| "Marvins Room" | ||||
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| Promotional single by Drake from the album Take Care | ||||
| Released | June 9, 2011: (October's Very Own Blog)[1] July 22, 2011: (iTunes) |
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| Format | Digital download | |||
| Recorded | April 2011 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 5:48 (Single version) 3:17 (Video version) |
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| Label | Young Money, Cash Money, Universal Republic | |||
| Writer | N. Shebib, A. Graham, A. Eccleston | |||
| Producer | Noah "40" Shebib | |||
| Take Care track listing | ||||
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"Marvins Room" is a song by the rapper Drake. The song debuted on his official blog October's Very Own on June 9, 2011. The track serves as the first promotional single released from Drake's second album Take Care, and it is his highest-charting promotional single to date. It has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of at least 500,000 copies in the US.[2]
The song was allegedly recorded inside the studio of the same name once owned by singer Marvin Gaye.[3]
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The song is anchored by Noah "40" Shebib's trademark muted bass, a trend that manifests, in the words of Jayson Greene of Pitchfork Media, "like the fumes from music that's already evaporated-- a wisp of keyboard, a single watery thud of bass drum.[4]"
The lyrics comprise Drake's late-night drunken rant to a former girlfriend over the phone while in a nightclub (a phenomenon referred to by critics as "drunk dialing"). Despite his frustrations over their breakup and his obvious loneliness, Drake reiterates to her his superiority over his replacement and repeatedly cajoles her to return to him. He also mentions that the women with whom he has had sex and has provided financial support do not satisfy him. Ultimately, his plaintive requests go unrequited.
"Marvins Room" was well-received by PopCrush, which gave the song 4.5 out of 5 stars and commented that "Not many rappers are capable of writing something with such an emotional impact."[5] Jayson Greene of Pitchfork Media also gave plaudits to the single, saying that it is "a shrewd reminder of what sets Aubrey Drake Graham apart. Drake is a master insinuator, and these two songs carry a muted, creeping unease no one else in hip-hop is currently quite equipped to provide.[4]"
Ann Powers of NPR Music's The Record drew comparisons between the song and the life and career of Marvin Gaye, stating that the song "taps into the magnetic but dangerous spirit of GAYE: not only his seduction skills, but his self-doubt, the vulnerability that made his music so profound and which eventually derailed him.[3]"
Following its release on Drake's official blog, it gained considerable popularity on various radio formats.[1]
The song has spawned a number of remixes from various artists. Responding to the number of "Marvin's Room" remixes, Drake said:
| “ | The writing is doing something to people for them to want to take it and remix it. It’s very flattering, you know. Thank you to anybody that did a remix,” Drake explained. “I hope other songs on the album get reactions like that too. I really, really worked very hard on the writing for this album so I hope it gets a great reaction. I’m excited. It comes out on my birthday so it’d be a nice birthday gift if you go buy it for the boy.”[6] Drake was particularly interested in JoJo's remix and commented on it by saying "In JoJo's case, she actually took the time to write really potent new lyrics," he says. "It was really shocking, I think, for her audience since throughout her career she's been kind of stereotyped as this teen pop star and then she comes out with this different kind of substance. It's very rare that people take your song and do it over like that."[7] | ” |
The music video for the song was released on Drake's OVO blog on June 28, 2011. The song in the video is shorter, and to the near end is a small sample of the chopped and screwed version of the song.
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK R&B (The Official Charts Company)[15] | 37 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[16] | 21 |
| US R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[17] | 7 |
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