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"Only U" is a song by American singer Ashanti from her third studio album, '' Concrete Rose'' (2004). The song's introduction uses a sample of
Club Nouveau Club Nouveau () is an American R&B group formed by record producer/performer Jay King in 1986 in Sacramento, California, following the breakup of the Timex Social Club. The group's name ( French for "Club New") was changed from its original i ...
's 1986 song "
Why You Treat Me So Bad "Why You Treat Me So Bad?" is a 1987 single by Club Nouveau from their 1986 album '' Life, Love & Pain.'' The basic melodic hook of the song is taken from a hit by Club Nouveau member Jay King's previous project as producer, Timex Social Club (n ...
". "Only U" is a rock-tinged song, that finds Ashanti in love and willing to do anything to be with the one she loves, no matter the cost. Released on October 18, 2004, as the album's
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 ...
, the track reached number 13 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in January 2005. Internationally, it peaked at number two in the United Kingdom and number four in Ireland, becoming Ashanti's most successful single in both countries. The song received generally favorable reviews from music critics, with most praising its sensual lyrics, guitar riff and her vocal performance.


Background and release

After her successful second studio album ''
Chapter II Chapter Two refers to the second chapter in a book. Chapter Two, Chapter 2, or Chapter II may also refer to: Film * ''Chapter Two'' (film), a 1979 adaptation of Neil Simon's play * '' KGF: Chapter 2'', 2022 Indian period action film * '' Khuda H ...
'' (2003), which topped the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and was certified Platinum, spawned two hit singles, " Rock wit U (Awww Baby)" and " Rain on Me", and earned her three
Grammy 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 ...
nominations, Ashanti released her first
Christmas album Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or in the case of carols, may employ lyrics about the nativity of Je ...
called '' Ashanti's Christmas'' in 2003. However, the album received overwhelming negative reviews and did not provide much success on the charts. Later in September 2004, Ashanti collaborated with
Ja Rule Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. Born and raised in New York City, Ja Rule became known for blending gangsta rap with pop rap, pop and contempo ...
and R. Kelly on the track " Wonderful" for Rule's sixth studio album '' R.U.L.E.'' The song was a success, topping the UK Singles Chart and peaking inside the top 10 in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, as well as reaching the top 20 in Ireland, Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany. A month later, on October 18, 2004, "Only U" was serviced to US
urban radio Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary rad ...
, and on October 26, the song was released through
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and
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as the lead single from Ashanti's third studio album, '' Concrete Rose'' (2004). The song was released to radio stations on January 11, 2005.R&R :: Going for Adds :: CHR/Top 40
''Radio and Records''. Retrieved March 29, 2013


Remix

The official
remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...
was included on Ashanti's 2005 compilation album '' Collectables by Ashanti'', and features Caddillac Tah, Young Merc,
Ja Rule Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. Born and raised in New York City, Ja Rule became known for blending gangsta rap with pop rap, pop and contempo ...
, and
Black Child Ramel Leroy Gill (born October 18, 1973), better known by his stage name Black Child, is an American rapper from New York City. He is best known for his time being signed to Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records and being affiliated with Irv Gotti, ...
. There is a second official remix that replaces Caddillac Tah and Young Merc with
Dipset The Diplomats (also known as Dipset) were an American hip hop collective formed in the summer of 1997 by childhood friends Cam'ron and Jimmy Jones in Harlem, New York City. The group was originally composed of Cam'ron, Jim Jones and Freekey Ze ...
rappers
Cam'ron Cameron Ezike Giles (born February 4, 1976), known Mononym, mononymously as Cam'ron, is an American rapper. Beginning his career in the early 1990s as Killa Cam, Giles signed with Lance Rivera, Lance "Un" Rivera's Lance Rivera, Untertainment, a ...
and
Juelz Santana LaRon Louis James Sr. (born February 18, 1982), better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper and member of now-defunct hip-hop group, the Diplomats (also known as Dipset). He is best known for his appearances on group coho ...
.


Composition and lyrics

"Only U" was written by Ashanti, Seven Aurelius, and
Irv Gotti Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. (June 26, 1970 – February 5, 2025), professionally known as Irv Gotti or DJ Irv, was an American record producer and music executive. Gotti started off as a New York hip-hop DJ in the 1980s, then becoming an A&R t ...
, with production handled by the latter two. "Only U" is a
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
-tinged song. The song's introduction uses a sample of
Club Nouveau Club Nouveau () is an American R&B group formed by record producer/performer Jay King in 1986 in Sacramento, California, following the breakup of the Timex Social Club. The group's name ( French for "Club New") was changed from its original i ...
's 1986 song "
Why You Treat Me So Bad "Why You Treat Me So Bad?" is a 1987 single by Club Nouveau from their 1986 album '' Life, Love & Pain.'' The basic melodic hook of the song is taken from a hit by Club Nouveau member Jay King's previous project as producer, Timex Social Club (n ...
", followed by a
guitar riff A riff is a short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based on ...
, taken from the song "Presence" by Aurelius. Lyrically, "Only U" has Ashanti imagining a man providing sexual pleasure for her, finding herself always standing by his side or looking for reasons to be close to him, acting out of character and falling for him more with each day. "Oh I can't wait to get next to you/ Oh I just can't leave you alone/ Boy you got me doing things that I would never do," she sings. In the chorus, she emphasizes that the guy is only one who makes her feel in love and turned on, "Only u can make me feel and only u can take me there," she chants.


Critical reception

"Only U" received generally favorable 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 ...
. Hattie Collins of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' called it "a deliciously dark song." Chuck Arnold of ''
People Magazine ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''Peopl ...
'' wrote that "the rock-edged 'Only U,' show Ashanti truly blossoming." Khalil Regarty of ''
The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
'' called it "a No. 1-single-by-numbers in which Aurelius'
Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...
-style guitar riffs sit atop a shuffling beat the
Trackmasters The Trackmasters, also known as Poke & Tone, is an American hip hop production outfit composed of Poke (Jean-Claude Olivier born January 21, 1970; Brooklyn, New York ) and Tone (Samuel Barnes born January 20, 1969; Brooklyn, New York). Active fro ...
or
the Neptunes The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while H ...
could have put their hands to." Low Key of ''MV Remix'' wrote that "'Only U' finds Ashanti taking a risk with a rock-influenced sound, which thankfully works out well. Ashanti sounds better than ever over Seven Aurelius smashing guitar riffs and ambient sirens, making for one of her best efforts yet." Steve Jones of ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' praised the song for having "engaging beats and airy vocals," writing that "it works well." "The Bland Is Out There" review was positive, writing that, "The beat complements Ashanti's slight voice It's the one single so far which has fit right into her range. There isn't any high-pitched screaming or an excess of 'baby's' for her to sing. 'Only U' is...worth a listen."
Kelefa Sanneh Kelefa T. Sanneh (born 1976) is an American journalist and music critic. From 2000 to 2008, he wrote for ''The New York Times'', covering the rock and roll, hip-hop, and pop music scenes. Since 2008 he has been a staff writer for ''The New Yorker ...
of ''
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 ...
'' was mixed, writing that the song "revolves around a corroded keyboard line that sounds distinctly menacing - that is, until Ashanti arrives, singing, 'Ooh, I can't wait to get next to you'." Sal Cinquemani 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 ...
'' called it a "promising edgy, rock-leaning" song.


Chart performance

"Only U" proved to be successful on the charts. In the United States, the song debuted at number 63 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart issue dated November 24, 2004, and peaked at number 13 on the chart issue dated January 22, 2005. In March 2005, the single was certified gold. The song was also a success on the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 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, peaking at number 10, while it also peaked at number 8 on the
Rhythmic Top 40 The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on ...
chart and number 19 on the
Top 40 Mainstream Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the U ...
chart. In the United Kingdom, the song was even more successful, debuting at number 2, becoming her most successful solo single in the United Kingdom. On the
Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...
, the song debuted and peaked at number 4, on the chart issue dated January 27, 2005. The song also reached top-twenty positions in several countries. In New Zealand, "Only U" debuted at number 31, on February 7, 2005, and peaked at number 14, on February 14, 2005. In Switzerland, the song was her best solo single on the charts, peaking at number 12 on the
Swiss Singles Chart The Swiss Hitparade () is Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland. The Swiss charts include: * Singles Top 75 (released since 1968) * Singles T ...
. In Germany, the song also peaked at number 12, on the
German Singles Chart The GfK Entertainment charts are the official charts for music, home video, and video games in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on be ...
. In the Flanders region of Belgium, the song debuted at number 36 before peaking at number 17 in its second week. In the Netherlands, the single debuted and peaked at number 18 on the
Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 () is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore radio, offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" ...
chart. Elsewhere, the song attained top-forty positions. In the Wallonia region of Belgium, the song debuted at number 38 before climbing to its peak of number 23 in its second week. In Australia, the song debuted and peaked at number 24 on the
ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...
. In Austria, the song debuted at number 41, while it peaked at number 30, in its fourth week. In France, the song debuted and peaked at number 33 on the
SNEP SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...
chart week of March 26, 2005.


Music videos

There are two official versions of the
video Video is an Electronics, electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving picture, moving image, visual Media (communication), media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, whi ...
, both directed by
Hype Williams Harold "Hype" Williams (born August 1, 1970) is an American music video and film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Early life Williams was born in Queens. He is of mixed African-American and Honduran descent. He attended Adelphi Univ ...
and shot in
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and
Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
. It is notable for making use of a blue-hue effect in numerous shots with overt noir and neo-noir influences in many shots. The first version is the original video (which has an alternate version itself) and the second version is the Dance Version, which was only aired on
BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...
.


Original version

The original version is shot in widescreen format but the slots that are normally left black at the top and bottom of the screen were replaced with upside down or reversed images of the main shot in the middle of the screen, which flickered back and forth to give the illusion that two scenes were playing at once. The alternate version had the scenes shown in regular widescreen format with the shots and the top and bottom of the screen plain black. It opens with a ''
Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Di ...
''-inspired environment and imagery of Ashanti's face projected onto a skyscraper—similar to a scene in ''Blade Runner''. In addition, there is a scene where she is sitting down on a seat while smoking as she appears to be watching something through a projector—again, a shot similar to that of a scene in ''Blade Runner''. The rest of the video features Ashanti in various situations, posing and wearing a variety of outfits. In one scene, Ashanti is in the shower and in another she is inside a cocoon-like lamp as air gushes from beneath, creating a vacuum effect—reminiscent of the scene in ''Blade Runner'' where Zhora (
Joanna Cassidy Joanna Cassidy (born Joanna Virginia Caskey; August 2, 1945) is an American actress and former model. She began working as a model in the 1960s and made her professional acting debut in 1973, appearing in the thriller films ''The Laughing Policem ...
) goes to dry her hair inside a clear, fishbowl-like dryer. The video ends with her and a group of female dancers performing the song in concert. Bottles of
Herbal Essences Herbal Essences is a brand of hair care products line by Procter & Gamble. The brand was founded in 1971 as the single shampoo Clairol Herbal Essence Shampoo (officially typeset as ''Clairol herbal essence shampoo''). There are 29 collections of ...
hair products are seen during the shower scene as Ashanti was the then-new spokesperson for the haircare company. Seven Aurelius, who co-wrote and produced the song, makes a guest appearance at the beginning and at the end of the video playing the guitar.


Dance version

The "Dance Version" of the video consisted of the dance scene that is also shown at the end of the original video, with Ashanti and the back-up dancers dancing throughout the entire video. Seven Aurelius makes a cameo appearance in this version as well at the beginning and at the end of the video as the guitar player. Director Hype Williams featured his signature style of widescreen format in this version of the video also, except the slots that are normally left blank at the top and bottom of the screen were replaced with upside down or reversed images of the main shot in the middle of the screen.


In popular culture

The song was sampled by
Playboi Carti Jordan Terrell Carter (born September 13, 1995, or 1996), known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, he is considered an influential figure in modern Hip hop music, hip hop a ...
for the track " Cocaine Nose" on his 2025 album ''
Music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
''.


Track listings

US 12-inch single :A1. "Only U" (clean) :A2. "Only U" (instrumental) :A3. "Only U" (a cappella) :B1. "Turn It Up" (featuring
Ja Rule Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. Born and raised in New York City, Ja Rule became known for blending gangsta rap with pop rap, pop and contempo ...
—clean) :B2. "Turn It Up" (featuring Ja Rule—main) :B3. "Turn It Up" (featuring Ja Rule—instrumental) UK 12-inch single :A1. "Only U" – 3:07 :B1. "Turn It Up" (radio edit featuring Ja Rule) – 4:21 :B2. "Spend the Night" – 3:30 UK CD1 # "Only U" – 3:07 # "Turn It Up" (radio edit featuring Ja Rule) – 4:21 # "Spend the Night" – 3:30 # "Only U" (video) UK CD2 and European CD single # "Only U" – 3:07 # "Turn It Up" (radio edit featuring Ja Rule) – 4:21 French CD single # "Only U" # " Wonderful" (remix with Ja Rule and R. Kelly) Australian CD single # "Only U" # "Turn It Up" (featuring Ja Rule) # "Only U" (Kelly G's club mix) # "Only U" (video) Japanese CD single # "Only U" (radio edit) # "Only U" (remix) # "Only U" (instrumental)


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


"Split (Only U)"

"Split (Only U)" is a song by Dutch
disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...
and producer
Tiësto Tijs Michiel Verwest (; born 17 January 1969), known professionally as Tiësto ( , ), is a Dutch DJ and record producer. He was voted "The Greatest DJ of All Time" by ''Mix (magazine), Mix'' magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, h ...
and
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...
s and
producers Producer(s), The Producer(s), or co-producer(s) may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *Producer, a stakeholder of economic production * Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes t ...
the Chainsmokers The Chainsmokers are an American electronic DJ and production duo consisting of Alex Pall and Drew Taggart. They started out by releasing remixes of songs by indie artists. The electronic dance music, EDM-Pop music, pop duo achieved a breakth ...
. It was released on August 31, 2015, in the Netherlands. The song is included in the soundtrack of the 2016 action movie, '' Collide''.


Background

In the track, Tiësto and the Chainsmokers used a sample of "Only U". The track was premiered during Tiësto's set at
Ultra Europe Ultra Europe is a multi-venue outdoor electronic music festival that is a part of Ultra Music Festival's worldwide expansion, which has now spread to twenty countries. Ultra Europe made its debut as a two-day festival during 12–13 July 2013, ...
2015 in
Split, Croatia Split (, ), historically known as Spalato (; ; see #Name, other names), is the List of cities and towns in Croatia, second-largest city of Croatia after the capital Zagreb, the largest city in Dalmatia and the largest city on the Croatian coast ...
. The title of the track comes from the name of the city.


Reviews

Fabien Dori from French webmedia ''Guettapen'' praises the track that he considered as "excellent", despite the fact that he notices a second part of the track with a "too offensive" sound of the synthesizers.


Music video

The music video premiered on
Spinnin' Records Spinnin' Records is a Dutch electronic music record label founded in 1999 by Eelko van Kooten and Roger de Graaf. In September 2017, Warner Music Group acquired Spinnin' Records for over $100 million. Background Van Kooten is the son of former ...
' official
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Channel on September 3, 2015. The music video was directed by Joe Zohar and produced by Moving Box Studios. The music video starts with the Chainsmokers waking up after a party in their hotel room of
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. They receive a scoffer
Snapchat Snapchat is an American multimedia social media and instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of the app are that pictures and messages, known as "snaps", are usually availa ...
message from Tiësto and decide to get revenge. They decide to kidnap him while he is producing music in his room. With a bag on his head, they bring him out of Las Vegas to kill him in the desert after that the prisoner digs his own tomb. Later, for the night, the duo guest two girls in their room to spend the night together. But, they die after a retaliation of the new walking dead.


Track listings

Digital download (MF132) # "Split (Only U)" – 5:06 2017 translucent blue 7-inch vinyl # "Split (Only You)" (extended mix) – 5:06 # "Split (Only You)" (radio edit) – 4:18


Charts


References

{{The Chainsmokers 2004 songs 2004 singles 2015 singles American pop rock songs Ashanti (singer) songs Music videos shot in Canada Music videos shot in Mexico Music videos directed by Hype Williams Songs written by Andrew Taggart Songs written by Ashanti (singer) Songs written by Channel 7 (musician) Songs written by Irv Gotti Songs written by Tiësto Spinnin' Records singles Tiësto songs