Chains (Nick Jonas Song)
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"Chains" is a song by American singer
Nick Jonas Nicholas Jerry Jonas (born September 16, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Jonas began acting on Broadway at the age of seven, and released his debut single in 2002; this caught the attention of Columbia Records, where Jonas ...
, taken from his eponymous second album. It was released on July 30, 2014 by
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and
Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...
as the
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
from the album. The song was written and produced by
Jason Evigan Jason Gregory Evigan (born June 10, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer best known as the vocalist for the rock band After Midnight Project, which was formed in 2004 before disbanding in 2012. His songwriting or producti ...
, with additional songwriting provided by Ammar Malik, and Danny Parker. It is an R&B song, using kick drum-driven beats, a splash of bass-dropping trap at the intro and bridge as the song's instrumentation. Lyrically, the song talks about feeling trapped in a binding and hopeless love. Considered a departure from his music with the
Jonas Brothers The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band formed in 2005 comprising brothers Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, the Jonas Brothers moved to Little Falls, New Jersey, in 2005, where they wrote thei ...
and
Nick Jonas & the Administration Nick Jonas & the Administration was a band formed in late 2009 as a side project by Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers. Performers included singer, pianist, guitarist, drummer, and songwriter Nick Jonas, bassist John Fields (producer), John Fields, ...
, the song was praised by music critics for being an adult song, with his vocals and its production being praised. American singers
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...
and
Miguel --> Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael. It may refer to: Places * Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands *São Miguel (disamb ...
were influences for the song, as noted by some critics. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Ryan Pallotta and was released on July 30, 2014. After the success of "Jealous" at radio stations in the US, Island and Republic re-released "Chains" as Jonas' next single. The song impacted
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stations on January 20, 2015. It impacted rhythmic radio on March 3, 2015 On February 28, 2015 a remix of the song surfaced online featuring the vocals of
Jhené Aiko Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (; born March 16, 1988) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer and rapper. Aiko embarked on her musical career in 2002, as a backing vocalist and music video performer for the R&B group B2K. She was signed by the ...
. The song has reached number 13 on the Billboard hot 100, spending 20 weeks on the chart, later receiving a double platinum certification. The remix was released on March 2, 2015. The dance remixes of "Chains" reached number one on ''Billboard's''
Dance Club Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...
chart in its May 23, 2015 issue.


Background

In February 2013,
Jonas Brothers The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band formed in 2005 comprising brothers Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, the Jonas Brothers moved to Little Falls, New Jersey, in 2005, where they wrote thei ...
announced they were returning to the music scene with a new single called "
Pom Poms Pom or POM may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Pom (comics) (1919–2014), a Belgian comic strip writer and artist * Baby Pom, a fictional character in the British television programme ''Fimbles'' * Pom, a character in the video game ''Them's F ...
". The song received favorable reviews from music critics, but had very moderate success on the charts. Later, the band release the song " First Time" in June 2013, as the second single from their then-upcoming fifth studio album. A month later they announced that the album would be called "V". The band also announced a tour, but it was shortly cancelled and later the band announced their split in October, also cancelling the album. Later, in early 2014, Nick Jonas announced he was going to release a solo record, stating: "I've got a lot of things in the pipeline right now and I'm waiting to release some news about my music and my next steps. It isn't quite locked in yet, but I have started making some music and now it's all about lining up the pieces." During an interview for ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'', he commented about the album's musical direction, saying: "I came in really wanting to make a record that was different from anything I'd done in the past, but that was true to my influences:
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,
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,
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. And then, more recently,
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and
Frank Ocean Frank Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987) is an American singer and songwriter. He has been credited by several music journalism, music critics as a pioneer of the alternative R&B genre. Ocean has won two Grammy Awards and a B ...
. That whole vibe of
alternative R&B Alternative R&B (also referred to as alt-R&B, indie R&B, and originally known as PBR&B, hipster R&B, emo R&B, or R-Neg-B) is a term used by music journalists to describe a stylistic alternative to contemporary R&B that began in the mid 2000s and ...
and
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
. It just fell into a really natural place really early." On July 24, 2014, ''
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' premiered "Chains", which was announced as the lead-single from his upcoming solo album. The song was eventually released to digital download on July 30, 2014.


Composition

"Chains" was written by
Jason Evigan Jason Gregory Evigan (born June 10, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer best known as the vocalist for the rock band After Midnight Project, which was formed in 2004 before disbanding in 2012. His songwriting or producti ...
, Ammar Malik and Danny Parker, with Evigan also served as the song's producer. It is a midtempo R&B song, being distinctly different from the
Jonas Brothers The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band formed in 2005 comprising brothers Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, the Jonas Brothers moved to Little Falls, New Jersey, in 2005, where they wrote thei ...
' music, as well as Nick's music with the Administration, having "smooth" and "silky vocals and a decisive R&B aesthetic," which made one Billboard staffer compare the track to a
Miguel --> Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael. It may refer to: Places * Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands *São Miguel (disamb ...
song." Dylan Mial of ''
Blogcritics Blogcritics is a blog network and online magazine of news and opinion. The site was founded in 2002 by Eric Olsen (writer), Eric Olsen and Phillip Winn. Blogcritics features more than 100 original articles every week, and maintains an archive of a ...
'' added that the song is "a powerful and emotional combination of kick drum-driven beats, a splash of bass-dropping trap at the intro and bridge, with '80s rock ballad vibe that underlays the chorus." Lyrically, "Chains" talks about being trapped in a hopeless love, with the singer declaring: "Tryna break the chains, but the chains only break me." In an interview with
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
, Jonas stated that, "The story behind 'Chains' is basically that feeling that all people can relate to, it's being trapped. For me specifically in this song, I connected to love and trust and for some people they have said it's broader for them, it's more than love, it can be about anything that entangles you in your life and doesn't let you do what you need to do to feel free," he said. "I think this is a good fit and I fell in love with the song and I really feel like it has become a staple for this album."


Reception

The song received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who praised Jonas' new musical style and the song's production. Jason Lipshut of ''
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 ...
'' was positive, declaring that the singer was "desperately trying to position himself as an adult artist, and soundly succeeding." Mike Wass of ''
Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolator or Idolater may also refer to: * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), a 2005 album by Blood Stain Child * ''Idolator'', a 1986 album by Ole Evenrud * "Idolater", a ...
'' compared Jonas to
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...
, writing that "it's a step in the right direction but no '
Like I Love You "Like I Love You" is the debut solo single of American singer Justin Timberlake from his debut studio album, '' Justified'' (2002), which features American hip hop duo Clipse. It was co-written by Timberlake and the Neptunes (Chad Hugo and Phar ...
imberlake's debut single" Emily Blake wrote for ''
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'' that "Chains" is "drenched in S&M and rather adult themes straight out of '
Fifty Shades of Grey ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' is a 2011 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It became the first instalment in the ''Fifty Shades'' novel series that follows the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, ...
'." Joey DeGroot of ''Music Times'' was ambivalent toward its lyrical content, calling it "the song's weakest point", but praised "the production and Jonas' vocal performance", claiming that they were "more than make up for it, ..earn ngJonas some artistic credibility after toiling in the Disney-pop world for most of his career." Dylan Mial of ''
Blogcritics Blogcritics is a blog network and online magazine of news and opinion. The site was founded in 2002 by Eric Olsen (writer), Eric Olsen and Phillip Winn. Blogcritics features more than 100 original articles every week, and maintains an archive of a ...
'' was complimentary with the song, calling it "by far the greatest, most inspired and powerful track of 2014 – it is pure musical perfection."


Music video

On July 23, 2014 it was announced that a music video was being shot, being co-produced by Nick Jonas with director Ryan Pallotta. On July 25, 2014 the first 15 seconds of the music video were released online. Later, on July 28, 2014, two other 15 second snippets were released online with the full video premiering on July 30, 2014. The video features Jonas getting dragged across the floor of a church by a mystery woman, and tied up to a chair. On March 31, 2015 a second video of the song was released online. It was called ''Chains: The Wynwood Walls Edition''. The video was filmed at Miami's Wynwood Walls graffiti installation.


Live performances

"Chains" was performed live during the Nick Jonas Live tour. Nick Jonas also performed the song, along with "Jealous" and a cover of
Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...
' "
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" at The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show. He also performed an acoustic version of the song for VH1 Artist To Watch. On January 25, 2015, Jonas performed the song as part of a medley with his songs "
Jealous Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety. Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness or disgust. ...
" and "
Teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...
" live during the evening gown competition at the
Miss Universe 2014 Miss Universe 2014 was the 63rd Miss Universe pageant, held at the FIU Arena in Miami, Florida, United States on 25 January 2015. This was the first time in the history of the competition that the pageant was not held during the year the title ...
. On February 15, Jonas performed the song on ''
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''. On March 4 he performed the song live on ''
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''. He performed the "DJ Mike D and ChAdachi Remix" version of the song (along with "
Jealous Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety. Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness or disgust. ...
") during the 2015 Kids' Choice Awards, as well as at the 2nd iHeartRadio Music Awards. On April 14, 2015 he performed the song live on '' The Voice''. On April 18, he performed alongside country duo
Dan + Shay Dan + Shay is an American country pop duo composed of vocalists and songwriters Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney. They are signed to Warner Records Nashville and have released six albums, '' Where It All Began'', '' Obsessed'', '' Dan + Shay'', '' ...
the songs "Chains", "Jealous" as well their single " Nothin' Like You" during the 2015
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. On June 13, he performed the song at Pittsburgh Pride 2015 festival. The song is part of the setlist of the
Future Now Tour The Future Now Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American singers Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas. It was Lovato's fifth headlining tour, in support of her fifth studio album ''Confident (album), Confident'' (2015), and Jonas' third concert tou ...
.


Cover versions

Singer
Sam Tsui Samuel Tsui (born May 2, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter and video producer. He rose to fame as an internet celebrity known for doing covers and musical medleys of songs by pop artists. He has since released original songs and expanded ...
recorded with singer Kina Grannis a cover of the song which was released on iTunes. On April 7, 2015 '' The Voice'' season eight contestant Nathan Hermida performed the song live during the Live playoffs. Bea Miller made an a cappella version of the song in May 2015. American boy band
Midnight Red Midnight Red (formerly known as FLYTE) is an American boy band formed in 2009. The group was signed to RedOne's 2101 Records and to Capitol. Career 2009–12: Formation and beginning Midnight Red was originally formed by Eric Secharia, An ...
released a cover of the song on their YouTube channel. In Season 10 of ''The Voice'' Malik Heard covered this song in the blind auditions.


Jhené Aiko Remix

On February 28, 2015, a remix of the song surfaced online featuring the vocals of
Jhené Aiko Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (; born March 16, 1988) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer and rapper. Aiko embarked on her musical career in 2002, as a backing vocalist and music video performer for the R&B group B2K. She was signed by the ...
. The remix was released on March 2, 2015. He teams up with Jhené Aiko for the remix to "Chains". She sings the second verse on the track. Though the first verse and chorus remain the same for "Chains," the second verse swaps out Jonas for Aiko, includes new synthesizer effects.


Reception

Some critics have praised this remix, Carolyn Menyes from the site ''Music Times'' stated "Jhene Aiko sings with a sultry note in her voice, before going all Fifty Shades of Grey with her 'Chains.' Her verse may take a more literal approach to the "Chains" Jonas sings about, lyrically feeling like a rapper's take than an R&B songstress, but there's no denying that she fits in these "Chains" perfectly, balancing out Jonas' single and making it all her own along the way."


Stormzy Remix

On May 20, 2015 rapper
Stormzy Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr. (born 26 July 1993), known professionally as Stormzy, is an English-Ghanaian rapper, singer, and songwriter. In 2014, he gained attention on the UK underground music scene through his ''Wicked Skengman'' ...
unveiled the remix on BBC Radio 1Xtra. A day later the song appeared on his SoundCloud page.


Reception

UK's Complex Magazines James Keith said that the song was another example of the mainstream accepting grime as it is—no compromises and no caveats. Tasha Demi of Verge Magazine said that Stormzy bring a new element to the song.


Track listings

Digital download – single #"Chains" – 3:23 Digital download – Deluxe single #"Chains" – 3:23 #"Chains" (music video) – 3:35 Digital download – Remix #"Chains (Mike Hawkins Remix)" – 4:01 Digital download – Remix #"Chains (Dan Farber Remix)" – 3:28 Digital download – Remix #"Chains (Audien Remix)" – 4:30 Digital download – Remix #"Chains (DJ Mike D and ChAdachi Remix)" – 3:36 Digital download – single (Jhené Aiko Remix) #"Chains (Remix)" – 3:22 Digital download – Remixes #"Chains (Stormzy Remix)" – 3:49 #"Chains (Remix)" – 3:22 #"Chains (A$AP Ferg Remix)" – 3:35 Digital download – Dance Remixes #"Chains (Audien Remix)" – 4:28 #"Chains (DJ Mike D and ChAdachi Remix)" – 3:37 #"Chains (Dan Farber Remix)" – 3:30 #"Chains (Mike Hawkins Remix)" – 4:01


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


See also

*
List of number-one dance singles of 2015 (U.S.) These are the ''Billboard'' magazine's number-one dance songs of 2015 on the Dance Club Songs and the Dance/Mix Show Airplay. The Hot Dance Club Songs was first published in 1976, ranking the most popular songs on dance club based on reports fro ...


References


External links

* {{authority control Island Records singles 2014 singles 2014 songs Nick Jonas songs Songs about BDSM Songs written by Ammar Malik Songs written by Jason Evigan Songs written by Danny Parker (songwriter) Republic Records singles Torch songs