"Can't Leave 'em Alone" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by Ciara featuring 50 Cent | ||||
from the album Ciara: The Evolution | ||||
B-side | "Love You Better" | |||
Released | June 12, 2007 | |||
Recorded | 2006 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:04 | |||
Label | LaFace | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | Darkchild | |||
Ciara singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
50 Cent singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Can't Leave 'Em Alone" on YouTube |
"Can't Leave 'em Alone" is a R&B song recorded by American singer Ciara featuring rapper 50 Cent for Ciara's second album, Ciara:The Evolution (2006). Written by Ciara,LaShawn Daniels,Rodney Jerkins,and 50 Cent,it is the fourth release and official third single from the album (see 2007 in music). It was solicited to Mainstream Urban radio stations on June 12,2007 and Rhythmic stations on July 10,2007.
The song is a 1980s-inspired mid-tempo ballad,featuring the 808 drums. Ciara described it as a "big record",and said that she invited 50 Cent for "some kind of flavor". It was originally titled "Dope Boys". [1]
"Can't Leave 'em Alone",along with "That's Right",was originally a contender to be the second US and first worldwide single from the album,and a poll was posted on Ciara's MySpace page to have fans help her decide,but the other contender "Like a Boy" was chosen over both songs. Later,"My Love" was confirmed to be the third US single, [2] while "That's Right" would serve as the third internationally,but "Can't Leave 'em Alone" replaced both songs.
"Can't Leave 'em Alone" is an ode to the hood boys anchored by a pair of verses from 50 Cent,featuring an "easy groove". [3]
"Can't Leave 'em Alone" received mixed reviews from music critics. Contactmusic.com published "Can't Leave 'em Alone" is a "mouth-watering smouldering smoothed groove",with the reviewer going on to say that it should have been the first single,and that It has "cross over potential that we see from Nelly &Kelly Rowland ["Dilemma"]" and is "simply another Darkchild classic". [4] Ken Barnes of USA TODAY called the song "pop-soul confection". [5] Other reviewers were more critical of the song. Cibula of PopMatters published that it is "a very bad pop-lite song" and criticized the use of 50 Cent as a sexy bad boy. [6] Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone published "Ciara's still prone to diva blandness and silly little pop songs,which drags down the 50 Cent feature 'Can't Leave 'em Alone' ". [7] Makkadah Selah of The Village Voice called the song "lifeless". [8]
"Can't Leave 'em Alone" was a moderate success in the US. Six weeks after its official release,The single debuted at 90 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song climbed the charts slowly with moderate airplay and digital sales. It eventually reached its peak at number 40. It also peaked at number 24 on the Hot 100 Airplay. It became Ciara's tenth top ten single on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and peaked in the top twenty of the Rhythmic Top 40. The single was never sent to mainstream radio formats and failed to chart on the Pop 100. Despite its lackluster performance at radio,the single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 digital copies in the United States. [9]
In international markets,"Can't Leave 'em Alone" debuted at number 40 and peaked at number four,becoming Ciara's fifth top ten single in New Zealand. The song failed to chart in the United Kingdom,reaching a disappointing number 115. The single peaked at low positions in China,Germany,and Poland.
The Fat Cats directed video was shot on June 9,2007 and June 10,2007 in Atlanta,Georgia. [10] Three screen shots from the music video were released on June 14,2007, [2] while a fourth screen shot featuring her and 50 Cent was released on June 27,2007. [11] The video was scheduled to premiere on Yahoo! Music on June 25,but it was changed to July 2,2007.
The video reached number one on 106 &Park and on YouTube it has received over 70 million views as of April 2024. [12]
Ciara performed "Can't Leave 'em Alone" with 50 Cent at the 2007 World Music Awards on November 24,2007. [13]
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Can't Leave 'Em Alone".
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
New Zealand (RMNZ) [25] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [26] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Country | Format | Date | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Germany | CD single | August 10, 2007 [27] | Zomba Label Group |
United States | Rhythm/Crossover radio [28] | June 10, 2007 | LaFace Records, RCA Records |
Rhythmic radio [29] | July 10, 2007 | ||
Germany | Maxi Single, [14] Digital download [15] | August 10, 2007 | LaFace Records |
Switzerland [30] | Digital download | ||
Sweden [31] | August 13, 2007 | ||
Canada | CD single | August 20, 2007 [32] | Sony BMG |
Ireland [33] | Extended play | September 7, 2007 | Zomba Label Group |
Sweden [34] | |||
Switzerland [35] | |||
United Kingdom [36] | |||
Germany [16] | September 10, 2007 |
Rodney Roy Jerkins, also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists.
"Goodies" is the debut single by American singer Ciara featuring American rapper Petey Pablo for Ciara's debut studio album of the same name. The song was released as the album's lead single on June 8, 2004, through LaFace Records. It was written by Ciara, Sean Garrett, LaMarquis Jefferson, Craig Love, and Lil Jon, who also produced the song. The song was recorded as an answer song to the featured performer's hit single, "Freek-a-Leek". The song's lead woman refuses men's sexual advances, proclaiming that they will not get her "goodies" because "they stay in the jar."
"1, 2 Step" is a song by American singer Ciara featuring American rapper Missy Elliott. Written alongside producer Jazze Pha, it was released on November 1, 2004, as the second single of the former's debut studio album, Goodies. It peaked within the top 10 of the charts in several countries worldwide, including Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. In the United States, the song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for seven weeks. The song is heavily inspired by 1980s electro music production. Throughout the song, Ciara gives a description of how the song's beat feels as she exhorts party-goers to dance to the music. "1, 2 Step" was ranked 59th on Billboard's Top 100 Songs of the 2000s.
"How We Do" is a song by American rapper and West Coast hip hop artist the Game, featuring rapper 50 Cent from his debut album, The Documentary. Produced by Dr. Dre and Mike Elizondo, it was released as the album's second official single in late 2004.
"Oh" is a song by American singer, Ciara who wrote the song with Ludacris, Andre Harris, and Vidal Davis. "Oh" was produced by Harris and Davis, who work as Dre & Vidal. The song was released on March 1, 2005, as the third single from her debut album, Goodies. The downtempo R&B song features hip-hop elements and a heavy bassline, and can be seen as an anthem to her hometown, Atlanta, Georgia. Ciara sings about the many things the city has to offer, while Ludacris raps the third verse.
LaShawn Ameen Daniels was an American songwriter, vocal producer and arranger. Often in tandem with producer Rodney Jerkins, he is known for his songwriting work for R&B singers such as Brandy, Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, Tamar Braxton, Toni Braxton, Jennifer Lopez, Ciara, and Whitney Houston, among others. Daniels won a Grammy Award—from nine nominations—for his work on Destiny's Child's 1999 single "Say My Name", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100.
"Lose Control" is a song by American rapper Missy Elliott featuring American singer Ciara and American hip hop artist Fatman Scoop. It was released as the lead single from Elliott's sixth studio album, The Cookbook, on May 23, 2005. It contains samples from Hot Streak's "Body Work" and Cybotron's "Clear". The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, number two in New Zealand, and in the top thirty in various countries.
"It's Not Right but It's Okay" is a song recorded by American Whitney Houston for her fourth studio album, My Love Is Your Love. It was written by LaShawn Daniels, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, Isaac Phillips, Toni Estes and produced by Darkchild. The song was released as the third single from the album on February 15, 1999, by Arista Records. "It's Not Right but It's Okay" examines a woman confronting her lover about his infidelity.
"Get Up" is a song by American recording artist Ciara. Released on July 25, 2006, the song serves as the first single from the original soundtrack to the film Step Up (2006), as well as the lead single for her second album, Ciara: The Evolution. It features American rapper Chamillionaire. The song was written by the singer and rapper with her mentor Jazze Pha, who produced the song. The song is a hip-hop number, accompanied by dance music sounds, while integrating a crunk beat. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who compared it to her previous work, namely "1, 2 Step."
Ciara: The Evolution is the second studio album by American singer Ciara, released on December 5, 2006, by LaFace Records. The album is separated into five sections, with each showcasing a different side of Ciara's artistry. The first features crunk&B and uptempo records, which mainly deal with feminine independence, while its successor, entitled The Evolution of Music features ballads dealing with the positives and struggles of love. The Evolution of Dance features dance tracks, The Evolution of Fashion deals with self-expression, while the last, entitled The Evolution of C, features tracks that discuss how Ciara has evolved as a person since the start of her career.
American singer Ciara has released seven studio albums, one extended play, one DVD, one promotional single, 55 singles and 28 music videos, including seven as a featured artist. She made her debut in 2004 with her debut album Goodies which debuted at three in the US and charted within the top 40 in several international markets. The album's title track peaked at number-one in the United States for seven weeks and gave the singer the title of "The First Lady of Crunk&B", while singles "1, 2 Step" and "Oh" reached the top three in the US. All three singles reached the top 10 in many international markets, with "Goodies" topping charts in the UK. Goodies was certified triple-Platinum in the United States, Platinum in Canada, and sold over five million copies worldwide. Ciara also participated in a number of successful collaborations, including US top five hits "Lose Control" with Missy Elliott, and "Like You" with rapper Bow Wow, as well as the US top 10 "So What" with group Field Mob.
"Promise" is a song performed by American recording artist Ciara from her second studio album, Ciara: The Evolution (2006). It was written by Ciara, Jasper Cameron, Polow da Don and Elvis Williams and produced by Polow da Don and Nealante. The song was released as the album's official lead single on October 16, 2006, through LaFace Records. The song was selected as the first single as Ciara wanted to put out a single with a slower pace, noting that her previous releases had been up-tempo. According to Ciara, the song represents the album's theme of evolving and symbolizes her growth as a songwriter and artist.
"Like a Boy" is a song performed by American singer Ciara for her second album Ciara: The Evolution (2006). Written by Ciara, Justin Henderson, Christopher Whitacre, Candice Nelson, Balewa Muhammad, J. Que, Keri Hilson, Sean Garrett, Rico Love, Ezekiel Lewis, and Calvin Kenon, it is the third release in the U.S. and second single in Europe.
"That's Right" is a song by American singer Ciara for her second album, Ciara: The Evolution. Written mainly by Ciara and produced by Lil Jon, the song reunites Ciara with Lil Jon, who produced Ciara's debut single, "Goodies". "That's Right" is an up-tempo crunk female empowerment song telling the story about a woman who does not let her boyfriend's selfish needs prevent her from going out to the club and having fun.
"Dangerous" is a song by Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall featuring American singer Akon. Produced by DJ Kemo and hAZEL, it was the first single from his fourth album, Not 4 Sale. It was released to radio in March 2008, and on iTunes on April 1. On the week of May 13, at the American iTunes Store, the song was offered as a free download. The song won the award for Single of the Year at the 2009 Juno Awards. In January 2023, the single was certified 4× platinum by Music Canada and 3× platinum by the RIAA.
"Go Girl" is a song co-written and performed by American R&B singer Ciara. The song was released as the lead single, for her third studio album Fantasy Ride, however it was only included on the Japan version of the album. The track is a female empowerment anthem that preaches control, featuring semi-auto-tune vocals and a mid-tempo beat.
"Right There" is a song by American singer Nicole Scherzinger, from her debut studio album, Killer Love (2011). The song was released on May 17, 2011, as the third single from the album by Interscope and associated record labels. As the third single, a remix was recorded featuring American rapper 50 Cent. The song was originally intended to be the first single to precede the album in the United States. Written by Ester Dean, Frank Romano, Daniel Morris, and co-written and produced by Jim Jonsin, it is an island-flavored midtempo R&B-pop song that sees Scherzinger singing about her what she wants her lover to do and warning other suitors to back off.
"Don't Tell 'Em" is a song by American singer Jeremih from his third studio album, Late Nights. It features American rapper YG, and was released as the first single from the album. The song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Don't Tell 'Em" peaked within the top ten of the charts in the United Kingdom, as well as the top twenty of the charts in Australia and Belgium.
This is the songs discography for American rapper 50 Cent.
"Leave Em Alone" is a song by American singer Layton Greene and American rapper Lil Baby featuring American hip hop duo City Girls and American rapper PnB Rock. It was released on May 29, 2019, as the lead single from American record label Quality Control's compilation album Control the Streets, Volume 2 (2019). The song was produced by Hitmaka and Cardiak and it samples "Can't Leave 'em Alone" by Ciara featuring 50 Cent.