Maneater (Nelly Furtado song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Maneater”
“Maneater” cover
Single by Nelly Furtado
from the album Loose
B-side "Undercover", "Crazy"
Released June 5, 2006 (Europe)
September 16, 2006
(Australia, United States)
Format 12" single, CD single, digital download
Recorded 2005; Miami, Florida
Genre Pop
Length 4:18 (album version)
4:25 (with interlude)
3:16 (radio version)
Label Geffen
Writer(s) Nelly Furtado, Tim Mosley, Nate Hills, Jim Beanz
Producer Timbaland, Nate Hills
Nelly Furtado singles chronology
"No Hay Igual"
(2006)		 "Maneater"
(2006)		 "Te Busqué"
(2006)
Audio sample
Info "Maneater" (help·info)
Alternate cover
Image:Australiancover.png
Australian & France cover

"Maneater" is a song written by Nelly Furtado,Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley, Jim Beanz and Nate "Danja" Hills for Furtado's third album, Loose. It was co-produced by Timbaland and Danja and includes influences of 1980s music by artists such as Eurythmics and Hall & Oates. Furtado stated that Hall & Oates' song of the same name was an influence during the writing and recording of the song.

Released as the album's first single in Europe in May 2006, "Maneater" became one of Nelly Furtado's most popular singles, topping the singles charts in Poland and the UK, and reaching the top ten across much of Continental Europe. It served as the album's second single in Australia, where it reached the top five, and in North America, where it became a club hit but was less commercially successful than the lead single, "Promiscuous". It received favourable reviews from many music critics.

Contents

[edit] Writing and recording

"Maneater" was one of the first songs Furtado and Timbaland worked on in the Hit Factory Criteria recording studios in Miami, Florida. She has described the song as an analogy of how she incorporated the "creative energy" of Timbaland and his production crew into Loose.[1] When making the album, Furtado and Timbaland were influenced by the work of musicians from the 1980s such as Talking Heads, Blondie, Madonna, The Police and Eurythmics. "Eurythmics had this spooky, keyboard-driven pop sound", Furtado said.[2] Final production of the track was delayed after a speaker caught fire in the studio control room.[3]

Furtado has characterised "Maneater" as "a 'couture pop' song", explaining that it is "in your face and very fashionable, stylistic and of-the-moment."[4] In an interview with MTV News, she compared it favorably to eating too much cheesecake: "It's got a crazy loud beat, and the vocals are bitchy and loud. A lot of people say it sounds like Peaches, because of the delivery, the spooky vocals."[1] According to Furtado, the song is related to how people become "hot on themselves" when dancing in their underwear in front of a mirror.[1] "[It] truly has a life of its own; it makes you move", she said.[2] Media sources compared it to the Hall & Oates single "Maneater", released in 1982 (see 1982 in music), which Furtado has cited as an influence on the song.[5]

In Australia, the CD was released in two formats, although one version (the international single) had an extremely limited run and was not widely available. The Australia-exclusive "Maneater" CD single includes a cover of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" recorded on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge program, on which "Maneater" was covered three times, by pop punk band Panic! at the Disco, dance music duo Basement Jaxx and rock band Boy Kill Boy, whose cover was released on the album Radio 1's Live Lounge.[6][7]

[edit] Critical reception

"Maneater" got favorable reception by music critics. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone stated that while not a Hall & Oates cover, the song "bumps hard enough to qualify as a sequel, and that's high praise indeed."[8] All Music Guide reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine cited "Maneater" as a highlight of Furtado's makeover, but believed that no matter how much Furtado sings about sex, she does not sound sexy and does not "generate much carnal heat."[9]

About.com's Bill Lamb gave the song 3.5 out of 5 stars, praising the "powerful thumping beat and insanely catchy chorus", but considering the song repetitive and more suitable for the dance floor than radio stations.[10] IGN's review praised the song, but considered it too similar to British singer M.I.A., alleging that "the blatant attempt to capitalize on [M.I.A.] that ultimately causes the track to crumble."[11] The song was later ranked as the twentieth best single of 2006 at The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop poll.[12]

[edit] Chart performance

"Maneater" was made available as a download (via the Apple iTunes Store) on May 22. It was released on maxi CD as the album's first single outside North America on May 26 in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, and on June 5 in the United Kingdom and other European markets. It debuted at number eight on the UK Singles Chart the week before its physical release, and a week later (on June 11, 2006) it went to number one,[13] becoming Furtado's first (and to date only, as sole credited artist) chart-topping UK single.[citation needed] "Maneater" was the seventh highest selling single in the UK in 2006,[14] with 296,000 units sold.[15] In early 2007, chart rules were changed to allow tracks not accompanied by physical singles to appear on the singles chart,[16] and "Maneater" subsequently re-entered the top forty on downloads alone.[17]

The single became a hit elsewhere in Europe, reaching the top five in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Ireland and Norway, the top ten in Belgium, Finland and the Netherlands and the top twenty in France. It peaked inside the top five on the United World Chart.[18] "Maneater" was released on U.S. national television at the Fashion Rocks event on September 8, 2006.[19] It entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number sixty-two, the highest debut of the week, and peaked at number sixteen; it also reached the top twenty on Billboard's Pop 100.[20][21] "Maneater" reached number one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, but it was not as commercially successful in the U.S. as the preceding single, "Promiscuous", which reached number one on all three charts.[21] The single debuted on the Australia ARIA Singles Chart on September 25 and rose to the top five the following week, peaking in its seventh week at number three. The ARIA accredited "Maneater" as a gold single for selling over 35,000 copies.[22]

In Canada, where "Promiscuous" topped the singles chart, "Maneater" reached number twenty-two on November 23, 2006 (its fifteenth week), selling close to 150 copies.[23][24] Its underperformance was attributed to the limited release of the CD single, which had been sold through retailers as early as "Promiscuous".[24] "Maneater" received substantial radio airplay and peaked inside the BDS Airplay Chart top five.[23] On November 16, it debuted on the Canadian Dance Chart, and it reached the top ten in late January 2007.[25] "Maneater" was the eighth best selling digital track of 2006 in Canada, with 38,800 downloads.[26]

In Latin America, "Maneater" was released as the first single, and reached the top twenty on the Latin America Top 40 in October 2006.

"Maneater" was nominated for a 2006 MTV Europe Music Award for Best Song.[27] It was also awarded a 2007 NRJ Music Award for Best International Song.[28]

[edit] Music video

The single's music video, directed by Anthony Mandler,[29] was filmed primarily on Firestone Boulevard in South Gate, California.[citation needed] The video features former So You Think You Can Dance contestant Jamile McGee as a dancer.[30] Nelly Furtado had to schedule extra practicing sessions for her own dancing in the video.[29]

A scene from the "Maneater" music video.
A scene from the "Maneater" music video.
Nelly furtado singing in the music video.
Nelly furtado singing in the music video.

The video does not have a substantial plot and, per Furtado's request, focuses on simultaneously celebrating and parodying the "maneater cliché".[1] It begins with Furtado searching for her runaway Great Dane, Toby, at night in a seemingly deserted industrial district of an unnamed city. She follows the dog to the basement of a dark, dilapidated building, where she encounters a silent crowd of people in the middle of what MTV News described as a "Fight Club-esque party".[29] Furtado positions herself in the middle of the crowd and, as the initial beat of the song emerges, begins to dance with "a sense of abandon", according to Furtado.[29] This serves as the catalyst for a dance party that continues as the song plays. Towards the end of the video, Furtado moves to the roof of the building and dances in front of the rising sun. In the end she leaves the party at dawn, finding her dog sitting at the stairhead near the exit. "I like to walk on the dangerous side of life", Furtado said of the filming of the video.[29]

In the U.S., the video premiered on Yahoo! Music on September 6 and was given a "First Look" on MTV's Total Request Live on September 8.[31][32] It debuted on the show's top ten video countdown on September 11 and peaked at number nine, remaining on the countdown for three consecutive days.[32] The video entered the MuchMusic Countdown in Canada in the week ending September 22, and it peaked at number one in the week ending December 8.[33]

At the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, Furtado was nominated in the category of Female Artist of the Year for "Maneater" and "Say It Right".[34]

[edit] Charts

The table below shows the chart positions of the single.[35][36][37][38][23][18][21]

Chart (2006) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart 3
Austrian Singles Chart 3
Bulgarian Singles Chart 1
Belgian Singles Chart 9
Canadian BDS Airplay Hits Chart 5
Chilean Singles 100 Airplay Chart 4
Croatian Singles Chart 1
Czech IFPI Chart 3
Dutch Top 40 10
Dannish Singles Chart 2
Euro 200 1
Estonian Singles Chart 1
Finnish Singles Chart 7
German Singles Chart 4
Hungarian Singles Chart 1
Irish Singles Chart 2
Israeli Singles Chart 1
Latvian Airplay Chart 2
Lithuanian Airplay Chart 2
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart 2
Portuguese Singles Chart 1
Polish National Top 50 1
South Africa 1
Swiss Singles Chart 1
UK Official Singles Chart 1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 16
U.S. Billboard Pop 100 13
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play 1
United World Chart 4
Preceded by
"I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (with Flowers in My Hair)" by Sandi Thom		 UK Singles Chart number-one single
June 11 – July 2, 2006		 Succeeded by
"Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean
Preceded by
"Lay All Your Love On Me" by Sylver		 Polish National Top 50 number-one single
August 14 – August 21, 2006		 Succeeded by
"Smile" by Lily Allen
Preceded by
"F*cking Boyfriend" by The Bird and the Bee		 Billboard Dance Club Play number-one single
December 9, 2006		 Succeeded by
"Ring the Alarm" by Beyoncé

[edit] Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Maneater".

International CD single
  1. "Maneater" (radio version) – 3:18
  2. "Undercover"
  3. "Maneater" (Waata House mix)
  4. "Maneater" (CD-ROM music video)
Australian/Chilean CD single
  1. "Maneater" (radio version)
  2. "Crazy" (Radio 1 Live Lounge session)
  3. "Maneater" (JoSH Desi remix)
  4. "Maneater" (CD-ROM music video)
Dutch CD
  1. "Maneater" (radio version) – 3:18
  2. "Undercover"
Vinyl single
  1. "Maneater" (radio version) – 3:18
  2. "Maneater" featuring Alozade (Waata House mix)
  3. "Maneater" (a cappella)
  4. "Maneater" (instrumental)
Maneater (Remixes)[39]
  1. Maneater (Waata House mix) – 4:23
  2. Maneater (Waata House mix featuring Alozade) – 4:23
  3. Maneater (club main mix) – 5:09
  4. Maneater (I.R. Remix) - 3:41
 
  • "Maneater"
    Nelly Furtado describes a "maneater" and what she causes on her lovers
  • Problems playing the files? See media help.

[edit] Remixes

One remix of "Maneater" featured rapper Lil Wayne, whom Furtado said contributed "the most amazing freestyle ever".[2] The music duo JoSH, who had remixed Furtado's single "Powerless (Say What You Want)" (2003), produced a remix of "Maneater" that introduced bhangra beats into the song.[40] Brendon Urie of Panic at the Disco, recorded an acoustic version of Maneater

[edit] Personnel

  • Lead vocals – Nelly Furtado
  • Audio mixing – Marcella Araica, Demacio Castellon
  • Vocal production – Jim Beanz
  • Background vocals – Jim Beanz, Timbaland
  • Engineers – James Roach, Kobla Tetey
  • Drums – Danja
  • Keyboards – Danja

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Vineyard, Jennifer. "Chris Martin Covers Jay-Z — And Other Scenes From Nelly Furtado's Loose". MTV News. June 20, 2006. Retrieved December 30, 2006.
  2. ^ a b c Nelly Furtado Section. Universal Music Canada. Retrieved December 30, 2006.
  3. ^ Cairns, Dan. "Whoa, here she comes again". The Sunday Times. May 21, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2006.
  4. ^ Lash, Jolie. "Nelly Furtado brings the punkhop". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 30, 2006.
  5. ^ Andrew Murfett (2006-07-28). Giddy-up. The Age. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
  6. ^ Basement Jaxx in the Live Lounge - 31 Aug 06. BBC Radio 1. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
  7. ^ Jo Whiley's Live Lounge - 2006. BBC Radio 1. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
  8. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2006-06-15). Nelly Furtado: Loose. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2007-10-15.
  9. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Loose Review. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 16 October 2007.
  10. ^ Lamb, Bill. Nelly Furtado - Maneater. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
  11. ^ Ptylik, Mark (2007-03-27). Loose Review. IGN. Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
  12. ^ Pazz & Jop 2006: Singles Winners. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2007-10-07.
  13. ^ Nelly beats World Cup competition. CBBC (2006-06-11). Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
  14. ^ [Official UK top 40 singles of 2006. BBC Radio 1. Retrieved on 2007-10-19.
  15. ^ Year End Chart & Brit Award Winners - 2006. NeverStop UK. Retrieved on 2007-10-19.
  16. ^ Official Chart rules are changing!. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
  17. ^ The Official UK Top 75 Singles, January 8th 2007. Music Square. Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
  18. ^ a b United World Chart, Week 29, 2006. Media Traffic. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
  19. ^ "For The Record: Quick News On 50 Cent, Foo Fighters, Diddy, Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Too Short & More". MTV News. September 11, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2006.
  20. ^ Cohen, Jonathan. "All Timberlake, All The Time On Billboard Charts". Billboard. September 21, 2006. Retrieved October 5, 2006.
  21. ^ a b c "Nelly Furtado - Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved September 23, 2006
  22. ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2006 Singles". ARIA. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
  23. ^ a b c Chart Data: Nelly Furtado. mariah-charts.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
  24. ^ a b Arpe, Malene. "Furtado's 'Maneater' a radio hit". November 29, 2006. Toronto Star. Retrieved November 30, 2006.
  25. ^ "Canadian Dance Chart". PromoMusic.com. Retrieved November 30, 2006.
  26. ^ 10% Growth in Overall Music Sales; Digital Track Sales Exceed 120% Growth. CNW Group (2007-01-17). Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
  27. ^ EMA 2006 nominations list - Part 2. MTV. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
  28. ^ AGUILERA AND EVANESCENCE LEADS NRJ NOMINATIONS. Contact Music (2006-10-28). Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
  29. ^ a b c d e Nelly Furtado's 'Maneater' Video Almost Ate Her Alive. MTV News (2006-09-20). Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
  30. ^ Official website of Jamile McGee. Retrieved October 19, 2007.
  31. ^ Geffen. "A Two for One Deal". September 6, 2006. Retrieved January 1, 2007.
  32. ^ a b "The TRL Archive - September 2006". popfusion.net. Retrieved January 1, 2007.
  33. ^ Countdown, Fri, Dec 8, 2006. MuchMusic. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
  34. ^ MTV VMA Race Is On: Justin Timberlake, Beyonce Lead Nominations. MTV (2007-08-07). Retrieved on 2007-10-19.
  35. ^ "Nelly Furtado - Maneater". MusicSquare. Retrieved September 23, 2006.
  36. ^ ARIA Charts: Australian Chart Positions. Retrieved on November 5, 2006.
  37. ^ "Nelly Furtado - Maneater (Full History)". Top40-charts.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
  38. ^ Maneater's Top Latino Top Position. Retrieved on March 9, 2007.
  39. ^ Maneater (Remixes). Discogs. Retrieved on 2007-10-17.
  40. ^ A different beat. Express India. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Nelly Furtado
Studio albums
EPs
DVDs
Singles
Guest singles
Tour
Related topics