"Don't Look Down" is a song by Dutch DJ and record producer

Martin Garrix Martijn Gerard Garritsen (; born 14 May 1996), known professionally as Martin Garrix (or Ytram and GRX), is a Dutch Republic, Dutch DJ and record producer who was ranked number one on ''DJ Mag''s Top 100 DJs list for three consecutive years—20 ...

, featuring vocals from American singer Usher. It was released as a digital download on 17 March 2015 on

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

Background

Talking about his collaboration with Usher, Garrix said: "I had the track and he was at my manager Scooter’s house when I sent it over. Next thing I knew, I was on a FaceTime call with Usher, who said, 'I would love to do the track.' A week later, we were in the studio. It was super quick!" He also said the song is about "focusing on the positive side of everything."

Composition and critical reception

"Don't Look Down" is written in the key of

A minor A minor is a minor scale based on A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative major is C major and its parallel major is A major. The A natural minor scale is: Changes needed for the melodic ...

with a

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 130 beats per minute. The song follows a chord progression of AmFC, and Usher's vocals span from G₃ to C₅. ''

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 ...

'' Jason Lipshutz wrote, "Dutch EDM wunderkind Martin Garrix pivots from his standard sinister instrumental bangers and puts on his best

David Guetta Pierre David Guetta (; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and record producer. He has sold over 10 million albums and 65 million singles globally, with more than 30 billion streams on Spotify. Guetta was voted the number one DJ in the DJ Mag ...

mask for 'Don't Look Down'. Usher has toed the now-or-never party line many times before, but his spirited vocals and a cheerful xylophone drop make this collabo a pop winner". Another ''Billboard'' contributor, Matt Madved, also noted Guetta's influences, with Garrix "ditching harder-edged trappings of festival house for cheery guitar-backed verses and a softer melodic lead".

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 ...

's Robbie Daw called it "a nice blend of dance beats and radio-friendly pop that should be music to programmers’ ears."

Music video

A lyric video directed by Rory Kramer showing a man quitting his job and enjoying life was released on 17 March 2015. Two official music videos were released on 23 March 2015 giving a female and male perspective of work at a country club. Usher does not appear in the video.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 2015 singles Martin Garrix songs Usher (musician) songs 2015 songs RCA Records singles Sony Music singles Spinnin' Records singles Songs written by Martin Garrix Songs written by Usher (musician) Songs written by busbee Songs written by James Abrahart