Meet Me Halfway

For the Kenny Loggins song, see Back to Avalon.
"Meet Me Halfway"
Single by The Black Eyed Peas
from the album The E.N.D
Released September 22, 2009
Format CD single, digital download
Recorded 2009
Genre Electro hop[1]
Length 4:44 (Album Version)
3:45 (Radio Edit)
Label Interscope
Writer(s) The Black Eyed Peas, Keith Harris, Jean Baptiste, Sylvia Gordon
Producer(s) Keith Harris, will.i.am
The Black Eyed Peas singles chronology
"I Gotta Feeling"
(2009)		 "Meet Me Halfway"
(2009)		 "Imma Be"
(2009)
Audio sample
file info · help

"Meet Me Halfway" is a song by American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas. It was released as the third promotional single from their fifth studio album The E.N.D. It was later released as the album's third single.[2] The song peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the charts in Australia, Germany, Romania and the United Kingdom. In the latter country, "Meet Me Halfway" became the tenth biggest-selling single of 2009.

Background

The song was released as a promotional single, as part of the "Countdown to The E.N.D." where 3 album tracks were released once each week until the release of the album. This song was the final promotional single in the series, the first two, in order of release, were "Imma Be" and "Alive". The song got early airplay on Today Networks' Hot30 Countdown in Australia,[3] and on radio stations across Canada.[4] Fergie told the Daily Mail that when she was recording her vocals for "Meet Me Halfway", she "transported herself back to 1985, when she was 10 and saw Madonna in concert for the first time on The Virgin Tour. She took on Madonna's persona in that song as homage."[5]

Critical reception

The song received fairly positive critical response, Entertainment Weekly wrote "When the group's glitchy future-funk beats sync up with Fergie's unabashedly feminine melodies, as on the sweetly insidious Meet Me Halfway, they find pure Top 40 nirvana."[6] Prefix magazine also gave the song a positive review, stating, "Meet Me Halfway is notable mostly for being better than a 'new-wavey' ballad by The Black Eyed Peas has any right to be."[7] Billboard wrote "Fergie elongates each note for a sensual vocal and offers a nice complement to co-producer Will.i.am, who handles the majority of the rhymes over funk guitar, hand claps and distorted pulses. With this track already climbing the Hot 100, the Peas are proving that their hit parade is far from over."[8] Bill Lamb of About.com stated that: "Fergie has the clear lead vocal here. She will never blow someone away with a bombastic voice or an otherworldly vocal range. However, she has an almost tearful edge to her voice that makes nearly any of her performances sound soaked with emotion. "Meet Me Halfway" is no exception. With the focus clearly on Fergie, this could in some ways be seen as a solo effort. However, the style of the song fits better in the context of The Black Eyed Peas album The E.N.D. instead of Fergie's The Dutchess."[9]

Promotion

Meet Me Halfway was performed live on the week 5 results show of the British TV singing competition The X Factor on the 8th November 2009. The single was released the previous week in the UK and reached #1 in the charts.[10] They performed the song too on the American Music Awards of 2009, alongside with "Boom Boom Pow".[11] The Black Eyed Peas performed the mix of the song at the 2009 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

Chart performance

The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at #25 for the week ending October 3, 2009 and peaked at #7 in its sixth week (November 7), becoming the third consecutive top ten hit from the album.[12] It makes The E.N.D. the band's first album to contain three Hot 100 top ten hits. The three songs successively overlapped in the Top 10, giving the group 30 consecutive weeks with a Top 10 hit. It topped the ARIA charts, becoming their third consecutive number 1 single from The E.N.D.

In the United Kingdom, "Meet Me Halfway" entered the UK Singles Chart on October 11, 2009 at #67. In its fifth week on the chart (November 8, 2009) it climbed to #3 being the highest non-X Factor related song on the chart, and one of only two songs in the top five non-related to X-Factor, along with Jay Sean's "Down", although ironically The Black Eyed Peas performed "Meet Me Halfway" on the X Factor results show on the very same night leading to significant exposure. On 13 November, it was announced that "Meet Me Halfway" was outselling its nearest competition, "Happy" by Leona Lewis, and was on course to reach number one.[13] It became The E.N.D.'s third consecutive number one single in the United Kingdom, and fourth overall, on 15 November 2009 achieving the same success as in Australia. As of Sunday 27 December, "Meet Me Halfway" has sold 517,178 copies in the UK, making it the 13th best selling single of 2009. On December 20, "Meet Me Halfway" fell to #10 in the UK, after eight consecutive weeks, but rose to #6 the following week. As on January 3, 2010 it rose again to #3.

On the New Zealand Top 40, the song has so far peaked at number 3, making it their third consecutive top three hit from the album. It was certified Gold after 10 weeks on the chart, selling over 75,000 copies.[14] The song entered the Irish Singles Chart on the 15th October 2009 at number 27, it has so far peaked at number 2 for five consecutive weeks, fended off by Cheryl Cole's "Fight For This Love", the X Factor finalists' cover of "You Are Not Alone" and finally Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance". The song also reached #1 in the German Single Charts making it their 3rd chart topper since almost 5 years (last two were "Where Is the Love?" and "Shut Up" - both in 2003).

Music video

Fergie is shown in a luxuriant forest

The music video was confirmed by will.i.am to be directed by Ben Mor (director of "I Gotta Feeling"). "This is a very different type of video ... 'Boom Boom Pow' was very futuristic and 'I Gotta Feeling' had a party vibe, but this is more artistic video. It's very arty."[15] The video premiered on October 12, 2009.[16] It was released onto the iTunes Music store on October 13, 2009.

The video features the members in different parts of the Solar System.[17] The video opens on a road in the middle of a desert panning up to the cosmic sky which shifts to scenes of each of the members singing in different locations of space: Fergie lies in the middle of a lush, green jungle, apl.de.ap levitates on a desert planet in nomadic clothing, will.i.am rides an elephant on a moon of Jupiter and Taboo glides around the Sun in a spacesuit. Apl takes out a map and will.i.am uses a compass to search for a path to the other members. After a while, will.i.am finds a dial which reveals gateways for each of the members to go through. All the members use a stargate and turn into shooting stars, and land on the planet (presumably Earth), with the road in the middle of the desert. This is the first video of the album that does not end with the phrase "The E.N.D."

Covers

In May 2010, two members of the British hip-hop trio, N-Dubz performed an acoustic mash-up of the song with "Down" by Jay Sean at Live Lounge with singer Ny, as the third member Tulisa was ill, the full trio later performed the acoustic mash-up at Isle of Wight Festival and later on their Love.Live.Life Tour. In June 2010, metalcore band Haste the Day released a cover of the song on the special edition of their final studio album, Attack of the Wolf King. In 2012, a cover of "Meet Me Halfway" featured on The Futureheads a capella album Rant.

Track listing

UK CD Single (2721563)
No. Title Length
1. "Meet Me Halfway" (Radio Edit) 3:44
2. "I Gotta Feeling" (David Guetta's FMIF Remix) 6:13
Total length:
 7:50
Digital Download E.P.
No. Title Length
1. "Meet Me Halfway" (DJ Ammo & A Poet Named Life Remix) 5:25
2. "Meet Me Halfway" (will.i.am Meet Me At The Remix) 5:49
3. "Meet Me Halfway" (will.i.am In 3D Remix) 5:40
4. "Meet Me Halfway" (Printz Board Remix for Beets & Produce, Inc.) 5:21
5. "Meet Me Halfway" (Richard Vission Solmatic Remix) 5:30
Total length:
 27:45

Personnel and credits

Source adapted from Discogs.[18]

Charts and certifications

Charts

Chart (2009–10) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[19] 1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[20] 4
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[21] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[22] 1
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[23] 5
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[24] 3
Denmark (Tracklisten)[25] 9
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[26] 1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[27] 16
France (SNEP)[28] 3
Germany (Media Control Charts)[29] 1
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[30] 4
Ireland (IRMA)[31] 2
Israel (Media Forest)[32] 1
Italy (FIMI)[33] 2
Luxembourg Digital Songs (Billboard)[34] 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[35] 3
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[36] 3
Norway (VG-lista)[37] 1
Poland (Airplay Chart)[38] 2
Poland (Dance Top 50)[39] 6
Romania (Romanian Top 100)[40] 1
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[41] 1
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[42] 5
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[43] 5
Spanish Airplay Chart[44] 2
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[45] 5
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[46] 3
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[47] 1
UK R&B (Official Charts Company)[48] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[49] 7
US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[50] 17
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[51] 10
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[52] 9

Certifications

Country Certifications
Australia (ARIA) 3× Platinum[53]
Belgium 2× Platinum[54]
Canada (CRIA) 2× Platinum[55]
Denmark (IFPI) Gold[56]
France Platinum[57]
Germany (BVMI) Gold[58]
Italy (FIMI) Platinum[59]
New Zealand (RIANZ) Platinum[60]
Spain (PROMUSICAE) Platinum[61]
Switzerland (IFPI) Gold[62]
United Kingdom (BPI) Platinum[63]
United States (RIAA) 2× Platinum[64]

Year-end charts

2009

Chart (2009) Position
Australian Singles Chart 8
Hungarian Airplay Chart[65] 148
New Zealand Singles Chart[66] 28
Swiss Singles Chart[67] 95
UK Singles Chart 10[68]

2010

Chart (2010) Position
Australian Singles Chart[69] 98
Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)[70] 11
European Hot 100 Singles 3
German Singles Chart[71] 30
Hungarian Airplay Chart[72] 11
Italian Singles Chart[73] 16
Romanian Top 100[74] 34
Spanish Top 50 Singles Chart[75] 18
Spanish Top 20 Airplay[76] 4
Canadian Hot 100[77] 39
US Billboard Hot 100 58

All-time charts

Chart Position
UK Download Chart[78] 10

Release history

Region Format Date Label
Worldwide Promotional June 2, 2009 Interscope, Universal Music
United States Mainstream radio September 22, 2009[79] Interscope Records
Australia Digital download, CD single October 2, 2009[80] Universal Music
United Kingdom November 2, 2009[81][82] Interscope Records
United States Digital download
  • Megamix EP
 November 17, 2009[83]
Germany CD single November 20, 2009[84] Interscope (Universal)
France November 23, 2009[85] Interscope

See also

References

  1. ↑ Black Eyed Peas: 'Meet Me Halfway' - Music Singles Review - Digital Spy
  2. ↑ "Screenshot from The Black Eyed Peas official UK newsletter". Retrieved 2009-05-13.
  3. ↑ "Hot30 Countdown Vote". B105.com.au. 2008-07-21. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  4. ↑ "Canadian Hit 30". canadianhit30.com. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
  5. ↑ "Meet Me Halfway Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  6. ↑ Greenblatt, Leah (2009-06-03). "The E.N.D. | Music Review | Entertainment Weekly". Ew.com. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
  7. ↑ Andrew Winistorfer. "The Black Eyed Peas: The E.N.D. (New Album)". Prefixmag.com. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
  8. ↑ Kirk Honeycutt. "The Black Eyed Peas: The E.N.D. (New Album)". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  9. ↑ Bill Lamb. "The Black Eyed Peas: The E.N.D. (New Album)". About.com. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
  10. ↑ Mirror.co.uk: Leona Lewis confirms X Factor appearance with The Black Eyed Peas
  11. ↑ Postado por Tixa (2009-10-30). "MusicStarsQuality: The Black Eyed Peas: "Meet Me Halfway" Premiere". Musicstarsquality.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
  12. ↑ Retrieved on October 15, 2009
  13. ↑ "The Black Eyed Peas - Meet Me Halfway". Chart Stats. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  14. ↑ "New Zealand Chart Facts". RIANZ. 2009-11-17. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
  15. ↑ "Boom boom wow". channelnewsasia.com. 2009-09-10. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  16. ↑ "Video: The Black Eyed Peas – ‘Meet Me Halfway’". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  17. ↑ "Meet Me Halfway Music Video Out". dutchessfergie.com. 2009-10-12. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
  18. ↑ "Black Eyed Peas, The* - Meet Me Halfway (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 2009-11-20. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  19. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – The Black Eyed Peas – {{{song}}}". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  20. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – The Black Eyed Peas – {{{song}}}" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  21. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Black Eyed Peas – {{{song}}}" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  22. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Black Eyed Peas – {{{song}}}" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  23. ↑ "The Black Eyed Peas Album & Song Chart History" Canadian Hot 100 for The Black Eyed Peas.
  24. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 20108 into search.
  25. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway". Tracklisten.
  26. ↑ "The Black Eyed Peas Album & Song Chart History" European Hot 100 for The Black Eyed Peas.
  27. ↑ "The Black Eyed Peas: Meet Me Halfway" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  28. ↑ "Lescharts.com – The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway" (in French). Les classement single.
  29. ↑ "Chartverfulgong > The Black Eyed Peas > Meet Me Halfway – musicline.de" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  30. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  31. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 46, 2009". Irish Singles Chart.
  32. ↑ "Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway Media Forest". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest.
  33. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway". Top Digital Download.
  34. ↑ "Luxembourg Digital Songs - December 26, 2009". Billboard.
  35. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – The Black Eyed Peas search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
  36. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway". Top 40 Singles.
  37. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway". VG-lista.
  38. ↑ "Nielsen Music Control". Archived from the original on 2009-03-09.
  39. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Dance Top 50. Retrieved 2011-12-22.
  40. ↑ The Black Eyed Peas, numarul unu in preferintele romanilor
  41. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2009-11-21". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  42. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200949 into search.
  43. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway" Canciones Top 50.
  44. ↑ "Promusicae (Week: January 1, 2010)" (PDF). Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  45. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway". Singles Top 60.
  46. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway". Swiss Singles Chart.
  47. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2009-11-21" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 2010-10-05.
  48. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2009-11-21" UK R&B Chart. Retrieved 2010-10-05.
  49. ↑ "The Black Eyed Peas Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for The Black Eyed Peas.
  50. ↑ "The Black Eyed Peas Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs for The Black Eyed Peas.
  51. ↑ "The Black Eyed Peas Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Pop Songs for The Black Eyed Peas.
  52. ↑ "The Black Eyed Peas Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Rhythmic Songs for The Black Eyed Peas.
  53. ↑
  54. ↑ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  55. ↑ "Gold and Platinum". Cria.ca. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  56. ↑ "Hitlisten.NU". Hitlisterne.dk. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  57. ↑ "Disque en France". Disque en France. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  58. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Meet Me Halfway')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  59. ↑ "FIMI - Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana - Benvenuto!" (PDF). Fimi.it. 2014-02-24. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
  60. ↑ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Rianz.org.nz. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  61. ↑
  62. ↑ Steffen Hung. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community". Swisscharts.com. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  63. ↑
  64. ↑ "Recording Industry Association of America". RIAA. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  65. ↑ "Éves összesített listák - MAHASZ Rádiós TOP 100 (súlyozott)". Mahasz. Mahasz.
  66. ↑ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Rianz.org.nz. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  67. ↑ "2009 Year End Swiss Singles Chart". Swiss Music Charts. 2009. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
  68. ↑ Radio 1 Chart of the Decade, as presented by Nihal on Tuesday 29th December 2009
  69. ↑ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2010". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  70. ↑ "Rapports annuels 2010 - Singles" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  71. ↑
  72. ↑ "MAHASZ Rádiós TOP 100 2010" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  73. ↑ "FIMI - Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana - Ricerche e dati di mercato". Fimi.it. 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  74. ↑ "Topul celor mai difuzate piese în România în 2010" (in Romanian). România Liberă. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  75. ↑
  76. ↑
  77. ↑ "Charts Year End: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
  78. ↑ "Radio 1 - Chart - Top 100 Downloads of All Time". BBC. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  79. ↑ "Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!". FMQB. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  80. ↑ "Buy Meet Me Halfway The Black Eyed Peas, Urban, CD Singles". Sanity. 2009-10-02. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
  81. ↑ "New Releases - UK Forthcoming Albums (Radio1 Rodos Greece ::: Top 40 Music Station ::: Promo Releases)". Radio1.gr. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  82. ↑ "Meet Me Halfway". Amazon.co.uk.
  83. ↑ "Invasion Of Meet Me Halfway - Megamix E.P.: The Black Eyed Peas: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  84. ↑ "Meet Me Halfway (2-Track): Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  85. ↑ "Meet Me Halfway: The Black Eyed Peas: Amazon.fr: Musique". Amazon.fr. Retrieved 2012-08-15.

External links