Send It On
Encyclopedia
"Send It On" is a song by American R&B
and neo soul
musician D'Angelo
, released March 25, 2000 on Virgin Records
. It was issued as a radio single in promotion of his second studio album Voodoo (2000). The song was written by D'Angelo, his brother Luther Archer and R&B singer Angie Stone
. "Send It On" was composed in 1998 at a recording studio in Virginia following the birth of D'Angelo's son, and was produced by D'Angelo at Electric Lady Studios
in New York City
. As the album's fourth single, it achieved moderate chart success, peaking at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100
singles chart. The music video for the song featured footage from the album's supporting tour, "The Voodoo Tour".
in New York City
, and official credits for "Send It On" were attributed to R&B singer Angie Stone
and D'Angelo's brother Luther Archer.
In the musical style of quiet storm
and neo soul
, the song is about honesty and faith in love, and features classic soul arrangements with trumpeter Roy Hargrove
playing flugel horn. It features an interpolation
of Kool & the Gang
's "Sea of Tranquility" (1969). The song also has an arrangement of live guitar, bass and kick-drum
, while D'Angelo's falsetto
vocals contain spiritual highs and soulful lows. Mark Anthony Neal
of PopMatters
wrote that the song "evokes the late '70s sounds of Angela Bofill
('I Try
')." Another critic described the song's horn-driven sound as reminiscent of the work of Sam Cooke
. On D'Angelo's vocal style on "Send It On", a Billboard
magazine reviewer stated "In this musical setting, he sounds less like Prince
(as he did on 'Untitled
') and more like he's developing his own unique style-which bears the undeniable influence of Prince, Al Green
, and Otis Redding
." Entertainment Weekly
s Matt Diehl called the song a "stately soul ballad like they just don't make anymore".
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
and neo soul
Neo soul
The term neo soul was originally coined by Kedar Massenburg of Motown Records in the late 1990s as a marketing category following the commercial breakthroughs of artists such as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell...
musician D'Angelo
D'Angelo
Michael Eugene Archer , better known by his stage name D'Angelo, is an American R&B and neo soul singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is known for his production and songwriting talents as much as for his vocal abilities, and often draws comparisons to his influences,...
, released March 25, 2000 on Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
. It was issued as a radio single in promotion of his second studio album Voodoo (2000). The song was written by D'Angelo, his brother Luther Archer and R&B singer Angie Stone
Angie Stone
Angie Stone is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She has been nominated for three Grammy Award. She is more successful on the charts R&B charts, with four Top 10 albums, forms including a number one album and 10 singles on the R&B chart,...
. "Send It On" was composed in 1998 at a recording studio in Virginia following the birth of D'Angelo's son, and was produced by D'Angelo at Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios, at 52 West 8th Street, in New York City's Greenwich Village, is a recording studio originally built by Jimi Hendrix and designed by John Storyk in 1970...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. As the album's fourth single, it achieved moderate chart success, peaking at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
singles chart. The music video for the song featured footage from the album's supporting tour, "The Voodoo Tour".
Composition
Following the birth of his son, D'Angelo composed the album's first song "Send It On" in 1998 at a recording studio in Virginia, beginning official recording for his second studio album Voodoo (2000). The song was produced by D'Angelo at Electric Lady StudiosElectric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios, at 52 West 8th Street, in New York City's Greenwich Village, is a recording studio originally built by Jimi Hendrix and designed by John Storyk in 1970...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and official credits for "Send It On" were attributed to R&B singer Angie Stone
Angie Stone
Angie Stone is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She has been nominated for three Grammy Award. She is more successful on the charts R&B charts, with four Top 10 albums, forms including a number one album and 10 singles on the R&B chart,...
and D'Angelo's brother Luther Archer.
In the musical style of quiet storm
Quiet storm
Quiet storm is a late-night radio format, featuring soulful slow jams, pioneered in the mid-1970s by then-station-intern Melvin Lindsey at WHUR-FM, in Washington, D.C. Smokey Robinson's like-titled hit single, released in 1975 as the title track to his third solo album, lent its name to the format...
and neo soul
Neo soul
The term neo soul was originally coined by Kedar Massenburg of Motown Records in the late 1990s as a marketing category following the commercial breakthroughs of artists such as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell...
, the song is about honesty and faith in love, and features classic soul arrangements with trumpeter Roy Hargrove
Roy Hargrove
Roy Anthony Hargrove is an American jazz trumpeter. He won worldwide notice after winning two Grammy Awards for differing types of music, in 1997, and in 2002...
playing flugel horn. It features an interpolation
Interpolation (music)
Interpolation in music refers to an abrupt change in musical elements from the main theme.-In classical music:In music and musical composition, especially 20th century and later, interpolation is an abrupt change of elements, with continuation of the first idea...
of Kool & the Gang
Kool & the Gang
Kool & the Gang are an American jazz, R&B, soul, and funk group, originally formed as the Jazziacs in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964.They went through several musical phases during the course of their recording career, starting out with a purist jazz sound, then becoming practitioners of R&B and...
's "Sea of Tranquility" (1969). The song also has an arrangement of live guitar, bass and kick-drum
Bass drum
Bass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
, while D'Angelo's falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
vocals contain spiritual highs and soulful lows. Mark Anthony Neal
Mark Anthony Neal
Mark Anthony Neal is Professor of Black Popular Culture in the Department of African and African-American Studies at Duke University, where he won the 2010 Robert B. Cox Award for Teaching...
of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
wrote that the song "evokes the late '70s sounds of Angela Bofill
Angela Bofill
Angela Bofill is an American R&B vocalist and songwriter.Bofill was born to a Cuban father and a Puerto Rican mother; one of the first Latina singers to find success in the R&B market.She performed with Ricardo Marrero & the Group and Dance Theater of Harlem chorus prior to her 1978 debut album,...
('I Try
Angel of the Night
After the success of her debut album, Angela Bofill returned to cut her sophomore set Angel Of the Night.Upon release, The album as well as the title track became an instant classic.The album was digitally remastered and re-released on 2001 on Buddah Records...
')." Another critic described the song's horn-driven sound as reminiscent of the work of Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
. On D'Angelo's vocal style on "Send It On", a Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine reviewer stated "In this musical setting, he sounds less like Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
(as he did on 'Untitled
Untitled (How Does It Feel)
"Untitled " is a song by American R&B and neo soul musician D'Angelo, released January 1, 2000 on Virgin Records in the United States. It was issued as a radio single in promotion of his second studio album, Voodoo . Written and produced by D'Angelo and Raphael Saadiq, the song was originally...
') and more like he's developing his own unique style-which bears the undeniable influence of Prince, Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
, and Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
." Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Matt Diehl called the song a "stately soul ballad like they just don't make anymore".
Track listing
CD Maxi single- "Send It On" (Radio Edit) – 4:39
- "Send It On" (Album Version) – 5:56
- "Send It On" (Call Out Hook) – 0:12
Chart history
| Year | Peak positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
Hot 100 Airplay | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart is the airplay component chart of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. It is not the R&B subset of The Hot 100 Airplay, but rather a separate panel of R&B stations in urban markets used for the R&B/Hip-Hop chart... |
|||
| 2000 | 33 | 33 | — | 30 | ||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | ||||||
Personnel
Credits adapted from album booklet liner notes.- Produced by D'Angelo
- All vocals performed by D'Angelo
- Vocal and musical arrangements by D'Angelo
- Guitar: C. Edward Alford
- Bass: Pino Palladino
- Drums: Ahmir Thompson
- Flugel horn and Trumpet: Roy Hargrove
- All other instruments: D'Angelo
External links
- Music video at Yahoo! MusicYahoo! MusicYahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...