"Lay It on Me" is a song by American singer

Kelly Rowland Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling girl ...

featuring two rap verses from American rapper

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...

, taken from Rowland's third studio album '' Here I Am'' (2011). The

contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music. The genre features a distinctive record production style, drum machine-backed rhythm ...

and

Hi-NRG Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a music genre, typified by fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the ...

song was written by Sean, Ester Dean and Chauncy "

Hit-Boy Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr. (born May 21, 1987), better known by his stage name Hit-Boy, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. In May 2011, he had signed a two-year deal with Kanye West's GOOD Music production branch. ...

" Hollis who also produced the song. "Lay It On Me" has a piano-driven melody and is laced with

808s The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 808, is a drum machine manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1980 and 1983. It was one of the first drum machines to allow users to program rhythms instead of using preset patte ...

and high NRG beats; the lyrics centre on Rowland describing sexual encounters with a lover. The song was serviced to US

rhythmic radio Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses h ...

on August 16, 2011 by

Universal Motown Universal Motown Records was an American record label that operated as a division of Universal Motown Republic Group. It was the contemporary incarnation of the legendary Motown Records label, and the "urban" half of UMG, although there were some ...

as the album's second (and last) single in the United States, and later in 2012 as the album's fourth international single. 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 ...

features interactions with Sean, as well as scenes including Rowland stroking an elephant and dancing with a troupe of black dancers against a white backdrop. It was shot back-to-back with the video for Rowland's third international single, " Down for Whatever", with director Sarah Chatfield and choreographer Frank Gatson, Jr. Rowland and Sean performed the song live for the first time on "

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...

" on September 26, 2011. "Lay It On Me" was met with a positive response 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 generally praised the sex appeal of the song, progressive production and suggestive lyrics. It has peaked at number 43 one 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 although it did not chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, it appeared on the

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles 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 at number 9. Internationally, "Lay It On Me" peaked at both 69 in the UK and Japan.

Background and composition

Following the success of her previous single "

Motivation Motivation is the reason for which humans and other animals initiate, continue, or terminate a behavior at a given time. Motivational states are commonly understood as forces acting within the agent that create a disposition to engage in goal-dire ...

" (featuring

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

)," which peaked and remained at number-one on the US

chart for multiple weeks, Rowland opted to follow up the song with another R&B song titled "Lay It on Me". It features rapper

and an up-"tempo" melody with a

and high NRG-led production that features a "tinkling piano" melody and light R&B beat. Written by

Ester Dean Esther Renay Dean (born April 15, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, music producer and actress. Dean has also written songs for many artists, with numerous Top 10 hits, including No. 1 hits for Rihanna and Katy Perry, earning the name " ...

, Big Sean and produced by Chauncey "Hit-Boy" Hollis, the lyrics of the song see Rowland tells her man exactly what she wants with lines such as "I wanna just kiss you now, I wanna just touch you now, I wanna just give you all my love tonight." Big Sean follows with equally sexual lines like "The king of California kings/ You gotta call me sire/ Watch me lay it down/ And I ain't even tired." "Lay It on Me" debuted on June 14, 2011, through various online media and websites. The song's producer Hitboy

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that the version that had appeared online was an unfinished version. The finished version appeared online on July 17, 2011 featuring an additional verse from Sean. The artwork for the single is taken from the album artwork photoshoot, which was photographed by Derek Blanks with make-up by Latasha Wright and hairstyling by Kimberly Kimble.

Critical reception

"Lay it on Me" received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. A reviewer from the '' Sydney Star Observer'' described the song as a "slinky club banger," which was catchy and had the potential to be "another winner" for Rowland. Contessa Gayles was also positive of the song commenting that it had some of the same sentiments as Rowland's 2010 single "

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

", describing "Lay It on Me" as Rowland "coming on strong and telling her man just what she wants in this up-tempo, feelgood love song with just the right amount of sexy."

MTV Buzzworthy 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 d ...

's Jenna Hally Rubenstein praised the song's "dopeness," stating that Rowland uses "Lay It on Me" to show "how she likes to uhhhh, get down." Rubenstein added that

's appearance "adds street cred to an otherwise straightforward pop/R&B record."

Sputnikmusic Sputnikmusic is an American music community website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites. The format of the website is unusual in that it includes both professional and amateur c ...

's review was favorable, writing that "it's a sleekly produced, midtempo jam that’s just oozing with come-ons and sing-songy moments." However, not all reception was positive. Ken Capobianco from ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' felt that "Lay it on Me" was amongst other generic songs on the album. In his review Capobianco said the song did nothing to help Rowland "establish her singularity" as the "diagramed arrangements" were "new iterations of the formula set out for many other female pop and R&B artists." ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

''s Adam Markowitz somewhat agreed, calling much of the album "unambitious" but noting "Lay it on Me" as a "cocky comeon." Alison Stewart from ''

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 ...

'' said "Lay it on Me" was typical of the "low octane songs" favored on ''Here I Am''. Stewart describes

's guest appearance as lazy, noting that "nobody seems to be trying particularly hard, especially Big Sean, who sounds like he’s spitting his verse with one eye on the door."

Music video

The

for "Lay It On Me" was filmed in early September 2011 with British fashion photographer and director

Sarah Chatfield Sarah Chatfield is an English music video director, based in London and Los Angeles. She is represented by UK production company Kode. Her video for Lily Allen's single ''Alfie'', earned her Best New Director and Best Pop video at the CAD awards ...

. It is the third time that Rowland has worked with Chatfield following the videos for " Forever and a Day" (2010) and "

" (2011). The video for Rowland's next single ("Down for Whatever" featuring The WAV.s) will also be filmed back to back with "Lay it on Me." It was co-directed and choreographed by Frank Gatson, Jr. who also worked with Rowland on "Motivation."

Concept

Rap-Up ''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the ...

''.com revealed the first images from the video on September 9, 2011, depicting Rowland in a gold leotard and rapper

(who is featured on the song) sat in on some gold steps while Rowland lies on the next step up. In another scene, Rowland "commands shirtless male dancers" while dressed in a "skin-bearing leotard" and metal bra. Other scenes include Rowland posing with a foil cape and interacting with an elephant. Entertainment website Idolator described Rowland as getting up close and personal with the hunky male dancers as well as playing with Suzy the baby elephant. Hip Hollywood unveiled some behind the scenes footage on September 8, 2011. Rap-Up magazine revealed further behind the scenes footage from the shoot on September 14, 2011. Rowland's official website posted a sneak peek of the video on September 29, 2011. The full video was released on October 12, 2011.

Reception

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

's Robbie Daw wrote a positive reception, commenting: "There’s plenty of not-so-subtle imagery, such as when Kelly stretches out a Slinky and rubs it all over her body (kids, really don’t try this at home), and her co-star Susie The Elephant takes its trunk and, er, lays it on Rowland. Perfect visual for a sexy song that picks up right where Kelly’s steamy summer hit “

” left off."

MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...

's Jocelyn Vena wrote that "Rowland puts her sexuality on full display, wearing several skin-baring bodysuits. The R&B singer shows some sexual swagger as she grinds, rubs and sizes up a bevy of men." A publication of

wrote that "the R&B diva piles on more sex as she gets intimate with her half-naked male co-stars (woah der), fondles a slinky, cozies up to an elephant, and flirts with Big Sean."

Live performances

Rowland and Big Sean performed the song on "

" on September 26, 2011. Rowland also performed the song as an opening act for the North American leg of

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

's the F.A.M.E. Tour.

Credits and personnel

;Recording information *Recorded in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

at Eyeknowasecret Studio, Brentwood and Westlake Studios,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. *

's verses were recorded at KMA STUDIOS in

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. *Additional vocals were recorded at Studio A Recording Inc,

Dearborn Heights, Michigan Dearborn Heights is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 63,292 at the 2020 census., Dearborn Heights is part of the Detroit metropolitan area, and is considered a bedroom community. History Dearborn Heig ...

. ;Personnel *"Big Sean" Anderson – guest rap vocals,

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

– songwriter and vocal production *Aubry "Big Juice" Delaine – recording and vocal recording engineer *Jesus Garnica – assistant

audio mixer Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to: Sound *Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound *Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum *Digital audio, representation of sound ...

*Chris Gehringer – audio mastering engineer *Chauncey "Hit-Boy" Hollis – songwriter, producer, programming *Jaycen Joshua – audio mixer

Charts

Release history

References

{{authority control 2011 singles Kelly Rowland songs Big Sean songs Songs written by Ester Dean Song recordings produced by Hit-Boy Songs written by Hit-Boy 2011 songs Universal Motown Records singles Songs written by Big Sean