Provider (N.E.R.D. song)

For other uses, see Provider.

"Provider" is a song by American funk rock band N*E*R*D from their debut studio album, In Search Of....

"Provider"
Single by N*E*R*D
from the album In Search Of...
A-side	"Lapdance" (UK)
Released	2002
Genre	Alternative rock electro-funk
Length	4:24
Label	Virgin
Songwriter(s)	N.E.R.D
Producer(s)	The Neptunes
N.E.R.D singles chronology
"Rock Star" (2002) "Provider" (2002) "She Wants to Move" (2004)

The song was the third and final single from the album. It managed to gain minor popularity in Europe, making the charts in the Netherlands and Sweden. In the UK, it was released as a double a-side with a re-release of "Lapdance," peaking at number 20.

Music video

 

Actor Brad Renfro stars the music video.

The video opens with two girls and a guy in a truck, the guy asking the two if they remember a guy named Shagg. Pharrell and Chad ride around with a bike gang interspersed with scenes of a young man (Brad Renfro) struggling to make ends meet and his pregnant girlfriend (Kelli Garner). She suggests he apply to the military, which he angrily rejects but reluctantly does. The video ends with Pharrell wearing camo and holding a little girl displaying the peace sign with other children around him doing the same. Tony Hawk and Travis Barker make a cameo in a convenience store scene, while Pusha T of the Clipse appears as a drug dealer.^[1]

Track listing

UK CD single

1. "Provider" (Zero 7 Remix Edit)
2. "Provider" (Remix Radio Edit)
3. "Lapdance" (Freeform Reform)
4. "Provider" (Video)

Charts

Chart (2003)	Peak position
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[2]	95
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[3]	43
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)^[4]	7
UK Singles (OCC)^[5]	20

References

1. N*E*R*D - Provider, YouTube, retrieved 2024-02-23
2. "N.E.R.D. – Provider" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
3. "N.E.R.D. – Provider". Singles Top 100. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
4. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
5. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 1, 2024.