Powerless (Say What You Want)

Last updated

"Powerless (Say What You Want)"
Powerless (Say What You Want).png
Single by Nelly Furtado
from the album Folklore
Released6 October 2003 (2003-10-06)
Studio
Length3:53
Label DreamWorks
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Track & Field
  • Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado singles chronology
"Fotografía"
(2003)		"Powerless (Say What You Want)"
(2003)		"Try"
(2004)
Audio video
"Powerless (Say What You Want)" on YouTube

"Powerless (Say What You Want)" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado from her second studio album, Folklore (2003). The song was written and produced by Furtado, Gerald Eaton, and Brian West. It contains a sample of Malcolm McLaren's "Buffalo Gals", which was written by Trevor Horn, Anne Dudley, and McLaren. The song was released as the album's lead single in October 2003.

Contents

Background

"Powerless (Say What You Want)" addresses how Furtado was discriminated against as her record company wanted to hide her ancestry: "Paint my face in your magazines/Make it look whiter than it seems/Paint me over with your dreams/Shove away my ethnicity". According to Furtado, "I noticed that when I turned on the TV, I didn't really see anybody that looked like me. So it's really important for me to keep that realness in me and always remember where I came from, while at the same time always entertaining people. I like music to be inclusive." Furtado also commented on gaining strength through the things that are truly important, saying that "real power comes from not caring about power and just letting yourself be free" and affirming that it is "good to have balance in life". [1]

Of the instrumentation, Furtado said: "I get to see a lot of DJ-oriented performance stuff, and I'm into the heaviness of breakbeats, how raw and powerful they are. Everything lately has become so synthesized, but just the standard sound of breakbeats is inspiring. 'Powerless' uses breakbeats like that; it's a real groove, a real vibe. It just carries you away. There’s a banjo mixed with a breakbeat from elements of Malcolm McLaren's 'Buffalo Gals.' So right away you're bobbing your head. The lyrics are initially in-your-face, like, 'Okay, I know I'm going to be stereotyped in my life because that is the world we live in; that's society.' But the song tries to find some sense of order in this complicated world."[ citation needed ]

The song was named 'Single of the Year' at the 2004 Juno Awards.

Music video

The music video was directed by Bryan Barber and was shot over three days. [2] The video revolves around a classic psychological metaphor: Furtado trapped inside a box from which she seeks to escape. Inside, the box is plastered with posters that act as doors or windows for the artist's imagination. Her situation is a metaphor for being both defined and confined by the illusory commercial reality of her celebrity and beauty. The video was shot on various sets and dressed locations, and in a large customized box crate, which were all created by production designer Aaron Goffman. Using Photoshop and Illustrator, Moneyshots designed the posters and graphics that surround Furtado in the box and added the transitions that transport her back and forth between the imprisoning box and the poster environments that signify the escape that self-expression can bring. [3]

There is an alternate version of the video featuring Furtado in a field, and shown in several screens in different parts of a city, showing the movements of the modern life.

Track listing

UK CD maxi-single [4]

  1. "Powerless (Say What You Want)" (album version) – 3:53
  2. "Powerless (Say What You Want)" (JoSH Desi remix) – 3:12
  3. "Powerless (Say What You Want)" (alternative acoustic mix) – 3:47

European 2-track CD single

  1. "Powerless (Say What You Want)" (album version) – 3:53
  2. "Powerless (Say What You Want)" (alternative acoustic mix) – 3:47

European CD maxi-single [5]

  1. "Powerless (Say What You Want)" (album version) – 3:53
  2. "Powerless (Say What You Want)" (alternative acoustic mix) – 3:47
  3. "Powerless (Say What You Want)" (JoSH Desi remix) – 3:47
  4. "Powerless (Say What You Want)" (instrumental) – 3:53

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the Folklore album booklet. [6]

Studios

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Powerless (Say What You Want)"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI) [37] Gold150,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
United States6 October 2003 DreamWorks [38]
Canada21 November 2003 CD [39]
Australia24 November 2003 [40]
United Kingdom8 December 2003 [41]
Germany15 December 2003 [42]
Japan21 January 2004 Universal Music Japan [43]
United Kingdom Digital download DreamWorks [44]
Germany2 February 2004CD
  • Universal
  • Motor Music
 [45]

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References

  1. ↑ "Nelly Furtado Mashes Cultures (And A Bumblebee) Together For New Video". MTV. 12 November 2003. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  2. ↑ "Nelly furtado POWERLESS music video". Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2007.
  3. ↑ "POWERLESS music video synopsis". Archived from the original on 9 October 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2007.
  4. ↑ "Powerless by Nelly Furtado: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  5. ↑ "Nelly Furtado - Powerless - Amazon.com Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  6. ↑ Folklore (US CD album booklet). Nelly Furtado. DreamWorks Records. 2003. B0001007-12.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ↑ "Nelly Furtado – Powerless (Say What You Want)". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
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