Work It (Nelly song)

Last updated

"Work It"
Nelly featuring Justin Timberlake - Work It CD cover.jpg
Single by Nelly featuring Justin Timberlake
from the album Nellyville
B-side "Put Your Hands Up"
ReleasedFebruary 24, 2003 (2003-02-24)
Length4:01
Label Universal
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Epperson
Nelly singles chronology
"Air Force Ones"
(2002)		"Work It"
(2003)		"Pimp Juice"
(2003)
Justin Timberlake singles chronology
"Cry Me a River"
(2002)		"Work It"
(2003)		"Rock Your Body"
(2003)

"Work It" is a single by American rapper Nelly featuring American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. It was released on February 24, 2003, as the fourth single from Nelly's 2002 album, Nellyville . It peaked at number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number seven on the UK Singles Chart.

Contents

Critical reception

Tom Sinclair of Entertainment Weekly panned the collaboration, stating that the song was one of the weaker tracks in Nellyville despite the inclusion of Justin Timberlake. [1] Dele Fadele of NME described it as a "silly pop-directed collaboration with Justin Timberlake of *N Sync." [2] Writing for PopMatters , Wayne Franklin noted that Timberlake croons on the song. [3]

Commercial performance

"Work It" peaked at number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the March 13, 2004, issue of Billboard , charting for five weeks. [4] It also peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart on March 15, 2003, spending 11 weeks on the chart. [5]

Music video

The music video [6] for “Work It” by Nelly featuring Justin Timberlake, released in early 2003, was directed by Joseph Kahn [7] and filmed at the Playboy Mansion, where the artists are seen playing tennis and socializing with several Playboy Playmates in a stylized, lighthearted setting. The video includes a cameo by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, reinforcing the mansion’s iconic status in pop culture. [8] Kahn crafted the visuals to match the song’s playful tone and celebrity-lifestyle themes.

Track listings

Charts

Chart (2003–2004)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [14] 14
Australian Urban (ARIA) [15] 6
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [16] 53
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [17] 26
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [18] 37
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan) [19] 13
Denmark (Tracklisten) [20] 16
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [21] 25
Germany (GfK) [22] 31
Greece (IFPI) [23] 14
Ireland (IRMA) [24] 11
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [25] 17
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [26] 16
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [27] 17
Norway (VG-lista) [28] 15
Scotland (OCC) [29] 9
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [30] 41
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [31] 59
UK Singles (OCC) [5] 7
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC) [32] 1
US Billboard Hot 100 [4] 68
US Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [33] 24

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [34] Gold35,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref(s).
AustraliaFebruary 24, 2003 CD single Universal [35]
United KingdomMarch 3, 2003
 [36] [37]

The song was remixed by Scott Storch and was included on Nelly's 2003 remix album Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention .[ citation needed ] Another remix by Jason Nevins sampled AC/DC's 1980 single "Back in Black", which received considerable airplay, but was not officially released.[ citation needed ] The "Nevins Universal Dub" remix was played in the viral internet sensation clip of Robin Schreiber dancing at the Golden State Warriors basketball game on November 9, 2016 [38]

References

  1. ↑ Sinclair, Tom (March 17, 2020). "Nellyville". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  2. ↑ Fadele, Dele (September 12, 2005). "Nelly : Nellyville". NME . Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  3. ↑ Franklin, Wayne (June 27, 2002). "Nelly: Nellyville". PopMatters . Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Nelly Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  5. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  6. ↑ NellyVEVO (June 23, 2022). Nelly - Work It (Official Music Video) ft. Justin Timberlake . Retrieved July 31, 2025– via YouTube.
  7. ↑ Nelly feat. Justin Timberlake: Work It (Music), retrieved July 31, 2025
  8. ↑ "Meet the New Owner of the Playboy Mansion (Published 2016)". July 30, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  9. ↑ Work It (back cover). Nelly. United Kingdom: Universal Records. 2003. 019 804-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ↑ Work It (back cover). Nelly. United Kingdom: Universal Records. 2003. MCST 40312.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ↑ Work It – The Remixes (back cover). Nelly. United Kingdom: Universal Records. 2003. 019 805-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ↑ Work It (back cover). Nelly. Europe: Universal Records. 2003. 019 771-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ↑ Work It (back cover). Nelly. Canada: Universal Records. 2003. 4400197722.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ↑ "Nelly feat. Justin Timberlake – Work It". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Issue 681" ARIA Top 40 Urban Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Nelly feat. Justin Timberlake – Work It" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Nelly feat. Justin Timberlake – Work It" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Nelly feat. Justin Timberlake – Work It" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Nelly Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard . Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Nelly feat. Justin Timberlake – Work It". Tracklisten. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 21, no. 13. March 22, 2003. p. 13. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Nelly feat. Justin Timberlake – Work It" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Top 50 Singles: Εβδομάδα 29/03 – 04/04" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on April 14, 2003. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  24. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Work It". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 12, 2003" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Nelly feat. Justin Timberlake – Work It" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Nelly feat. Justin Timberlake – Work It". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Nelly feat. Justin Timberlake – Work It". VG-lista. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Nelly feat. Justin Timberlake – Work It". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Nelly feat. Justin Timberlake – Work It". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  32. ↑ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  33. ↑ "Nelly Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  34. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2003 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  35. ↑ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 24th February 2003" (PDF). ARIA. February 24, 2003. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2003. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  36. ↑ Doherty, Sean (February 22, 2003). "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 21, no. 9. p. 10. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  37. ↑ "New Releases – For Week Starting 3 March 2003: Singles" (PDF). Music Week . March 1, 2003. p. 21. Retrieved September 2, 2021.Misprinted as March 10 on source.
  38. ↑ Graflage, Stephanie (November 11, 2016). ""Work It" : Dancing NBA mom will make you smile". WDAF-TV . Retrieved May 17, 2020.
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