Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 2003
Frontin'
Buy Frontin' now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Frontin'
| cover = Frontin'.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Pharrell Williams featuring Jay-Z
| album = The Neptunes Present... Clones
| released = June 3, 2003
| recorded = March 2003
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
* R&B
* hip hop
| length = 4:01
| label =
* Star Trak
* Arista
| writer =
* Pharrell Williams
* Chad Hugo
* Shawn Carter
| producer = The Neptunes
| chronology = Pharrell Williams
| prev_title = Belly Dancer
| prev_year = 2002
| next_title = Light Your Ass on Fire
| next_year = 2003
| misc =
}}
"'Frontin'" is the debut single by American recording artist Pharrell Williams, featuring American rapper Jay-Z. It was written by Williams and produced by Williams' hip hop collective, The Neptunes. At the time of its release, Williams insisted the single was a one-off, and that he was purely a producer and not an artist in his own right. However, he released his own solo studio album, 'In My Mind', in 2006.
The song's title refers to putting up a facade (or false 'front'), typically to impress peers. It was the 34th best-selling song of 2003 in the U.S., according to 'Billboard' magazine. It was also featured on The Neptunes' 2003 compilation album 'The Neptunes Present... Clones', which debuted at number one on the 'Billboard' 200 in August 2003. The video features a 17-year old Lauren London as Pharrell's love interest.
The drum beat was heavily influenced by the Beatles 1965 track "In My Life", and the bass during the bridge by Stevie Wonder. Pharrell had initially written the song for Prince.
Music video
The music video was filmed in Miami, Florida.
Chart performance
"Frontin'" peaked at number five on the 'Billboard' Hot 100. It also peaked at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. In the UK, the song also charted inside the top 10, peaking at number six in the UK Singles Chart and spending 10 weeks within the top 75. It was Pharrell's biggest solo hit until 2013's "Happy" (his biggest hit as a collaboration being "Blurred Lines" with Robin Thicke and T.I.).
Covers
On February 11, 2004, the track was covered by British neo-jazz artist Jamie Cullum for BBC Radio 1's 'Live Lounge'. Williams was very impressed by the cover after it was played to him on a visit to the show, and this led to Cullum providing backup vocals for "You Can Do It Too", a track on Pharrell's first solo album 'In My Mind'. The cover appeared as a bonus track on the US release of Cullum's album 'Twentysomething'. Cullum's version was released as a single and reached number 12 in the UK.
It was also covered live by Maroon 5, featuring Chad Hugo and rapper Mos Def, who replaced Jay-Z's verse with impromptu rapping from A Tribe Called Quest's "Bonita Applebum," in an apparent reference to similarities between parts of the tracks. New Orleans native Trombone Shorty and his band and Orleans Avenue cover the song on their 2005 debut album, 'Orleans & Claiborne'.[https://www.amazon.com/Trombone-Shorty-Andrews-Orleans-Avenue/dp/B000QFBZD0 Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and Orleans Avenue: Orleans & Claiborne]. Amazon.com, During the 2012 International Yardfest at Howard University, American singer Leah LaBelle performed her 2012 single "Sexify" as part of a medley with "Frontin'". In 2014, UK garage band Disclosure remixed the song.
American rapper Goldlink also performed a live cover of the song on 'Like a Version'.
Track listing
*'UK CD single'
# "Frontin'"
# "Hot Damn"
# "Popular Thug"
# "Frontin'"
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
Category:Jay-Z songs
Category:Pharrell Williams songs
Category:Music videos directed by Paul Hunter (director)
Category:Song recordings produced by the Neptunes
Category:Songs written by Pharrell Williams
Category:Songs written by Chad Hugo
Category:Songs written by Jay-Z
Category:2003 debut singles
Category:Star Trak Entertainment singles
Category:2003 songs
Category:Arista Records singles
Buy Frontin' now from Amazon
<-- Return to songs from 2003