Buttons (song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Buttons"
Single by The Pussycat Dolls featuring Snoop Dogg
from the album PCD
B-side(s)	"Flirt"
Released	May 2006 (US) June 2006 (UK)
Format	12" single, Digital Download, CD
Recorded	September 20-24, 2005 in Phoenix, AZ
Genre	R&B / Hip Hop
Length	3:52 (Main Mix)
Label	A&M Records
Writer(s)	Sean Garrett, Jamal Jones, Jason Perry, Nicole Scherzinger, Calvin Broadus (remix)
Producer(s)	Sean Garrett, Ron Fair, Polow Da Don
Certification	Platinum (U.S.)
Chart positions
#1 (New Zealand, Austria, Brazil) #2 (AUS) #3 (U.K., U.S.)
Pussycat Dolls singles chronology
"Beep" (2006)	"Buttons" (2006)	"I Don't Need a Man" (2006)
Snoop Dogg singles chronology
"Say Somethin'" (2006)	"Buttons" (2006)	"Cali Iz Active" (2006)

"Buttons" is a song written by Sean Garrett, Jamal Jones, Jason Perry and Nicole Scherzinger for The Pussycat Dolls' debut album PCD (2005). Released as the album's fourth single, the song became their fourth top three single on the UK and their second top three single on the US.

Contents 1 Song information 2 B-side 3 Formats and track listings 4 Music video 5 Chart performance 6 Charts 7 References 8 Trivia 9 External links

[edit] Song information

For the fourth single release, The Pussycat Dolls decided to mix it up a bit by bringing in Snoop Dogg. The song was altered slightly from the album version, adding in two rap verses. However for the final release of the single, most people considered it the remix, however on the promotional singles, the version featuring Snoop Dogg is titled as the Main Mix.

Like "Don't Cha" and "Beep", the song has a strong sexual undertone, where the protagonist, who is described as a sexually attractive individual, teases her intended male subject to help her take her clothes off (hence the main chorus line "I'm telling you to loosen up my buttons"). However, she accuses the male subject of being intimidated as he "fronts" to do so, leading her to believe he's "all talk and no show" claiming that she's "heard what he's sayin' what he was going to do to her, but she's seen nothing". However, where most listeners would assume that the protagonist has finally become disinterested, the song ends with the impression that she's still teasing the guy to unbutton her clothes. At the 2006 American Music Awards , Jessica Sutta messed up in the part where they performed with chairs and just went along with it.

The lyrics were slightly altered after the final release in the rap verse performed by Snoop Dogg. The lyric "Yeah, I thought I saw a puddycat" (catchphrase of the Looney Tunes character Tweety) was changed to "Yeah, I thought I saw a pussycat". (A similar lyric was also used in the Ying Yang Twins' song "Badd".)

[edit] B-side

The B-side is "Flirt" written by Nicole Scherzinger, Kara DioGuardi, and Greg Wells.

[edit] Formats and track listings

CD single #1 (A&M Records)

1. "Buttons" 3:52
2. "Flirt" 2:57

CD single #2 (A&M Records)

1. "Buttons" 3:52
2. "Buttons" [Album Version] 3:46
3. "Flirt" 2:57
4. "Buttons" [Video]

CD single (Polydor)

1. "Buttons"
2. "Don't Cha" [Live Version]

[edit] Music video

The video was shot in March 20, 2006 by production company DNA and was directed by Francis Lawrence. It features the Pussycat Dolls with rapper Snoop Dogg. The Pussycat Dolls are dressed in black outfits, and then progress through the video performing a striptease that leads to several dance segments which include different dance portions with various props in an all sepia toned video. Nicole in one dance sequence uses a chair, which was first incorporated by Janet Jackson in the early portion of her music video career (see "The Pleasure Principle"). The video is influenced by both the Pussycat Dolls's old school burlesque traditions and the Middle-Eastern influence of the musical composition, incorporating props and imagery such as the trademark Pussycat Dolls's method of the silhouetting of bodies in their stage shows, jazz dance moves, and a curtain made from jewelry worn by belly dancers. A different version of the video is shown with smoke coming from some of the dolls during some sequences, and finally the floor bursting into digitally-added fire in the last sequences. As with Beep, a new piece of music, using the same riff but with a different, faster drum beat was added in, so the dolls could perform a faster dance routine. This piece of music replaces the bridge in the video.

The video has proven to be very popular and has been topping the viewer's interactive charts such as of MTV Hits, just like its predecessors.

The video received an award at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards in the category of Best Dance Video.

[edit] Chart performance

The song impacted radio in Late April/Early May in the United States. After the slight dissapointment of 'Beep' on the radio charts, the record label was hoping to make 'Buttons' a bigger hit, along the lines of 'Don't Cha' and 'Stickwitu' which became Billboard Top 5 hits. With a stronger push from Interscope records, 'Buttons' was off to a great start in the states. However, the song was different than other PCD songs as this song took longer to peak. In the months of May, June and July, the song was slowly climbing up the charts. However, near the end of July the song suddenly shot into the top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at #4 due to strong digital sales. In September 2006, the song managed to rise to a peak of #3. Even though the song had always been available digitally, the song kept gaining momentum in digital sales during the Summer of 2006, allowing its popularity to expand. This also helped the song breakthrough the top ten on the pop radio charts as it shot through the top ten, finally reaching #1 at the end of August. PCD are only one of two artists this year so far to have two different #1s on Top 40 radio, with the other artist being Justin Timberlake who had back to back radio hits with 'SexyBack' and 'My Love'. 'Stickwitu' was the other PCD song to reach #1 on radio this year, staying there for two weeks in January 2006.

"Buttons" got positive reviews from most of Asia viewers, which the video topped Top 10 Pop Inc MTV Asia chart for 11 weeks (non-consecutive), and spent 23 weeks on the chart. Currently, "Buttons" still holds the record for most #1s video on the chart and the longest running video on the chart. Top 10 Pop Inc is a countdown show which plays top 10 most voted and most requested videos of the week in MTV Asia. In another MTV Asia's countdown, which named "Hip Hop Countdown", which plays Top 10 most requested and most voted Hip Hop videos, Buttons also spent 24 weeks on the chart and 17 weeks at the top spot, which currently, the record for most #1s and longest running videos on the Hip Hop Coountdown still holds also by "Buttons". In both countdown, "Buttons" also becomes the only video could manage to stay in Top 3 from debut until its 20th weeks, but due to its taken off from the voting list, finally, it dropped from Top 3 from the first time in its 23rd week on Hip Hop Countdown, and in its 21st week on Pop Inc Chart.

"Buttons" couldve stay longer on both Pop Inc and Hip Hop Countdown chart, actually, but due to premier of Pussycat Dolls' new video "I Don't Need A Man", so "Buttons" taken off from the voting list directly. But due to the popularity of Buttons, the video still could manage stay on both chart while I Don't Need A Man debuted. This means, Pussycat Dolls is the only artist to break the rules to have only one video per artist by having two videos in both countdown.

[edit] Charts

Chart (2006)	Peak position
Hot 100 Brasil	1
UK Official Singles Chart	3
UK Official Download Chart	6
Ireland Singles Top 50	4
Hungary Dance Top 40	13
U.S Billboard Hot 100	3
U.S Billboard Pop 100	2
Austria Singles Top 75	1
Australia Singles Top 50	2
Australia Urban Singles	1
Belgium Singles Top 50	4
Canadian BDS Airplay Chart	13
Dutch Top 40	6
Finland Singles Top 20	11
France Singles Top 100	12
Germany Singles Top 100	4
Ireland Singles Top 50	4
Italy Top 50	18
Indonesia Chart	1 (3)
Lithuania Chart	4
Polish National Top 50	6
Sweden Singles Top 60	36
World Singles Top 40	6

[edit] References

[edit] Trivia

• ECW Vixen Kelly Kelly used this song when she performed "Kelly's Expose," a striptease, during ECW on Sci-Fi for the hardly responsive crowd.
• In the song Snoop Dogg mentions all the members names by rhyming them.
• During the 2006 American Music Awards performance of the song one of the group's members Jessica Sutta knocked over and fell off her chair..^{[citation needed]}

[edit] External links

• "Buttons" Music Video

Preceded by: "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley

RIANZ (New Zealand) number one single July 17, 2006 – July 24, 2006

Succeeded by: "Promiscuous" by Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland