"Turn Me On" is a song by French DJ David Guetta from his fifth studio album Nothing but the Beat. Vocals are provided by rapper and singer Nicki Minaj, whose second studio album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded features the song as a bonus song on its deluxe version. It was written by Ester Dean, David Guetta and Giorgio Tuinfort, with a rap written by Minaj.
The song has garnered generally favorable responses from music critics, who complimented Minaj's appearance on the track, while also dismissing the Auto-Tune used on Minaj's vocals.[1][2] It has been chosen as the fifth official single from Nothing but the Beat.[3] It impacted U.S. Top 40/Mainstream and Rhythmic radio on 13 December 2011.[4][5] A remixes EP was released in January 2012 internationally and in February 2012 in the US and Canada. The song also marks Guetta's best-peaking single in the United States, tied with "Without You," both of which peaked at 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was briefly used to promote WWEWrestleMania XXVIII. As of December 2014, the song has sold 2.6 million copies in the United States.[6]
Backgroundedit
"People don't really know her as a singer and she's killing it on that track. People know her for her crazy rapping but that shows what she can do as a singer. Sometimes I meet people by accident or they call me up but with Nicki it was me chasing her. For a year I wanted to work with her and she was hard to reach. But the moment we got into the studio and had the music it was great."
"Turn Me On" was written by Ester Dean, David Guetta, and Giorgio Tuinfort. An additional rap was written by Nicki Minaj for the song. On an interview with Billboard, David Guetta said: "I am so proud of what Nicki did on this record because we know her for those crazy raps but the other record that we have, she is singing like—oh man. The world is gonna be shocked. Because they don't know her like this" "And we came up with that amazing song and she just killed it."[7]
Compositionedit
"Turn Me On"
A sample of "Turn Me On".
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"Turn Me On" is an EDM song and features Minaj on vocals.[8] It is the second track from Nothing but the Beat that features Minaj, along with the single "Where Them Girls At". The song is written in the key of C minor, with a simple chord sequence of C minor-Bb major-Ab major. It is written in common time with a moderate dance groove of 128 beats per minute. Nicki Minaj's vocals span from G3 to E♭5 in the song.[9]
Critical receptionedit
Al Fox of BBC Music wrote that "the best results come when Guetta mercilessly rips artists from their comfort zone – take Minaj in songbird mode on 'Turn Me On."[10]Allmusic's David Jeffries wrote that "Nicki Minaj does a pole dance on the operating table for 'Turn Me On', while picking it as one of the best tracks on the album.[11] Carol Cooper of The Village Voice gave a review talking about her voice, writing that "on 'Turn Me On' Nicki Minaj gamely shifts between her Madonna range and her Rihanna register."[12] Ken Capobianco somewhat echoed the same thought of Cooper, writing that " Nicki Minaj delivers solid singing on the track."[13]
Joe Copplestone of PopMatters wrote a mixed review, saying that "the song showcases a suspiciously melodic performance by Minaj, with massive hooks that somehow let her make the transition from freak to diva."[14] Harley Brown of Consequence of Sound thought that the "skipping beat and screaming synths are more recognizable as quintessential techno."[15] Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club was more negative, writing that on the song Minaj is a "faceless-disco-diva."[16] Another negative review came from Idolator's Becky Bain, who dismissed "Guetta's decision to take one of the most exciting rapper's today and not only have her not rap, but drown her in Auto-Tune."[17]
Music videoedit
Developmentedit
The music video for "Turn Me On" was filmed in November 2011 by director Sanji.[18] A sneak preview of the video was released on 27 January 2012 with the full video being released on 31 January.
Synopsisedit
Set in a steampunk world, Guetta plays a mad scientist creating his very own Nicki Minaj from mechanical parts. The clip opens on Guetta, perhaps trying out some early cosmetic-surgery tactics, putting the final touches on his Minaj doll plans. Then it focuses on the mechanisms behind the Nicki being: latex lips, brass wiring, tubing and various other gizmos. As the song hits the chorus for the first time, fans get a view of his creation. Her plastic skin is shiny and completely bare as she slowly transforms into the very human-looking Nicki. Seemingly pleased with his creation, Guetta unleashes it onto the world. The entrance to the second verse shows Minaj, dressed in a long black dress, black top hat and shocking pink hip-length hair, leaving Guetta's studio through two black gates and is now free to roam the streets, filled with other doll-like creatures who can't help but stare at Guetta's incredibly lifelike creation. With Minaj continuing her journey through town, the other jealous doll creatures make their way to Guetta's lab, where he begins to work on them too, giving them more lifelike appearances. The female creatures then discover that he is a doll himself, however, his interior resembles chainmail. The female dolls then start to feel him. Meanwhile, Nicki is surrounded by the male dolls as she belts out the song. As the video finishes, Minaj is spotted riding her horse around town, as the female dolls make their escape from Guetta's place of business.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
^David Guetta & Nicki Minaj – Turn Me On Review Pop Dust . Retrieved on 10 January 2012
^New Music: David Guetta f/ Nicki Minaj – 'Turn Me On'. Rap-Up.com (22 August 2011). Retrieved on 2012-02-06.
^Nicki Minaj Readies 'Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded' for Valentine's Day. Rap-Up.com (22 November 2011). Retrieved on 2012-02-06.
^ abTop 40/M Future Releases | Mainstream Hit Songs Being Released and Their Release Dates. Allaccess.com. Retrieved on 6 February 2012.
^ abTop 40 Rhythmic Future Releases | R&B Song and Hip-Hop Music Release Dates |. Allaccess.com. Retrieved on 6 February 2012.
^ abTrust, Gary (23 December 2014). "Ask Billboard: Why Is There No R&B/Hip-Hop in the Hot 100's Top 10?". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
^ ab"Turn Me On by David Guetta – Songfacts". Songfacts. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
^NME.COM (30 March 2015). "NME Reviews - Nicki Minaj, The 02 Arena, London - NME.COM". NME.COM. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
^Tuinfort, Giorgio (14 March 2012). "David Guetta "Turn Me On" Sheet Music – Download & Print". musicnotes.com.
^Fox, Al (16 August 2011). "BBC – Music – Review of David Guetta – Nothing but the Beat". BBC Music. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
^Jeffries, David (30 August 2011). "David Guetta – Nothing but the Beat – Allmusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
^Cooper, Carol. "David Guetta's Dance Music Melting Pot". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
^Capobianco, Ken (29 August 2011). "David Guetta - Boston.com". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 25 July 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
^Copplestone, Joe (27 September 2011). "David Guetta: Nothing But the Beat". PopMatters. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
^Brown, Harley (30 August 2011). "Album Review: David Guetta – Nothing But The Beat". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
^Koski, Genevieve. "David Guetta: Nothing But the Beat – Music – Music Review – The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
^Bain, Becky. "Nicki Minaj Sings On David Guetta's "Turn Me On": Listen To The Full Song". Idolator. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
^Music Video News: IN PRODUCTION: David Guetta f/ Nicki Minaj – Sanji, dir. Video Static (23 November 2011). Retrieved on 2012-02-06.
^Nicki Minaj, David Guetta to Open AMAs. Rap-Up.com. Retrieved on 6 February 2012.
^Turn Me On (Feat.Nicki Minaj) [Remixes]: David Guetta: MP3 Downloads. Amazon.com. Retrieved on 6 February 2012.
^"Turn Me on: David Guetta: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. 9 September 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
^http://www.juno.co.uk/ppps/products/450700-01.htm?highlight=DAVID GUETTA TURN ME ON
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^"Italian single certifications – David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj – Turn Me On" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "2012" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Turn Me On" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
^"Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 11 January 2014. Type David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Turn Me On in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
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^david guetta turn me on remixes. Amazon.com. Retrieved on 6 February 2012.