Tell Me (Diddy song)

Last updated

"It's about when two superpowers get together. We're two superpowers in the music industry, it's not a typical thing for us to get together — that's really the concept of the video. It's supposed to make you dance, it's supposed to make you feel good, it's supposed to be something really good for you all to look at."

— Diddy on the music video's concept. [1]

The video begins with Diddy in a virtually empty white room except for the stereo equipment, with the track "Diddy Rock" (featuring Timbaland) — another song from Press Play — playing in the background. After his attractive female assistant asks Diddy if he wants her to "press play", the speakers and TV turn on and the track begins. While Diddy raps, he is blown away by the power of the speakers, and Aguilera is seen on the television. By the time Aguilera's catchy hook comes in, the white room has shattered and Diddy and Aguilera are seen on either side of a fan in some sort of dark wind tunnel. In the video the music gets so intense, that the stereo equipment and the room gets blown away. [1] :04:33–04:49

Aguilera is seen in a classy, yet modern look for the video, in contrast to the 1920s and '30s glamorous look she has used to promote her own album. This setting then shatters in the middle of the second verse to feature clips of the two performers, as well as backup dancers, performing in front of flashing neon lights. As the song ends, the camera zooms out to show that the lights form the promotional Press Play symbol associated with the album.

According to Diddy, "the concept of the video is about energy, when two forces, two strong energies get together; how things start to just go crazy". [1] In the episode of MTV's Making the Video Aguilera herself noted that it's a "pretty straightforward, simple kind of concept but it will come off looking very modernized and high-fashion". [1]

Live performances

"Tell Me" was never promoted in the Fall of 2006 after Diddy released his fourth studio album Press Play. The song was performed for the first time in May 2023, by Aguilera herself, during Usher's Lovers & Friends music festival in Las Vegas. [18] [19]

During the year 2023 alone, Aguilera performed the song four more times: at Smukfest in Denmark, [20] at the Regnum Carya in Turkey, [21] during a concert in Rishon LeZion, Israel, [22] [23] as well as at the EuroPride concert in Malta, in front of an audience of 38,000 people. [24] [25] [26]

Awards and nominations

"Tell Me"
Diddy tell me.jpg
Single by P. Diddy featuring Christina Aguilera
from the album Press Play
ReleasedNovember 7, 2006 (2006-11-07)
Genre Hip hop
Length4:10
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Just Blaze
P. Diddy singles chronology
"Come to Me"
(2006)
"Tell Me"
(2006)
"We Fly High (Remix)"
(2006)
Christina Aguilera singles chronology
"Hurt"
(2006)
"Tell Me"
(2006)
"Candyman"
(2007)
YearCeremonyCategoryResultRef.
2007 BDSCertified Spin Awards 50,000 SpinsWon [27]
International Dance Music Awards Best Hip-Hop/Dance TrackNominated [28]
MTV Australia Video Music Awards Best Hook-Up Nominated [29]

Track listing

CD single

  1. "Tell Me" (Explicit Album Version) (featuring Christina Aguilera) – 4:06
  2. "Tell Me" (Instrumental) (featuring Christina Aguilera) – 4:26
  3. "Tell Me" (A Cappella) (featuring Christina Aguilera) – 4:36
  4. "Come to Me" (Explicit Version) (featuring Nicole Scherzinger, Yung Joc, Young Dro & T.I.) – 3:51

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [63] Silver200,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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