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Back to Sleep (song)

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"Back to Sleep"
Single by Chris Brown
from the album Royalty
ReleasedNovember 5, 2015
Recorded2015
StudioThe Record Plant
(Los Angeles, California)
GenreR&B
Length3:21
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Chris Brown singles chronology
"Gold Slugs"
(2015) 		"Back to Sleep"
(2015) 		"Fine by Me"
(2015)
Music video
"Back to Sleep" on YouTube

"Back to Sleep" is a song by American singer Chris Brown from his seventh studio album Royalty. The song was released as the album's third single and its first urban single on November 5, 2015. Three official remixes of the song were released during the first months of 2016: The first featuring Usher and Zayn, the second featuring Miguel, August Alsina, and Trey Songz, and the final featuring Tank, R. Kelly and Anthony Hamilton.

The song received universal acclaim from contemporary music critics, noting it as one of the album's highlights, celebrating its production and Brown's vocal performance. Some critics defined it as the best R&B song of its decade. The song received comparisons to Brown's previous singles "Take You Down" (2008) and "No Bullshit" (2011), and also to Marvin Gaye's 1982 song "Sexual Healing", for its similar musical direction. The song became the most successful one from the Royalty album, peaking at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 5 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Its music video was released on December 14, 2015, and is part of Royalty music videos storyline, following the conclusion of Brown's "Fine by Me" music video. The videoclip displays an intimate sexual situation between Brown and his love interest .

Background

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The song was written by Chris Brown and August Rigo, and was produced by Vinylz and Boi-1da. The song was recorded in 2015 at Record Plant in Los Angeles, California. "Back to Sleep" was premiered via SoundCloud on November 5, 2015, and was sent to radio four days later as the album's third single, also receiving its commercial release for digital download on November 9, 2015.[1][2][3]

Composition

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Brown said that "Back to Sleep" was inspired by Marvin Gaye's 1982 song "Sexual Healing"

"Back to Sleep" is a mid-tempo R&B slow jam, about late night sex, that features minor influences of funk, and roland TR-808 beats reminiscent of Marvin Gaye's 1982 song "Sexual Healing".[4][5][6] Vibe stated that the song infuses elements of "new school R&B" with "a light dusting of 1980s pop".[7][8] According to Billboard, the lyrical content of "Back to Sleep" features "Brown fresh off a late night flight into town", detailing how he plans to go to his girlfriend's house, wake her up at 3:30 a.m. to have sex with her, then tuck her in for actual sleep.[5][9]

Music video

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Background

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The music video for "Back to Sleep" was directed by Brown,[10] and released on December 14, 2015, on his YouTube and Vevo account.[11]

Synopsis

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The video follows the conclusion of Brown's "Fine by Me" music video, and starts with the singer making a phone call to his girlfriend, asking her if he could "come over" to her house even though it's late at night, because of "weird" things happening to him throughout the night. As soon as Brown arrives to her house, they get intimate, with scenes showing them kissing and touching in the shower and bedroom, intercut with scenes of Brown performing the song in a club, with a female band.[12][13]

Live performances

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Brown promoted the song with live performances on televised shows and festivals, including Jimmy Kimmel Live!,[14] Taraji & Terrence's White Hot Holidays,[15] the "Lil' Weezyana Fest 2016", and the 3rd iHeartRadio Music Awards.[16] The song was included on all the setlists of Brown's tours following its release.

Remixes

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R. Kelly (left) and Usher (right) are two of the many artists that appeared on remixes of the track.

Chris Brown has released three remixes to the song. Part 1 features Usher and Zayn,[17] and was released as "Back to Sleep (Remix)" on February 26, 2016;[18] in addition to verses from Usher and Zayn Malik, the remix also features a new verse from Brown where he mentions his ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran and cancels out the rest of the song except the chorus and bridge.[19] Part 2 features Miguel, August Alsina, and Trey Songz, and was released as "Back to Sleep (Remix)" on April 8,[20][21] while Part 3 was released on April 10 as "Back To Sleep (Legends Remix)", and features Tank, R. Kelly and Anthony Hamilton.[22] On August 29, 2016, R&B singer Brandy shared a version of the song with Brown.[23][24] On July 15, 2016, another remix version was released, dubbed as the "Secret Garden Remix". The song featured previously released verses from R. Kelly, Usher, Tank, and an additional verse from R&B singer and actor Tyrese Gibson.[25]

Critical reception

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"Back to Sleep" received widespread acclaim from music critics. In 2018, the co-host of The Breakfast Club, Charlamagne tha God, defined the song as "the best R&B record in the past 15 years" along with "Adorn" by Miguel.[26] AllMusic's editor Andy Kellman stated that the track is the best one on the Royalty album.[27] Brad Wete of Billboard said that it "excels as a quality addition to his catalog’s stellar collection of panty-dropping and baby-making songs", comparing the song to Brown's previous singles "Take You Down" (2008) and "No Bullshit" (2011), and also to Marvin Gaye's 1982 song "Sexual Healing".[5]

Mikael Wood of The Courier-Journal praised Brown's "great vocal performance" on the track, describing it as "a smooth depiction of genuine sexuality".[28][29] Soul Bounce called it "The highlight of Royalty" and "a polished, well-produced song that spotlight's Brown's talent".[30] Renowned for Sound complimented the song's "impressive vocals" and its production, saying that "the synth R&B arrangement is as smooth as ever", stating that the chorus has a "risqué" sex appeal.[31] Vibe said that "Back to Sleep" is "a super sexy song", finding shock value in its sexually explicit lyrics.[32]

Chart performance

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On the Billboard Hot 100, the song debuted at number 64 on the week ending January 2, 2016,[33] and reached number 48 on the week ending February 13, 2016.[34] On the week ending March 12, 2016, it reached number 36 on the Hot 100,[35] and number 2 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart.[36] On the week ending March 19, 2016, it reached number 20 on the Hot 100 and became the top Digital Gainer of the week,[37] debuting at number 13 on the Digital Songs chart,[38] having sold 42,000 downloads that week, 32% of which stemmed from the Part 1 remix.[39] The same week, it reached number 5 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart,[39] number 2 on the R&B Digital Songs chart,[40] and number 3 on the Hot R&B Songs chart.[41] By April 2, 2016, the single had sold 300,620 copies in the US.[42]

Track listing

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  • Digital download[3]
  1. "Back to Sleep" (Explicit) – 3:21
  • Digital download (Remix)[43]
  1. "Back to Sleep" (Remix) (featuring Usher and Zayn) – 4:27
  • Digital download (Legends Remix)[44]
  1. "Back to Sleep" (Legends Remix) (featuring Tank, R. Kelly and Anthony Hamilton) – 3:43

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[63] Platinum 70,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[64] Gold 45,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[65] Gold 7,500*
United Kingdom (BPI)[66] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[67] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Urban single coming today! "FUCK YOU BACK TO 2 SLEEP"". Twitter. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  2. ^ "Listen to @Power1051 NY right now for my new urban single #SexYouBackToSleep!". Twitter. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Back To Sleep – Single by Chris Brown". iTunes Store (US). Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  4. ^ "Chris Brown – Sex You Back to Sleep". HNHH. November 5, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c "Chris Brown Falls Short of King on 'Royalty': Album Review". Billboard.com. December 18, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  6. ^ "Chris Brown & Rick Ross Perform "Sorry" & "Back To Sleep" On Kimmel". Hotnewhiphop.com. December 8, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  7. ^ "Chris Brown Doesn't Leave Anything To The Imagination On "Sex You Back To Sleep"". Vibe.com. November 6, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  8. ^ http://addictedtoradio.com/chris-brown-falls-short-of-king-on-royalty/ [dead link‍]
  9. ^ "Chris Brown's 12 Sexiest Slow Jams". Billboard.
  10. ^ "Chris Brown Premieres Racy Music Video For "Back To Sleep": Watching". Directlyrics. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  11. ^ "Chris Brown – Back To Sleep (Explicit Version)". Vevo. December 14, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  12. ^ "Video: Chris Brown – 'Back to Sleep'". Rap-up.com. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  13. ^ "Watch Chris Brown Get Frisky in 'Back To Sleep' Video". Billboard.com. December 14, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  14. ^ "Rick Ross and Chris Brown Bust Out 'Sorry' and 'Back to Sleep' on 'Kimmel'". Spin.com. December 8, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  15. ^ "Chris Brown Performs 'Back to Sleep' and 'This Christmas' with Tank at 'White Hot Holidays' — Flavor in the Street". Archived from the original on April 20, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  16. ^ "Chris Brown Performs "Liquor," "Back to Sleep" and More at 2016 iHeart Radio Music Awards – XXL". XXL Mag. April 4, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  17. ^ "New Music: Chris Brown feat. Usher & Zayn – 'Back to Sleep (Remix)'".
  18. ^ "Back to Sleep (Remix) [feat. Usher & ZAYN] – Single by Chris Brown". iTunes. February 26, 2016.
  19. ^ "Chris Brown-Karrueche Tran Update: Singer Name-Drops Ex in 'Sex You Back to Sleep' Remix; See Fan Reactions". International Business Times. February 20, 2016.
  20. ^ "Chris Brown – F*ck You Back to Sleep (Remix) Feat. Trey Songz, Miguel & August Alsina". HNHH. April 8, 2016.
  21. ^ "New Music: Chris Brown feat. August Alsina, Miguel, & Trey Songz – 'Back to Sleep (Remix)'".
  22. ^ "Chris Brown Teases "Back to Sleep" Remixes f/ ZAYN, Miguel, Usher, and More". Complex. February 20, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  23. ^ "Brandy Remixes 'Back to Sleep' by Chris Brown: Listen Now". ThisisRnB. August 29, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  24. ^ "Brandy Back to Sleep Remix with Chris Brown". YouTube. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  25. ^ "NEW MUSIC: CHRIS BROWN FEAT. TYRESE, R. KELLY, USHER & TANK – 'BACK TO SLEEP (SECRET GARDEN REMIX)'". ThisisRnB. July 15, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  26. ^ "Charlamagne Tha God Picks His "Kings of R&B" & Best Rap Album of the Year". HNHH. December 15, 2018.
  27. ^ "Royalty – Chris Brown – Songs, Reviews, Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  28. ^ "Chris Brown has no filter on 'Royalty'". Courier-journal.com. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  29. ^ "Review: Chris Brown, Royalty". Slant Magazine. December 21, 2015.
  30. ^ "Chris Brown Recruits Every Damn Body for His 'Back to Sleep' Remixes". April 11, 2016.
  31. ^ "Single Review: Chris Brown – 'Back to Sleep' (Feat. Usher & Zayn) – Renowned for Sound".
  32. ^ "Chris Brown Gets an Assist from Usher and Zayn for A "Back to Sleep" Remix". February 20, 2016.
  33. ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
  34. ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. January 2, 2013.
  35. ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
  36. ^ "Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay". Billboard. January 2, 2013.
  37. ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
  38. ^ "Digital Song Sales Chart". Billboard.
  39. ^ a b "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Debut at No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart". Billboard. March 9, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  40. ^ "R&B Digital Songs". Billboard. March 19, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  41. ^ "Hot R&B Songs". Billboard. January 2, 2013.
  42. ^ Mansell, Henry (April 2, 2016). "Hip Hop Single Sales: Rihanna, G-Eazy & Desiigner". HipHopDX. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  43. ^ "Back to Sleep (Remix) [feat. Usher & ZAYN] – Single by Chris Brown". iTunes. February 26, 2016.
  44. ^ "Back to Sleep (Legends Remix) [feat. Tank, R. Kelly & Anthony Hamilton] – Single by Chris Brown". iTunes. April 10, 2016.
  45. ^ Ryan, Gavin (March 5, 2016). "ARIA Singles: Lukas Graham Is No 1 for Third Week". Noise11. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  46. ^ "Chris Brown – Back to Sleep" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  47. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  48. ^ "Chris Brown – Back to Sleep" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  49. ^ "Dutch Single Tip 02/04/2016". Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  50. ^ "Chris Brown – Back to Sleep". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  51. ^ "EMA Top 10 Airplay: Week Ending 2016-05-03". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  52. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  53. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  54. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  55. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Adult R&B Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  56. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  57. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard.
  58. ^ "Chris Brown Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
  59. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  60. ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  61. ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  62. ^ "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  63. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2017 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  64. ^ "Danish single certifications – Chris Brown – Back to Sleep". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  65. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Chris Brown – Back to Sleep". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  66. ^ "British single certifications – Chris Brown – Back to Sleep". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  67. ^ "American single certifications – Chris Brown – Back to Sleep". Recording Industry Association of America.
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