"Both of Us" is a song by American rapper

B.o.B Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons was signed to Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment imprint in 2006. Two years late ...

, released on May 22, 2012, as the third

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from his second studio album, '' Strange Clouds'' (2012). The song features vocals from American singer-songwriter

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

. The artists co-wrote the song alongside

Ammar Malik Ammar Malik (born June 22, 1987) is an American songwriter. He has co-written several modern pop songs, most notably Maroon 5's "Moves like Jagger" and Gym Class Heroes' "Stereo Hearts" which have both been certified multi-platinum by the RIAA. ...

and the song's producers,

Dr. Luke Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald (born September 26, 1973), known professionally as Dr. Luke, Tyson Trax, and Made in China, is an American record producer and songwriter. His professional music career began in the late-night television sketch comedy ...

and

Cirkut Henry Russell Walter (born April 23, 1986), known professionally as Cirkut, is a Canadian record producer and songwriter. He has co-produced and co-written for Dr. Luke, Katy Perry, Becky G, Ava Max, Nicki Minaj, R. City, The Weeknd, Kesha, Ciar ...

, being the only collaboration between them and Swift. "Both of Us" was released to critical acclaim, most praising Swift's feature, with some calling the collaboration as a sweet and melodic catchy song. It debuted on the

Australian 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 46. The song sold 143,000 copies in its first week of release in the United States, debuting at number 18 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and became the week's top debut.

Background

The lyrics of "Both of Us" talks about

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

and

bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an imba ...

. It was Swift who came up with the idea for the collaboration after she visited B.o.B's label,

Grand Hustle Records Grand Hustle Records (formerly Grand Hustle Entertainment), also known as Hustle Gang Music, is an Atlanta, Georgia-based hip hop record label, founded in 2003, by American rapper T.I. and his manager Jason Geter. Up until December 2012, the lab ...

. The rapper explained, "She came to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

and she hit up

Grand Hustle Grand Hustle Records (formerly Grand Hustle Entertainment), also known as Hustle Gang Music, is an Atlanta, Georgia-based hip hop record label, founded in 2003, by American rapper T.I. and his manager Jason Geter. Up until December 2012, the lab ...

. I wasn't there.

Tip Tip commonly refers to: * Tip (gambling) * Tip (gratuity) * Tip (law enforcement) * another term for Advice (opinion), Advice Tip or TIP may also refer to: Science and technology * Tank phone, a device allowing infantry to communicate with the oc ...

was there and I eventually linked with her in Dallas and the rest is history." This is not the first time Swift contributed to a hip hop song; her other collaborations include a song with T-Pain at the 2009

CMT Music Awards The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on the CMT (Country Music Television) channel. Voting takes p ...

, and inviting T.I.,

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...

, and

Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), better known by his stage name Flo Rida (, ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 breakout single " Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the record for digital dow ...

to her

Speak Now World Tour The Speak Now World Tour was the second concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, and it was launched in support of her third studio album ''Speak Now'' (2010). The Speak Now tour began on February 9, 2011 in Singapore and the tou ...

in 2011.

Music video

The

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 ...

, directed by

Jake Nava Jake Nava is a British director, mostly known for his work in music videos for Beyoncé, Arctic Monkeys, Adele, Britney Spears and The Rolling Stones. He also directs TV commercials, notably for Guinness and Levi Strauss & Co. Early life and ed ...

, was released on June 27, 2012. B.o.B announced the video on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

, sharing a photo and a release date time frame: "On the set of the #BothOfUs music video in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

with @taylorswift13. Video premieres end of June!".

Synopsis

The video begins with B.o.B standing before a small American flag then cuts to Swift singing the song's hook in a dark lit pool hall. B.o.B then takes to the train tracks and streets to deliver his verses while Swift croons the hook in a picturesque field while donning a white cotton dress, and shows a dog that leaves Swift awestruck with his high flying antics. Footage of the artists is interspliced with scenes of life in Nashville's less glamorous neighborhoods like tatted locals, cowboy-boot-wearing young women, shirtless youths playing in sprinklers, teens kissing, a mobile home (this leaves viewers knowing that the video isn't glamorous, but instead leaves viewers appreciating the little things in life – It's not about the money, it's understanding that a romp through a sprinkler or a good game of billiards is enough to take you away from the

mundane In subcultural and fictional uses, a mundane is a person who does not belong to a particular group, according to the members of that group; the implication is that such persons, lacking imagination, are concerned solely with the mundane: the ...

moments of everyday life). As the first chorus precedes Swift is shown singing at a field covered with dandelions and flowers and several shots of B.o.B and Swift are interspliced. As the video closes out, viewers are left with a sort of fantasy, with B.o.B and Swift re-imagined as the every man and every woman living simple life in rural

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, much like the folks in the video. At the end, B.o.B. is seen standing in a driveway with a car backing up and B.o.B staring at it.

Chart performance

The song was successful in Australia and New Zealand, charting within the top ten in both Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. It debuted on the

at number 46 and eventually peaked at number five. The song also peaked at number ten in New Zealand. The song sold 143,000 copies in its first week, along with the album release, debuting at number 18 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and became the week's top debut. The single sold over 1,000,000 digital copies as of November 2017.

Live performances

Swift performed the song with B.o.B on April 19, 2013 in the

State Farm Arena State Farm Arena (formerly Philips Arena) is a multi-purpose arena located in Atlanta, Georgia. The arena serves as the home venue for the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Atlanta Hawks. It also served as home to the National Hockey Leag ...

when the rapper was invited as a surprise guest for the show for Swift's

Red Tour The Red Tour was the third concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, in support of her fourth studio album, ''Red'' (2012). The tour started on March 13, 2013, at CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska and concluded on June 12, 2 ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2012 singles 2012 songs B.o.B songs Taylor Swift songs Grand Hustle Records singles Protest songs Music videos directed by Jake Nava Song recordings produced by Dr. Luke Songs written by B.o.B Songs written by Taylor Swift Songs written by Dr. Luke Songs written by Ammar Malik Song recordings produced by Cirkut (record producer) Atlantic Records singles Country rap songs Songs written by Cirkut (record producer) Songs against racism and xenophobia Pop-rap songs