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"Bust Your Windows" is a song recorded by American singer
Jazmine Sullivan Jazmine Marie Sullivan (born April 9, 1987) is an American R&B singer and songwriter. She has won two Grammy Awards, a ''Billboard'' Women in Music Award, and two BET Awards over the course of her career. In 2022, ''Time'' placed her on their ...
. It was written by Sullivan and
Salaam Remi Salaam Remi Gibbs (born May 14, 1972) is an American record producer. He is most known for producing material for close associates Nas, Amy Winehouse, and Jazmine Sullivan, but has also produced for other mainstream acts including Alicia Key ...
for her debut studio album '' Fearless'' (2008), while production was helmed by the latter. The song uses a sample from Remi's "Bad Man Waltz" and interpolates a lyric from American rapper Soulja Boy Tell Em's 2007 single "
Crank That (Soulja Boy) "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" is the debut single by American rapper Soulja Boy Tell 'Em. It served as the lead single from his debut studio album, '' souljaboytellem.com'' (2007) and accompanies the Soulja Boy dance. The song is recognized by its ...
." Due to the sample, Soulja Boy is also credited as a songwriter. Released as the second single from ''Fearless'', "Bust Your Windows" was made available as a digital download on
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
on September 16, 2008, followed by a physical release on November 15, 2008. It became a top five hit on the US
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
chart and was nominated in the Best R&B Song category for 2009's
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' magazine ranked it 58th on its list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008. The song also was listed at number 137 on
National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
's list of The 200 Greatest Songs By 21st Century Women.


Background

"Bust Your Windows" was written by
Jazmine Sullivan Jazmine Marie Sullivan (born April 9, 1987) is an American R&B singer and songwriter. She has won two Grammy Awards, a ''Billboard'' Women in Music Award, and two BET Awards over the course of her career. In 2022, ''Time'' placed her on their ...
along with
Salaam Remi Salaam Remi Gibbs (born May 14, 1972) is an American record producer. He is most known for producing material for close associates Nas, Amy Winehouse, and Jazmine Sullivan, but has also produced for other mainstream acts including Alicia Key ...
for her debut studio album '' Fearless'' (2008). Production was helmed by the latter. The song uses a sample from Remi's "Bad Man Waltz." It also interpolates the lyric "Now watch me you" from rapper Soulja Boy Tell 'Em's 2007 song "
Crank That (Soulja Boy) "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" is the debut single by American rapper Soulja Boy Tell 'Em. It served as the lead single from his debut studio album, '' souljaboytellem.com'' (2007) and accompanies the Soulja Boy dance. The song is recognized by its ...
." When asked about her inspiration for the song and if she had ever busted the windows of a boyfriend or ex-boyfriend in real life, Sullivan replied: "We're just not gonna get into that. But, it definitely is a real situation, and I've run into a lot of men and women who've experienced that. It needed to be said, and I was the chick to do it. All you guys have to do is be honest, be faithful, and your windows won't get busted out."


Composition

"Bust Your Windows" is set in
common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...
with a moderate
tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
of 107
beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...
and is written in the key of F harmonic minor. It follows the
chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...
Fm–D♭–B♭m–C. Sullivan's
vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...
spans from F3 to E♭5.


Critical reception

"Bust Your Windows" earned largely favorable reviews. ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' gave it a positive review, describing Sullivan's performance as "one of the most challenging vocals from a female R&B artist this year. Sullivan's husky voice floats effortlessly over an eerie underlining violin score, originating from a sample of producer Salaam Remi's composition "Bad Man Waltz."
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
also reviewed the song favorably: "Sullivan exposes the reality beneath the revenge fantasy: "Oh, but why am I the one who's still crying?" Jon Caramanica, writing for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' noted that "Bust Your Windows" had Sullivan expresing "her feelings with the appropriate tool, a crowbar. "I bust the windows out your car/though it didn't mend my broken heart" she sings, over Hitchcockesque strings and a buoyant hip-hop beat ..It's a stellar revenge tune, as sassy and unexpected as Carrie Underwood's " Before He Cheats," and an indicator that unlike most soul divas, Ms. Sullivan cuts her misery with a dash of whimsy." Jeff Ihaza from ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' magazine called the song a "timeless revenge fantasy."


Commercial performance

Released as the second single from ''Fearless'', "Bust Your Windows" was made available as a digital download on
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
on September 16, 2008, followed by a physical release on November 15, 2008. Fueled by strong radio airplay, it managed to peak at number four on ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
s
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
chart, becoming her second consecutive top five hit on that chart." "Bust Your Windows" also debuted at number 81 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 issued for week 43 of 2008. It became her second consecutive top 40 hit on the chart and spent a total of 5 weeks within the top 40, eventually peaking at number 31. The success of the song on this chart continued for weeks on end and it eventually dropped out in early 2009, spending a total of 15 weeks charting. Elsewhere, "Bust Your Windows" became Sullivan's second consecutive top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart as well as her second consecutive top 30 hit on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' Hot Adult R&B Songs chart, peaking at number 18 and number 22, respevtively. Towards the end of the single's promotion, Jazmine performed "Bust Your Windows" on CBS's '' The Late Late Show'' in January 2009.


Music video

A
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
for "Bust Your Windows" was directed by Chris Robinson. On October 10, 2008, the music video for "Bust Your Windows" premiered on BET's '' 106 & Park''. The video was also placed at 46th on BET's "Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2008" countdown. The visuals feature scenes of adultery involving Sullivan's boyfriend in the video mimicking the song and song lyrics. The video, however, does not feature Sullivan physically busting out car windows, as fans expected but instead the intense emotion of the song is displayed through Sullivan breaking wine glasses on a table; there is also a trail of glass leading up to the bedroom where she discovered what would bring out this feeling of rage within her. The setting of the video is dark and features harsh coloured gases passing through the air whilst Sullivan is singing – adding the sense of anger and depression that the video is meant to bring out in the song. Other scenes feature her boyfriend's guilty conscience of what he's done – namely when he hesitantly looks himself in the mirror.


Covers and remixes

*On September 16, 2009, Fox featured "Bust Your Windows" in their new early fall hit ''
Glee Glee may refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album) * ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album) * Gle ...
''. The show's teenage love triangle leads Mercedes ( Amber Riley) to break into her own dream-state music video singing Sullivan's 2008 hit. The song is also featured on the soundtrack album '' Glee: The Music, Volume 1''. ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' Andy Gill praised Riley's rendition of "Bust Your Windows", calling it the album's "most compelling moment". *
Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer and songwriter. After being discovered by record producer Troy Taylor (record producer), Troy Taylor in 2003, Songz ...
has covered this song, releasing the underground track as a response from the male antagonist in the original song by Sullivan. *The official remix features
The-Dream Terius Adamu Ya Gesteelde-Diamant ('' né'' Youngdell Nash; born September 20, 1977), known professionally as The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for having written or co-produced songs for artists in ...
. This remix is also featured on the 12" Vinyl release of the song in the U.S. * Skillz has made a remix, which contains additional vocals by Sullivan (though is not the official remix). *
Chamillionaire Hakeem Temidayo Seriki (born November 28, 1979), better known by his stage name Chamillionaire (), is an American rapper. He began his career in Houston's hip hop scene in the late 1990s. He was briefly signed with the local record label Swishah ...
has also produced a freestyle called "Car Windows" which features Chalie Boy. *
Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American cult leader, preacher and mass murderer who founded and led the Peoples Temple between 1955 and 1978. Jones and the members of his inner circle planned and orchestrat ...
,
Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...
and Gorilla Zoe have made remixes to the song. *
Ace Hood Antoine Franklin McColister (born May 11, 1988), known professionally Ace Hood, is an American rapper. Born in Port St. Lucie and raised in Deerfield Beach, Florida, he was discovered by DJ Khaled and became the first act to sign with his rec ...
has also recorded a freestyle over this song. *In 2011, Jesy Nelson of Little Mix sang the song for her audition for The X Factor (UK). *The song was also featured in the movie '' Step Up 3D''. The song was covered by a contestant on
The Voice UK ''The Voice UK'' is a British singing reality competition television series. Created by John de Mol and Roel van Velzen, it premiered on BBC One on 24 March 2012. Based on the original Dutch singing competition '' The Voice of Holland'', and ...
in May 2013 and caused the song to enter the charts for the first time. * Chris Hollins and
Ola Jordan Aleksandra 'Ola' Jordan ( Grabowska; born 30 September 1982) is a Polish-British professional ballroom dancer, specialising in Latin American dancing. She appeared as a professional on the British BBC One television show ''Strictly Come Danci ...
performed an Argentine tango to the song in the semi-final of the seventh series of ''
Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (commonly referred to as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly Ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dance, Latin dance. Each couple is ...
''. They went on to win the competition. *In Mo Seok, Jo Hwanji, and Soko performed a trio arrangement of the song in Phantom Singer 3 Episode 9. It was released in the album Phantom Singer3 Episode.7.


Track listing

Notes * denotes additional producer(s)


Credits

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. * Stephen Coleman – orchestral arrangement *Ron Feuer – instruments * Vincent Henry – instruments *
Jazmine Sullivan Jazmine Marie Sullivan (born April 9, 1987) is an American R&B singer and songwriter. She has won two Grammy Awards, a ''Billboard'' Women in Music Award, and two BET Awards over the course of her career. In 2022, ''Time'' placed her on their ...
– vocalist, writer *
Salaam Remi Salaam Remi Gibbs (born May 14, 1972) is an American record producer. He is most known for producing material for close associates Nas, Amy Winehouse, and Jazmine Sullivan, but has also produced for other mainstream acts including Alicia Key ...
– instruments, producer, writer * DeAndre Way – writer (sample)


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


References

{{authority control 2008 singles 2000s ballads Jazmine Sullivan songs Songs written by Jazmine Sullivan Songs about infidelity 2008 songs Songs written by Salaam Remi Songs about revenge J Records singles Arista Records singles