Gotta Work

Infobox Single
Name = Gotta Work


Artist = Amerie
Album = Because I Love It
B-side =
Released = November 30, 2006 (U.S. – download)
April 14, 2007 (Lithuania)
May 14, 2007(Europe – download)
May 25, 2007 (Spain)
July 30, 2007 (UK)
August 6, 2007 (UK – 12")
September 21, 2007 (Germany)
Format = Digital download, promo single
Recorded =
Genre = R&B, funk, go-go, soul
Length = 3:10
Label = Columbia
Writer = Amerie Mi Marie, Rich Shelton, Loren Hill, Kevin Veney, Isaac Hayes, David Porter
Producer = One Up
Certification =
Last single = "Take Control"
(2006/2007)
This single = "Gotta Work"
(2007)
Next single = "Fly Like Me"
(2007)

"Gotta Work" is an R&B–funk song by Amerie, and is the second international single from her third studio album, "Because I Love It" (2007). It samples Sam & Dave's 1966 song "Hold On, I'm Comin'", written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter and originally recorded by Reuben Wilson. Amerie called the sound of the song "'go-go soul'", saying go-go " [is] like really strong black coffee, some people can't ingest it in its purest form." [Chick, Stevie. [http://music.guardian.co.uk/urban/story/0,,2076609,00.html "Dancefloor dynamite"] . "The Guardian". May 11, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2007.]

Release and reception

"Blues and Soul Magazine" said the song "sounds like it's come from the same factory of hits as most of B's output ... 'Crazy in Love' meets 'One Thing'sic", but that it "treads that rare fine ground between club-friendly sing-a-long anthem and credible soulful territory; its bold and brassy orchestral instrumentation and clattering percussion pushing it along nicely. The first single from the new album, "Because I Love It" and we're loving it." [Devlin, Mark. [http://www.bluesandsoulmagazine.co.uk/review/224/amerie_gotta_work/ "Review - Amerie: Gotta Work"] . "Blues and Soul Magazine". Retrieved July 31, 2007.] "The Village Voice" named it the sixth best single of summer 2007. [Breihan, Tom. [http://www.villagevoice.com/blogs/statusainthood/archives/2007/07/status_aint_hoo_27.php "Status Ain't Hood's Quarterly Report: The Summer's Best Singles"] . "The Village Voice". July 3, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2007.] "The Daily Mirror" wrote, "An old superpowered Stax riff will never let you down and there's a particularly supercharged one at the centre of ["Gotta Work"] ... Amerie sweats and grinds in the funk engine room, whipping up a lather and doing the song she has sampled a service. Get your back into it, just like she does, and the benefits can be instantly felt." [ [http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/entertainment/music/2007/07/27/this-week-s-new-singles-89520-19525405/ "This week's new singles"] . "The Daily Mirror". July 27, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2007.]

The single peaked at number two on the LCC Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Netherlands FMC Urban Top 50 charts. The music video was premiered on June 30, 2007; [ [http://concreteloop.com/2007/06/video-amerie-gotta-work "Video: Amerie - Gotta Work"] . ConcreteLoop.com. June 30, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2007.] speaking to a reporter for "The Sun", Amerie said the inspiration for the video, as with her other videos, came to her when she was showering. "I think it's where all the creative energy flows because at that moment you've got nowhere to go", she said. "You're just standing there with the water". [ [http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2004580002-2007300830,00.html "Amerie: Ideas come in shower"] . "The Sun" Online. July 5, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2007.]

Gotta Work was ranked number seventy-one on "MTV Asia"'s list of Top 100 Hits of 2007. [MTV Asia. [http://www.mtvasia.com/Funstuff/Contests/MTVTop100Hits2007/top100.html "Top 100 Hits List"] . Retrieved 2007-12-27]

Track listings and formats

;UK CD single
#"Gotta Work"
#"Gotta Work" (Remix featuring Collie Buddz);CD single premium
#"Gotta Work"
#"Gotta Work" (Remix featuring Collie Buddz)
#"1 Thing" (Remix featuring Eve)
#"Gotta Work" (Video);UK 12" single [ [http://www.juno.co.uk/ppps/products/269745-01.htm&highlight=amerie "AMERIE - Gotta Work"] . Juno Records. Retrieved July 31, 2007.]
#"Gotta Work" (Album Version)
#"Gotta Work" (Instrumental Version)
#"Gotta Work" (Accapella Version)

Charts

{| class="wikitable"!align="center"|Chart (2007)!align="center"|Peak
position
-
align="left"|Irish Singles Chart
align="center"|30
-
align="left"|Lithuanian Airplay Chart [cite web |url=http://www.blogas.lt/hitfm/205871/lithuanian-airplay-chart.html |title=Lithuanian Airplay Chart |accessdate=2008-01-11 |work=Lithuania Charts Company |language=Lithuanian]
align="center"|15
-
align="left"|LCC Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songscite web |url=http://www.blogas.lt/hitfm/209276/lcc-hot-rbhip-hop-songs.html |title=LCC Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs |accessdate=2008-01-11 |work=Lithuania Charts Company |language=Lithuanian]
align="center"|2
-
align="left"|LCC Hot Dance Tracks [cite web |url=http://www.blogas.lt/hitfm/227336/lcc-hot-dance-tracks.html |title=LCC Hot Dance Tracks |accessdate=2008-01-12 |work=Lithuania Charts Company |language=Lithuanian]
align="center"|5
-
align="left"|Luxembourgian Airplay Chart [cite web |url=http://www.eldoradio.lu/music/chartbreaker/ |title=Chartbreaker Top 50 |accessdate=2008-01-11 |work=Eldoradio |language=Luxembourgish]
align="center"|41
-
align="left"|Russian Нip-Hop/R&B Chart [cite web |url=http://www.dj-light.net/page.php?al=alias4816 |title=(05. 2007) Нip-Hop / R&B Чарт |accessdate=2008-01-11 |work=DJ Light |language=Russian]
align="center"|2
-
align="left"|UK Singles Chart
align="center"|21
-
align="left"|UK R&B Singles Chart [cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/rnbsingles.shtml |title=UK Top 40 RnB Singles |accessdate=2008-01-11 |work=BBC Radio 1]
align="center"|6

References

External links

* [http://www.stylusmagazine.com/jukebox/?p=374 The Singles Jukebox] - Stylus Magazine
* [http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=111&csid2=804&fid1=26411 Exclaim.ca]