Cater 2 U

"Cater 2 U" is a song recorded by American group Destiny's Child for their fifth and final studio album ''Destiny Fulfilled'' (2004). The song was written by group members Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams along with Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Ricky "Ric Rude" Lewis and Robert Waller, with Beyoncé, Rude and Jerkins handling its production. An R&B ballad talking about a woman's desire to cater to the male love interest of her life, "Cater 2 U" contains synthesizers in its instrumentation. A lawsuit filled by singer-songwriter Rickey Allen in 2006 claimed the group only recorded a cover of the song, which was originally his; however, the case was settled in 2009.

"Cater 2 U" was released as the fourth and final single from ''Destiny Fulfilled'' on June 7, 2005, by Columbia Records and Sony Urban Music. It received mixed reviews from music critics who, despite generally praising its composition and the group members' vocal performances, criticized the lyrical content. The song was nominated in two categories at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards (2006) and received an award for Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo at the 2006 Soul Train Music Awards. Commercially, it peaked at number 14 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, being certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Jake Nava and filmed at the Red Rock Canyon State Park in California. It features the trio at a desert, with each member singing at a separate set and later a choreographed dance during the chorus. To further promote "Cater 2 U", Destiny's Child performed the song during several televised appearances and at the 2005 BET Awards. In addition, "Cater 2 U" was added to the set list of Destiny's Child's final tour Destiny Fulfilled... and Lovin' It (2005). Both Beyoncé and Rowland performed the song during their solo tours after Destiny's Child's disbandment. A cover version of "Cater 2 U" was performed by Usher and Babyface at the 2005 World Music Awards as a tribute to the group, due to their disbandment.

Writing and production

"Cater 2 U" was written by Destiny's Child members Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, along with Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Ricky "Ric Rude" Lewis and Robert Waller. The production was handled by Beyoncé, Rude and Jerkins, with the group members also serving as the vocal producers. The song was recorded in 2004 at Sony Music Studios in New York City with guidance from Jeff Villanueva and Jim Caruna. The audio mixing was done by Tony Maserati while the mastering was finished by Tom Coyne.

Music and lyrics

"Cater 2 U" is a four-minute long R&B ballad. According to the sheet music published on the website Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, "Cater 2 U" was composed using common time in the key of D major with a slow tempo of 63 beats per minute. The vocal elements span from A₃ to B₄. Instrumentally it consists of silky synthesizers "slink ngand slurp ng throughout, creating a seductive feel as stated by Dimitri Ehlrich of ''Vibe'' and writers of ''Billboard'' magazine. As the song progresses, it builds to a symphonic crescendo.

Lyrically, "Cater 2 U" talks about females wanting to submissively serve their male love interests and take care of them as they admire their hard work and are inspired by them. The trio further sings about the men of their lives and the way in which they will take care of them. "Cater 2 U" was written as a continuation on the previous song on ''Destiny Fulfilled'', "Soldier"; after the trio sings about finding a suitable lover in the aforementioned song, they express a will to cater to him in "Cater 2 U". In the second edition of the book ''Introducing Cultural Studies'', the authors argued that the song contained lyrics about objectification of women, which suggested that their gender role was to "'keep herself up', 'keep it right', 'cater to' their man by providing him with his dinner, a foot rub, a manicure, fetching his slippers, and much more, on demand". An editor writing in ''The Times of India'' found a theme of feminine assertiveness in "Cater 2 U"; he noted that "the women come off not so much as lovers as full-service romantic servants". J. Freedom du Lac, a staff writer of ''The Washington Post'' wrote that the song's theme was supplication.

Beyoncé opens the song listing the things she would do for her man during her verses: brush his hair, take his shoes off, give him a manicure, rub his feet, help him put his do-rag on, undo his cufflinks. She also sings the lines "Let me feed you, let me run your bath water, whatever you desire" after the things she had previously listed. Rowland was noted for nearly rapping her solo part during which she promises to "keep my figure right," "keep my hair fixed" and acknowledges that if her man comes later home while she's asleep, "all he's gotta do is tap her on the shoulder and 'I'll roll over.'" Williams sings her solo verses during the song's bridge.

During an interview with MTV News, Beyoncé spoke about the meaning of the song: "It basically talks about how a guy inspires you... You want to make him happy and you want to cater to him. I know it's going to be surprising to a lot of people that the independent survivors are being submissive to their man, but it's important that people know that, you know, it's fine if your man deserves it and gives that back to you."

Release

"Cater 2 U" was released as the fourth and final single from ''Destiny Fulfilled'' by Columbia Records and Sony Urban Music. It was added to contemporary hit radio in the United States on June 7, 2005, and was released in the country as an extended play (EP) consisting of the original version of the song along with four remixes on June 14, 2005. On July 19, another EP was released, containing the original version and six remixes. An EP was also released in Italy on July 25. "Cater 2 U" was later included Destiny's Child's compilation albums '' #1's'' (2005) and ''Love Songs'' (2013).

Critical reception

Tom Sinclair of ''Entertainment Weekly'' noted the song was one of ''Destiny Fulfilled''s "nice bits here and there", adding, "the pillow-talky pandering of 'Cater 2 U' ... is hard to resist." AllMusic's writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine included "Cater 2 U" as one of the highlights on the album. ''Slant Magazine'' writer Eric Henderson opined: "But just about the only element of the whole album that really sticks is the Laura Bush-worthy domestic complacency of 'Cater 2 U,' in which the trio espouses their joy in total submission." Dimitri Ehrlich from ''Vibe'' found that "the sexy trio is far more believable on the seductive R&B ballad 'Cater 2 U,' in which they set the feminist movement back more than a century over the course of four minutes". Andy Battaglia writing for ''The A.V. Club'' felt that the song and "Soldier" "make sassy end-runs around notions of womanly subservience, but their best musical moments hide in tiny melismatic twirls instead of hooks". ''The Guardian''s Caroline Sullivan wrote that "Cater 2 U" was one of the songs that showcased "the girliness in the trio, musically and lyrically". In a review of ''Love Songs'' (2013), Amanda Koellner from the website Consequence of Sound described "Cater 2 U" as a "sleek" album opener. Thomas Inskeep of ''Stylus Magazine'' hailed the song "sexy" while ''USA Today''s Elysa Gardner felt it was more "gently sensuous". Rebecca Thomas from MTV News felt that the song differentiated from the trio's other material and added: "While the Third Wave set may have side-eyed the gushy ballad, male fans eagerly welcomed t.

The lyrics of the song were criticized with BBC
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