Where Have You Been
Encyclopedia
"Where Have You Been" is a song by Barbadian
recording artist Rihanna
, from her sixth studio album Talk That Talk
(2011). "Where Have You Been" received positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its up-tempo dance beat and likened it to the lead single of the album, "We Found Love
". Upon the release of the album, the song debuted on the Irish and UK singles charts at numbers 47 and 61, respectively, as well as at number eight on the UK Dance Chart
on the strength of digital downloads
alone.
, Lukasz Gottwald
, Calvin Harris
, Henry Walter and Geoff Mack
, whilst production of the song was completed by Harris, Cirkut and Dr. Luke
, and contains compositional elements of Mack's "I've Been Everywhere
" (1959). "Where Have You Been" is one of two songs to be co-written and co-produced by Harris to be included on Talk That Talk
, the other being "We Found Love
", on which Harris appears as a featured artist. Musically, "Where Have You Been" is a dance-pop
and house
song, and draws influence from R&B
and hip hop
, with a time signature
of 4/4. "Where Have You Been" features "hard, chilly synths" and a punk
inspired breakdown sequence. As noted by Jon Caramanica, "Where Have You Been" is a house song which is draws upon pop
more so than the other Harris produced song, "We Found Love". Caramanica also compared the stylization of Rihanna's tonality
in the lyrics "I been everywhere, man/looking for someone/someone who can please me/Are you hiding from me yeah/somewhere in the crowd?" to English singer-songwriter Siouxsie Sioux
. As noted by Lindsay Zoladz of Pitchfork Media
, the song follows the same club-beat formula as "We Found Love", and contains a "simple lyric[s] of romantic longing".
, and aside from noting the inclusion of Mack's "I've Been Everywhere" in the composition, Kellman compared the chorus of "Where Have You Been" to Adele
"Rolling in the Deep
". Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune
called the song "rave-tastic", and commented that "Where Have You Been" and "We Found Love" both feature "a lot of buzzy, burping electronics". Apart from noting the similarities between "Where Have You Been" and "We Found Love", Randell Roberts of the Los Angeles Times
wrote that the song "wouldn't be out of place at Electric Daisy Carnival
." Jon Caramanica of the The New York Times
wrote out of "Where Have You Been" and "We found Love", the former was the "better" Harris production.
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd of Spin
noted that "Where Have You Been" is "tailor-made for a Coachella
pool rave". Mark Graham of VH1
compared the song to one of Rihanna's previous singles "Don't Stop the Music
" (Good Girl Gone Bad
, 2007), writing "[Where Have You Been] will almost certainly be Rihanna’s biggest club smash since 'Don’t Stop The Music.
Matthew Cole of Slant Magazine
was critical of the song, as well as the opening track "You Da One
" and "We Found Love", writing "At the very least, you expect an album like this to come front-loaded with potential singles, but the opening trio consists of two Dr. Luke productions, 'You Da One,' this album's obligatory reminder of Rihanna's Caribbean heritage, and 'Where Have You Been,' a boring, dubstep-normalizing dance number reminiscent of LMFAO
, plus 'We Found Love.' And that's about as exciting as the album gets."
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Talk That Talk, Def Jam Recordings
, SRP Records.
on November 27, 2011. The following day, the song debuted at numbers eight and 61 on the UK Dance Chart
and UK Singles Chart
, respectively.
Barbadian people
Barbadians are people originating on the Caribbean island of Barbados whether they live there or in the Barbadian diaspora.Rihanna is by far the most popular Barbadian on the planet.-Diaspora:...
recording artist Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
, from her sixth studio album Talk That Talk
Talk That Talk
Talk That Talk is the sixth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna and was released on November 18, 2011, through Def Jam Recordings. The lead single from the album, "We Found Love" featuring Calvin Harris, premiered on Capital FM radio on September 22, 2011, and was released on iTunes...
(2011). "Where Have You Been" received positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its up-tempo dance beat and likened it to the lead single of the album, "We Found Love
We Found Love
"We Found Love" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her sixth studio album Talk That Talk . The song features Scottish singer-songwriter Calvin Harris. "We Found Love" was released as the lead single from the album and premiered on September 22, 2011, in the United Kingdom on the...
". Upon the release of the album, the song debuted on the Irish and UK singles charts at numbers 47 and 61, respectively, as well as at number eight on the UK Dance Chart
UK Dance Chart
The UK Dance Chart is a chart compiled by The Official Charts Company from sales in record stores and digital downloads. Although the chart does not currently receive any airplay on the radio or television, the chart can be viewed on the BBC Radio 1 and The Official Charts Company website.Digital...
on the strength of digital downloads
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...
alone.
Background and composition
"Where Have You Been" was written by Ester DeanEster Dean
Ester Renay Dean is an American singer and songwriter, and record producer signed to Zone 4 Records/Interscope Records. She is most notable for her dual appearance on Rio: Music From The Motion Picture and her 2009 US hit single "Drop It Low", which featured singer Chris Brown...
, Lukasz Gottwald
Dr. Luke
Lukasz Gottwald , better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs...
, Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris is a Scottish singer-songwriter, record producer and DJ. His gold-selling debut album, I Created Disco, was released in 2007 and contained the top ten singles "Acceptable in the 80s" and "The Girls"...
, Henry Walter and Geoff Mack
Geoff Mack
Albert Geoffrey McElhinney OAM , also known as Geoff Mack, is a country music singer and songwriter. He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia on 13 June 2005 with the citation, For service to country music and to the community, particularly through support for senior citizens' groups...
, whilst production of the song was completed by Harris, Cirkut and Dr. Luke
Dr. Luke
Lukasz Gottwald , better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs...
, and contains compositional elements of Mack's "I've Been Everywhere
I've Been Everywhere
The song "I've Been Everywhere" was written by Geoff Mack in 1959 and made popular by the singer Lucky Starr in 1962.The song listed Australian towns...
" (1959). "Where Have You Been" is one of two songs to be co-written and co-produced by Harris to be included on Talk That Talk
Talk That Talk
Talk That Talk is the sixth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna and was released on November 18, 2011, through Def Jam Recordings. The lead single from the album, "We Found Love" featuring Calvin Harris, premiered on Capital FM radio on September 22, 2011, and was released on iTunes...
, the other being "We Found Love
We Found Love
"We Found Love" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her sixth studio album Talk That Talk . The song features Scottish singer-songwriter Calvin Harris. "We Found Love" was released as the lead single from the album and premiered on September 22, 2011, in the United Kingdom on the...
", on which Harris appears as a featured artist. Musically, "Where Have You Been" is a dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
and house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
song, and draws influence from R&B
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 hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, with a time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
of 4/4. "Where Have You Been" features "hard, chilly synths" and a punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
inspired breakdown sequence. As noted by Jon Caramanica, "Where Have You Been" is a house song which is draws upon pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
more so than the other Harris produced song, "We Found Love". Caramanica also compared the stylization of Rihanna's tonality
Tonality
Tonality is a system of music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center", or tonic. The term tonalité originated with Alexandre-Étienne Choron and was borrowed by François-Joseph Fétis in 1840...
in the lyrics "I been everywhere, man/looking for someone/someone who can please me/Are you hiding from me yeah/somewhere in the crowd?" to English singer-songwriter Siouxsie Sioux
Siouxsie Sioux
Siouxsie Sioux is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known as the lead singer of the critically acclaimed rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees and of its splinter group The Creatures . The Banshees produced eleven studio albums and a string of hit singles including "Hong Kong Garden",...
. As noted by Lindsay Zoladz of Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
, the song follows the same club-beat formula as "We Found Love", and contains a "simple lyric[s] of romantic longing".
Critical reception
As part of their album reviews for Talk That Talk, numerous music critics noted the similarities between "Where Have You Been" and the lead single "We Found Love". Andy Kellman of Allmusic wrote that "Where Have You Been", along with "We Found Love", feature as Talk That Talk most prominent dance songsDance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
, and aside from noting the inclusion of Mack's "I've Been Everywhere" in the composition, Kellman compared the chorus of "Where Have You Been" to Adele
Adele (singer)
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins , known professionally as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter. She was the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008...
"Rolling in the Deep
Rolling in the Deep
"Rolling in the Deep" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele for her second studio album, 21. The song was written by Paul Epworth and Adele, who described it as a "dark blues-y gospel disco tune". It was first released on 29 November 2010 as the lead single of the album.The song has...
". 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...
called the song "rave-tastic", and commented that "Where Have You Been" and "We Found Love" both feature "a lot of buzzy, burping electronics". Apart from noting the similarities between "Where Have You Been" and "We Found Love", Randell Roberts of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
wrote that the song "wouldn't be out of place at Electric Daisy Carnival
Electric Daisy Carnival
Electric Daisy Carnival is an annual electronic dance music festival held in the South West United States on the last weekend of June. The event was held in Southern California from 1997 to 2010, and was moved to Las Vegas in 2011....
." Jon Caramanica of the The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote out of "Where Have You Been" and "We found Love", the former was the "better" Harris production.
Julianne Escobedo Shepherd of Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
noted that "Where Have You Been" is "tailor-made for a Coachella
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three-day annual music and arts festival, organized by Goldenvoice and held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Inland Empire's Coachella Valley...
pool rave". Mark Graham of VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
compared the song to one of Rihanna's previous singles "Don't Stop the Music
Don't Stop the Music (Rihanna song)
"Don't Stop the Music" is a dance-pop song performed by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna from her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad. It was the third single from the album in most of Europe, the second single in Germany and Spain and the fourth single in the rest of the world...
" (Good Girl Gone Bad
Good Girl Gone Bad
Good Girl Gone Bad is the third studio album by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, released May 30, 2007, on Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions for the album took place during October 2006 to April 2007 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Rihanna worked with producers Christopher "Tricky"...
, 2007), writing "[Where Have You Been] will almost certainly be Rihanna’s biggest club smash since 'Don’t Stop The Music.
Matthew Cole of Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
was critical of the song, as well as the opening track "You Da One
You Da One
"You Da One" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her sixth studio album Talk That Talk . The song was written by Ester Dean, Dr. Luke, Rihanna, John Hill and Cirkut, while production of the song was handled by Dr. Luke and Cirkut...
" and "We Found Love", writing "At the very least, you expect an album like this to come front-loaded with potential singles, but the opening trio consists of two Dr. Luke productions, 'You Da One,' this album's obligatory reminder of Rihanna's Caribbean heritage, and 'Where Have You Been,' a boring, dubstep-normalizing dance number reminiscent of LMFAO
LMFAO (group)
LMFAO is an American electro pop duo consisting of rappers, producers, dancers, and DJs Redfoo and SkyBlu . The group formed in 2006 in Los Angeles, California. Redfoo is SkyBlu's uncle. Redfoo is also the son of music mogul Berry Gordy, SkyBlu a grandson...
, plus 'We Found Love.' And that's about as exciting as the album gets."
Credits and personnel
Recording and sample- Recorded at Eightysevenfourteen Studios, Los Angeles, California, and at Eyeknowasecret Studio, Brentwood, CaliforniaBrentwood, CaliforniaBrentwood is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population is 51,481 as of 2010....
. - Contains elements from the composition "I've Been EverywhereI've Been EverywhereThe song "I've Been Everywhere" was written by Geoff Mack in 1959 and made popular by the singer Lucky Starr in 1962.The song listed Australian towns...
", written by Geoff MackGeoff MackAlbert Geoffrey McElhinney OAM , also known as Geoff Mack, is a country music singer and songwriter. He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia on 13 June 2005 with the citation, For service to country music and to the community, particularly through support for senior citizens' groups...
under Unichappel Music Inc (BMI).
Personnel
- SongwritingSongwriterA 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...
– Ester DeanEster DeanEster Renay Dean is an American singer and songwriter, and record producer signed to Zone 4 Records/Interscope Records. She is most notable for her dual appearance on Rio: Music From The Motion Picture and her 2009 US hit single "Drop It Low", which featured singer Chris Brown...
, Lukasz GottwaldDr. LukeLukasz Gottwald , better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs...
, Calvin HarrisCalvin HarrisCalvin Harris is a Scottish singer-songwriter, record producer and DJ. His gold-selling debut album, I Created Disco, was released in 2007 and contained the top ten singles "Acceptable in the 80s" and "The Girls"...
, Henry Walter, Geoff MackGeoff MackAlbert Geoffrey McElhinney OAM , also known as Geoff Mack, is a country music singer and songwriter. He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia on 13 June 2005 with the citation, For service to country music and to the community, particularly through support for senior citizens' groups... - 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...
, instruments, programming – Dr. LukeDr. LukeLukasz Gottwald , better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs...
, Cirkut, Calvin Harris - Vocal engineering and recording – 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...
, Marcos Tovar - Assistant vocal recording – Jennifer Rosales
- EngineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
– Aubry "Big Juice" Delaine, Clint Gibbs - Mixing – Serban Ghenea
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Talk That Talk, Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
, SRP Records.
Charts
Upon the release of Talk That Talk, "Where Have You Been" charted at number 47 on the Irish Singles ChartIrish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
on November 27, 2011. The following day, the song debuted at numbers eight and 61 on the UK Dance Chart
UK Dance Chart
The UK Dance Chart is a chart compiled by The Official Charts Company from sales in record stores and digital downloads. Although the chart does not currently receive any airplay on the radio or television, the chart can be viewed on the BBC Radio 1 and The Official Charts Company website.Digital...
and UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, respectively.
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... ) |
46 |
| Australia Urban (ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... ) |
16 |
| Canada (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... ) |
41 |
| Ireland (IRMA Irish Recorded Music Association Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:... ) |
47 |
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) | 61 |
| UK Dance (The Official Charts Company) | 8 |
| US 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... |
65 |