Marvins Room

"Marvins Room"
"Marvins Room" cover
Promotional single by Drake from the album Take Care
Released	June 9, 2011: (October's Very Own Blog)[1] July 22, 2011: (iTunes)
Format	Digital download
Recorded	June 2011
Genre	R&B
Length	5:48 (Single version) 8:16 (Album version w/ interlude)
Label	Young Money, Cash Money, Universal Republic
Writer	N. Shebib, A. Graham, A. Eccleston
Producer	Noah "40" Shebib

"Marvins Room" (stylised Marvins Room / Buried Alive (Interlude) on the album version) is a song by the rapper Drake. The song first debuted on his official blog October's Very Own on June 9, 2011. The track is confirmed to be included on Take Care, his upcoming sophomore album, though does not serve as his first single from the record, but a promo single.

The song was allegedly recorded inside the studio of the same name once owned by singer Marvin Gaye.^[2]

Composition

The song, is anchored by Noah "40" Shebib's trademark muted bass, a trend that manifests, in the words of Jayson Greene of Pitchfork Media, "like the fumes from music that's already evaporated-- a wisp of keyboard, a single watery thud of bass drum.^[3]"

The lyrics comprise Drake's late-night drunken rant to a former girlfriend over the phone while in a nightclub (a phenomenon referred to by critics as "drunk dialing"). Despite his frustrations over their breakup and his obvious loneliness, Drake reiterates to her his superiority over his replacement and repeatedly cajoles her to return to him. He also mentions that the women with whom he has had sex and has provided financial support do not satisfy him. Ultimately, his plaintive requests go unrequited.

The album version of the song includes an interlude entitled "Buried Alive", which features a rap verse from Kendrick Lamar. This version is 8 minutes and 16 seconds long.

Reception

Critical reception

"Marvins Room" was well-received by PopCrush, which gave the song 4.5 out of 5 stars and commented that "Not many rappers are capable of writing something with such an emotional impact."^[4] Jayson Greene of Pitchfork Media also gave plaudits to the single, saying that it is "a shrewd reminder of what sets Aubrey Drake Graham apart. Drake is a master insinuator, and these two songs carry a muted, creeping unease no one else in hip-hop is currently quite equipped to provide.^[3]"

Ann Powers of NPR Music's The Record drew comparisons between the song and the life and career of Marvin Gaye, stating that the song "taps into the magnetic but dangerous spirit of GAYE: not only his seduction skills, but his self-doubt, the vulnerability that made his music so profound and which eventually derailed him.^[2]"

Commercial reception

Following its release on Drake's official blog, it gained considerable popularity on various radio formats.^[1] As of the week of October 9th, 2011 the song has sold over 400,000 units in the US.^[5]

Remixes

The song has spawned a number of remixes from various artists. Responding to the number of "Marvin's Room" remixes, Drake said:

“

The writing is doing something to people for them to want to take it and remix it. It’s very flattering, you know. Thank you to anybody that did a remix,” Drake explained. “I hope other songs on the album get reactions like that too. I really, really worked very hard on the writing for this album so I hope it gets a great reaction. I’m excited. It comes out on my birthday so it’d be a nice birthday gift if you go buy it for the boy.”[6] Drake was particularly interested in JoJo's remix and commented on it by saying "In JoJo's case, she actually took the time to write really potent new lyrics," he says. "It was really shocking, I think, for her audience since throughout her career she's been kind of stereotyped as this teen pop star and then she comes out with this different kind of substance. It's very rare that people take your song and do it over like that."[7]

”

• JoJo ("Can't Do Better")^[8]
  • Singer CL mashed-up "Can't Do Better" with Nicki Minaj's "Did It On'em" and G-Dragon's "The Leaders" as a part of her group 2NE1's NOLZA tour.
• Teyana Taylor ("Her Room")^[9]
• Jodie Aysha ("Your Room")^[10]
• Lil Wayne ("Marvin's Room"; included on his mixtape, Sorry 4 The Wait)^[11]
• Sammie ("Marvin's Room (Remix)")^[12]
• Chris Brown ("Marvin's Room")^[13]
• Paula DeAnda ("I Can Do Better")^[14]
• Julian Goins (of the Ranger$) ("Marvin's Room (Remix)) ^[15]

Music video

The music video for the song was released on Cash Money Records' YouTube account on June 28, 2011. The song in the video is a shorter, slightly altered version of the official release.

Chart performance

Chart (2011)	Peak position
UK R&B (The Official Charts Company)[16]	37
US Billboard Hot 100[17]	21
US R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[18]	7

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "October's Very Own: Marvin's Room Now Available on iTunes". http://octobersveryown.blogspot.com/2011/07/marvins-room-now-available-on-itunes.html. Retrieved 2011-07-24. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Ann Powers (01:30 pm, June 17, 2011). "In Modern Rap, Echoes Of Marvin Gaye's Deep, Damaged Soul". NPR. http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2011/06/17/137245761/in-modern-rap-echoes-of-marvin-gayes-deep-damaged-soul. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Jayson Greene (June 13, 2011). "Drake - "Marvin's Room"". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/12224-marvins-room/. 
4. ^ http://popcrush.com/drake-marvins-room/%7Ctitle = DRAKE, ‘MARVIN’S ROOM’ – SONG REVIEW|author = Scott Shetler|publisher = PopCrush|date = June 9, 2011}}
5. ^ "Hot Digital Tracks: October 9th, 2011". http://atrl.net/forums/showthread.php?p=7060976#7060976. Retrieved 2011-10-14. 
6. ^ Drake Flattered by "Marvin's Room" Remixes
7. ^ http://www.papermag.com/2011/09/drake_at_versace_for_fno.php
8. ^ Pop Corner
9. ^ Teyana Taylor Cozies Up to Omarion in 'Her Room' - Video
10. ^ Your Room (Drake - Marvin's Room U.K Refix)
11. ^ Lil' Wayne Covers Drake's 'Marvin's Room
12. ^ New Music: Sammie – ‘Marvin’s Room (Remix)'
13. ^ Chris Brown Remixes 'Marvins Room,' Drake Drops Official Video: Watch
14. ^ Paula DeAnda - Marvin's Room (I Can Do Better)
15. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwvTzU-t2ME
16. ^ "Archive Chart" UK R&B Chart. The Official Charts Company.
17. ^ "Britney Spears Bounds Into Hot 100's Top 10, LMFAO Still No. 1". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011-08-03. http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100#/news/britney-spears-bounds-into-hot-100-s-top-1005303922.story. Retrieved 2011-08-03. 
18. ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: Week of October 22, 2011 (1-10)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/charts/r-b-hip-hop-songs?begin=31&order=position#/charts/r-b-hip-hop-songs?begin=1&order=position. Retrieved 2011-10-20.