Gently (song)

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"Gently"
Song by Drake featuring Bad Bunny
from the album For All the Dogs
Language
  • English
  • Spanish
ReleasedOctober 6, 2023
Genre
Length2:13
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Gently" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake from his eighth studio album For All the Dogs (2023). It features Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny and was produced by Gordo, Oz and Nik D. It is Drake's third collaboration with Bad Bunny, following 2018's "Mia" and 2020's "Loyal (Remix)" with PartyNextDoor.

Background[edit]

In an interview with Complex, Gordo revealed the process of the song's creation:

That was a record that OZ and Drake had started a while back. I was really out of the loop with this cause I'm constantly doing my own shit. But obviously he doesn't speak Spanish. So, one day he's like, "yo, me and Bunny did a crazy record." I'm like, 'no way!' He's like, "I'm gonna send it to you," and he sent it to me and he's singing in Spanish and shit. He's like, "I just sent it to Bad Bunny, let's see what he does with it." So I had heard his verse, the original first part with him, and then a couple weeks later he's like, "Bunny did his verse, I don't understand shit. So I'm gonna send it to you." And he sent it to me because obviously Spanish is my first language. Then I listen to it and I'm like, "holy shit, this is crazy!" And he's like, "yeah, but like, we need to take it to the next level." So I got the stems for it. The Bunny part was the part that I produced. I sent it to him and he was like, "holy fucking shit," and then he sent it to Bad Bunny, and he was like, "holy fucking shit."[1]

Composition[edit]

"Gently" is a reggaeton[2][3] song inspired by Latin trap.[4] It finds Drake rapping in both English and Spanish. The song is written in the key of B♭ major with an initial tempo of 70 beats per minute, later transitioning to 108 BPM.

Critical reception[edit]

The song received mostly negative reviews from music critics, who particularly criticized Drake's performance in Spanish. Julianne Escobedo Shepherd of Pitchfork commented "Bad Bunny sounds like he dialed in his verse from the Sprinter en route to the Gucci show while Drake deploys his best seventh-grade Spanish on a dembow beat—('My broski Benito, he needs a bonita,' et cetera)—and yet it's still a high point far away from Drake's darkness."[5] Shaad D'Souza of The Guardian stated the song "is downright goofy, Drake slipping between Spanish-language rapping and fake-Spanish-language rapping like the Puerto Rican superstar's cartoonish sidekick."[6] NME's Luke Morgan Britton wrote "Even the Latin-infused 'Gently', basically Drake-doing-Dembow, feels like a cynical marketing ploy that not even Bad Bunny's effortless cool can save."[7] Louis Pavlakos of HipHopDX commented the song "is Drake's second attempt at making reggaeton but he sounds lost singing in Spanish alongside Bad Bunny."[3] Slant Magazine's Paul Attard described Drake as "poorly rapping in Spanglish"[8] and The Line of Best Fit's Josh Herring cited Drake's "awful Spanish" in the song as one of the album's "moments that slip under the rug".[9]

Shahzaib Hussain of Clash responded positively to the song, writing "the Spanglish reggaeton heat of 'Gently' is also Drake at his sinuous, shapeshifting best."[10]

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for "Gently"
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[11] 94
Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA)[12] 37
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[13] 12
Denmark (Tracklisten)[14] 36
France (SNEP)[15] 94
Germany (Official German Charts)[16] 94
Global 200 (Billboard)[17] 10
Greece International (IFPI)[18] 16
Italy (FIMI)[19] 38
Lithuania (AGATA)[20] 63
Luxembourg (Billboard)[21] 18
Portugal (AFP)[22] 37
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[23] 43
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 53
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 49
UK Audio Streaming (OCC)[26] 45
US Billboard Hot 100[27] 12
US Hot Latin Songs (Billboard)[28] 1

References[edit]

  1. ^ McKinney, Jessica (October 6, 2023). "'He Doesn't Sleep': Producer Gordo Talks Drake's Insane Three Album Run, 'For All the Dogs,' and Their 12-Year Friendship". Complex. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  2. ^ Hussain, Shahzaib (October 6, 2023). "Drake - For All The Dogs". Clash. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Pavlakos, Louis (October 9, 2023). "Drake's 'For All The Dogs' Is Another Troll Bait Effort That's Quite Mid". HipHopDX. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  4. ^ Reeves, Mosi (October 6, 2023). "Drake Sounds A Little Tired of Being Drake On 'For All the Dogs'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  5. ^ Shepherd, Julianne Escobedo (October 9, 2023). "Drake: For All the Dogs Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  6. ^ D'Souza, Shaad (October 9, 2023). "Drake: For All the Dogs review – repetitive rap titan needs new tricks". The Guardian. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  7. ^ Britton, Luke Morgan (October 9, 2023). "Drake – 'For All The Dogs' review: banger-less, bitter and deeply mid". NME. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  8. ^ Attard, Paul (October 9, 2023). "Drake For All the Dogs Review: A Clownish Tribute to Chauvinism". Slant Magazine. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  9. ^ Herring, Josh (October 9, 2023). "DRAKE "For All The Dogs"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  10. ^ Hussain, Shahzaib (October 6, 2023). "Drake - For All The Dogs". Clash. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  11. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 16 October 2023". The ARIA Report. No. 1754. Australian Recording Industry Association. October 16, 2023. p. 4.
  12. ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  13. ^ "Drake Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  14. ^ "Drake feat. Bad Bunny – Gently". Tracklisten. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  15. ^ "Drake feat. Bad Bunny – Gently" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  16. ^ "Drake feat. Bad Bunny – Gently" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  17. ^ "Drake Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  18. ^ "Digital Singles Chart (International)". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on October 24, 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  19. ^ "Drake feat. Bad Bunny – Gently". Top Digital Download. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  20. ^ "2023 41-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  21. ^ "Drake Chart History (Luxembourg Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  22. ^ "Drake feat. Bad Bunny – Gently". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  23. ^ "Drake feat. Bad Bunny – Gently" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  24. ^ "Drake feat. Bad Bunny – Gently". Singles Top 100. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  25. ^ "Drake feat. Bad Bunny – Gently". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  26. ^ "Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  27. ^ "Drake Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  28. ^ "Drake Chart History (Hot Latin Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
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