Hotline Bling
"Hotline Bling" | |
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Song |
"Hotline Bling" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake. It was digitally released as a single on July 31, 2015.[2] Produced by Ryan Ransom, the song's instrumental heavily samples R&B singer Timmy Thomas' 1972 song "Why Can't We Live Together".[3] Upon release, it received various comparisons to "Cha Cha" by American rapper D.R.A.M., which Drake had expressed interest in remixing, with Rap-Up calling it a "quasi-cover" of D.R.A.M.'s song.[4] Drake first played the song along with "Charged Up", and "Right Hand" on "OVO Sound Radio" Episode 2, a program on Apple Music, on July 26, 2015. The song has been widely covered by a variety of different artists, including British recording artists Disclosure and Sam Smith together in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge in the United Kingdom.[5] The music video is, at its most basic level, a compilation of clips of him dancing in white and otherwise empty rooms with colorful lighting.
"Hotline Bling" has reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Drake's first top-10 single in two years, as well becoming his highest-charting single as a lead artist (tied with "Best I Ever Had"). The song's music video was released on October 19, 2015 via Apple Music, and later on Vevo.[6]
Music video
On October 4, 2015, Drake announced a music video for the track via his Instagram account.[7] The Director X-directed video was released on October 19, 2015 via Apple Music[8] and was inspired by the work of American artist James Turrell.[9] X has stated that he hopes that the video inspires men to dance more.[10]The video features Dominican model Damaris Lopez who appears at the beginning of the video.[11][12] The video received positive reviews by critics. Rap-Up wrote that Drake "shows just how suave he can be with his moves" in this video.[8] Evan Minsker of Pitchfork called it a "pretty minimal clip".[13] The video has inspired many parodies[10][14] which according to NME helped the song rise in chart position.[14]
Critical response
Leor Galil of the Chicago Reader praised Drake's performance in "Hotline Bling," stating that he "sounds hurt, neglected, and confused even while he's admonishing his ex," and that "it's hard to imagine anyone else pulling off this kind of song with the same verve."[15] Jayson Greene of Pitchfork selected "Hotline Bling" as a "Best New Track," praising its "muted and intimate" beat and declaring it a "halting, aching song" about a man "a little too concerned" for a woman that could be "rewrite" of "Roxanne" by the The Police.[16] Brad Wete of NPR hailed the song as both "remarkably catchy and damp with boo-hoo reflection," writing that "musically, it twinkles with bright organ riffs and boasts a bass line fit to thump in clubs" while its lyric feature Drake "deeply wondering aloud, channeling the jealous ex in all of us."[17] Rhian Daly of NME described the track's "simple and minimal" production as "secondary to Drake’s emotions."[18]
"Hotline Bling" also received criticism for what was seen as the sexist and controlling attitude expressed by the male narrator toward his female ex in its lyrics. Carol H. Hood of The Frisky described the song as "an incredibly salty and self-centered rant about an ex having the courage to move on."[19] Allyson Shiffman of Bullett took issue with the "super sexist lyrics," explaining that "while [the song is] packaged as a good old fashioned 'Why doesn't bae like me anymore?' Drake tune," what it is "really saying is, 'You used to wanna bone me all the time and now that I’ve left the 6, you’ve gotten a life of your own and I’m not okay with that.'"[20] Tahirah Hairston of Fusion wrote that, in the song, "Drake is distraught that his ex has moved on," but because he "opts for condescendingly slut-shaming her" and "dictating where she does and doesn’t belong," it "comes off so petty that you forget his feelings are hurt."[21] Antonio Garcia, writing for College City News, characterized the song as "sex shaming," highlighting what he saw as the "convenient" double standard "that she can get nasty with Drake, but the moment she stops 'blinging' his hotline she’s no longer a 'good girl.'"[22]
Charts and certifications
Commercial performance
"Hotline Bling" entered the US Billboard Hot 100 chart dated August 22, 2015 at number 66.[23] Its chart debut was fueled primarily by digital download sales, with 41,000 copies sold in its first week.[24] The song soon became Drake's first top 10 in two years when the song reached number nine. It has since peaked at number two on the chart dated October 24, 2015, tying as his highest-charting single as a lead act with "Best I Ever Had" which reached number two in 2009. The song has peaked at number two for five non-consecutive weeks, behind both "The Hills" by The Weeknd and "Hello" by Adele. As of November 2015, the song has sold 1,230,000 copies in the United States.[25]
In the United Kingdom, "Hotline Bling" peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Drake's highest-charting song in Britain as a lead artist. The song also peaked at the top of the UK R&B Chart. On October 23, 2015, "Hotline Bling" received silver certification by the British Phonographic Industry.[26]
Weekly charts |
Certifications
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Release history
Country | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
United States[2] | July 31, 2015 | Digital download |
References
- ^ "This Guy Completely Transforms Drake's 'Hotline Bling' With Sounds From Nintendo N64". Capital Xtra. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
Tumblr user Seth Everman has completely transformed the R&B track with sounds from classic Nintendo N64 games
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ a b "Hotline Bling – Single by Drake". iTunes Store. United States: Apple. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
{{cite web}}
: templatestyles stripmarker in|work=
at position 1 (help) - ^ Ryan, Gavin (September 5, 2015). "ARIA Singles: 'What Do You Mean' Justin Bieber Is No 1". Noise11. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
- ^ "Kehlani and Charlie Puth Cover Drake's 'Hotline Bling'". Rap-Up. September 3, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
- ^ "Disclosure & Sam Smith cover Hotline Bling in the Live Lounge". YouTube. September 16, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
- ^ "Watch Drake's Sleek 'Hotline Bling' Video". Rolling Stone.
- ^ "Drake Returns to the Art of the Shirtless Selfie, Teases "Hotline Bling" Video". Complex. October 4, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
- ^ a b "Video: Drake – 'Hotline Bling'". Rap-Up. October 26, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
- ^ Lothian-McLean, Moya. "A Quick Look at James Turell, the 72-Year-Old Artist Who Inspired Drake's "Hotline Bling" Video". Noisey: Music by Vice. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ^ a b Mulshine, Molly. "The director of 'Hotline Bling' hopes men take away one thing from the video". Tech Insider. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
- ^ http://www.xxlmag.com/eye-candy/2015/10/get-to-know-the-dominican-hottie-in-drakes-hotline-bling-video-damaris-lopez/
- ^ http://www.mixed-magazine.com/models/damaris-lopez-dominican-perfection/
- ^ "Drake Dances in His "Hotline Bling" Video". Pitchfork Media. October 19, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
- ^ a b Levine, Nick. "Drake dances with Mr Bean in 'Hotline Bling' parody video – watch". NME. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
- ^ Leor Galil (30 July 2015). "Drake proves ghostwriters don't matter with 'Hotline Bling'". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=
(help) - ^ Jayson Greene (5 August 2015). "Drake: "Hotline Bling"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- ^ Brad Wete (21 August 2015). "Drake's 'Hotline Bling' And Feeling All The 'Feels' In Age Of Social Media". NPR. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- ^ Rhian Daly (6 August 2015). "Drake Transcends His Meek Mill Beef On The Minimal And Emotional 'Hotline Bling'". NME. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- ^ Carol H. Hood (26 October 2015). "The Soapbox: Don't Let Drake's "Sensitivity" Fool You – He's Still A Misogynist". The Frisky. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- ^ Allyson Shiffman (27 October 2015). "Let's Finally Out Drake's 'Hotline Bling' as the Sexist Anthem It Is". Bullett. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- ^ Tahirah Hairston (23 October 2015). "Sorry, but Drake's obsession with 'good' girls is sexist". Fusion. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- ^ Antonio Garcia (19 November 2015). "Drake expresses misogyny in Hotline Bling". College City News. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- ^ "The Hot 100: The Week of August 22, 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
- ^ Mendizabal, Amaya (August 12, 2015). "Drake Takes Over Charts in Wake of Meek Mill Feud". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
- ^ Mansell, Henry (November 14, 2015). "Hip Hop Single Sales: Drake, Justin Timberlake & The Weeknd". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
- ^ a b "British single certifications – Drake – Hotline Bling". British Phonographic Industry. October 23, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2015. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Hotline Bling in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "Drake – Hotline Bling". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
- ^ "ARIA Urban Singles Chart - Week Commencing 12th October 2015" ARIA Top 40 Urban Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
- ^ "Drake – Hotline Bling" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
- ^ "Drake – Hotline Bling" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- ^ "Drake – Hotline Bling" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
- ^ "Drake – Hotline Bling" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- ^ "Drake Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 46. týden 2015 in the date selector. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
- ^ "Drake – Hotline Bling". Tracklisten. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
- ^ "Drake: Hotline Bling" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
- ^ "Drake – Hotline Bling" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- ^ "Chart Track: Week 45, 2015". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
- ^ "Media Forest Week 46, 2015". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
- ^ "Drake – Hotline Bling". Top Digital Download. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Drake" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ^ "Drake – Hotline Bling" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. November 2, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
- ^ http://lista.vg.no/
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201546 into search. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
- ^ "EMA Top 10 Airplay: Week Ending 2015-11-17". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
- ^ "Drake – Hotline Bling" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ^ "Drake – Hotline Bling". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
- ^ "Drake – Hotline Bling". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ "Drake: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
- ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
- ^ "Drake Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
- ^ "Drake Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
- ^ "Drake Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
- ^ "Drake Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (November 7, 2015). "ARIA Singles: Adele Earns Platinum Status with 'Hello' at No 1". Noise11. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
- ^ "Canadian single certifications – Drake – Hotline Bling". Music Canada. October 30, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
- ^ "New Zealand single certifications". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 20, 2015.