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Nice & Slow
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Nice & Slow
| cover = Nice & Slow.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Usher
| album = My Way
| released =
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length = 3:48
| label =
| writer =
| producer = Jermaine Dupri
| prev_title = You Make Me Wanna...
| prev_year = 1997
| next_title = The Party Continues
| next_year = 1998
| misc =
}}
"'Nice & Slow'" is a song from American singer-songwriter Usher's second album, 'My Way' (1997). Released on January 6, 1998, the song became Usher's first number-one single on the US 'Billboard' Hot 100 chart in February 1998. The song was written by Usher, Brian Casey of the R&B group Jagged Edge, Manuel Seal Jr. and Jermaine Dupri.
Background and composition
"Nice & Slow" was written by Usher, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, and Brian Casey, with Dupri producing the tune and Seal serving as co-producer and responsible for the guitar work. Jagged Edge provided background vocals in the record. "Nice & Slow" was recorded by Phil Tan at the Somewhere in College Park studio in College Park, Georgia. Tan and Dupri mixed the record with assistance from John and Brian Frye at Studio LaCoCo, in Atlanta, Georgia. Dupri recalled telling Usher he needed a ballad to "knock out the world". The beat was created first, and the lyrics were fitted to it. The composition and recording of "Nice & Slow" took four hours, according to Dupri.
"Nice & Slow" is a slow R&B, pop and soul ballad with hip hop influences. Musicologist Richard J. Ripani wrote that "Nice & Slow" is an example of the typical "R&B ballad style that became widely popular" in the late 1990s. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, "Nice & Slow" is written in common time with a slow tempo of sixty-eight beats per minute. Set in the key of A major, it follows the basic chord progression of Fm11–Cm7–Dmaj13–E9sus. Usher's voice spans from the low note of E4 to the high note of A5. "Nice & Slow" features a spoken introduction, while in the middle of the song Usher performs a melodic rap, which 'Billboard' Shawnee Smith compared to the syle of Do or Die. Usher said to 'Time' that "Nice & Slow" is "somewhat of an intimate story between a man and a woman."
Release
"Nice & Slow" was released via CD single and cassette single in the United States on January 6, 1998. On February 3, 1998, it was serviced to US contemporary hit radio. A maxi single was released on March 2, 1998, and a remixes CD was made available on March 9, 1998. In the United Kingdom, "Nice & Slow" was issued as CD single, a 12-inch single, and a cassette single on April 20, 1998.
Critical reception
A writer for the 'Daily News' called it "warmly engaging". A writer for Jet praised Usher's "tender" vocals on the "sensuous ballad", stating that he displayed romance on the song. In 2016, 'Complex' ranked the song number seven on their list of the 25 greatest Usher songs, and in 2021, 'American Songwriter' ranked the song number eight on their list of the 10 greatest Usher songs.
Chart performance
"Nice & Slow" debuted at number nine on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 on the chart dated January 24, 1998, as "You Make Me Wanna...", the first single from 'My Way' slipped from number seven to number ten. On February 2, 1998, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded the song a gold certification, following up with a platinum one on February 12. "Nice & Slow" continued to ascend the Hot 100, reaching number one on February 14, succeeding "Together Again" by Janet Jackson. It remained atop the chart on February 21, but on February 28 it was replaced by Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On". On the UK Singles Chart, "Nice & Slow" reached number 24.
Music video
The music video for the song was directed by Hype Williams and shot in Paris in February 1998. Kimora Lee Simmons plays Usher's love interest. The video opens with the caption "4:00 pm Paris" as Usher gets out of an aeroplane. He is shown shirtless in a hotel room having a telephone conversation with his love interest, consisting of the song's spoken intro. Usher and Simmons prepare for their date, and meet each other before sightseeing around Paris in a convertible. Interspersed are low-angle shots of Usher dancing on a sidewalk. As the day becomes night, Usher is seen wearing sunglasses playing a guitar and dancing shirtless in front of the Eiffel Tower. Usher and Simmons drive across a bridge, and midway they are confronted by several gangsters, who kidnap and cage Simmons and beat Usher. Usher appeals to police, who are apparently of no help, and proceeds to locate the gangsters' lair himself. He offers a briefcase to the gangsters, which explodes after being opened and a grenade starts to blow. Usher and the gangsters then engage in hand-to-hand combat. Usher and Simmons are together rides escape away on a motorbike as the windows of building behind them explosion. They are then seen relaxing on a sofa in triumphant, before she saw a computer is zoomed in on, which features the song's title written over and over on a word processor.
Track listing
'US CD and cassette'
#"Nice & Slow"
#"Nice & Slow"
'US 12-inch vinyl and CD-maxi'
#"Nice & Slow"
#"Nice & Slow"
#"Nice & Slow"
#"You Make Me Wanna..."
'UK CD1'
# "Nice & Slow"
# "Nice & Slow" (CD-Rom Video Element)
# "You Make Me Wanna..." / "Just Like Me" / "My Way" (Snippets)
'Remixes CD'
# "Nice & Slow"
# "Nice & Slow"
# "Nice & Slow"
# "Nice & Slow"
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
See also
* List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1998 (U.S.)
* List of number-one R&B singles of 1998 (U.S.)
References
Category:1997 songs
Category:1998 singles
Category:Usher (musician) songs
Category:1990s ballads
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Contemporary R&B ballads
Category:Music videos directed by Hype Williams
Category:Pop ballads
Category:Arista Records singles
Category:LaFace Records singles
Category:Song recordings produced by Jermaine Dupri
Category:Songs written by Manuel Seal
Category:Songs written by Jermaine Dupri
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