Signs (Snoop Dogg song)

"Signs"
Single by Snoop Dogg featuring Justin Timberlake & Charlie Wilson
from the album R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece
Released	March 2005 (U.S.) April 2005 (worldwide) May 2005 (UK)
Format	12" single, CD single
Genre	Hip hop Funk R&B
Length	4:15
Label	Doggystyle/Star Trak/Geffen
Writer(s)	Calvin Broadus, Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, L. Simmons, R. Taylor, Charlie Wilson
Producer	The Neptunes
Snoop Dogg singles chronology
"Let's Get Blown" (2004) "Signs" (2005) "Ups & Downs" (2005)
Justin Timberlake chronology "Where Is the Love?" (2003) "Signs" (2005) "SexyBack" (2006) Music video "Signs" at MTV.com

"Signs" is the third single from rapper Snoop Dogg's seventh studio album, R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece (2004). It was produced by The Neptunes, and it features singers Charlie Wilson and Justin Timberlake. The single was released in March 2005.

The edited version of the song is used for the 2005 film Guess Who which stars Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac. The song is played once during the film and again during the end credits.

Themes

The song looks at the topic of romance from several points of view, and in doing so, touches on other subjects such as illegal drugs, the city of Los Angeles, the perceived glamour of gang culture, and the lavish, hedonistic lifestyle led by many rappers and musicians.

The chorus, sung by Justin Timberlake, is about the moment when a man thinks a woman whom he is sexually attracted to may also be attracted to him. The man second-guesses what he thinks he has seen, expressing a wish that love (personified as Cupid in classical fashion) should not play around with his emotions. Meanwhile, another male observer (voiced by Snoop Dogg) opines that the Timberlake character should not conscion attempting to further relations between himself and the object of his affection, since he lacks the necessary gangster credentials.

The verses of the song, rapped by Snoop Dogg, mainly following Snoop Dogg's attempts to charm a woman or women. The first verse starts with a brief introduction boasting about the song's hit potential, due to the involvement of Snoop himself and producers the Neptunes. Snoop then appears to become distracted by a passing woman, and attempts to charm her by offering to procure cannabis for her and mentioning his gang, the Crips. In the second verse, Snoop boasts about the glamorous side of his home city, Los Angeles. In the third verse (or bridging section), he redoubles his efforts at seduction by promising his interlocutor a flight on a private jet to London and the holiday resorts of Ibiza, taking in the Wimbledon tennis championships.

Charlie Wilson then provides a more experienced point of view on love, advising all concerned not to be foolish, to appreciate what they have, and not to be distracted by "a pretty face". This implies that the Timberlake and Snoop characters may already be in relationships, and are considering infidelity with the women mentioned in the song.

The song's three vocalists thus show three stages of a man's romantic life: Timerlake as the young ingenue; Snoop Dogg as the Casanova in his prime; and Wilson as the experienced older man dispensing advice to his younger companions.

Reception

The single reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart in May 2005 and #46 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. However, it was more popular in Australia staying at #1 on the Australian Singles Chart for two weeks.

The music video was directed by Paul Hunter and takes place in an underground boxing gym and at a casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the most played video on the UK version of The Box in 2005.

It was performed by Snoop Dogg at the Live 8 concert in London on July 2, 2005 along with a few of his other hits.

The song interpolates some lyrics from The Gap Band's 1982 "Early in the Morning" and Cheryl Lynn's 1978 "Got to Be Real".

Charts

Chart (2005)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	46
U.S. Rhythmic Top 40	24
U.S. Top 40 Mainstream	17
U.S. Pop 100	25
Canada Airplay: The Hits Chart Top 100	60
Tokio Hot 100	65
Austria Top 75	5
Danish Singles Chart	3
Germany Top 100	3
Ireland Top 50	2
UK Singles Chart	2
Switzerland Top 100	5
Sweden Top 60	58
France Top 100 Singles	13
New Zealand Top 50 Singles	4
Italy Top 50 Singles	7
South Africa Top 40 Singles	3
Australian Singles Chart	1
Greece Top 20	8
Belgium Top 20	11
Netherlands Top 40	4
Hungarian Radio Airplay	25

Preceded by "Beautiful Soul" by Jesse McCartney

ARIA (Australia) number one single May 1, 2005 - May 8, 2005

Succeeded by "Switch" by Will Smith

References

• Rock on the Net
• Music Video Database
• Top 40 Charts