"C'mon Let Me Ride" is a song by American singer

Skylar Grey Holly Brook Hafermann (born February 23, 1986), known professionally as Skylar Grey, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. In 2004, Grey signed a publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group and a recording contract w ...

, released December 11, 2012 as the first single from her major-label debut album '' Don't Look Down'' (2013). The song, produced by frequent collaborator and longtime producer

Alex da Kid Alexander Junior Grant (born 27 August 1983), professionally known as Alex da Kid or by.ALEXANDER, is a British music producer from Wood Green, London. He has gained recognition for producing several hit singles for artists of multiple music g ...

and Mike Del Rio, features a

guest appearance The term guest appearance generally denotes the appearance of a guest in an artistic or pop-culture setting. The guests themselves (referred to as guest artists, featured artists, guest stars, or guest fighters, depending on context), are disting ...

from American rapper

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

, who also mixed the record. The song was released to

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...

in January 2013. It samples the chorus of the 1978 hit song " Bicycle Race" by the British

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

Music video

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

was shot for the track in October in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

and released on December 11, 2012 on

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and

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

. Skylar Grey stated that she's poking fun at widespread and excessive sexualization and she also told MTV, "The video is a combined effort between director Isaac Rentz, me and Eminem, and we just wanted to make sure it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song." The video also sponsored Dr. Dre portable speaker beats in three scenes. To date, it has over 37 million views on YouTube.

Critical response

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

highlighted the song and wrote: "Grey is clever enough to allow herself some measure of silliness – there is absolutely no other way to describe the

-quoting "C'mon Let Me Ride"—a move that reveals the seams in her goth-princess persona and makes a good chunk of ''Don't Look Down'' come across as nothing more than bubblegum

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Lana Del Rey discography, Her music is noted for its melancholic exploration of Glamour (presentation), glamor and Romanc ...

HitFix HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television. In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,00 ...

wrote: "there are times when there's such a disparity between the strength of the beats vs. the strength of the lyrics that miles separate them, no more so than on "C'mon Let Me Ride," the first single that came out in December featuring Eminem. The beats are ridiculously infectious and even though the song is meant to be lightheaded, tongue-in-cheek and full of sexual innuendo, the lyrics are so inane: "I'm not like the sluts in this town/They make me blah in my mouth," it's hard to get through it without grimacing." ''

Knoxville News Sentinel The ''Knoxville News Sentinel'', also known as ''Knox News'', is a daily newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, owned by the Gannett Company. History The newspaper was formed in 1926 from the merger of two competing newspapers: '' ...

'' wrote: "More than anything, the Wisconsin native is bold. She made that much clear with the previously released single "C'Mon Let Me Ride," a grainy carnival of a song in which she coos endless innuendo as

himself channels Pee-wee Her-man singing Queen's " Bicycle Race." Glenn Gamboa of ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...

'' was disappointed in her emotionless delivery and he added: "The closest we get to one is playful in the oddly defiant "C'mon, Let Me Ride." ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

'' wrote: "They can sound hollow, like "C'mon Let Me Ride," a silly promise of oral sex. (Eminem's surprisingly crafty guest verse is the highlight.)" '' Now'' magazine noted that the song is inane but predictable, too. ''

The Oakland Press ''The Oakland Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Oakland County, Michigan with headquarters in Troy. It is owned by 21st Century Media, with which its parent company merged in 2013 after filing for bankruptcy. The local historical society ...

'' called this song "goofy." ''

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. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' was mixed: "even a goofy Eminem cameo (the "Allen Iverson of safe sex") can't save "C'mon Let Me Ride" from sounding like an over-the-top hookup plea." Ted Scheinman of ''

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 Yor ...

'' wrote a favorable overview: "When she's having fun you can tell: "C'mon Let Me Ride," featuring Eminem, is a high-camp glory of a song, as Grey expresses her libido through the usual perverse childish metaphors and Mathers apes

Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter who achieved global fame as the lead vocalist and pianist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. Regarded as one of the gre ...

's "Bicycle" before dropping a zig-zagging verse that turns the beat on its head. It's the funniest fuck song of the year so far." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' called this song "sarcastic flirtation." ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' was positive: "One minute she's getting silly with Eminem, who co-executive produced the set with "Lie" co-writer

, on the throwaway innuendo happy jam "C'mon Let Me Ride."

Track listings and formats

*Digital download #"C'mon Let Me Ride" featuring

– 3:50 *Digital download (Remixes) #"C'mon Let Me Ride" (Valentino Khan Remix) – 3:08 #"C'mon Let Me Ride" (Mikael Weermets & Danny Avila's Trapstep Remix) – 4:14

Chart performance

The song debuted and peaked at number 82 on the

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

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2012 singles Eminem songs Songs written by Eminem Song recordings produced by Alex da Kid Songs written by Skylar Grey Songs written by Alex da Kid Kidinakorner singles Interscope Records singles Shady Records singles Songs about bicycles Skylar Grey songs 2012 songs Songs written by Freddie Mercury American synth-pop songs Songs written by Mike Del Rio Song recordings produced by Mike Del Rio