| "Right Here (Departed)" | |||||||||
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| Single by Brandy | |||||||||
| from the album Human | |||||||||
| B-side | "Gonna Find My Love" | ||||||||
| Released | September 9, 2008 (See release history) |
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| Format | Digital download, CD single | ||||||||
| Recorded | 2008 2nd Floor Studios (Los Angeles, California) |
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| Genre | R&B, pop | ||||||||
| Length | 3:38 | ||||||||
| Label | Epic | ||||||||
| Writer(s) | Evan "Kidd" Bogart, Victoria Horn, Rodney Jerkins, Erika Nuri, David "DQ" Quiñones | ||||||||
| Producer | Rodney Jerkins | ||||||||
| Brandy singles chronology | |||||||||
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"Right Here (Departed)" is a song by American singer Brandy, written by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and The Writing Camp members Evan "Kidd" Bogart, Victoria Horn, Erika Nuri, and David "DQ" Quiñones and produced by Jerkins for her fifth studio album Human (2008). Not recorded until late into the production of the album, it set much of the tone for the final Human track listing as it was the first out of several new songs Brandy and Jerkins recorded together following his absence on the Afrodisiac album.[1] Its lyrics chronicle a woman's talks about mutual support with loved ones.[2]
Picked as the album's leading single and Brandy's first release with Epic Records following her split with Atlantic Records in 2005, the song premiered on her official webpage on August 13, 2008.[3] Her first release in four years, it was officially serviced to US radio on August 25, 2008 prior to receiving a major release between September 2008 and March 2009 on most international territories. Although it became a moderate hit, reaching the top ten of the French Singles Chart and number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, the track emerged as her highest-charting single in years.[4]
An accompanying music video for "Right Here (Departed)" was directed by Little X and filmed in Los Angeles, California in August 2008, loosely inspired by the 2007 science fiction film I Am Legend. It reached the top of BET's 106 & Park countdown and was voted number sixty-nine on BET: Notarized Top 100 videos of 2008.[5][6]
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Penned by Evan "Kidd" Bogart and his fellow Writing Camp members Victoria Horn, Erika Nuri and David Quiñones, "Right Here (Departed)" was not recorded until late into the production of the Human album. It was the first out of several Rodney Jerkins-crafted demo tracks Human A&R Brandon Creed presented to Brandy and the first song Jerkins and Brandy recorded together at the 2nd Floor Studios in Los Angeles following the pair's musical reunification in early June 2008.[1] It would eventually set much of the tone for the final Human version as the result convinced Norwood and her team to replace actual main producer Brian Kennedy in favor of Jerkins.[7]
Norwood noted the song "a Brandy song" and "reconnect": "Our experience this time has been very magical," she said about collaboration with Jerkins. "Our sound is a little bit different from our old sound, [but] it's like something that we would have done but on another level. Like the new version of who we are [...]."[2] Lyrically, "Departed" chronicle a woman's talks about mutual support with loved ones.[2] Recorded with therapeutical background, Norwood has noted the fatal 2006 car accident, in which she was involved, as a reason for its inclusion on the album.[8] "To know that you have somebody by your side who is gonna always be there for you, that comforts you in a way and that kinda gives you an extra confidence about yourself," she said, "And that's what I love about it: It's first the message and than you get into the beat and the whole musical part of it. I think everyone's gonna be able to relate to that [...] It's universal."[7]
While "Right Here (Departed)" was not specifically created for Brandy or the Human album, Bogart called it an "honor" to have the singer record one of their songs. "I think it's definitely a great comeback song for her, stylistically and conceptually," he said. "It's like working a new artist."[9] Her first record as a member of The Writing Team, Erika Nuri, added: "It is truly an honor and a blessing to have her first single, especially knowing that so many other great songwriters and producers were gunning for it and are on the album. I do think it's a perfect comeback song for her. A song for her old fans, but also new enough for kids that have never heard her before to gravitate too."[9]
The song premiered via Brandy's official webpage on August 13, 2008.[10] A remix of "Right Here (Departed)", featuring rapper The Game, was released in November 2008,[10] with another official remix featuring label mate Sean Kingston being leaked in December 2008.[10]
The song garnered generally positive reviews by music critics. Alex Macpherson of The Guardian noted the song Human's finest moment: "Norwood turns to face the world, though: 'Right Here (Departed)' is a cosmic, ride-or-die declaration of epic scope,"[11] while Emmanuel Ezugwu, reviewer for the RWD Magazine, called it a "joyous ode to overcoming insurmountable odds."[12] Los Angeles Times writer Mikael Wood, barely satisfied with Human in general, cited "Right Here (Departed)" one of the few highlights on the album, stating: "Catchy lead single 'Right Here (Departed)' manages to dial down Brandy's introspection and increase the groove factor."[13]
Newsday reviewer Glenn Gamboa wrote: "With the help of producer Rodney Jerkins, Brandy radiates warmth and hopefulness throughout Human - not in the naive way of someone who doesn't know any better, but in the determined way of someone who does. Her delivery on the up-tempo "Right Here (Departed)" reflects those choices. There's no showing off with vocal acrobatics or flashy production, just a premium on the melody and the mood [...]."[14]
The music video for "Right Here (Departed)", Brandy's first collaboration with Canadian director Little X, was filmed on August 17, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.[2] Shot on-street and in front of a greenscreen, it features cameo appearances by Jerkins and Brandy's younger brother Ray J, also starring actor Cory Hardrict as Brandy's boyfriend.[1] The production of the clip was tracked by BET's Access Granted television series, with the final cut eventually premiering on small screen on September 3, 2008 at the end of its Access Granted episode and online at 3:00 pm PT on Yahoo! Music. The video begins with the widescreen opening up and with the title name. In the 1st verse, Brandy appears in front of the sky and on a sidewalk near town when she sings to a man. During the 2nd verse and chorus, a woman is walking out of a factory crying and the cars disappear leaving the woman and Brandy. During the bridge, Brandy appears on 2 bridges and a tunnel (Which was seen on the music video Womanizer by Britney Spears. At the end of the video, Brandy disappears and the man and woman woke up from their dreams and leaving Brandy to finish the song before the widescreen closes.[5]
The concept of the video was chosen out of several different ideas.[5] Brandy, who cited the realness of Little X's treatment as its strength, has described the video about being there for a loved one.[5] The concept depicts Brandy as an angel, who is "crossing over to the other side and coming back into my family's life. Just popping up everywhere, just singing to them," she said, also noting its I Am Legend feel. "You can take it like you're talking about a mother and a daughter, a sister, brother, girlfriend, whatever — it's universal in that way [...] sometimes you see me on the street by myself completely, and it's pretty cool. I'm really excited about it [...]."[2][15] Although the shooting of a scene with Brandy interacting with a young girl was captured by Access Granted, the sequence was not included into the final cut of the video.[5]
On October 31, 2008, the video reached number one on BET's 106 & Park countdown.[6] In addition, it was voted number 69 on BET: Notarized Top 100 videos of 2008.[6]
Brandy's first release in four years, "Right Here (Departed)" premiered via Brandy's official webpage on August 13, 2008,[10] and officially serviced to US radio on August 25, 2008.[3] It debuted at number 83 on the US Billboard Hot 100 issue dated September 27, 2008, being the fourth-highest new entry of the week.[16] Although the song fell four spots the following week, it slowly rose week by week and eventually peaked at number 34 on the Hot 100 chart, following the album's release on December 9. On Billboard's genre charts, the single reached the top spot on the Hot Dance Club Play chart (becoming Brandy's first single to do so) and number 22 on both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and the Pop 100 charts.[17]
In Canada, "Right Here (Departed)" became Brandy's highest-charting single since 2002's "What About Us?." It debuted at number 95 on the Canadian Hot 100, dropped one week after and made a re-entry a month later on the chart, eventually rising to its peak position of number 39.[4] In Europe, the single reached number twenty-four on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles chart and moreover made it to the top ten in France, where it became her best-selling effort in ten years, reaching a peak position of number seven based on digital downloads only.[4] It has since remained thirthy-seven weeks within the top 100 of the chart.[18] In addition, "Right Here" scored top forty entries in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, and Sweden, where it outsold any single release taken from previous album Afrodisiac (2004).[4]
These are the formats and track listings of major single-releases of "Right Here (Departed)."
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| Chart (2008–2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 75)[20] | 27 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[21] | 54 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 40 Wallonia)[22] | 32 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[23] | 39 |
| Denmark (Tracklisten)[24] | 30 |
| European Hot 100 Singles[25] | 24 |
| France (SNEP)[26] | 7 |
| Germany (Media Control AG)[27] | 39 |
| Germany Black Chart (Media Control AG)[28] | 2 |
| Japan (Japan Hot 100)[29] | 11 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[30] | 22 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[31] | 54 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[32] | 34 |
| US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[33] | 1 |
| US Pop Songs (Billboard)[34] | 21 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[35] | 22 |
| Region | Format | Date |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Rhythm/crossover radio | August 25, 2008[3] |
| Digital download | September 9, 2008 | |
| Mainstream radio | September 23, 2008[3] | |
| Austria | Digital download | September 12, 2008 |
| Germany | ||
| Switzerland | ||
| United Kingdom | Digital download | October 20, 2008[36] |
| France | CD single, digital download | January 19, 2009 |
| Switzerland | ||
| United States | Remix single | January 27, 2009 |
| Austria | CD single | March 20, 2009[37] |
| Germany |
| Preceded by "Reach Out" by Hilary Duff |
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single December 13, 2008 |
Succeeded by "Sandcastle Disco" by Solange |
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