"How We Do (Party)" is a song by English singer and songwriter

Rita Ora Rita Sahatçiu Ora (born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in February 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh's single, "Hot Right Now", which reached number one in the UK. Her debut studi ...

from her debut studio album, ''

Ora ORA or Ora may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ora'' (film), a 2011 experimental dance film * Rita Ora (born 1990), British-Albanian singer-songwriter and actress * ''Ora'' (Jovanotti album), 2011 * ''Ora'' (Rita Ora album), 2012 * "Ora" ...

'' (2012). The song was written by Andrew Harr,

Bonnie McKee Bonnie Leigh McKee (born January 20, 1984) is an American singer and songwriter. Her debut album, ''Trouble'', was released in 2004 under Reprise Records. After underperforming, McKee was dropped by her label and took a musical hiatus before es ...

, Christopher Wallace, Hal Davis,

Jermaine Jackson Jermaine La Jaune Jackson (born December 11, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and bassist. He is best known for being a member of the Jackson family. From 1964 to 1975, Jermaine was second vocalist after his brother Michael of The Jackson ...

, Willie Hutch and seven others, and produced by

Kelly Sheehan Kelly Sheehan (born July 26, 1983), also known as "Madame Buttons", is a songwriter and recording engineer from Los Angeles. Career Kelly Sheehan has written songs for Kylie Minogue, Beyoncé, DJ Khaled, Mary J. Blige and others. She has engineer ...

Kuk Harrell Thaddis Laphonia "Kuk" Harrell ( ) is an American songwriter, vocal producer, arranger and engineer. He was a member of a songwriting–production team composed of himself, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and The-Dream, Terius "The-Dream" Nash. In ...

, the Monarch and the Runners. It was released as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from the album for digital download and

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

by Columbia and

Roc Nation Roc Nation is an entertainment agency founded by Jay-Z in 2008. The company is headquartered in Manhattan and has additional offices in Los Angeles and London. Roc Nation comprises a comprehensive talent agency, sports agency, record label, mana ...

in various countries on 20 March 2012. Sampling the

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the vi ...

from

the Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

's " Party and Bullshit" (1993), it is a

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

and pop song, exploring the story of Ora warding off her hangover by falling in love with her love interest. The song received moderate responses from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, who mostly applauded the music and sound, while others compared it to the works of

Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind''. She studied ...

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

and

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

. "How We Do (Party)" topped the record charts of Ireland, Scotland and the United Kingdom, and reached the top 10 in Australia, Japan and New Zealand. The song further peaked at number 62 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

and number one on the

Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

as well as number 68 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

. It attained a platinum certification from the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...

(BPI) in the UK and a gold certification from

Recorded Music New Zealand Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...

(RMNZ) in New Zealand, as well as a double platinum certification from the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...

(ARIA) in Australia. An accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was directed by

Marc Klasfeld Marc Klasfeld is an American music video director. He has directed over two hundred music videos for artists such as Slipknot, Sum 41, Katy Perry, Jay-Z, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Britney Spears, Kid Rock, Michael Bublé, Nelly, Foo Fighters, Kelly ...

and released to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

on 17 April 2012, depicting the singer with a group of people on a party in different settings. It attracted praise for Ora's signature-described appearance with red lipstick and platinum blonde hair. To promote the song, she performed it on several occasions, including ''

The Jonathan Ross Show ''The Jonathan Ross Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on ITV on 3 September 2011 and airs on Saturday evenings following the conclusion of Ross' BBC One chat show, ''Friday Night with Jonatha ...

'', ''

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...

'' and

Isle of MTV Isle of MTV is an annual music festival organized by MTV, which is part of Paramount. A key fixture in Europe's festival calendar, it has been held in Malta since 2007 while previous editions were held in Portugal, France, Spain and Italy. Now in ...

Background and composition

"How We Do (Party)" was written by Alexander Delicata, Andre Davidson, Andrew Harr, Berry Gordy Jr., Bob West,

, Christopher Wallace, Hal Davis,

, Osten Harvey Jr., Sean Davidson and Willie Hutch. ''Note: Click on the three dots on the right of the track to display the credits.'' Its production was handled by Sheehan,

, the Monarch and the Runners. The song was released for digital download and

by Columbia and

on 20 March 2012 as the

from Ora's debut studio album ''

'' (2012). Several remixes, including ones by Gustavo Scorpio,

Laidback Luke Lucas Cornelis van Scheppingen (born 22 October 1976), better known under his stage name Laidback Luke, is a Dutch DJ and music producer. He notably remixed the Robin S. song, " Show Me Love" which charted at No. 11 on the UK charts in 2009. He ...

, Papercha$er and Sandro Silva, accompanied the single's release as part of an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP). Musically, "How We Do (Party)" is a

and pop song, sampling the

from American rapper

Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

's single " Party and Bullshit" (1993). Ora's vocals in the song span from a low note of B₃ to a high note of E₅. The song is composed in time and the key of

G major G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. The G major scale is: Notable compositi ...

with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 116 beats per minute and a

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

of G–C-Em-C. Singing over an

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

, its lyrics explore the story of Ora warding off her hangover by falling in love with her love interest, who is passed out on the floor. Lyrics include: "Cause when the sun sets, baby/ On the avenue/ I get that drunk sex feeling/ Yeah, when I'm with you/ So put your arms around me, baby/ We're tearing up the town/ Cause that's just how we do".

Reception

"How We Do (Party)" was met with moderate responses from

upon release. In reviewing ''Ora'', Fred Thomas from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

deemed the song, along with " R.I.P." (2012) and "

Shine Ya Light "Shine Ya Light" is a song by English singer and songwriter Rita Ora from her debut studio album, '' Ora'' (2012). The song was written by Chris Loco, Fraser T. Smith and LP, with the production handled by Loco and Smith. It was released as th ...

" (2012), as "meticulously constructed anthems of partying, empowerment, and romance". For

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

, Sam Lansky described the song as an "irresponsibly infectious celebratory anthem", while Rebecca Thomas from the same website opined that "the infectious tune dares you ..to dance along". Mary H.K. Choi of '' GQ'' commended the song's appeal as "ear-wormy, clubby, and girl-power anthemic". For

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

, Robert Copsey declared the song a "global-reaching party tune" and went on to praise it for getting better with every listen. He further viewed the song as somewhere between "the carefree nature of

's ' Just Dance'

008 008, OO8, O08, or 0O8 may refer to: * The Streetwear Brand @008us , inspired by Ian Fleming & Virgil Abloh *"030", the fictional 030 Agent of MI6 * '' 038: Operation Exterminate'', a 1965 Italian action film * '' Explosivo 030'' a 1940 Argentine c ...

and the addictiveness of

's ' Last Friday Night' 011. On a similar note, Laurence Green from ''

MusicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...

'' further compared it to "Last Friday Night" as well as to

's "

Domino Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also ca ...

" (2011), stating that it is "so similar you'd be forgiven for thinking a computer managed to subsume and replicate the two songs into this". Chris Richards for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' felt that "it's sweetly disorientinglike a

Kesha Kesha Rose Sebert (; born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. In 2005, at age 18, Kesha was signed to Kemosabe Records. Her first major success came in early 2009 after she was featured on America ...

lyric trapped in a

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...

melody". "How We Do (Party)" debuted at

number one Number One most commonly refers to: * 1 (number) Number One, No. 1, or #1 may also refer to: Music Albums * ''Number 1'' (Big Bang album), and the title song * ''No. 1'' (BoA album), and the title song * ''No.1'' (EP), by CLC * ''n.1 ...

on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

issue dated 25 August 2012. The song became Ora's third chart-topping single in the United Kingdom and spent a total of 19 weeks on the chart. In 2014, it received a platinum certification from the

(BPI) for sales and streams of 600,000 units in the country. The song further reached

on the

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and Scottish Singles Charts in August 2012, respectively. In Australia, "How We Do (Party)" entered the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

at number 41 and reached its summit at number 9 on the chart dated 24 June 2012. The song performed better in New Zealand and reached number five on the

New Zealand Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...

issue dated 21 May 2012. It received a gold certification from the

(RMNZ) in New Zealand and a double platinum award from the

(ARIA) in Australia for selling 7,500 and 140,000 units, respectively. In the United States, "How We Do (Party)" spent three weeks on the ''

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart, before entering the

at number 96 and reaching its summit at number 62 on the chart dated 7 July 2012. The song also peaked atop the

chart and reached number 22 on the

Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...

and number 28 on the

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 ...

rankings. In Canada, "How We Do (Party)" reached number 68 on the

Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart was a chart compiled by the American-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan, which began publication in November 1996. It was published every Wednesday and also published on Thursday by '' Jam!''/Canoe. I ...

issue dated 28 July 2012, after debuting on the chart in June. Elsewhere, the song reached number 5 in Japan, number 31 in the Netherlands, number 35 in Austria, number 40 in Denmark and Germany, respectively, number 41 in Switzerland and number 62 in Romania.

Promotion

The official

for "How We Do (Party)" was uploaded to Ora's

channel on 17 April 2012, preceded by the release of a teaser, approximately a week before. Behind-the-scenes footage from the song's video was published on the singer's channel on 10 August. Directed by American director

, Ora stated that the music video was a big party with "no judgment" along with a bunch of people in there, saying "It's definitely about embracing anyone who wants to come to a party." The video commences with a group of partying people, dancing in a dark-coloured setting and sporting bright clothes. In the following scene, Ora enters the setting and begins to sing the song. Further interspersed shots show the singer partying on several other settings, alternating between a "lush" garden at twilight, a foil-wrapped bedroom and a white-cube space filled with guests, where she uses their torsos as "paint brushes". Thomas from MTV labelled the video as "effervescent" and compared Ora's appearance throughout the video to that of American singers

Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American singer and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 for a career in the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B ...

and

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs ...

, writing that "with a red knit cap pulled down over platinum-blond curls, racalled to mind a cross between ..Evans and Stefani". For the aforementioned website's Lansky, the video has everything, ranging from Viking hats and American flag-embroidered leather jackets to "ferocious" purple suede heels and dip-dyed coloured bathing suits, including Ora in her "signature" red lipstick and "platinum" blonde hair. On 1 May 2012, Ora performed an acoustic version of the song on Billboard's ''The Juice'' episode. At another occasion, the singer presented the song at BBC Radio 1's Hackney Weekend at the Hackney Marshes, London, on 23 June 2012. On 18 August 2012, she gave a performance of it on ''

''. Another performance took place at the

Jingle Bell Ball The Jingle Bell Ball is a concert held annually in December since 2008 (except for 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), by the radio station Capital FM at The O2. Artists that have headlined the concert include Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Li ...

concert in London on 9 December 2012, closing her performance with the song. Further footage of Ora performing "How We Do (Party)" was broadcast during MTV's ''

Unplugged Unplugged may refer to: *Acoustic music, music not produced through electronic means * "Unplugged" (B.A.P song), 2014 * "Unplugged" (''Modern Family''), a 2010 episode of ''Modern Family'' Albums and EPs * ''Unplugged'' (5'nizza album), 2002 * '' ...

'' series on 17 September 2012 as well as on the 11th edition of the

Floriana Floriana ( mt, Il-Furjana or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a fortified town in the South Eastern Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014. Floriana i ...

, Malta, on 23 June 2013.

Copyright lawsuit

In 2016, American writer

Abiodun Oyewole Abiodun Oyewole (born Charles Davis, February 1948), is a poet, teacher and member of the African-American music and spoken-word group The Last Poets, which developed into what is considered to be the first hip hop group. Critic Jason Ankeny ...

, a founding member of

the Last Poets The Last Poets are several groups of poets and musicians who arose from the late 1960s African-American civil rights movement's black nationalism. The name is taken from a poem by the South African revolutionary poet Keorapetse Kgositsile, who bel ...

, filed a

copyright infringement Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...

suit against Ora, rapper Christopher Wallace known as the Notorious B.I.G. and several other songwriters and producers over their use of the phrase "party and bullshit". The phrase appeared on Wallace's single "Party and Bullshit", which Ora sampled on "How We Do (Party)". Oyewole alleged that "

hey Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...

publish dand distribute ..the crescendo, hook, text, lyrics and sound" of his single "When the Revolution Comes" (1968) without his permission. He further stated that the phrase is meant to "challenge[] and encourage[] people to NOT waste time with 'party and bullshit', but to move towards success". On 4 September 2019, the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York judge

Robert Katzmann Robert Allen Katzmann (April 22, 1953 – June 9, 2021) was a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He served as chief judge from September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2020. Early life Rober ...

ruled that the artist's use of the line did not constitute copyright infringement and that Ora and Wallace were well within their rights to use it in their songs. The court further stated that "Party and Bullshit" and "How We Do (Party)" "sufficiently transformed the purpose of

he line He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

from something to be condemned or shunned 'to something glorified', and one embracing and enjoying the 'party and bullshit' culture".

Track listing

*Digital download and streaming #"How We Do (Party)"4:06 *Digital download and streamingExtended play (EP) #"How We Do (Party)"4:06 #"How We Do (Party)" (Gustavo Scorpio Club Mix)7:33 #"How We Do (Party)" (Papercha$er Club Remix)6:11 #"How We Do (Party)" (Sandro Silva Extended Club Mix)5:36 #"How We Do (Party)" (Laidback Luke Club Remix)5:12

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2012 debut singles 2012 songs Rita Ora songs Song recordings produced by Kuk Harrell Song recordings produced by the Monarch (production team) Songs written by Andre Davidson Songs written by Andrew Harr Songs written by Berry Gordy Songs written by Bonnie McKee Songs written by Jermaine Jackson (hip hop producer) Songs written by Kelly Sheehan Songs written by Sean Davidson Songs written by the Notorious B.I.G. Columbia Records singles Dance music songs Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Music videos directed by Marc Klasfeld Number-one singles in Scotland Pop songs Roc Nation singles Songs involved in plagiarism controversies UK Singles Chart number-one singles