What's Your Name (Usher song)
Encyclopedia
"What's Your Name" is a song by American recording artist Usher
and features will.i.am
. Written by Usher, will.i.am and Toby Gad
and produced the latter, it was sent to radio on August 18, 2008 as the fourth single from Usher's fifth studio album, Here I Stand
, and was later released as a compact disc single and digital download
. "What's Your Name" is a mid-tempo
electro dance song, and is based on New Wave
-influenced synth riffs. Usher and will.i.am performed the song at the 2008 National Football League Kickoff game
concert, and it was also used in a Sony Ericsson
contest.
"What's Your Name" received mixed reception from critics, with some commending its dance beat, while others noted it as the worst track from Here I Stand. The song entered the Australian Singles Chart
and the Canadian Hot 100
; it peaked at numbers ninety-one and eighty-four, respectively.
, will.i.am
and Ryan Toby
, while it was produced by will.i.am and the vocals were produced by Kuk Harrell
. The song was recorded by Jeremy Stevenson at Patchwerk Studios and Triangle Sound Studios in Atlanta
, Georgia, and by will.i.am and Padraic Kerin at Ethernet Studios, Los Angeles
, California. Dylan Dresdow mixed the record at PaperVu Studios, Los Angeles. Usher explained to MTV News
that the "lighthearted" song was written for his "younger, up-and-coming fans".
"What's Your Name" was sent to mainstream
radio on August 18, 2008, and to rhythmic contemporary
radio on August 25. A compact disc single was released in Australia and New Zealand on September 13, 2008; it featured "What's Your Name" along with an instrumental
version of the track. The single was also released the same day as a download
in the two countries with the same track listing. Usher and will.i.am performed the song at the warmup concert for the 2008 National Football League Kickoff game
on September 4. Sony Ericsson
used "What's Your Name" in a customer competition to meet Usher. Contestants entered by sending videos of themselves singing twenty to sixty seconds of Usher's parts of the song.
electro dance song, and bases its melody on thrusting New Wave
-influenced synths. It contains a "whimsical" beat that utilizes siren
s and wind instrument
s. Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune
compared the song's synth riff to the music that was popular during the 1980s MTV
generation, while John Soeder from The Plain Dealer noted its similarity to British duo the Eurythmics
. Usher monotonously repeats the pick-up line
hook
, "What's your name?", and thereby pays homage to his bachelor history. The song's lyrics describe "the feeling you get when you run into a woman that makes you speak gibberish".
" (2004). Chad Grischow from IGN
also chose the song as one of the album's best tracks, and called it appropriate for "a windows-down spring car ride". Digital Spy
's Nick Levine called the song "rubbery" and danceable and compared it to Timbaland
's work. The Washington Post
Serena Kim praised will.i.am's production and vocal appearance on "What's Your Name". Sara Berry called it "a sleek, edgy dance hit".
In his mixed review of the song, Waleed Hafeez from The National
wrote, "'What's Your Name', produced by will.i.am, provides listeners with another club track, albeit an average one". Dan Gennoe from Yahoo! Music
called the song "disjointed and ultimately missable", noting that will.i.am may have lost his Midas touch. A writer for Stuff called "What's Your Name" the worst song from Here I Stand, describing it as "downright awful". "What's Your Name" entered the Canadian Hot 100
at number eighty-four on June 14, 2008, but fell off the chart the following week, and made no reappearance. "What's Your Name" debuted on the Australian Singles Chart
at number ninety-one on September 22, 2008. The following week it moved to number one hundred, before slipping out of the chart. It peaked at number fifty-one on the Australian Physical Singles Chart
and lasted nineteen weeks in the chart.
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
and features will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
. Written by Usher, will.i.am and Toby Gad
Toby Gad
Tobias "Toby" Gad is a Los Angeles-based hit producer and songwriter from Germany, perhaps best known for co-writing Fergie's Grammy nominated hit song "Big Girls Don't Cry" as well as co-writing and producing Beyoncé's worldwide #1 hit "If I Were a Boy", and The Veronicas multi-platinum #1...
and produced the latter, it was sent to radio on August 18, 2008 as the fourth single from Usher's fifth studio album, Here I Stand
Here I Stand (Usher album)
Here I Stand is the fifth studio album by American R&B recording artist Usher, released on May 13, 2008 by LaFace Records. Inspired by love for his new wife—Tameka Foster—and son, Usher recorded many ballads for the album. Prior to the album's recording, Usher split with his...
, and was later released as a compact disc single and digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
. "What's Your Name" is a mid-tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
electro dance song, and is based on New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
-influenced synth riffs. Usher and will.i.am performed the song at the 2008 National Football League Kickoff game
National Football League Kickoff game
The NFL Kickoff game, and related festivities, mark the start of the National Football League season. The first game of the season is currently scheduled for the Thursday following Labor Day. A single game is held, preceded by a concert and other ceremonies. Since the 2004 season, the defending...
concert, and it was also used in a Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB is a joint venture established on October 1, 2001 by the Japanese consumer electronics company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson to manufacture mobile phones....
contest.
"What's Your Name" received mixed reception from critics, with some commending its dance beat, while others noted it as the worst track from Here I Stand. The song entered the Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
and the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
; it peaked at numbers ninety-one and eighty-four, respectively.
Background and release
"What's Your Name" was written by UsherUsher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
, will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
and Ryan Toby
Ryan Toby
Ryan Toby is an American soul singer, attended St Stephens in Alexandria, VA, songwriter and producer, best known as the baritenor in the group City High. He and his wife have two sons....
, while it was produced by will.i.am and the vocals were produced by Kuk Harrell
Kuk Harrell
Thaddis "Kuk" Harrell is an American songwriter, vocal producer, arranger and engineer. He is managed by RedZone Entertainment, and is a member of a songwriting–production team composed of himself, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The Dream" Nash...
. The song was recorded by Jeremy Stevenson at Patchwerk Studios and Triangle Sound Studios in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Georgia, and by will.i.am and Padraic Kerin at Ethernet Studios, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California. Dylan Dresdow mixed the record at PaperVu Studios, Los Angeles. Usher explained to MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
that the "lighthearted" song was written for his "younger, up-and-coming fans".
"What's Your Name" was sent to mainstream
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
radio on August 18, 2008, and to rhythmic contemporary
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
radio on August 25. A compact disc single was released in Australia and New Zealand on September 13, 2008; it featured "What's Your Name" along with an instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
version of the track. The single was also released the same day as a download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
in the two countries with the same track listing. Usher and will.i.am performed the song at the warmup concert for the 2008 National Football League Kickoff game
National Football League Kickoff game
The NFL Kickoff game, and related festivities, mark the start of the National Football League season. The first game of the season is currently scheduled for the Thursday following Labor Day. A single game is held, preceded by a concert and other ceremonies. Since the 2004 season, the defending...
on September 4. Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB is a joint venture established on October 1, 2001 by the Japanese consumer electronics company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson to manufacture mobile phones....
used "What's Your Name" in a customer competition to meet Usher. Contestants entered by sending videos of themselves singing twenty to sixty seconds of Usher's parts of the song.
Composition
"What's Your Name" is an mid-tempoTempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
electro dance song, and bases its melody on thrusting New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
-influenced synths. It contains a "whimsical" beat that utilizes siren
Siren
In Greek mythology, the Sirens were three dangerous mermaid like creatures, portrayed as seductresses who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Roman poets placed them on an island called Sirenum scopuli...
s and wind instrument
Wind instrument
A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator , in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into a mouthpiece set at the end of the resonator. The pitch of the vibration is determined by the length of the tube and by manual modifications of...
s. Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
compared the song's synth riff to the music that was popular during the 1980s MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
generation, while John Soeder from The Plain Dealer noted its similarity to British duo the Eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
. Usher monotonously repeats the pick-up line
Pick-up line
A pick-up line is a conversation opener with the intent of engaging an unfamiliar person for romance, or dating. Overt and sometimes humorous displays of romantic interest, pick-up lines advertise the wit of their speakers to their target listeners....
hook
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
, "What's your name?", and thereby pays homage to his bachelor history. The song's lyrics describe "the feeling you get when you run into a woman that makes you speak gibberish".
Reception
Allmusic's Andy Kellman noted the song as a highlight of Here I Stand, and compared it to "Yeah!Yeah! (Usher song)
"Yeah!" is a song by American singer Usher, released on 3 February 2004 as the lead single from his hit fourth studio album Confessions. The song was written by Lil Jon, Sean Garrett, Patrick J. Que Smith, Ludacris, Robert McDowell, and LRoc. It was produced by Lil Jon, who combined crunk and R&B...
" (2004). Chad Grischow from IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
also chose the song as one of the album's best tracks, and called it appropriate for "a windows-down spring car ride". Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
's Nick Levine called the song "rubbery" and danceable and compared it to Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
's work. The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
Serena Kim praised will.i.am's production and vocal appearance on "What's Your Name". Sara Berry called it "a sleek, edgy dance hit".
In his mixed review of the song, Waleed Hafeez from The National
The National (Abu Dhabi)
The National is a government-owned English-language daily newspaper published in Abu Dhabi. The editor-in-chief since June 8, 2009 has been Hassan Fattah. Prior to this, and from the launch of the newspaper Martin Newland was editor-in-chief. Mubadala Development Company, an investment company...
wrote, "'What's Your Name', produced by will.i.am, provides listeners with another club track, albeit an average one". Dan Gennoe from Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
called the song "disjointed and ultimately missable", noting that will.i.am may have lost his Midas touch. A writer for Stuff called "What's Your Name" the worst song from Here I Stand, describing it as "downright awful". "What's Your Name" entered the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
at number eighty-four on June 14, 2008, but fell off the chart the following week, and made no reappearance. "What's Your Name" debuted on the Australian Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
at number ninety-one on September 22, 2008. The following week it moved to number one hundred, before slipping out of the chart. It peaked at number fifty-one on the Australian Physical Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
and lasted nineteen weeks in the chart.
Track listing
- "What's Your Name" – 3:58
- "What's Your Name" (instrumentalInstrumentalAn instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
) – 3:58
Personnel
- Dylan Dresdow – mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Kuk HarrellKuk HarrellThaddis "Kuk" Harrell is an American songwriter, vocal producer, arranger and engineer. He is managed by RedZone Entertainment, and is a member of a songwriting–production team composed of himself, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The Dream" Nash...
– vocal production - Padraic Kerin – recording
- Joe Peluso – assistant mixing
- Jeremy Stevenson – recording
- Ryan TobyRyan TobyRyan Toby is an American soul singer, attended St Stephens in Alexandria, VA, songwriter and producer, best known as the baritenor in the group City High. He and his wife have two sons....
– writingSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer... - will.i.amWill.i.amWilliam James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
– writing, productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, recording, drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
, synths, rhodeRhodeIn Greek mythology, Rhode also known as Rhodos was the sea nymph or goddess of the island of Rhodes.Though she does not appear among the lists of nereids in Iliad XVIII or Bibliotheke 1.2.7, such an ancient island nymph in other contexts might gain any of various Olympian parentages: she was...
s - UsherUsher (entertainer)Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
– writing
- Source: