"Knock You Down" | ||||
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Single by Keri Hilson featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo | ||||
from the album In a Perfect World... | ||||
Released | April 7, 2009 | |||
Recorded | 2009 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 5:26 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Keri Hilson singles chronology | ||||
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Kanye West singles chronology | ||||
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Ne-Yo singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Keri Hilson - Knock You Down (Official Music Video) ft. Kanye West,Ne-Yo" on YouTube |
"Knock You Down" is a song by American singer and songwriter Keri Hilson,recorded for her debut album, In a Perfect World... . The song features guest vocals from Ne-Yo and Kanye West. All three artists co-wrote the song with its producer Nate "Danja" Hills,as well as Kevin Cossom and Marcella Araica. The song was released first released to rhythmic and urban airplay in the United States as the album's fourth single in the US,and it would later serve as the third worldwide single.
The song is an R&B and hip hop song,which includes elements of pop music. The lyrics of the song pertain to how love "knocks you down." Part of the song refers to Michael Jackson;coincidentally it was released at the time surrounding the death of the singer. The song received generally mixed to positive reviews,with critics divided as to whether Ne-Yo and West overwhelmed Hilson's appearance. However,reviewers also complimented that the song was radio-friendly. It was nominated for multiple awards,including Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 52nd Grammy Awards.
"Knock You Down" peaked at number one in New Zealand,and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. It also reached the top ten in Canada,Ireland,the United Kingdom,and the United States. The song's music video was directed by Chris Robinson. It sees Hilson caught in a love triangle with her former partner West,and new-found love Ne-Yo. The video received positive reviews,which appreciated the given performances given by the artists. Hilson performed the song a number of times,including television appearances such as on The Rachael Ray Show . She also notably performed the song at the 2009 BET Awards,where she used the Jackson reference of the song to give a tribute performance to the late singer.
Hilson and Ne-Yo knew each other from their days as co-songwriters. Hilson had appeared as Ne-Yo's love interest in the video for his song "Miss Independent" (referenced in the song),the second single taken from his 2008 album, Year of the Gentleman . In a September 2008 interview with Rap-Up about a recent crop of songwriters becoming singers,Ne-Yo said "For one,I think Keri Hilson’s too freakin’pretty to be in the background. For two,her voice is incredible—on top of the fact that she can write. So I think that she's definitely one that deserves the spotlight." [1] In "Knock You Down",Kanye West makes multiple references to Michael Jackson,and coincidentally,the song was released in numerous territories around the death of the singer. [2]
"Knock You Down" is a R&B song with a length of five minutes and twenty six seconds. [3] The song also includes electro tones, and derives from pop and hip hop genres. [2] The song is set in common time, and composed in a "moderate R&B groove." [4] It is written in the key of G minor, and vocals span from F3 to D5. [4] It follows the chord progression E♭–F–B♭–E♭–F–Gm. [4] The song begins with a rap intro by Kanye West, accompanied by a "stabbing synth riff." [2] According to Chris Williams of Billboard , The verses contain a "thumping bass-beat" while the chorus is in a "frenetic midtempo groove." [5] Dan Nishimoto of Prefix Magazine said the song had a "4/4 Motown feel on the verses and stuttering drums on the chorus." [6] Hilson performs the first verse and chorus, while Ne-Yo sings the second verse. [5] West then has a rap interlude before Hilson sings an additional part before the song ends with the chorus by Hilson, accompanied by Ne-Yo. [5] In West's lines, he references Michael Jackson and his song "Bad" in the lines "This is bad, real bad, Michael Jackson." Coincidentally, the song was released in numerous territories around the death of the singer. [2] West also refers to the domestic abuse accusations against Jackson's father, Joe, in the following lyric "Now mad, real mad, Joe Jackson." [2] Lyrically, the song is about how a great love goes wrong. [5]
Chris Williams of Billboard said "with a vocal assist from Ne-Yo and a clever guest rap by Kanye West, it appears Hilson is intent on a knockout punch of her own." [5] Dan Nishimoto of Prefix Magazine said the song was one of the better radio-friendly tracks on the album. [6] Melinda Newman of HitFix said that "the mid-tempo track is undeniably catchy and will embed itself within your brain after only a few listens." [7] Sophie Bruce of BBC Music positively received the song, calling it the album's "biggest potential hit." [8] Although Nick Levine of Digital Spy gave the song three out of five stars, complimenting production by Danja, and saying that the song sounded like a more obvious hit than "Return the Favor", he complained that "getting two R&B A-listers to appear on your track should be a real coup, but not when one's got a more distinctive voice than you and the other steals the show with some typically ballsy rapping." [2] Quentin B. Huff of PopMatters criticized the repetitive hook, stating "Hook-wise, it’s a little like listening to an album of kids chanting while playing double-dutch." [9] He also said that Hilson's vocals "show promise but fail to distinguish the Hilson brand from the crowd." [9]
"Knock You Down" was nominated for three awards. At the 2009 Soul Train Music Awards, the song was nominated for Record of the Year (Songwriters Award) as well as Best Collaboration. [10] At the 52nd Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, but lost to Jay-Z's "Run This Town", another song in which West is featured. [11] Entertainment Weekly named "Knock You Down" the fourth best song of 2009. [12] Slant Magazine listed it the 19th on its list of the best songs of 2009. [13]
"Knock You Down" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number sixty-five, and would later go on to peak at number three. [14] Along with "The Way I Are", it was Hilson's highest-charting single on the Hot 100. [14] It also achieved successes in other Billboard component charts, topping the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and reaching number three on the Pop Songs chart. [15] "Knock You Down" became Hilson's biggest airplay single to date, topping the Hot 100 Airplay for four consecutive weeks. It has sold over 2,100,000 digital copies as of April 2011. [16] "Knock You Down" spent a total of thirty-one weeks on the Hot 100. The single appeared on numerous charts internationally. On the Canadian Hot 100, [17] and the Australian Singles Chart the song peaked at number three. [18] It debuted at number forty on the UK Singles Chart, and five weeks later, it reached number five, where it remained for two weeks. [19] In Ireland, it peaked at number two on the Irish Singles Chart, while it reached number eight on the Dutch Top 40. [20] The song performed best on the New Zealand Singles Chart, where it reached number one, [21] and was eventually certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ). "Knock You Down" charted in the top twenty of Norway, Sweden, and Slovakia, the top thirty of Germany, Belgium (Wallonia), and Denmark, [22] and in the top forty of the Czech Republic. [23] It reached number forty-nine on the Belgian Singles Chart in Flanders. [22] its success in Europe allowed it to chart at number thirteen on the European Hot 100. [24]
The music video for "Knock You Down", directed by Chris Robinson, [25] premiered on March 23, 2009. [25] The video begins with Hilson slowly falling backwards onto a bed, and then West appears and raps the introduction. Both start reflecting on their previous relationship, before the clip flashes back to the previous events. West is shown to be an artist, who is painting a portrait of Hilson. Hilson and West begin to caress each other, as she is shown in several seductive poses in a bed and sings in front of a white backdrop. The video returns to the present, showing Hilson and West breaking up, as both of them fall backwards onto the floor, similar to the way Hilson falls onto the bed in the opening sequence. Visual effects come into play greater in this scene, as when West falls, he shatters into pieces. [7] Ne-Yo then appears, and sings his lines in front of a grey backdrop. Ne-Yo and Hilson proceed to go on a date at a party in West and Hilson's apartment, and are seen being affectionate by West. He then confronts Hilson, and Ne-Yo also approaches the duo before Hilson walks off, torn between the two men. The clip ends with Hilson falling backwards onto a bed, in similar fashion as the opening scene.
Melinda Newman of HitFix positively received the video, stating "its success lies solely in the charisma and believability that the trio brings to the small screen, which is considerable." [7] A writer for BET Sound Off called the video a "tantalizing visual" and said he adored it, commenting, "sans Kanye and Neyo’s unbearable showdown, I could watch this video over and over and over and over!" [26] Margeaux Watson of Entertainment Weekly said, "Though their scenes together are G-rated in comparison to Ciara's steamy romp with Justin Timberlake in their new clip for 'Love Sex Magic,' Hilson’s solo shots in bed are undeniably hot. Indeed, a tasteful flash of booty never hurt nobody." [27] In an interview on the Today Show , anchor Hoda Kotb made a remark to Ne-Yo, stating, "You have this really hot new video that you do with Kanye West and another woman named Keri. You [and Kanye] are such big stars. How did this happen?" Blogs reported this as a possible "diss" toward Hilson, however, neither camps reported anything after the fact. [28]
Hilson performed the song for Walmart Soundcheck to promote the album. [29] She also performed the song while being a supporting act to Ne-Yo, on his Year of the Gentleman tour in 2009. [30] Hilson and West performed the song on May 5, 2009, on the Late Show with David Letterman . [31] Hilson also performed the song, along with a cover of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" on July 21, 2009, for Yahoo! Music sponsored by Pepsi. [32] She performed the song with "Turnin Me On" at the 2009 BET Awards in June 2009. [33] She used the Michael Jackson reference in the song to perform a dance routine paying homage to Jackson, at the awards ceremony. [33] On July 28, 2009, Hilson performed the song on It's On with Alexa Chung . [34] Hilson performed the song and "Energy" with British singer-songwriter Taio Cruz at the MOBO Awards 2009, which she co-hosted, on October 4, 2009. [35] On January 1, 2010, she performed the song as a part of her set list of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest . [36] On January 29, 2010, Hilson performed an acoustic rendition of the song on The Rachael Ray Show . [37] On February 5, 2010, she performed the song at BET's SOS: Help for Haiti Telethon, to benefit the victims of the 2010 Haitian earthquake. [38] On October 22, 2010, she performed the song in Chicago at Collins Academy High School during for the Get Schooled National Challenge and Tour. [39]
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Credits adapted from the In the Perfect World... liner notes. [41]
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Weekly charts | Monthly charts
Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [72] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [73] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [74] | Platinum | 15,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI) [75] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [76] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Ref. |
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United States | April 7, 2009 | Rhythmic and urban airplay | [77] |
April 14, 2009 | Mainstream airplay | [77] | |
United Kingdom | May 4, 2009 | Digital download | [78] |
June 22, 2009 | CD single | [79] | |
Brazil | September 9, 2009 | Digital download | [80] |
"Make Love" is a song performed by American recording artist and songwriter Keri Hilson. It was written by Jamal "Polow da Don" Jones, Ester Dean, and Jason Perry, and produced by Polow da Don and Perry for Hilson's debut studio album, In a Perfect World... (2009). The song was sent for urban adult contemporary airplay on June 23, 2009, as the fifth single from the album. Musically, "Make Love" is a downtempo R&B ballad. The song received mixed reviews from music critics; some of them criticized its long length and Hilson's vocals, while others named it one of the album's standouts.
Keri Lynn Hilson is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, she began her musical career as a songwriter and backing vocalist for other artists under the wing of record producer Anthony Dent in 2002. At the age of 14, Hilson secured a record deal with the girl group D'Signe, which ultimately disbanded. She attended at Oxford College of Emory University while contributing to material for popular artists, including Britney Spears, Usher, Ciara, The Pussycat Dolls, and Mary J. Blige; she joined the songwriting-production group, the Clutch in 2004.
Jamal Fincher Jones, known professionally as Polow da Don, is an American record producer and rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He began his career as a recording artist in the late 1990s, leaving college to pursue a career with the short-lived hip hop group Jim Crow. They signed with Epic Records in 1999 and released two albums—Crow's Nest (1999) and Right Quick (2001)—before being dropped from the label.
"Because of You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo. It was written by Ne-Yo, Mikkel S. Eriksen, and Tor Erik Hermansen for his second studio album of the same name, while production was helmed by Eriksen and Hermansen under their production moniker Stargate. The song, released on February 13, 2007, served as the album's first single. "Because of You" reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, topped the New Zealand Singles Chart, and reached the top 10 in Ireland, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
"The Way I Are" is a song by American producer Timbaland, released as the second single from his second studio album Shock Value (2007). The song features vocals by singer Keri Hilson, and is included on international editions on her debut album In a Perfect World... (2009). The two artists co-wrote the song with Danja, The Clutch, and Candice Nelson. Timbaland and Danja also produced the song. Mosley Music Group, in association with Blackground Records and Interscope Records, serviced the song to contemporary hit and rhythmic radios in the United States on June 15, 2007. "The Way I Are" is an electrohop song with influences of R&B and dance music that help create its futuristic sound. Its lyrics are based on the theme of role reversal and sensuous desires.
In a Perfect World... is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Keri Hilson. It was released on March 24, 2009, through Zone 4, Mosley Music Group and Interscope Records. Originally planned for a 2007 release, it was pushed back numerous times into 2008, amid her label's budget issues and minor single releases. The production on the album was handled primarily by Timbaland, Polow da Don and Danja, among others.
"Scream" is a song by American producer and rapper Timbaland, released as the fifth and final single from his second studio album Shock Value (2007). The song features vocals from American singer and songwriter Keri Hilson and the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls at the time Nicole Scherzinger. Mosley and Hilson co-wrote the song with American producer Danja, who co-produced the song with Timbaland. Mosley Music Group, in association with Blackground Records and Interscope Records, serviced the song to mainstream radios in the United States in December 2007.
"Love in This Club" is a song by American R&B singer Usher. Featuring rapper Young Jeezy, it was released on February 22, 2008, as the lead single from Usher's fifth studio album, Here I Stand. The song was written by Usher, Polow da Don, Jeezy, Darnell Dalton, Ryon Lovett, Lamar Taylor and Keith Thomas, and produced by da Don, with a Las Vegas-inspired synth-driven beat. Its lyrics refer to seducing someone in a nightclub. The song was originally leaked by da Don prior to its release.
"Energy" is a song by American recording artist Keri Hilson. It was written and produced by production team The Runaways, consisting of Louis Biancaniello, Sam Watters, Rico Love, and Wayne Wilkins, for her studio album In a Perfect World… (2009). A midtempo power ballad, "Energy" talks about an overwhelming and consuming toxic love that is causing the protagonist to reconsider her priorities.
"Hero" is a song by American rapper Nas, released June 2008 as the lead single from his untitled album. The song, which features vocals from American R&B singer Keri Hilson, was produced by Polow da Don.
"Miss Independent" is a song by American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo. It is the second single from his album. Year of the Gentleman (2008), and was produced by Stargate. It samples the song "Forget About Me" by Keesha. The song was written by Ne-Yo and co-written by Stargate. It was released as a music download on August 26, 2008, and physical release on September 2, 2008.
The discography of American R&B singer Keri Hilson consists of two studio albums, 29 singles, and 31 music videos. Hilson began her career as a songwriter, penning tracks for several artists in the mid-2000s as part of the five-person production and songwriting team The Clutch. Together, they co-wrote songs for artists including Mary J. Blige, Omarion, The Pussycat Dolls and Britney Spears. Hilson's solo discography began when she was featured on "Hey Now ", a 2004 single by American rapper Xzibit, which reached the top 10 in the United Kingdom. In 2006, Hilson signed to Mosley Music Group, a record label created by American record producer and rapper Timbaland.
"Turnin Me On" is a song by American singer-songwriter Keri Hilson, from her debut album, In a Perfect World... The song features American rapper Lil Wayne who co-wrote the song alongside Hilson and Zachary Anson Wallace. Production credits are shared between Danja and Polow da Don, who also co-wrote the song. Following the minimal chart success of Hilson's worldwide lead single "Energy" in the United States, international markets received "Return the Favor", while "Turnin Me On" was released as the third single in the US.
"Return the Favor" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Keri Hilson. The song features Timbaland, who wrote the song with Hilson and her songwriting/production team The Clutch, as well as Walter Milsap. Following the moderate international chart success of Hilson's lead single, "Energy", "Return the Favor" was released from Hilson's debut album, In a Perfect World..., serving as the international second single while the urban single, "Turnin Me On" was released in the US.
"Slow Dance" is a song by American recording artist Keri Hilson. Written with American singer Justin Timberlake, the song was penned while she was a guest on the British leg of Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveShow tour. The writing team also included The Royal Court who along with Skyz Muzik produced the track. The song serves as the sixth single from her debut studio album, In a Perfect World.... Giving off a psychedelic vibe and compared to 1980's Prince ballads and Ciara slow burners, the song received generally positive reviews, complimenting its musical backdrop and vulnerable lyrical appeal.
"Run This Town" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z featuring Barbadian singer Rihanna and fellow American rapper Kanye West. Released on July 24, 2009, it was written by the artists alongside Athanasios Alatas, Jeff Bhasker, and No I.D., the latter producing it with West. "Run This Town" was released as the second single from Jay-Z's eleventh studio album, The Blueprint 3.
No Boys Allowed is the second studio album by American singer Keri Hilson. It was released on December 17, 2010, by Mosley Music Group, Zone 4, Inc. and Interscope Records. On the album, Hilson has reunited with Timbaland and Polow da Don, who executively produced the album, as they did with her debut release. Hilson also worked with several other producers and songwriters, including Ne-Yo, Tha Bizness, John Legend, StarGate, Bei Maejor and Boi-1da, among others. Meanwhile, Chris Brown, Rick Ross, Kanye West, J. Cole, Nelly and Timbaland, are serving as featured guest vocals. Musically, No Boys Allowed is an R&B album, which incorporates elements of pop, soul, electro and dancehall into various songs.
"Pretty Girl Rock" is a song by American singer-songwriter Keri Hilson, taken from her second studio album, No Boys Allowed (2010). It was released as the lead single internationally and was the second single from that album released in the United States. The song was written by Ne-Yo and Chuck Harmony, who also handled its production. It includes a sample of "Just the Two of Us", which was written by Bill Withers, William Salter and Ralph MacDonald. "Pretty Girl Rock" is a mid-tempo R&B song that features a slinky piano and bouncy R&B beats. Lyrically, the song is a cheeky ode to self-empowerment.
"Lose Control (Let Me Down)" is a song performed by American singer and songwriter Keri Hilson featuring Nelly, taken from her second studio album, No Boys Allowed (2010). The song was produced by Norwegian duo StarGate, who wrote the song with Nelly and Ester Dean. "Lose Control" was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio in the United States on May 10, 2011, as the album's fourth single.
American rapper Kanye West has released 138 singles, four promotional singles and charted with 65 other songs.
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