where that record was preoccupied with the club, 4 is happy at home; on Off the Wall-style bonus track "Lay Up Under Me", the contented 29-year-old gushes, "You ain't gotta worry 'bout a club, just come on lay up under me tonight." If anyone can make a quiet Friday night come off like an open-bar blowout, it's Beyoncé.[15]
Charts [edit]
For the week ending July 30, 2011, "Lay Up Under Me" debuted at the top of the South Korean International Singles Chart, selling 106,671 digital downloads.[17] It became the thirty sixth best-selling song of 2011 in South Korea selling 386,920 digital downloads.[18]
Weekly charts [edit]
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Year-end charts [edit]
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Credits and personnel [edit]
Credits are taken from 4 liner notes.[19]
- Vocals: Beyoncé Knowles
- Writing: Beyoncé Knowles, Sean Garrett, Mikkel Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, S. Taylor
- Producing: Beyoncé Knowles, S. Taylor
- Recording: Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young
- Assistant Engineer: Ryan Kelly
- Mixing engineer: Serban Ghenea, John Haynes
- Assistant mix engineer: Phil Seaford
- The SuperPower Horns:
- Trumpets: Cole Kamen-Green, Josiah Woodson
- Tenor and alto saxophone: Nick Videen, Drew Sayers
- Trombone: Alex Asher
- Guitar: Robert "R.T." Tayler
- Bass guitar: Jack Daley
- Drums and tambourine: Nikki Gallespi
References [edit]
- ^ a b "Lay Up Under Me - Single by Sean Garrett". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. November 25, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
- ^ "Lay Up Under Me - Sean Garrett". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
- ^ "Sean Garrett : News : 'Lay Up Under Me' available ow!". Interscope Records website. November 25, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Sean Garrett - Lay Up Under Me". DJ Booth. October 5, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
- ^ "Sean Garrett's Turbo 919: Well-Written, Produced Album". Yahoo! Contributor Network. Yahoo!. June 18, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
- ^ a b "Lay Up Under Me - Sean Garrett". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 20, 2012. (subscription required)
- ^ 4 (Deluxe Edition) (Album notes). Beyoncé Knowles. Columbia Records. 2011.
- ^ a b "4 (Deluxe Edition) – 2 Discs". Target Corporation. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
- ^ "4 (Deluxe Edition) by Beyoncé". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
- ^ a b Boisvert, Alexandra. "Beyoncé: 4". Musiqtone. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
- ^ a b "Beyoncé Channels Prince and Remains Sexy In ’4′ Deluxe Tracks". The CS Perspective. June 22, 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
- ^ a b Stern, Bradley. "Beyoncé: 4 (Album Review)". MuuMuse. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
- ^ a b Cheesman, Danielle (June 27, 2011). "Why Buying The Deluxe Edition Of Beyonce's '4' Album Is Worth It". MSN Music. MSN. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
- ^ "Music, News, Interviews, & So Much More... – Music: 'Lay Up Under Me' – Beyoncé or Sean Garrett?". ThisGoesIn. June 23, 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
- ^ a b Dombal, Ryan (June 28, 2011). "Beyoncé: 4". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
- ^ a b Tidball, Andrew (June 29, 2011). "Beyoncé: 4". Cheese on Toast. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
- ^ a b "South Korea Gaon International Chart (Week: July 24, 2011 to July 30, 2011)". Gaon Chart. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
- ^ a b "Annual South Korea International Chart - 2012". Gaon Chart. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
- ^ 4 (Album notes). Sony Music BMG Entertainment. 2011.
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