"Back to Sleep" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Chris Brown | ||||
from the album Royalty | ||||
Released | November 5, 2015 | |||
Recorded | 2015 | |||
Studio | The Record Plant (Los Angeles, California) | |||
Genre | R&B | |||
Length | 3:21 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | ||||
Chris Brown singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Back to Sleep" on YouTube |
"Back to Sleep", also known by the censored version title "Sex You Back to Sleep", [1] is a song by American singer Chris Brown from his seventh studio album Royalty . The song was released as the album's third single and its first urban single on November 5, 2015. Three official remixes of the song were released during the first months of 2016: The first featuring Usher and Zayn, the second featuring Miguel, August Alsina, and Trey Songz, and the final featuring Tank, R. Kelly and Anthony Hamilton.
The song received universal acclaim from contemporary music critics, noting it as one of the album's highlights, celebrating its production and Brown's vocal performance. Some critics defined it as the best R&B song of its decade. The song received comparisons to Brown's previous singles "Take You Down" (2008) and "No Bullshit" (2011), and also to Marvin Gaye's 1982 song "Sexual Healing", for its similar musical direction. The song became the most successful one from the Royalty album, peaking at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 5 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Its music video was released on December 14, 2015, and is part of Royalty music videos storyline, following the conclusion of Brown's "Fine by Me" music video. The videoclip displays an intimate sexual situation between Brown and his love interest .
The song was written by Chris Brown and August Rigo, and was produced by Vinylz and Boi-1da. The song was recorded in 2015 at Record Plant in Los Angeles, California. "Back to Sleep" was premiered via SoundCloud on November 5, 2015, and was sent to radio four days later as the album's third single, also receiving its commercial release for digital download on November 9, 2015. [2] [3] [4]
"Back to Sleep" is a mid-tempo R&B slow jam, about late night sex, that features minor influences of funk, and roland TR-808 beats reminiscent of Marvin Gaye's 1982 song "Sexual Healing". [5] [6] [7] [8] Vibe stated that the song infuses elements of "new school R&B" with "a light dusting of '80s pop". [9] [10] According to Billboard , the lyrical content of "Back to Sleep" features "Brown fresh off a late night flight into town", detailing how he plans to go to his girlfriend's house, wake her up at 3:30 a.m. to have sex with her, then tuck her in for actual sleep. [7] [11]
The music video for "Back to Sleep" was directed by Brown, [12] and released on December 14, 2015, on his YouTube and Vevo account. [13]
The video follows the conclusion of Brown's "Fine by Me" music video, and starts with the singer making a phone call to his girlfriend, asking her if he could "come over" to her house even though it's late at night, because of "weird" things happening to him throughout the night. As soon as Brown arrives to her house, they get intimate, with scenes showing them kissing and touching in the shower and bedroom, intercut with scenes of Brown performing the song in a club, with a female band. [14] [15]
Brown promoted the song with live performances on televised shows and festivals, including Jimmy Kimmel Live! , [16] Taraji & Terrence's White Hot Holidays, [17] the "Lil' Weezyana Fest 2016", and the 3rd iHeartRadio Music Awards. [18] The song was included on all the setlists of Brown's tours following its release.
Chris Brown has released three remixes to the song. Part 1 features Usher and Zayn, [19] and was released as "Back to Sleep (Remix)" on February 26, 2016; [20] in addition to verses from Usher and Zayn Malik, the remix also features a new verse from Brown where he mentions his ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran and cancels out the rest of the song except the chorus and bridge. [21] Part 2 features Miguel, August Alsina, and Trey Songz, and was released as "Back to Sleep (Remix)" on April 8, [22] [23] while Part 3 was released on April 10 as "Back To Sleep (Legends Remix)", and features Tank, R. Kelly and Anthony Hamilton. [24] On August 29, 2016, R&B singer Brandy shared a version of the song with Brown. [25] [26] On July 15, 2016, another remix version was released, dubbed as the "Secret Garden Remix". The song featured previously released verses from R. Kelly, Usher, Tank, and an additional verse from R&B singer and actor Tyrese Gibson. [27]
"Back to Sleep" received widespread acclaim from music critics. In 2018, the co-host of The Breakfast Club , Charlamagne tha God, defined the song as "the best R&B record in the past 15 years" along with "Adorn" by Miguel. [28] AllMusic's editor Andy Kellman stated that the track is the best one on the Royalty album. [29] Brad Wete of Billboard said that it "excels as a quality addition to his catalog’s stellar collection of panty-dropping and baby-making songs", comparing the song to Brown's previous singles "Take You Down" (2008) and "No Bullshit" (2011), and also to Marvin Gaye's 1982 song "Sexual Healing". [7]
Mikael Wood of The Courier-Journal praised Brown's "great vocal performance" on the track, describing it as "a smooth depiction of genuine sexuality". [30] [31] Soul Bounce called it “The highlight of Royalty” and “a polished, well-produced song that spotlight's Brown's talent”. [32] Renowned for Sound complimented the song's "impressive vocals" and its production, saying that "the synth R&B arrangement is as smooth as ever", stating that the chorus has a "risqué" sex appeal. [33] Vibe said that "Back to Sleep" is “a super sexy song”, finding shock value in its sexually explicit lyrics. [34]
On the Billboard Hot 100, the song debuted at number 64 on the week ending January 2, 2016, [35] and reached number 48 on the week ending February 13, 2016. [36] On the week ending March 12, 2016, it reached number 36 on the Hot 100, [37] and number 2 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart. [38] On the week ending March 19, 2016, it reached number 20 on the Hot 100 and became the top Digital Gainer of the week, [39] debuting at number 13 on the Digital Songs chart, [40] having sold 42,000 downloads that week, 32% of which stemmed from the Part 1 remix. [41] The same week, it reached number 5 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, [41] number 2 on the R&B Digital Songs chart, [42] and number 3 on the Hot R&B Songs chart. [43] By April 2, 2016, the single had sold 300,620 copies in the US. [44]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [65] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [66] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [67] | Gold | 7,500* |
United Kingdom (BPI) [68] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [69] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Tremaine Aldon Neverson, known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American singer, rapper and actor. He was discovered by record producer Troy Taylor in 2003, and later signed to his Songbook Entertainment label in a joint venture with Atlantic Records. His debut studio album, I Gotta Make It (2005) entered the Billboard 200 at number 20, while his second album, Trey Day (2007) reached number 11. The latter was supported by the single "Can't Help but Wait", which peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. His third album, Ready (2009) reached number three on the Billboard 200, spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single "Say Aah", and earned a nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.
American R&B singer-songwriter Chris Brown has released 11 studio albums, 1 collaborative album, 1 extended play, 9 mixtapes, 63 singles and 29 promotional singles.
"Drop It Low" is the debut single by American singer and songwriter Ester Dean. The official version features vocals from R&B singer Chris Brown. This was also released as the second single from the soundtrack for the film More than a Game (2009). The original version of the song did not feature Chris Brown, and maintained the same lyrics on the second verse but coming from a man's perspective. The official remix features Lil Wayne, Trey Songz and Diddy.
"I Invented Sex" is a song by American R&B singer Trey Songz, and features Canadian recording artist Drake. Together, they wrote the song alongside Tony "Chef Tone" Scales and its producer, Los Da Mystro. It was released to urban airplay as the third single from Songz's third studio album Ready on October 13, 2009. The song features a sensual message, accompanied by heavy percussion. "I Invented Sex" received positive reviews, and reached number forty-two on the Billboard Hot 100, and became Songz's first song to top the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Its official remix features fellow R&B singers Keri Hilson and Usher. The accompanying music video, containing a parental advisory warning, is the lead-up to the "Say Aah" video.
The Exclusives are an American/Canadian R&B/pop/hip hop songwriting and production team from Miami, Florida, consisting of Sean "Pen" McMillion and Ralph "Vintage" Jeanty. The now Atlanta-Based team's first notable success came from co-writing the platinum-selling single "I Luv This Shit" by August Alsina.
"Show Me" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kid Ink. The song was released on September 17, 2013, by Tha Alumni Music Group, 88 Classic and RCA Records as the lead single from his second studio album, My Own Lane (2014). The song, produced by DJ Mustard and Mike Free, features a hook by American recording artist Chris Brown. The song peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 23 on the UK Singles Chart.
"I Luv This Shit" is the debut single by American singer August Alsina featuring American rapper Trinidad James. It was released on February 19, 2013 by Def Jam Recordings. It is from Alsina's debut EP Downtown: Life Under the Gun (2013), and was also included on his debut studio album, Testimony (2014). "I Luv This Shit" is an R&B song about partying with alcohol and drugs. Two remixes—one featuring Birdman and another featuring Trey Songz and Chris Brown—were released.
"Loyal" is a song by American singer Chris Brown, released as the fourth single from his sixth studio album X (2014). Produced by Nic Nac and Mark Kragen, the song features American rapper Lil Wayne and another American rapper depending on a specific version: Tyga on the album version, French Montana on the East Coast version, and Too $hort on the West Coast version. The song was written by Brown, Wayne, Bobby Brackins, Ty Dolla $ign, and the producers, as well as different interpolative-credited artists, varying for each respective version.
"24 Hours" is a single by American singer TeeFlii. The song was released on May 12, 2014, by Excuse My Liquor and Epic Records as the lead single from his debut album Starr. It was produced by frequent collaborator DJ Mustard and features American rapper 2 Chainz.
"New Flame" is a song recorded by American singer Chris Brown. It was originally released as a promotional single from Brown's album on March 5, 2014. This version only featured rapper Rick Ross as a guest artist. A few months later, a day after the 2014 BET Awards were held, the single version of the song featuring Ross and Usher was released on June 30, 2014, as the fifth official single from his sixth studio album X. The song peaked at number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 10 in the United Kingdom.
"Hold You Down" is a song by American disc jockey DJ Khaled featuring American singers Chris Brown, August Alsina and Jeremih, & American rapper Future from the former's eighth studio album I Changed a Lot. It was released on August 3, 2014 as the albums second single, becoming certified gold by Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on June 4, 2015. The track topped the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and is August Alsina's first top 40 entry, as well as DJ Khaled's seventh.
"Planez" is a song by American singer Jeremih from his third studio album, Late Nights (2015). It features American rapper J. Cole, and was released on January 2015 as the second single from the album. It interpolates "Put It in Your Mouth" by Akinyele. The original version of the song featured a verse from fellow Chicago native Chance the Rapper. "Planez" garnered mixed reviews from critics, praising Jeremih's performance but criticized J. Cole's guest verse. The track peaked at numbers 15 and 44 on both the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot 100 charts respectively. It was also certified 5x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The single garnered Jeremih's first career Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.
I Changed a Lot is the eighth studio album by American disc jockey and record producer DJ Khaled. It was released on October 23, 2015, by We the Best Music Group and RED Music. Recording sessions took place during 2014 to 2015, with its production by DJ Khaled, along with The Beat Bully, Lee on the Beats, Danja, Bkorn and The Mekanics, as well as guest appearances from Future, Rick Ross, Boosie Badazz, Jeezy, Chris Brown, August Alsina, Fetty Wap, Yo Gotti, Trick Daddy, French Montana, Meek Mill, Beanie Sigel, Jadakiss, Lil Wayne, Big Sean, Trey Songz, Jeremih, Ace Hood, Vado, Jay-Z, Mavado, John Legend, Usher and Fabolous.
"Gold Slugs" is a song by DJ Khaled, featuring Chris Brown, August Alsina and Fetty Wap from Khaled's eighth studio album I Changed a Lot. The song was produced by Khaled and Lee on the Beats.
This Thing Called Life is the second studio album by American R&B recording artist August Alsina. It was released on December 11, 2015, by Def Jam Recordings. The album was supported by five singles: "Hip Hop", "Why I Do It" featuring Lil Wayne, "Song Cry", plus two promotional singles "Been Around the World" featuring Chris Brown, and "Dreamer".
Royalty is the seventh studio album by American singer Chris Brown. It was released on December 18, 2015, by CBE and RCA Records. The album was anticipated by the mixtape Before the Party, released as its prelude, and serves as the follow-up to his sixth album X (2014). The album is named after the singer's daughter, Royalty Brown, whom the album is dedicated to.
"Wishing" is a song by American hip hop record producer DJ Drama. It was released as a digital download on May 2, 2016, as the lead single from fifth studio album Quality Street Music 2 (2016). The song features guest vocals from American singer and rapper Chris Brown, and American rappers Skeme and LyQuin. The song contains a sample of the song "Disrespectful" by Trey Songz and Mila J from his sixth studio album Trigga (2014).
"Do You Mind" is a song by American musician DJ Khaled featuring Trinidadian musician Nicki Minaj and fellow American musicians Chris Brown, Jeremih, Future, August Alsina, and Rick Ross. It was released on July 28, 2016 by We the Best Music Group and Epic Records as the fourth single of the former's ninth studio album, Major Key. The song peaked at number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 9 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. It was eventually certified triple platinum by the RIAA.
"Party" is a song by American singer Chris Brown featuring fellow American singer Usher and American rapper Gucci Mane. It was released by RCA as the second single from the former's eighth studio album, Heartbreak on a Full Moon (2017) on December 16, 2016. "Party" was the only top 40 hit from the album, peaking at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Chi Chi is a song by American R&B singers Trey Songz and Chris Brown, released as a standalone single on February 4, 2019.