"Give It 2 U" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Robin Thicke Robin Alan Thicke (born March 10, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 2013 single " Blurred Lines" (featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams), which peaked atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, received ...

from his sixth studio album, ''

Blurred Lines "Blurred Lines" is a song by American singer Robin Thicke featuring American rapper T.I. and American musician Pharrell Williams from Thicke's sixth studio album of the same name (2013). Solely produced by Williams, it was released as the a ...

'' (2013). It was written and produced by

Dr. Luke Łukasz Sebastian Gottwald (born September 26, 1973), known professionally as Dr. Luke, Tyson Trax, and Made in China, is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He began his professional music career as the Saturday Night Live ...

and

Cirkut Henry Russell Walter (born April 23, 1986), known professionally as Cirkut, is a Canadian record producer and songwriter. He has co-produced and co-written commercially successful singles, often in tandem with American record producer Dr. Luke ...

, with additional writing by Thicke, the featured artist

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...

, and

will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "will I am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is the frontman of the musical group Black Eyed Peas, which he ...

. Originally titled "Give It to Me", a demo version of the song premiered on the

radio show A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production, or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio netw ...

''Sway in the Morning'' on May 2, 2013. Featuring guest vocals from Lamar, it was released as the third single from the album on August 27, 2013. "Give It 2 U" is an uptempo

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

and

electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...

song with elements of

dubstep Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken ...

. Lyrically, Thicke sings about sexually pleasing a partner. The song received mixed reviews, with some

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 ...

praising it as one of the best tracks from ''Blurred Lines'', while others criticized it for its overt sexual lyrics. However, Lamar's verse in the song was lauded by many critics. "Give It 2 U" achieved moderate success on the charts internationally, receiving more success than the prior single "

For the Rest of My Life "For the Rest of My Life" (also known as "4 the Rest of My Life") is a song by American R&B singer Robin Thicke from his sixth studio album ''Blurred Lines'' (2013). Written and produced by Thicke and ProJay, the song was serviced to urban ad ...

". The song became a

top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

hit in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Scotland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It peaked at number 45 on both 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 ...

s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Rhythmic year-end charts. An accompanying music video for "Give It 2 U" premiered on August 23, 2013. Directed by

Diane Martel Diane Martel (also known as Bucky Chrome and Diamond Martel) is an American music video director and choreographer. As a music video director, she has worked with Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Sting and Jennifer Lopez. One of her ...

, the video was commissioned for a remix of the song, featuring Lamar and an additional verse by

2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (formerly Tity Boi), is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip-hop duo Playaz Ci ...

. The video portrays Thicke as a referee, as several dance teams and floats surround him on a football field. The video was met with mixed reception. The song was promoted at the

2013 MTV Video Music Awards The 2013 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 25, 2013, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Marking the 30th installment of the award show, they were the first to be held in New York City not to use a venue within the borough of ...

alongside Lamar, 2 Chainz, and

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( , born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and director. Regarded as a contemporary pop icon, Cyrus has been recognized for her evolving artistry and image reinventions. She is ...

, following a highly controversial performance of "

". It was also regularly performed during Thicke's debut headlining tour, the Blurred Lines Tour (2014).

Background and recording

The song was written and produced by

, and

, with additional writing by Thicke,

and

. It was written in approximately an hour, with Thicke striving to write a carefree song that is "straight to the dancefloor, straight to the sexy". When discussing the song, Thicke described it as "very

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

but also pretty hip-hop. It’s a big, shiny pop record. It’s fun". Thicke originally reached out to

to record a verse for the song, although his management had also simultaneously sent the song out to

. Both rappers expressed interest in appearing on the song, resulting in a demo entitled "Give It to Me". On May 2, 2013, Thicke premiered this demo on the radio show ''Sway in the Morning''. However, this version of the song was later relegated to a remix on the deluxe edition of ''

'' (2013), with the album version only featuring Lamar. "Give It 2 U" was recorded at Luke's in the Boo,

Record Plant Studios 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 ...

, and TDE Red Room Studios in Malibu, Los Angeles, and Carson, respectively.

Composition and remixes

"Give It 2 U" is an

and

song featuring elements of

. Lyrically, the song discusses Thicke's desire to sexually please a partner. Speaking on the lyric "Big dick for ya, let me give it to ya", Thicke explained that it was "more a comment of swagger. Like, I'm big-dick swingin'". A remix version for the song, featuring an additional verse from

, was made available as one of the bonus tracks on the deluxe edition of ''

'' (2013). Another version, the "Norman Doray & Rob Adans Remix", was released in 2013.

Critical reception

Rob Tannenbaum of ''

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 ...

'' praised the song, citing it as one of the parent album's "cheeky impersonations of dubstep". Andrew Chan of ''

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 ...

'' criticized the sexual lyrics of the song, citing it as a low point on the album. Sophie Schillaci of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' criticized the song's sexual lyrical content, claiming that "In the wake of Robin Thicke’s “

” controversy (and wild success), the singer is giving his critics some fresh ammo".

Chart performance

In the United States, "Give It 2 U" debuted at number 83 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for the issue dated September 7, 2013. The song spent a total of 12 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 25 for the issue dated September 14, 2013. On the

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 ...

and

Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...

charts, the song peaked at number 21 and 13, respectively. The song reached the top ten on both the

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 ...

and

Rhythmic Rhythmic may refer to: * Related to rhythm * Rhythmic contemporary, a radio format * Rhythmic adult contemporary, a radio format * Rhythmic gymnastics Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in groups on a floor ...

charts, peaking at number 7 and 6, respectively. It also reached the number 45 position on the year-end versions of both charts.

Music video

Background

The music video was directed by

in Los Angeles, California and premiered on August 23, 2013 on

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 ...

. Rather than the album version, the video was produced for the remix of "Give It 2 U" featuring both

and

. It features appearances by three models including Alana Greszatai, Jessica Strother, and Mallory Llewellyn, all of whom are termed the "Luxury Girls" in the video. Three American dance teams, including The Passionettes, The Stingettes, and The Baker Girls, also made an appearance in the video. Before its release,

MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...

reported that it was set on a football field, noting that "Thicke and Lamar reriding around on mini trucks with women on their laps". In the video, Thicke wore gold-rimmed sunglasses and a golden whistle, while alternating between a black suit jacket and a black-and-white striped suit, with the latter in reference to the referee outfit he wore during his performance at the

. When speaking on working with Martel, Thicke said,

It's a Diane Martel dream, and I'm just happy to be here. The thing about Diane Martel that makes it so amazing — besides just being a crazy genius — is that she combines all different parts of the world into one soup. She takes the cotton candy, she takes the beautiful football-playing girls and she mixes it all up into one beautiful pot. So we're all very lucky to have her and excited to be working with her again

Synopsis and reception

The video is set on a football field and features a cameo by Thicke's son, Julian Fuego, as well as college dance teams from

Albany State University Albany State University is a Public university, public Historically Black College and University, historically black university in Albany, Georgia, United States. In 2017, Darton State College and Albany State University consolidated to become ...

and

Alabama State University Alabama State University (ASU, Bama State, or Alabama State) is a public historically Black university in Montgomery, Alabama. Founded in 1867, during the Reconstruction era, it was one of about 180 " normal schools" established by state gove ...

. Several dancers called "Luxury Girls" are shown dressed up like bottles of champagne, rolls of $100 bills and tins of caviar with others holding up Paper Mache models of lobsters, sushi and other luxurious foods. 2 Chainz enters the field leading a parade float labelled the "Ass Float" while Kendrick enters on a miniature car. The video ends with every girl dancing to the song with Robin Thicke. Carrie Battan of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' praised the video, referring to it as "valiant effort to top the mania induced by 'Blurred Lines'". Lacey Seidman of

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

described the video a "delight", commenting that Thicke "unleashes an arsenal of fun foolishness in the Diane Martel-directed video".

Live performances

Thicke performed the song at the

in a

medley Medley or Medleys may refer to: Sports *Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles * Medley relay races at track meets Music *Medley (music), multiple pieces strung together People *Medley (surname), list of people with this nam ...

alongside "

" and

's "

We Can't Stop "We Can't Stop" is a song by American singer Miley Cyrus, from her fourth studio album ''Bangerz'' (2013). It was released on June 3, 2013, by RCA Records as the lead single from the album. The song was written and produced by Mike Will Made ...

and

accompanied Thicke, performing their verses from the remixed version of the song. Phillip Mlynar of

described the performance as having a "football referee–themed vibe", as Thicke donned a black-and-white stripped suit with cheerleader-themed dancers surrounding him. "Give It 2 U" was regularly performed as the opening number on Thicke's debut headlining tour, the Blurred Lines Tour (2014).

In popular culture

Media

*The song appears during the party scene in the third episode of season one ("Girl, Interrupted") of

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

television series ''

The Tomorrow People ''The Tomorrow People'' is a British children's science fiction on television, science fiction television series created by Roger Price (television producer), Roger Price. Produced by Thames Television for the ITV (TV network), ITV Network, th ...

''. *The song was also featured in the 2015 comedy film ''

Ted 2 ''Ted 2'' (stylized as ''ted2'') is a 2015 American fantasy comedy film. The sequel to ''Ted (film), Ted'' (2012), the film was co-produced and directed again by Seth MacFarlane, who co-wrote the script with returning writers Alec Sulkin and Wel ...

''.

Track listings and formats

*CD Single #"Give It 2 U" (featuring

) – 3:50 #"Give It 2 U" (No Rap Version) – 2:56 *Digital download (Remix) #"Give It 2 U" (Remix) (featuring Kendrick Lamar &

) – 4:17 *Digital download (U.S. Mix) #"Give It 2 U" (U.S. Mix) (featuring Kendrick Lamar) – 3:49 *Digital download (Remix) #"Give It 2 U" (Norman Doray & Rob Adans Remix Radio Edit) (featuring Kendrick Lamar) – 3:54

Credits and personnel

–

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

– writer, vocals *

– writer, vocal production *

– writer, producer, all instruments,

programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

– writer, producer, all instruments, programming *

Serban Ghenea Serban Ghenea () is a Canadian audio engineer and mixer. He has been nominated for a Grammy Award a total of 45 times and has won 21 times. Early life and education Ghenea was born in Romania, and in 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. H ...

– mixing *

Derek "MixedByAli" Ali Derek Ali (born November 1, 1989), known professionally as MixedByAli, is an American mixing engineer. His career started in Los Angeles in the late-2000s, where he began recording and mixing for artists under Top Dawg Entertainment. He initiall ...

–

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, re ...

* Clint Gibbs – engineering * Padraic "Padlock" Kerin – engineering * Rachael Findlen – assistant engineer * Dustin Capulong – assistant engineer * Irene Richter – production coordination * John Hanes – engineered for mix Credits and personnel adapted from "Give It 2 U" CD single liner notes.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* * {{authority control 2013 singles 2013 songs Robin Thicke songs Songs written by Robin Thicke Kendrick Lamar songs Songs written by Kendrick Lamar Song recordings produced by Dr. Luke Music videos directed by Diane Martel Songs written by Dr. Luke Song recordings produced by Cirkut Interscope Records singles Songs written by Cirkut Songs written by 2 Chainz Songs written by will.i.am