"Can't Leave 'em Alone" is a R&B song recorded by American 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 for Ciara's second album, '' Ciara: The Evolution'' (2006). Written by Ciara, LaShawn Daniels, Rodney Jerkins, and 50 Cent, it is the fourth release and official third single from the album (see

2007 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2007. Specific locations *2007 in British music *2007 in Canadian music *2007 in Irish music *2007 in Japanese music *2007 in Norwegian music *2007 in South Korean music Sp ...

). 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 50 Cent, 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 dist ...

"]" 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, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' 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 newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'' 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 and measures the airplay of songs being played on radio stations throughout the United States acro ...

. 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 Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 digital copies in the United States.RIA
RIAA Searchable database – 50 Cent
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 China,

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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

Atlanta, Georgia 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 498,7 ...

. Three screen shots from the music video were released on June 14, 2007, while a fourth screen shot featuring her and 50 Cent 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- rate ...

''.

Live performances

Ciara performed "Can't Leave 'em Alone" with 50 Cent at the 2007

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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 50 Cent # "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, Atlantic City,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

& Joshua Charvokas at Chung King Studios,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

*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