Low (Lenny Kravitz song)

"Low" is a song by American singer Lenny Kravitz, from his eleventh studio album Raise Vibration, featuring posthumous guest vocals from Michael Jackson. It was released as the album's second single on May 25, 2018.^[1][2]

"Low"
Single by Lenny Kravitz
from the album Raise Vibration
Released	May 25, 2018 (2018-05-25)
Genre	Funk rock post-disco
Length	5:19
Label	Roxie BMG
Songwriter(s)	Lenny Kravitz
Producer(s)	Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz singles chronology
"It's Enough!" (2018) "Low" (2018) "5 More Days 'Til Summer" (2018)
Music video
Lenny Kravitz – "Low" on YouTube

Background

The song explores, according to journalist Allison Kugel: "the perils of his (Kravitz) near-mythical sensuality with intonations alluding to his past intimate relationships".^[3] For this track Kravitz took inspiration from Michael Jackson with whom he produced the song "(I Can't Make It) Another Day" in 1999, which was later included in Jackson's first posthumous album Michael.^[4] "Low" also contains some vocal parts by Jackson. Kravitz explains that "A lot of people say: Oh, you’re going with that Michael Jackson impersonation. No, that’s him."^[5]

Video

The video was released on 5 June 2018 on the singer's YouTube channel. The video features images of Kravitz's family, dating back to the 1960s. On 11 July the second video was released, directed by French director and photographer Jean-Baptiste Mondino, where Kravitz sings on a rotating platform and is later joined by drummer Jas Kayser who plays while singing along to the song.

Reception

"Low" became Kravitz's first song to peak #1 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs, thanks to several remixes by David Guetta, Tom Stephan, and Junior Black. Madison Desler of Paste wrote, "Worth the price of admission is “Low,” a funk-tinged easy-groover about keeping a relationship grounded. It’s sexy, it’s smooth, and it’s dance floor ready. And yes, that’s Michael Jackson on backing vocals—maybe one of the most absolute stamps of cool there is."^[6]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2018) Peak position Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)^[7] 8 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)^[8] 6 Croatia Airplay (HRT)^[9] 34 France (SNEP)^[10] 147 Germany (Official German Charts)^[11] 61 Iceland (RÚV)^[12] 7 Italy (FIMI)^[13] 53 Scotland (OCC)^[14] 99 Slovenia (SloTop50)^[15] 38 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[16] 69 US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)^[17] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2018) Position Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia)^[18] 36 US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)^[19] 49

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)^[20]	Gold	20,000^‡
Italy (FIMI)^[21]	Gold	25,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Reed, Ryan. "Lenny Kravitz Exudes Sexuality on New Song, 'Low'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2018-05-26.
2. "Lenny Kravitz on 30 years in music: 'I did whatever I had to do to survive' | Music". The Guardian. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2018-05-26.
3. Kugel, Allison (June 6, 2018). "Lenny Kravitz on race, god and spreading love through music". The Spectrum. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
4. "Listen to Michael Jackson supply vocals on Lenny Kravitz's new single "Low"". AFROPUNK. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
5. "Yes, That's Michael Jackson On The New Lenny Kravitz Song". 101.9 Kink. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
6. Desler, Madison (7 September 2018). "Lenny Kravitz: Raise Vibration Review". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
7. "Lenny Kravitz – Low" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
8. "Lenny Kravitz – Low" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
9. "Croatia ARC TOP 100". HRT. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
10. "Lenny Kravitz – Low" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
11. "Lenny Kravitz – Low" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
12. . RÚV. Archived from the original on June 16, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
13. "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 31" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
14. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
15. "SloTop50 – Slovenian official singles chart". slotop50.si. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
16. "Lenny Kravitz – Low". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
17. "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
18. "Rapports Annuels 2018". Ultratop. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
19. "Dance Club Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
20. "Brazilian single certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Low" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
21. "Italian single certifications – Lenny Kravitz – Low" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved June 27, 2021. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Low" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".