"Watch Me Do" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter

Meghan Trainor Meghan Elizabeth Trainor (born December 22, 1993) is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She rose to prominence after signing with Epic Records in 2014 and releasing her debut single "All About That Bass", which reached ...

from her second major-label studio album ''

Thank You "''Thank you''" (often expanded to ''thank you very much'' or ''thanks a lot'', or informally abbreviated to ''thanks'' or alternately as ''many thanks''Geoffrey Leech, ''The Pragmatics of Politeness'' (2014), p. 200.) is a common expression of ...

'' (2016). It was released on March 25, 2016, to digital download platforms by

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

as the album's first

promotional single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

. Produced by

Ricky Reed Eric Burton Frederic (born July 23, 1982), known professionally as Ricky Reed, is an American artist, music producer, singer, songwriter, and founder of Nice Life Recording Company. From 2005 to 2014, Reed was also known as Wallpaper. Early w ...

, he co-wrote the song with Trainor,

Jacob Kasher Hindlin Jacob Kasher Hindlin (born October 1, 1983), also known as J Kash and JKash, is an American songwriter and record producer. He has written songs for artists such as Charlie Puth, Maroon 5, One Direction, Dua Lipa, Britney Spears, Selena Gomez, K ...

and Gamal Lewis. "Watch Me Do" is a hip hop-influenced pop song, with lyrics about female empowerment. The track received mixed reviews 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 ...

, with some of them appreciating its empowering theme but others being critical of Trainor's rapping skills. It was performed during Trainor's

The Untouchable Tour The Untouchable Tour was the third headlining concert tour by American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor. It was launched in support of her second major-label studio album ''Thank You'' (2016), and consisted of concerts in North America and Eur ...

(2016).

Background and composition

"Watch Me Do" was written by

along with Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Gamal Lewis and

, with the latter also having produced the song. The song was released as the first

from Trainor's second major-label studio album ''

'' (2016), on March 25, 2016, by

. It is an upbeat, brass-heavy pop track where Trainor references a number of

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

songs, containing "90s hip hop throwback vibes" according to

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. Colin Stutz of ''

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'' noted the presence of "swagger" and "groove", and writing "she opens the track singing over a funky drum beat before going on to gloat". ''

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 Dana Rose Falcone described it as a "female-empowerment" track, adding that she "peppers her new song with some hip-hop and doesn't play the modesty card". ''Music Times'' Carolyn Menyes described the track as a notable departure from Trainor's previous work, writing "it differs greatly from the

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

influences of Trainor's first album and few hit singles" and compared it to the works of

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

and

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...

. Sam Warner of ''

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, ...

'' described it as a "2000s banger", and "a typically Trainor-esque empowering anthem". He likened it to the early work of

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

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 Carl Williott wrote that Trainor was in "full flaunt mode", adding "she preens over a syncopated synth-horn-snare beat".

Critical reception

"Watch Me Do" received mixed reviews from

. ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

s Dan Weiss was positive of the song, and compared it to

Mark Ronson Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, songwriter, record producer, and record executive. He is best known for his collaborations with artists such as Duran Duran, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lady Gaga, Lily Allen, Robbi ...

's work. ''Entertainment Weekly''s Isabella Biedenharn called it one of the best tracks on ''Thank You'', and said that Trainor "brings hip-hop flavor to this booty-shaking banger". Writing for ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'', Patrick Ryan was positive about "Watch Me Do", stating that it makes clear that Trainor can "successfully do" several genres. Writing for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'',

Jon Caramanica Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York, Caramanica received his ba ...

called the song "tough-stand", likening it to

's "

Independent Women "Independent Women Part I" is a song recorded by American group Destiny's Child for the soundtrack to the 2000 film adaptation of the television program ''Charlie's Angels''. It was written and produced by production duo Poke & Tone, consisting ...

(Part 1)". ''

Bustle A bustle is a padded undergarment used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles are worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. ...

''s Amy Roberts included "I ain't saying I'm the besteses / But I got nice curves, nice breasteses/ I don't erase the textes from my exeses/ All in my DMs, leaving messages" and "I'm the shh, be quiet/ I've been on a low-hater diet" in her list of the most empowering lyrics on ''Thank You''. Writing for

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

, Chris Conaton said that "Watch Me Do" has a "pretty strong" hook and called the

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

references catchy, but noted that its lyrics shift from "ingénue to braggadocious star". ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

'' writer Alexa Camp was critical of the song, saying that it confuses "delusional self-importance with self-worth". Allison Weintraub of ''

The Oklahoma Daily ''OU Daily'', formally known as The Oklahoma Daily, is the independent, student-produced newspaper at the University of Oklahoma, with a circulation of 6,000. Though it maintains a connection with OU's Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Commun ...

'' criticized it, describing it as "terrible pseudo-rap", with "weirdly pluralized words". ''Bustles Mary Grace Garis criticized Trainor's use of the term "nice breasteses", and called "Watch Me Do" one of the weakest tracks on its parent album.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Thank You''. *

–

songwriting 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 ...

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

– songwriting,

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

, bass,

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, programming * Tom Peyton –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Jacob Kasher – songwriting * Gamal Lewis – songwriting

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watch Me Do 2016 songs American hip hop songs Meghan Trainor songs Songs written by Jacob Kasher Songs written by Ricky Reed Songs written by LunchMoney Lewis Songs written by Meghan Trainor