Feels So Good (Mel B Song)
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"Feels So Good" is a song by English singer
Melanie B Melanie Janine Brown, Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Mel B or Melanie B, is an English singer, songwriter, television personality, and actress. She rose to fame in the mid 1990s as a member of the Pop mus ...
from her first solo album '' Hot'' (2000). It was written by the singer in collaboration with duo
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/ pop songwriting and record production team. Their productions have received commercial success since the 1980s with var ...
, who also produced the track. The song was released as the album's second single on 19 February 2001, by
Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...
in the United Kingdom. Its release was seen as an attempt to increase the album's falling sales. "Feels So Good" is a
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 ...
and R&B song that lyrically deals with being content in love. "Feels So Good" received positive reviews from music critics. It also fared well commercially in the United Kingdom, reaching number five on the UK Singles Chart, eventually becoming Melanie B's second best-selling single in the region; the single attained moderate success in Europe. The song's
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 ...
was directed by
Martin Weisz Martin Weisz (born March 27, 1966), is a German music video and film director. He has directed over 350 videos and worked with artists such as Nickelback, Brandy, Puff Daddy, and LL Cool J. He has also directed numerous commercials. Weisz won a ...
and was filmed in Los Angeles. "Feels So Good" was performed in some television shows as part of promotion for the single.


Background and composition

In 2000,
Spice Girls The Spice Girls are an English girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Mel B ("Scary Spice"), Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"), Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"), Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"), and Victoria Beckham ("Posh Spice"). They have sold over 10 ...
member Melanie B released her debut solo effort, titled '' Hot''; it debuted at number 28 in the United Kingdom, selling only 7,500 copies in its first week despite the publicity surrounding it, before quickly dropping from the chart completely two weeks later. It was eventually certified Silver by the
British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI), denoting shipments of over 60,000 copies across the region. "Feels So Good" was selected as the second single from ''Hot'', and was seen as an attempt to reverse the album's falling sales.
Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...
released it on 19 February 2001 in the United Kingdom. Melanie B described the track as "very happy, very uplifting as opposed to the first single which was very controversial". She also justified the single's choice, "This time of the year is a bit of a depressing time...and I wanted to bring something out that was uplifting and this song does it for me so hopefully it'll do it for everyone else", while also describing the song, Melanie B wrote about a special affection that was "very ideal in my head, about how a relationship should be." "Feels So Good" was written by Melanie B in collaboration with
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/ pop songwriting and record production team. Their productions have received commercial success since the 1980s with var ...
in Minneapolis; Jam and Lewis were also in charge of the music production and all instruments for the track. Lisa Keith did the
background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...
, while Alex Richbourg did the
drum programming Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices and computer software, such as sequencers and workstations or hardware synthesizers, sampler and sequencers, to generate sounds of musical instruments. These mu ...
.
Recording engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproducti ...
Steve Hodge recorded it at
The Record Plant The Record Plant was a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and last operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it produced highly influential albums, including the New York ...
in Los Angeles, with Xavier Smith as his assistant. Hodge also mixed the track at
Larrabee Sound Studios Larrabee Sound Studios is a recording studio complex in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, North Hollywood, California, originally established in 1969. Facilities Located at 4162 Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood, Larrabee has six studios, thre ...
in North California. Musically, "Feels So Good" is a
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 ...
and R&B song that lyrically is a "feel-good track about being content in love". According to ''
Dotmusic ''Dotmusic'' was a music webzine that existed as a standalone website from 1 June 1995 to December 2003. Initially intended as the web complement to the UK music industry trade magazine ''Music Week'', the site was relaunched in December 1998 as a ...
''s Cyd James, the lyrics are about "being joyously head-over-heels without being too slushy and sentimental about it". According to Nigel Packer from
BBC Music BBC Music is the arm of the BBC responsible for the music played across its services. The current director of music is Lorna Clarke. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio operational division; however, its remit also includes music used i ...
, the "upbeat" lyrics were "unexpected given Mel's much-publicised marriage break-up" months prior. The song starts with the singer declaring "I'm gonna get all soft and smoocheh" in a "rich and ripe" accent from
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
,
West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...
. Jon O'Brien 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 ...
'' stated that "Mel B ensured that you wouldn't mistake her for anyone else" with her accent. The song also features Melanie B screaming "Yippee!" in the background throughout the song.


Reception


Critical

"Feels So Good" received generally positive reviews from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
. According to Nick Levine of ''
Attitude Attitude or Attitude may refer to: Philosophy and psychology * Attitude (psychology), a disposition or state of mind ** Attitude change * Propositional attitude, a mental state held towards a proposition Science and technology * Orientation ...
'', the track was an "irresistible summer jam", as well as Melanie B's signature hit of her solo career. Lennat Mak from
MTV Asia MTV was a pan-Asian music pay television channel that was launched on 5 May 1995 as a standalone pay television service. The channel was owned by Paramount Networks EMEAA. History Pre-launch The first incarnation of MTV Asia was launched on ...
selected it as a "choice cut" from ''Hot'', and commented that the song was a "poppy" track that "Mel B sings with confidence".
Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...
said the song was the singer's "breeziest track", describing it as a "lush pop singalong". Sarah Dobbs from
Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its initial launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television pro ...
felt it "definitely falls closer to the pop end of the pop-R'n'B spectrum her solo work tended to fall along, but that's no bad thing." Esther Sadler of Virgin.net described "Feels So Good" as a "pristine pop romp". According to ''Billboard''s Joe O'Brien, the track "left you wishing that Jimmy Jam and Lewis, who produced it, had taken control of" the whole ''Hot'' album, as it "evoked the duo's regular muse
Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...
at her most carefree." Cyd Jaymes from ''Dotmusic'' called the song a "corker", as well as a "sunshiny, exuberantly happy R&B; style pop which will have you singing from breakfast to bedtime"; he also added that "even the fact that every now and then in the background our Mel can be heard delightedly squealing YIPPEE! does not detract from this fine slice of popular music." Nigel Packer from BBC Music wrote that the track "sets he album'sthe tone ominously", describing it as "a sparky singalong which would probably have worked over three minutes but for some inexplicable reason is stretched out to five." According to ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
''s staff, "Feels So Good" was "charming", although it was "ruined from the start by the sound of Our Mel from Leeds bleating about getting 'all soft an' smoo-cheh' in fluent Yorkshire". For the staff of ''
Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...
'', "it will need to perform very well if it is to revive the fortunes of the parent album ''Hot''."


Commercial

In the United Kingdom, "Feels So Good" debuted at number five on the UK Singles Chart for the week of 3 March 2001, spending nine weeks on the tally. It also reached number two on the UK Hip Hop/R&B chart, while peaking at number 32 on the UK Dance chart. In total, "Feels So Good" became the 85th best-selling single of 2001 in the region. In June 2017, it was revealed by the
Official Charts Company The Official UK Charts Company Limited (formerly Music Industry Chart Services Limited), trading as the Official Charts Company (OCC) or the Official Charts (formerly the Chart Information Network), is a British inter-professional organisation ...
that the single was Melanie B's second biggest selling solo single in the region, with a total of 142,000 copies sold, only behind "
I Want You Back "I Want You Back" is the first national single by the Jackson 5. It was released by Motown on October 7, 1969, and became the first number-one hit for the band on January 31, 1970. It was performed on the band's first television appearances, on ...
" (1998), a collaboration with Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott. Across Europe, "Feels So Good" attained moderate success. While peaking at number eight in Scotland, it managed to reach the top 10 in Belgium's Flemish region, and peaked at numbers 62 and 42 in Germany and Ireland, respectively. Across the pan-
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by ''Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately f ...
, the track peaked at number 25.


Promotion

The accompanying
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 ...
was directed by
Martin Weisz Martin Weisz (born March 27, 1966), is a German music video and film director. He has directed over 350 videos and worked with artists such as Nickelback, Brandy, Puff Daddy, and LL Cool J. He has also directed numerous commercials. Weisz won a ...
and was filmed at
Larry Flynt Larry Claxton Flynt Jr. (; November 1, 1942 – February 10, 2021) was an American publisher and the president of Larry Flynt Publications (LFP). LFP mainly produces pornographic magazines, such as '' Hustler'', pornographic videos, and three p ...
's house in Los Angeles. According to the singer, it was the director's idea to have her kissing a man during the video. She commented, "You do feel something because you've got a stranger's lips on your lips but the crew's there so you can't really get off on it!". The video starts with Melanie B driving her car down a road, singing the intro and scenes of a house with a couple kissing. The first chorus starts as the singer gets out of her car. As the song progresses, she walks through the house singing the song with scenes of three couples kissing in different parts of the house each. Then, an unseen blinding light appears, making the women in each couple to knock something over ( e.i. a glass of wine, a bowl of doughnuts, a beer bottle). The video ends with Melanie B and her boyfriend (played by Andrew Karelis) kissing on a bed as a bright light flashes over them. To further promote "Feels So Good", Melanie B performed the track on televised shows and events, such as ''
Live & Kicking ''Live & Kicking'' was a British children's television series that originally aired on BBC1 from 2 October 1993 to 15 September 2001. It was the replacement for '' Going Live!'', and took many of its features from it, such as phone-ins, games, ...
'', '' This Morning'', '' CD:UK'' and '' The Pepsi Chart Show''.


Track listings

* UK and European enhanced CD single # "Feels So Good" – 4:01 # "Feels So Good" – 4:07 # "Feels So Good" – 5:22 # "Feels So Good" – 4:00 * UK cassette single # "Feels So Good" – 4:01 # "Feels So Good" – 4:07 # "Feels So Good" – 5:22 * UK 12-inch single :A1. "Feels So Good" – 5:22 :A2. "Feels So Good" – 5:05 :B1. "Feels So Good" – 7:33 * European CD single # "Feels So Good" – 4:01 # "Feels So Good" – 4:07 * Australasian CD single # "Feels So Good" – 4:01 # "Feels So Good" – 7:36 # "
Tell Me Tell Me may refer to: * ''Tell Me...'', a 1979 album by Jimmy Knepper * Tell me (advertisement), a 2005 Chinese-language newspaper ad calling for universal suffrage in Hong Kong * Tell Me (TV series), ''Tell Me'' (TV series), a 2019 South Korean qu ...
" – 6:06 # "Feels So Good" – 5:24 # "
I Want You Back "I Want You Back" is the first national single by the Jackson 5. It was released by Motown on October 7, 1969, and became the first number-one hit for the band on January 31, 1970. It was performed on the band's first television appearances, on ...
" – 8:22 # "Feels So Good" – 4:00


Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel adapted from ''Hot'' liner notes. *
Melanie Brown Melanie Janine Brown, MBE (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Mel B or Melanie B, is an English singer, songwriter, television personality, and actress. She rose to fame in the mid 1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which ...
– vocals, songwriting * James Harris III – songwriting, production, all instruments * Terry Lewis – songwriting, production, all instruments *Lisa Keith – background vocals *Alex Richbourg – drum programming *Steve Hodge – engineering, mixing *Xavier Smith – engineering assistant


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Sales


References

Notes Citations {{DEFAULTSORT:Feels So Good (Melanie Brown Song) 2000 songs 2001 singles Mel B songs Music videos directed by Martin Weisz Song recordings produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Songs written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Songs written by Mel B Virgin Records singles