"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

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). It was solicited to

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radio stations on June 12, 2007 and

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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

, 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

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and failed to chart on the

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. Despite its lackluster performance at radio, the single was certified

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by the

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(RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 digital copies in the United States.RIA
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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

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. The song failed to chart in the

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, reaching a disappointing number 115. The single peaked at low positions in

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, and

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Music video

The Fat Cats directed video was shot on June 9, 2007 and June 10, 2007 in

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. Three screen shots from the music video were released on June 14, 2007, while a fourth screen shot featuring her and

was released on June 27, 2007. The video was scheduled to premiere on

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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

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

# "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,

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& Joshua Charvokas at Chung King Studios,

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*Engineered by Gilbert Fuentes *Mixed by Phil Tan at Soapbox Studios,

*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