"Maneater" is a song by Canadian singer Nelly Furtado from her third studio album, Loose (2006). The song was written by Furtado, Jim Beanz, and its producers Timbaland, and Danja. It was released to mainstream radio in the United States in July 2006. The song's musical style and production were inspired by the Hall & Oates song of the same name and other music from the 1980s.
"Maneater" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Nelly Furtado | ||||
from the album Loose | ||||
B-side |
| |||
Released | 26 May 2006 | |||
Studio | The Hit Factory Criteria (Miami, Florida) | |||
Genre | Dance-rock[1] | |||
Length | 4:19 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | ||||
Nelly Furtado singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Maneater" on YouTube |
The song received positive reviews from music critics, with most comparing the song to Madonna and Depeche Mode songs from the 1980s. Outside North America, "Maneater" became one of Furtado's most popular singles, topping the charts in the United Kingdom and peaking within the top ten of the charts across much of Europe and Australia. The song became a club hit in North America but was less commercially successful than the lead single "Promiscuous".
The accompanying music video was filmed by American director Anthony Mandler in Los Angeles. In the United States, the video premiered on Yahoo! Music on 6 September 2006, and was given a "First Look" on MTV's Total Request Live on 8 September.[2][3] The song was included on the setlist for Furtado's third tour Get Loose Tour.
Writing and recording
editManeater was one of the first songs Furtado and Timbaland worked on in the Hit Factory Criteria recording studios in Miami. Furtado has described the song as an analogy of how she incorporated the "creative energy" of Timbaland and his production crew into Loose.[4] When making the album, Furtado and Timbaland were influenced by the work of musicians from the 1980s such as Talking Heads, Blondie, Madonna, the Police, and Eurythmics.[5] Final production of the track was delayed after a speaker caught fire in the studio control room.[6] Furtado has also confirmed there was a fire in the studio when she was laying down the track, revealing it left her incredibly spooked. She feared something about the sound of the music had caused the flames, and for a while was too scared to work on it, Furtado also said "actually we were scared of the beat. We felt like it had the devil in it, or something. We put it away for a few weeks, until we had the courage to play it again. It was life-threatening! Someone almost got first-degree burns".[7]
Furtado has characterized "Maneater" as "a 'couture pop' song",[8] explaining that it is "in your face and very fashionable, stylistic and of-the-moment."[8] In an interview with MTV News, she compared it favorably to eating too much cheesecake: "It's got a crazy loud beat, and the vocals are bitchy and loud. A lot of people say it sounds like Peaches, because of the delivery, the spooky vocals."[4]
Furtado recorded a remix of "Maneater" with rapper Lil Wayne, which was featured in a Timbaland's compilation album Remix & Soundtrack Collection. The instrumental of this version was also used during many television performances of "Maneater".[9] In Australia, the CD was released in two formats, although one version (the international single) had an extremely limited run and was not widely available. The Australia-exclusive "Maneater" CD single includes a cover of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" recorded on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge program, on which "Maneater" was covered three times, by pop punk band Panic! at the Disco, dance music duo Basement Jaxx and rock band Boy Kill Boy, whose cover was released on the album Radio 1's Live Lounge.[10][11] The song was also covered by Scottish band Dead Pony for their 2022 EP, War Boys.[12]
Music structure and composition
edit"Maneater" is an uptempo song that combines 1980s electro synths and a more dance-oriented beat. The uptempo song has prominent rock and synthpop influences and is lyrically related to how people become "hot on themselves" when dancing in their underwear in front of a mirror.[4] She stated: "[It] truly has a life of its own; it makes you move."[5] Media sources compared it to the 1982 Hall & Oates single of the same name, which Furtado has cited as an influence on the song.[13] The song has a dance tempo and is composed in the key of B flat minor.[14] Maneater has a basic chord progression of Gb-Fm-Ab-Bbm
Critical reception
edit"Maneater" earned acclaim from music critics. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone stated that while not a Hall & Oates cover, the song "bumps hard enough to qualify as a sequel, and that's high praise indeed."[15] AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine cited "Maneater" as a highlight of Furtado's makeover, but believed that no matter how much Furtado sings about sex, she does not sound sexy and does not "generate much carnal heat."[16]
About.com's Bill Lamb gave the song 3.5 out of 5 stars, praising the "powerful thumping beat and insanely catchy chorus", but considering the song repetitive and more suitable for the dance floor than radio stations.[17] IGN's review considered it too similar to British singer M.I.A.: "the blatant attempt to capitalize on [M.I.A.] that ultimately causes the track to crumble."[18] The song was later ranked as the twentieth best single of 2006 at The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop poll.[19]
Chart performance
edit"Maneater" was made available as a download (via the Apple iTunes Store) on 22 May 2006. It was released on maxi CD as the album's first single outside North America on 26 May in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, and on 5 June in the United Kingdom and other European markets. It debuted at number eight on the UK Singles Chart the week before its physical release, and a week later (on 11 June 2006) it went to number one.[20] "Maneater" was the seventh highest selling single in the UK in 2006,[21] with 296,000 units sold.[22] In early 2007, chart rules were changed to allow tracks not accompanied by physical singles to appear on the singles chart,[23] and "Maneater" subsequently re-entered the top forty on downloads alone.[24] The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified "Maneater" two-times platinum for shipments of 1.2 million units.[25]
The single became a hit elsewhere in Europe, reaching the top five in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Ireland and Norway, the top ten in Belgium, Finland and the Netherlands and the top twenty in France. "Maneater" was released on U.S. national television at the Fashion Rocks event on 8 September 2006.[26] It entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number sixty-two, the highest debut of the week, and peaked at number sixteen; it also reached the top twenty on Billboard's Pop 100.[27][28] "Maneater" reached number one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, but it was not as commercially successful in the U.S. as the preceding single, "Promiscuous", which reached number one on all three charts.[28] The single debuted on the Australia ARIA Singles Chart on 25 September and rose to the top five the following week, peaking in its seventh week at number three. The ARIA accredited "Maneater" as a gold single for selling over 35,000 copies.[29]
In Canada, where "Promiscuous" topped the singles chart, "Maneater" reached number twenty-two on 23 November 2006 (its fifteenth week).[30] Its underperformance was attributed to the limited release of the CD single, which had been sold through retailers as early as "Promiscuous".[30] "Maneater" was the second best-selling digital track of 2006 in Canada – behind James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" – with 66,607 downloads.[31] "Maneater" was nominated for a 2006 MTV Europe Music Award for Best Song.[32] It was also awarded a 2007 NRJ Music Award for Best International Song.[33]
Music video
editThe official music video was directed by Anthony Mandler.[34] The video features former So You Think You Can Dance contestant Jamile McGee as a dancer.[35] Furtado had to schedule extra practicing sessions for her own dancing in the video.[34]
The video does not have a substantial plot and, per Furtado's request, focuses on simultaneously celebrating and parodying the "maneater cliché".[4] It begins with Furtado searching for her runaway Great Dane, Toby, at night in a seemingly deserted industrial district of an unnamed city. She follows the dog to the basement of a dark, dilapidated building, where she encounters a silent crowd of people in the middle of what MTV News described as a "Fight Club-esque party".[34] Furtado positions herself in the middle of the crowd and, as the initial beat of the song emerges, begins to dance with "a sense of abandon", according to Furtado.[34] This serves as the catalyst for a dance party that continues as the song plays. Towards the end of the video, Furtado moves to the roof of the building and dances in front of the rising sun. In the end, she leaves the party at dawn, finding her dog sitting at the stairhead near the exit. "I like to walk on the dangerous side of life", Furtado said of the filming of the video.[34]
In the U.S., the video premiered on Yahoo! Music on 6 September 2006, and was given a "First Look" on MTV's Total Request Live on 8 September.[2][3] It debuted on the show's top ten video countdown on 11 September and peaked at number nine, remaining on the countdown for three consecutive days.[3] The video entered the MuchMusic Countdown in Canada in the week ending 22 September, and it peaked at number one in the week ending 8 December.[36] At the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, Furtado was nominated in the category of Female Artist of the Year for "Maneater" and "Say It Right".[37]
Track listings
edit
US 12-inch vinyl
UK CD maxi-single
UK 12-inch vinyl
|
European 2-track CD single
European CD maxi-single
Australian CD maxi-single
|
Credits and personnel
editCredits adapted from the Loose liner notes.[38]
Technical
- Recorded at The Hit Factory in Miami, Florida
- Mixed at Thomas Crown Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia
Personnel
- Nelly Furtado – vocals, songwriting, background vocals
- Danja – music, producer, drums, keyboards
- Timbaland – producer, music, background vocals
- Jim Beanz – additional lyrics, background vocals, vocal production
- Demacio "Demo" Castellón – engineering, mixing, recording
- Marcella "Ms. Lago" Araica – additional recording, additional mixing
- James Roach – second engineering
- Ben Jost – second engineering
- Kobla Tetey – second engineering
- Vadim Chislov – second engineering
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit |
Year-end chartsedit
|
Certifications
editRegion | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[89] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Belgium (BEA)[90] | Gold | 25,000* |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[91] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada)[92] | 2× Platinum | 160,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[93] | Platinum | 8,000^ |
Germany (BVMI)[94] | Platinum | 300,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI)[95] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
Mexico (AMPROFON)[96] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
Sweden (GLF)[85] | Platinum | 20,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[97] | Gold | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[98] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[99] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
editRegion | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Germany | 26 May 2006 | Universal Music | ||
United Kingdom | 5 June 2006 |
|
Polydor | |
France | 3 July 2006 | CD | ||
Australia | 18 September 2006 | Maxi CD | Universal Music | |
United States | 26 September 2006 | Rhythmic contemporary radio | Geffen | |
10 October 2006 | 12-inch vinyl |
|
References
edit- ^ "Furtado Top-Notch in 'Loose'". CBS News. 20 June 2006. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ a b Geffen. "A Two for One Deal" Archived 17 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine. 6 September 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2007.
- ^ a b c "The TRL Archive – September 2006". popfusion.net. Retrieved 1 January 2007.
- ^ a b c d Vineyard, Jennifer. "Chris Martin Covers Jay-Z – And Other Scenes From Nelly Furtado's Loose". MTV News. 20 June 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2006.
- ^ a b Nelly Furtado – Loose. Universal Music Canada. Retrieved 30 December 2006.
- ^ Cairns, Dan. "Whoa, here she comes again"[dead link]. The Sunday Times. 21 May 2006. Retrieved 23 September 2006.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado: The stories behind my hits". BBC News. 17 November 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
- ^ a b Lash, Jolie. (16 February 2006) "Nelly Furtado brings the punkhop". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 December 2006.
- ^ Benmbarek, Farid (23 June 2006). "Statemagazine – review – Nelly Furtado". State Magazine (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 16 April 2008. Retrieved 7 May 2008.
- ^ "Basement Jaxx in the Live Lounge – 31 Aug 06". BBC Radio 1. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
- ^ "Jo Whiley's Live Lounge – 2006". BBC Radio 1. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
- ^ Weaver, James (11 December 2022). "Dead Pony release new cover of Nelly Furtado's 'Maneater'". Distorted Sound Magazine. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ Andrew Murfett (28 July 2006). "Giddy-up". The Age. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
- ^ "Digital sheet music – Nelly Furtado – Maneater". Musicnotes. Alfred Publishing. 15 January 2007. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
- ^ Sheffield, Rob (15 June 2006). "Nelly Furtado: Loose". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 15 October 2007.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Loose Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
- ^ Lamb, Bill. "Nelly Furtado – Maneater". Archived from the original on 12 December 2007. Retrieved 17 October 2007.
- ^ Ptylik, Mark (27 March 2007). "Loose Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 26 July 2006. Retrieved 14 May 2007.
- ^ "Pazz & Jop 2006: Singles Winners". Village Voice. Retrieved 7 October 2007.
- ^ "Nelly beats World Cup competition". CBBC. 11 June 2006. Retrieved 17 October 2007.
- ^ "Official UK top 40 singles of 2006". BBC Radio 1. Archived from the original on 29 March 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
- ^ "Year End Chart & Brit Award Winners – 2006". NeverStop UK. Archived from the original on 25 January 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
- ^ "Official Chart rules are changing!". BBC. Retrieved 14 May 2007.
- ^ "The Official UK Top 75 Singles, January 8th 2007". Music Square. Retrieved 14 May 2007.
- ^ British Phonographic Industry (BPI). "Certified Awards" (Enter Maneater in Keywords, choose Title in Search by, Single in By Format, select the Exact match checkbox and then click on Search ). Retrieved 11 December 2013.
- ^ "For The Record: Quick News On 50 Cent, Foo Fighters, Diddy, Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Too Short & More". MTV News. 11 September 2006. Retrieved 23 September 2006.
- ^ Cohen, Jonathan. "All Timberlake, All The Time On Billboard Charts". Billboard. 21 September 2006. Retrieved 5 October 2006.
- ^ a b "Nelly Furtado – Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 23 September 2006
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Singles". ARIA. Retrieved 29 January 2007.
- ^ a b Arpe, Malene. "Furtado's 'Maneater' a radio hit". 29 November 2006. Toronto Star. Retrieved 30 November 2006.
- ^ "10% Growth in Overall Music Sales; Digital Track Sales Exceed 120% Growth". CNW Group. 17 January 2007. Retrieved 17 October 2007.
- ^ "EMA 2006 nominations list – Part 2". MTV. Archived from the original on 13 October 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
- ^ "Aguilera and Evanescence Leads NRJ Nominations". Contact Music. 28 October 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
- ^ a b c d e "Nelly Furtado's 'Maneater' Video Almost Ate Her Alive". MTV News. 20 September 2006. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
- ^ Korbi Ghosh (21 July 2009). "'So You Think You Can Dance': Where Are They Now?". Zap2it. Yahoo! TV Blog. Retrieved 24 January 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Countdown, Fri, Dec 8, 2006". MuchMusic. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
- ^ "MTV VMA Race Is On: Justin Timberlake, Beyonce Lead Nominations". MTV. 7 August 2007. Archived from the original on 13 August 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
- ^ (2006) Album notes from Loose by Nelly Furtado [Booklet]. Santa Monica, CA; Geffen Records.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado – Maneater". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ^ "Issue 867" ARIA Top 40 Urban Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado – Maneater" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado – Maneater" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado – Maneater" (in French). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "Canadian Singles Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
- ^ Nelly Furtado — Maneater. TopHit. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "Top Lista Hrvatskog Radija". Croatian Radiotelevision. Archived from the original on 8 July 2006. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 40. týden 2006 in the date selector.
- ^ "Hitlisten.NU – Nelly Furtado – Maneater" (in Danish). Tracklisten.
- ^ "Hits of the World – Eurocharts". Billboard. Vol. 118, no. 26. 1 July 2006. p. 69. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado: Maneater" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado – Maneater" (in French). Les classement single.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado – Maneater" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
- ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
- ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Maneater". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado – Maneater". Top Digital Download.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Nelly Furtado" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado – Maneater" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado – Maneater". Top 40 Singles.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado – Maneater". VG-lista.
- ^ "Romanian Top 100 – Issue nr: 25/2006 (26 Iunie – 02 Iulie 2006)" (in Romanian). Romanian Top 100. Archived from the original on 2 July 2006. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200636 into search.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado – Maneater". Singles Top 100.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado – Maneater". Swiss Singles Chart.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ "Nelly Furtado Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Pop Rock" (in Spanish). Record Report. 15 July 2006. Archived from the original on 16 July 2006.
- ^ "2006 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Urban Singles 2006". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 1 April 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "Jahreshitparade Singles 2006". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2006 – Singles" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
- ^ "Rapports annuels 2006 – Singles" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
- ^ "European Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on 14 November 2007. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ "Tops de L'Année | Top Singles 2006" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 2006" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "Best of 2006". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
- ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2006" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ a b "Årslista Singlar – År 2006" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
- ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2006". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2006". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 50 Urban Singles 2007". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 15 April 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2007". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Nelly Furtado" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^ "Canadian single certifications – Nelly Furtado". Music Canada. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ "Guld Og Platin November/December/Januar". Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Nelly Furtado; 'Maneater')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- ^ "Italian single certifications – Nelly Furtado – Maneater" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 18 November 2021. Type Nelly Furtado in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Maneater in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
- ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Nelly Furtado)". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ "British single certifications – Nelly Furtado – Maneater". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ^ "American single certifications – Nelly Furtado – Maneater". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
- ^ "Maneater" (in German). Germany: Amazon Music. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ "Maneater (2-Track)" (in German). Germany: Amazon Music. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 3 June 2006. p. 27.
- ^ "Maneater [12" Vinyl]". Amazon. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ "Maneater – Nelly Furtado – CD single" (in French). France: Fnac. 3 July 2006. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
- ^ "New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 18th September 2006" (PDF). The ARIA Report. No. 863. Australian Recording Industry Association. 18 September 2006. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 September 2006. Retrieved 28 February 2022 – via Trove.
- ^ "Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!". FMQB. Archived from the original on 1 November 2009.
- ^ "Maneater". Amazon. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
External links
edit