"Slow Down Baby" is a song by American recording artist Christina Aguilera from her fifth studio album, Back to Basics (2006). It was released as the album's fourth single on July 28, 2007 by RCA Records. It was written by Aguilera, Mark Ronson, Kara DioGuardi and Raymond Angry, and produced by Ronson and co-produced by Aguilera. The song is built around samples of "Window Raisin' Granny" (1973) by American group Gladys Knight and the Pips and "So Seductive" (2005) by American rapper Tony Yayo. Due to the inclusion of the samples, the original songs' writers obtained writing credits.
Musically, "Slow Down Baby" is a pop and R&B song that incorporates elements of funk, hip hop and soul. It features claviola, horn, organ and piano instrumentation. The single was only released in Australia during the Oceanian leg of Aguilera's Back to Basics Tour (2007). "Slow Down Baby" peaked at number 21 on the Australian Singles Chart, although it did not receive any promotion in that country.
Aguilera's fifth studio album, Back to Basics, is made up of two discs.[1] Aguilera worked with "more beat-driven" producers on the first disc, such as DJ Premier and Mark Ronson, who included samples in the production.[1] The second disc consists solely of collaborations with producer Linda Perry.[1][2] Aguilera sent letters to different producers that she hoped could help her with the direction she was taking for the project, encouraging them to experiment, re-invent and create a modern soul feel.[3] She described the first disc as "kind of a throwback with elements of jazz, blues and soul music combined with a modern-day twist, like hard-hitting beats".[1]
Aguilera and Ronson wrote "Slow Down Baby" alongside Kara DioGuardi and Raymond Angry, and Ronson completed the production with assistance from Aguilera.[4] In an interview for Herald Sun, Ronson elaborated on the collaboration: "I heard [Aguilera] was looking for tracks. I was a bit narrow-minded, I assumed nothing I was doing would be something she'd be into. I sent around some hip hop tracks I had lying about and got a call four days later saying she liked them."[5] He stated that he had initially imagined offering "Slow Down Baby" to someone like rap duo M.O.P.[5] Ronson provided the beats and played the guitar and bass, while Angry played the claviola, organ and piano.[4] Ronson recorded Aguilera's vocals at Allido Sound in New York City and additional recording was helmed by Oscar Ramirez at The Record Plant in Los Angeles, California.[4] Dave "Hard Drive" Pensado later completed the mixing process at Larrabee North in North Hollywood.[4]
Composition
"Slow Down Baby"
A 21-second sample of "Slow Down Baby"'s chorus, featuring the "Window Raisin' Granny" and "So Seductive" samples and elements of R&B, hip hop, funk and soul genres.
"Slow Down Baby" is an uptempopop and R&B song that blends modern and "old school" R&B.[6][7] It has elements of funk, hip hop and soul.[8] Nick Levine of Digital Spy called it "hot'n'horny retropop",[9] and JournalNews critic Sonia Murray observed that it "savvily" combines hip hop and early soul.[8] "Slow Down Baby"'s instrumentation consists of pianos and horns,[10] which recall the 1970s blaxploitation film genre.[11] In the lyrics, Aguilera tells a "lusty" man to leave her alone as she sings, "If you knew anything you'd realise I'm wearing a ring".[9] The song contains two samples, "Window Raisin' Granny" (1973) by R&B group Gladys Knight & the Pips—written by William Guest, Merald Knight, Edward Patten and Gladys Knight—and "So Seductive" (2005) by rapper Tony Yayo—written by Marvin Bernard, Michael Harper and Curtis Jackson.[4] Due to its sampling, the original songs' writers are credited as songwriters.[4] According to sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, "Slow Down Baby" is written in the time signature of common time with a moderate beat rate of 110 beats per minute. The song is written in the key of F♯ minor and Aguilera's vocal range spans from the low-note of A3 to the high-note of G5.[12] According to Spence D. of IGN, "Slow Down Baby" interpolates a "vocal page" from LL Cool J's "Jingling Baby" (1990).[13]
The Guardian critic Dorian Lyskey was positive regarding "Slow Down Baby", writing that it "smartly slaps a 50 Cent samplehow funk".[14] John Murphy of musicOMH named it one of the album's highlights and deemed it "fresh and funky".[7] Moreover, Murphy called it "sharp and sassy infectious pop" and used it as an example of Aguilera being "at her best".[7] Writing for The Boston Globe, Joan Anderman commented that the song's "tangle of horns and pianos [are] pushed to the edge of sonic sense".[10] Len Righi of The Morning Call wrote that Aguilera "sings with remarkable conviction" throughout the album, but the soul and funk of "Slow Down Baby" put her at "Aretha Franklin's doorstep".[15]The Virginian-Pilot writer Malcolm Venable commented that "Slow Down Baby", alongside "Back in the Day" and "Without You", displays Aguilera's "well-shaking" vocals and "tight, seemingly effortless songwriting".[16]
Jody Rosen of Entertainment Weekly wrote that the song "neatly blends old- and new-school R&B".[6]Tampa Bay Times critic Sean Daly referred "Slow Down Baby" to as "the very essence of Aguilera", indicating "old school, new school and big vocal belting".[17] Spence D. of IGN recommended "Slow Down Baby" for digital download and commended Aguilera's "throaty insistence".[13] Scott Mervis of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that the song, alongside the album's first single "Ain't No Other Man" and "Understand", "keep [Aguilera] on the track of torchy old-school soul that lets her limitless voice run wild and free".[18] In 2010, Digital Spy's critic Nick Levine included "Slow Down Baby" on a list of Aguilera's ten best songs.[9]
Commercial performance
To promote the Oceanian leg of the Back to Basics Tour, "Slow Down Baby" was released as the album's fourth single on July 28, 2007, in Australia.[19] It debuted at number 41 on the ARIA Digital Tracks chart in the issue dated July 23, 2007.[20] The song later entered the main singles chart at number 21 in the issue dated August 6, 2007.[21] The position became its peak, which made it Aguilera's first single since "I Turn to You" (2000) to miss the top ten.[22] The same week, "Slow Down Baby" debuted at number 20 on the physical singles chart, and rose to number 22 on the digital chart.[21] It remained on the main chart for six weeks.[22]
Live performances
Aguilera first performed the song during a concert held in front of 1,500 fans and invited guests in London on July 20, 2006.[23][24] The 40-minute concert comprised songs from the then-upcoming Back to Basics and other songs, including "Lady Marmalade" (2001) and "Beautiful" (2002).[24] Aguilera ended the show with "Slow Down Baby", and David Smyth of Evening Standard commented that the song "rounded things up with big horns and bigger beats".[23] The song was later performed during the worldwide Back to Basics Tour.[25] The performance was preceded by newspapers headlines that flashed across a big screen, such as, "Christina goes from 'dirrty' to demure" and "Christina cleans up her act".[26] Aguilera wore black lace thigh-high boots and a white bodysuit.[26] The performance is included on the video release Back to Basics: Live and Down Under (2008).[27]
Songwriting – Christina Aguilera, Mark Ronson, Kara DioGuardi, Raymond Angry, William Guest, M. Knight, Edward Patton, Gladys Knight, Marvin Bernard, Michael Harper
^ abcdMoss, Corey (June 6, 2006). "Christina Makes Her Comeback Twice As Nice By Expanding Basics Into Double LP". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
^Gitlin, Lauren (March 16, 2006). "Christina Aguilera Channels Billie Holiday". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
^Clarke, Stuart (August 12, 2006). "Aguilera takes twin-track approach for new album". Music Week. Intent Media.
^ abcdefgSlow Down Baby (liner notes). Christina Aguilera. Australia: RCA Records. 2007. 8 8697-13691-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ abcMurphy, John. "Christina Aguilera – Back To Basics". musicOMH. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
^ abMurray, Sonia (August 18, 2006). . JournalNews. Cox Enterprises. Archived from the original on August 23, 2006. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
^ abcCopsey, Robert; Levine, Nick (June 10, 2010). "Christina Aguilera: The ten essential tunes". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
^. Sony Music Australia. July 12, 2007. Archived from the original on September 4, 2007. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
^"The ARIA Report – Week Commencing 23rd July 2007" (PDF). ARIA Charts. Australian Web Archive. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 19, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
^ ab"The ARIA Report – Week Commencing 6th August 2007" (PDF). ARIA Charts. Australian Web Archive. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 19, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
^ abc"Christina Aguilera – Slow Down Baby". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
^ ab"Christina Gets Burlesque at Koko". MTV UK. Viacom. August 1, 2006. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
^Walsh, Ben (December 17, 2006). "Christina Aguilera, Wembley Arena, London". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
^ abSchaffer, Regina (April 2, 2007). . The Press of Atlantic City. Abarta. Archived from the original on September 12, 2007. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
^. RCA Records. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
^ ab"Slow Down Baby – Single by Christina Aguilera". iTunes Store. Australia: Apple. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
^ ab. Getmusic.com.au. Universal Music Australia. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
^. RadioScope. August 5, 2007. Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
March 03, 2023
slow, down, baby, song, american, recording, artist, christina, aguilera, from, fifth, studio, album, back, basics, 2006, released, album, fourth, single, july, 2007, records, written, aguilera, mark, ronson, kara, dioguardi, raymond, angry, produced, ronson, . Slow Down Baby is a song by American recording artist Christina Aguilera from her fifth studio album Back to Basics 2006 It was released as the album s fourth single on July 28 2007 by RCA Records It was written by Aguilera Mark Ronson Kara DioGuardi and Raymond Angry and produced by Ronson and co produced by Aguilera The song is built around samples of Window Raisin Granny 1973 by American group Gladys Knight and the Pips and So Seductive 2005 by American rapper Tony Yayo Due to the inclusion of the samples the original songs writers obtained writing credits Slow Down Baby Single by Christina Aguilerafrom the album Back to BasicsReleasedJuly 24 2007 2007 07 24 GenrePop R amp BLength3 27LabelRCASongwriter s Christina Aguilera Mark Ronson Kara DioGuardi Raymond Angry William Guest Merald Knight Edward Patten Gladys Knight Marvin Bernard Michael Harper Curtis JacksonProducer s Mark Ronson Christina Aguilera add Christina Aguilera singles chronology Candyman 2007 Slow Down Baby 2007 Oh Mother 2007 Licensed audio Slow Down Baby on YouTubeMusically Slow Down Baby is a pop and R amp B song that incorporates elements of funk hip hop and soul It features claviola horn organ and piano instrumentation The single was only released in Australia during the Oceanian leg of Aguilera s Back to Basics Tour 2007 Slow Down Baby peaked at number 21 on the Australian Singles Chart although it did not receive any promotion in that country Contents 1 Background 2 Composition 3 Critical reception 4 Commercial performance 5 Live performances 6 Formats and track listing 7 Credits and personnel 8 Charts 9 Release history 10 ReferencesBackground EditAguilera s fifth studio album Back to Basics is made up of two discs 1 Aguilera worked with more beat driven producers on the first disc such as DJ Premier and Mark Ronson who included samples in the production 1 The second disc consists solely of collaborations with producer Linda Perry 1 2 Aguilera sent letters to different producers that she hoped could help her with the direction she was taking for the project encouraging them to experiment re invent and create a modern soul feel 3 She described the first disc as kind of a throwback with elements of jazz blues and soul music combined with a modern day twist like hard hitting beats 1 Aguilera and Ronson wrote Slow Down Baby alongside Kara DioGuardi and Raymond Angry and Ronson completed the production with assistance from Aguilera 4 In an interview for Herald Sun Ronson elaborated on the collaboration I heard Aguilera was looking for tracks I was a bit narrow minded I assumed nothing I was doing would be something she d be into I sent around some hip hop tracks I had lying about and got a call four days later saying she liked them 5 He stated that he had initially imagined offering Slow Down Baby to someone like rap duo M O P 5 Ronson provided the beats and played the guitar and bass while Angry played the claviola organ and piano 4 Ronson recorded Aguilera s vocals at Allido Sound in New York City and additional recording was helmed by Oscar Ramirez at The Record Plant in Los Angeles California 4 Dave Hard Drive Pensado later completed the mixing process at Larrabee North in North Hollywood 4 Composition Edit Slow Down Baby source source A 21 second sample of Slow Down Baby s chorus featuring the Window Raisin Granny and So Seductive samples and elements of R amp B hip hop funk and soul genres Problems playing this file See media help Slow Down Baby is an uptempo pop and R amp B song that blends modern and old school R amp B 6 7 It has elements of funk hip hop and soul 8 Nick Levine of Digital Spy called it hot n horny retropop 9 and JournalNews critic Sonia Murray observed that it savvily combines hip hop and early soul 8 Slow Down Baby s instrumentation consists of pianos and horns 10 which recall the 1970s blaxploitation film genre 11 In the lyrics Aguilera tells a lusty man to leave her alone as she sings If you knew anything you d realise I m wearing a ring 9 The song contains two samples Window Raisin Granny 1973 by R amp B group Gladys Knight amp the Pips written by William Guest Merald Knight Edward Patten and Gladys Knight and So Seductive 2005 by rapper Tony Yayo written by Marvin Bernard Michael Harper and Curtis Jackson 4 Due to its sampling the original songs writers are credited as songwriters 4 According to sheet music published at Musicnotes com by Universal Music Publishing Group Slow Down Baby is written in the time signature of common time with a moderate beat rate of 110 beats per minute The song is written in the key of F minor and Aguilera s vocal range spans from the low note of A3 to the high note of G5 12 According to Spence D of IGN Slow Down Baby interpolates a vocal page from LL Cool J s Jingling Baby 1990 13 Critical reception Edit Aguilera performing Slow Down Baby on the Back to Basics Tour The Guardian critic Dorian Lyskey was positive regarding Slow Down Baby writing that it smartly slaps a 50 Cent samplehow funk 14 John Murphy of musicOMH named it one of the album s highlights and deemed it fresh and funky 7 Moreover Murphy called it sharp and sassy infectious pop and used it as an example of Aguilera being at her best 7 Writing for The Boston Globe Joan Anderman commented that the song s tangle of horns and pianos are pushed to the edge of sonic sense 10 Len Righi of The Morning Call wrote that Aguilera sings with remarkable conviction throughout the album but the soul and funk of Slow Down Baby put her at Aretha Franklin s doorstep 15 The Virginian Pilot writer Malcolm Venable commented that Slow Down Baby alongside Back in the Day and Without You displays Aguilera s well shaking vocals and tight seemingly effortless songwriting 16 Jody Rosen of Entertainment Weekly wrote that the song neatly blends old and new school R amp B 6 Tampa Bay Times critic Sean Daly referred Slow Down Baby to as the very essence of Aguilera indicating old school new school and big vocal belting 17 Spence D of IGN recommended Slow Down Baby for digital download and commended Aguilera s throaty insistence 13 Scott Mervis of Pittsburgh Post Gazette wrote that the song alongside the album s first single Ain t No Other Man and Understand keep Aguilera on the track of torchy old school soul that lets her limitless voice run wild and free 18 In 2010 Digital Spy s critic Nick Levine included Slow Down Baby on a list of Aguilera s ten best songs 9 Commercial performance EditTo promote the Oceanian leg of the Back to Basics Tour Slow Down Baby was released as the album s fourth single on July 28 2007 in Australia 19 It debuted at number 41 on the ARIA Digital Tracks chart in the issue dated July 23 2007 20 The song later entered the main singles chart at number 21 in the issue dated August 6 2007 21 The position became its peak which made it Aguilera s first single since I Turn to You 2000 to miss the top ten 22 The same week Slow Down Baby debuted at number 20 on the physical singles chart and rose to number 22 on the digital chart 21 It remained on the main chart for six weeks 22 Live performances EditAguilera first performed the song during a concert held in front of 1 500 fans and invited guests in London on July 20 2006 23 24 The 40 minute concert comprised songs from the then upcoming Back to Basics and other songs including Lady Marmalade 2001 and Beautiful 2002 24 Aguilera ended the show with Slow Down Baby and David Smyth of Evening Standard commented that the song rounded things up with big horns and bigger beats 23 The song was later performed during the worldwide Back to Basics Tour 25 The performance was preceded by newspapers headlines that flashed across a big screen such as Christina goes from dirrty to demure and Christina cleans up her act 26 Aguilera wore black lace thigh high boots and a white bodysuit 26 The performance is included on the video release Back to Basics Live and Down Under 2008 27 Formats and track listing EditCD single and digital download 28 29 Slow Down Baby album version 3 27 Slow Down Baby instrumental version 3 27Credits and personnel EditCredits are adapted from the Slow Down Baby liner notes 4 Recording and samples Recorded at Allido Sound New York City and The Record Plant Los Angeles California Contains a sample from Window Raisin Granny written by William Guest M Knight Edward Patten and Gladys Knight as performed by Gladys Knight and the Pips Contains a sample from So Seductive written by Marvin Bernard Michael Harper and Curtis Jackson as performed by Tony YayoPersonnel Lead vocals Christina Aguilera Songwriting Christina Aguilera Mark Ronson Kara DioGuardi Raymond Angry William Guest M Knight Edward Patton Gladys Knight Marvin Bernard Michael Harper Production Mark Ronson Additional production Christina Aguilera Beats guitar and bass Mark Ronson Clav organ and piano Raymond Angry Recording Mark Ronson Oscar Ramirez Mixing Dave Hard Drive Pensado Assistant mixing The Blitzburg GroupCharts EditWeekly chart performance for Slow Down Baby Chart 2007 PeakpositionAustralia ARIA 22 21New Zealand Airplay Recorded Music NZ 30 38Release history EditRelease dates and formats for Slow Down Baby Region Date Format s Label s Ref Australia July 24 2007 Digital download Sony BMG 28 July 28 2007 CD 29 References Edit a b c d Moss Corey June 6 2006 Christina Makes Her Comeback Twice As Nice By Expanding Basics Into Double LP MTV News Viacom Retrieved December 11 2011 Gitlin Lauren March 16 2006 Christina Aguilera Channels Billie Holiday Rolling Stone Wenner Media Retrieved December 11 2011 Clarke Stuart August 12 2006 Aguilera takes twin track approach for new album Music Week Intent Media a b c d e f g Slow Down Baby liner notes Christina Aguilera Australia RCA Records 2007 8 8697 13691 2 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link a b Adams Cameron August 30 2007 Mark Ronson hitman to the stars Herald Sun The Herald and Weekly Times Retrieved February 19 2012 a b Rosen Judy August 11 2006 Back to Basics Entertainment Weekly Time Inc Retrieved December 10 2011 a b c Murphy John Christina Aguilera Back To Basics musicOMH Retrieved December 10 2011 a b Murray Sonia August 18 2006 Aguilera s new CD is exceptional JournalNews Cox Enterprises Archived from the original on August 23 2006 Retrieved December 10 2011 a b c Copsey Robert Levine Nick June 10 2010 Christina Aguilera The ten essential tunes Digital Spy Hachette Filipacchi UK Retrieved December 10 2011 a b Anderman Joan August 13 2006 Aguilera is too clever by half The Boston Globe The New York Times Company Retrieved December 10 2011 Gennoe Dan August 17 2006 Christina Aguilera Back To Basics Yahoo UK amp Ireland Yahoo Inc Archived from the original on July 18 2011 Retrieved December 10 2011 Christina Aguilera Slow Down Baby Composition Sheet Music Musicnotes com Universal Music Publishing Group a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Missing or empty url help a b Spence D August 15 2006 Christina Aguilera Back to Basics IGN News Corporation Archived from the original on July 10 2007 Retrieved December 10 2011 Lyskey Dorian August 4 2006 Christina Aguilera Back to Basics The Guardian Retrieved December 10 2011 Righi Len August 19 2006 Christina Aguilera Back To Basics rca The Morning Call Tribune Company Retrieved February 19 2012 Venable Malcolm December 29 2006 Soundwaves The Virginian Pilot Landmark Media Enterprises Daly Sean August 19 2006 Aguilera takes out the trash Tampa Bay Times Times Publishing Company Retrieved December 10 2011 Mervis Scott August 17 2006 Christina Aguilera Back to Basics Pittsburgh Post Gazette Block Communications Retrieved December 10 2011 Christina Aguilera Arrives In Town This Week Sony Music Australia July 12 2007 Archived from the original on September 4 2007 Retrieved December 12 2011 The ARIA Report Week Commencing 23rd July 2007 PDF ARIA Charts Australian Web Archive Archived from the original PDF on August 19 2007 Retrieved December 13 2011 a b The ARIA Report Week Commencing 6th August 2007 PDF ARIA Charts Australian Web Archive Archived from the original PDF on August 19 2007 Retrieved December 13 2011 a b c Christina Aguilera Slow Down Baby ARIA Top 50 Singles Retrieved June 17 2018 a b Smyth David July 21 2006 What a night Christina Evening Standard Alexander Lebedev Evgeny Lebedev Daily Mail and General Trust Archived from the original on May 5 2013 Retrieved December 11 2011 a b Christina Gets Burlesque at Koko MTV UK Viacom August 1 2006 Retrieved December 12 2011 Walsh Ben December 17 2006 Christina Aguilera Wembley Arena London The Independent Independent Print Limited Retrieved December 12 2011 a b Schaffer Regina April 2 2007 Singer entertains with fast paced 90 minute show The Press of Atlantic City Abarta Archived from the original on September 12 2007 Retrieved March 5 2012 Christina Aguilera Back to Basics Live and Down Under DVD RCA Records Archived from the original on May 15 2012 Retrieved December 12 2011 a b Slow Down Baby Single by Christina Aguilera iTunes Store Australia Apple Retrieved December 10 2011 a b Slow Down Baby Christina Aguilera Getmusic com au Universal Music Australia Archived from the original on April 6 2012 Retrieved December 10 2011 RadioScope100 August 5 2007 RadioScope New Zealand RadioScope August 5 2007 Archived from the original on May 25 2010 Retrieved May 29 2020 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Slow Down Baby amp oldid 1129129748, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
