"Can't Leave 'em Alone" is a
R&B song recorded by
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
singer
Ciara
Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...
and rapper
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...
for Ciara's second album, ''
Ciara: The Evolution'' (2006). Written by Ciara,
LaShawn Daniels
LaShawn Ameen Daniels (December 28, 1977 – September 3, 2019) was an American songwriter, vocal producer and arranger known for his songwriting credits on songs by artists such as Brandy, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Destiny’s Child, Michael Jacks ...
,
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists.
Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...
, and 50 Cent, it is the fourth release and official third single from the album (see
2007 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2007. Specific locations
*2007 in British music
* 2007 in Canadian music
* 2007 in Irish music
* 2007 in Japanese music
* 2007 in Norwegian music
* 2007 in South Korean musi ...
). It was solicited to
Mainstream Urban
Mainstream may refer to:
Film
* ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film
Literature
* ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine
* Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher
* ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso
Mu ...
radio stations on June 12, 2007 and
Rhythmic Rhythmic may refer to:
* Related to rhythm
* Rhythmic contemporary, a radio format
* Rhythmic adult contemporary, a radio format
* Rhythmic gymnastics, a form of gymnastics
* Rhythmic (chart)
The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and ...
stations on July 10, 2007.
The song is a 1980s-inspired mid-tempo
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
, featuring the
808 drums. Ciara described it as a "big record", and said that she invited 50 Cent for "some kind of flavor". It was originally titled "Dope Boys".
Background
"Can't Leave 'em Alone", along with "
That's Right", was originally a contender to be the second US and first worldwide single from the album, and a poll was posted on Ciara's MySpace page to have fans help her decide, but the other contender "
Like a Boy
"Like a Boy" is a song performed by American singer Ciara for her second album '' Ciara: The Evolution'' (2006). Written by Ciara, Candice Nelson, Balewa Muhammad, J. Que, Ezekiel Lewis, and Calvin Kenon, it is the third release in the U.S. and s ...
" was chosen over both songs. Later, "My Love" was confirmed to be the third US single,
while "That's Right" would serve as the third internationally, but "Can't Leave 'em Alone" replaced both songs.
Composition
"Can't Leave 'em Alone" is an ode to the hood boys anchored by a pair of verses from
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...
, featuring an "easy groove".
Critical reception
"Can't Leave 'em Alone" received mixed reviews from music critics. Contactmusic.com published "Can't Leave 'em Alone" is a "mouth-watering smouldering smoothed groove", with the reviewer going on to say that it should have been the first single, and that It has "cross over potential that we see from Nelly & Kelly Rowland
Dilemma
A dilemma ( grc-gre, δίλημμα "double proposition") is a problem offering two possibilities, neither of which is unambiguously acceptable or preferable. The possibilities are termed the ''horns'' of the dilemma, a clichéd usage, but disti ...
"]" and is "simply another Darkchild classic". Ken Barnes of ''USA TODAY'' called the song "pop-soul confection". Other reviewers were more critical of the song. Cibula of ''PopMatters'' published that it is "a very bad pop-lite song" and criticized the use of 50 Cent as a sexy bad boy. Christian Hoard of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' published "Ciara's still prone to diva blandness and silly little pop songs, which drags down the 50 Cent feature 'Can't Leave 'em Alone' ". Makkadah Selah of ''
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
'' called the song "lifeless".
Chart performance
"Can't Leave 'em Alone" was a moderate success in the US. Six weeks after its official release, The single debuted at 90 on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song climbed the charts slowly with moderate airplay and digital sales. It eventually reached its peak at number 40. It also peaked at number 24 on the
Hot 100 Airplay
The Radio Songs chart (previously named Hot 100 Airplay until 2014 and Top 40 Radio Monitor until 1991) is released weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine and measures the airplay of songs being played on radio stations throughout ...
. It became Ciara's tenth top ten single on the US
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
chart and peaked in the top twenty of the
Rhythmic Top 40
The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine.
The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on ...
. The single was never sent to mainstream
radio formats
A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when radio was compelle ...
and failed to chart on the
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009. It ranked songs based on airplay on Mainstream Top 40 radio stations, singles s ...
. Despite its lackluster performance at radio, the single was certified
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 digital copies in the United States.
[RIA]
RIAA Searchable database – 50 Cent
RIAA. Accessed September 3, 2007.
In international markets, "Can't Leave 'em Alone" debuted at number 40 and peaked at number four, becoming Ciara's fifth top ten single in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. The song failed to chart in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, reaching a disappointing number 115. The single peaked at low positions in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, and
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
.
Music video
The Fat Cats directed video was shot on June 9, 2007 and June 10, 2007 in
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
. Three screen shots from the music video were released on June 14, 2007,
while a fourth screen shot featuring her and
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...
was released on June 27, 2007. The video was scheduled to premiere on
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music was a brand under which Yahoo! provided a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming. Previously, users with Yahoo! accounts could gain access to hundreds of ...
on June 25, but it was changed to July 2, 2007.
The video reached number one on ''
106 & Park
''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rated ...
''.
Live performances
Ciara performed "Can't Leave 'em Alone" with
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...
at the 2007
World Music Awards
The World Music Awards is an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event is based in Monte Carlo. Awards are presented to the world's ...
on November 24, 2007.
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Can't Leave 'Em Alone".
*Maxi single
Digital download
# "Can't Leave 'em Alone" featuring
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...
# "Love You Better"
*Extended play
# "Can't Leave 'em Alone" featuring 50 Cent
# "Can't Leave 'em Alone (Kookie Remix)" featuring 50 Cent
# "Can't Leave 'em Alone (Wideboys Remix)" featuring 50 Cent
# "Can't Leave 'em Alone (Reavers Remix)" featuring 50 Cent
Personnel
*Recorded by Jeff Villanueva at 2nd Floor Studios,
Atlantic City
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...
,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
& Joshua Charvokas at Chung King Studios,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
*Engineered by Gilbert Fuentes
*Mixed by Phil Tan at Soapbox Studios,
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
*Assisted by Josh Houghkirk
*All music by
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins
Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists.
Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...
*Vocals produced by Ciara Harris, LaShawn Daniels and Rodney Jerkins
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{authority control
2000s ballads
2006 songs
2007 singles
50 Cent songs
Ciara songs
Pop ballads
Song recordings produced by Rodney Jerkins
Songs written by Ciara
Songs written by 50 Cent
Songs written by Rodney Jerkins
Songs written by LaShawn Daniels