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"Sorry" is a song recorded by American singer
Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...
. It was written by Ciara, Elvis "Blac" Williams, and Jasper Cameron, and produced by Harris and Cameron. The song premiered alongside its music video on September 13, 2012, and was released as a digital download two weeks later on September 25, 2012. Epic Records serviced the single to
urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, 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 conte ...
and
rhythmic Rhythmic may refer to: * Related to rhythm * Rhythmic contemporary, a radio format * Rhythmic adult contemporary, a radio format * Rhythmic gymnastics, a form of gymnastics * Rhythmic (chart) The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and ...
radio in the United States on October 9, 2012. "Sorry" is a midtemp
R&B ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. Curt ...
with production akin to Ciara's previous single, "
Promise A promise is a commitment by someone to do or not do something. As a noun ''promise'' means a declaration assuring that one will or will not do something. As a verb it means to commit oneself by a promise to do or give. It can also mean a capacity ...
" (2006). Lyrically, the song speaks on a relationship gone bad, and has been described as an autobiography. "Sorry" received mixed 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 ...
, some of whom praised its lyricism and vocals and saw it as Ciara's return to her best sound, while other's criticized it for sounding "watered-down" and felt it didn't live up to the standard set forth by Ciara's past hits. The single was moderately successful, as it managed to chart within the top fifty on the US and UK R&B charts and reached the top ten on the US dance chart, making it her first single to do so. The song's accompanying music video, directed by
Christopher Sims Christopher Albert Sims (born October 21, 1942) is an American econometrician and macroeconomist. He is currently the John J.F. Sherrerd '52 University Professor of Economics at Princeton University. Together with Thomas Sargent, he won the No ...
, was filmed in
Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Mali ...
and features Ciara demonstrating distance between herself and on-screen lover, model
Broderick Hunter Broderick Hunter Jr. (born January 3, 1991), is an American model and actor from Fontana, California. Early life Broderick Hunter Jr. was born on January 3, 1991, in Fontana, California to Broderick Hunter Sr. and Chika Hunter. He has an older s ...
, while dancing in solo scenes. Ciara performed the song on BET's '' Black Girls Rock!'' awards and on ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's l ...
'' in the United States. On December 3, 2012, Ciara's boyfriend, rapper
Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currentl ...
, released an official remix for the song featuring new production, new vocals, and verses. Ciara's new hair color and stylist created by celebrity hairstylist MateoJon.


Background and release

"Sorry" was written by Ciara, who was credited to her full birth name Ciara Princess Harris, Elvis Williams, and Jasper Cameron, and was produced by Harris and Cameron at Royaly Rightings and Universal Music Corporation in
Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
. The three had previously worked together on Ciara's singles, "
Promise A promise is a commitment by someone to do or not do something. As a noun ''promise'' means a declaration assuring that one will or will not do something. As a verb it means to commit oneself by a promise to do or give. It can also mean a capacity ...
" (2006) and " Never Ever" (2009). On August 25, 2012, while speaking to Claudia Jordan on Centric's ''The Hot 10'', Ciara described "Sorry" as a "very, very real record," and went on to tell ''
Essence Essence ( la, essentia) is a polysemic term, used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property or set of properties that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it ...
'' magazine that she had to stop herself from crying while writing the song. Although Ciara never confirmed who the song was about, she assured it wasn't about ex-boyfriend
Amar'e Stoudemire Amar'e Carsares Stoudemire ( ; he, אמארה יהושפט סטודמאייר; born November 16, 1982) is an American-Israeli professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as a player development assistant for the Bro ...
. It was later confirmed that the song was indeed referring to her bad break-up with rapper
50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...
, and then followed an apology dedicated to Ciara via Twitter from himself. Ciara first premiered "Sorry" at listening party for '' One Woman Army'' in
New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
on June 6, 2012, with it being one of the records that was highlighted by listeners. On August 13, 2012, Ciara posted a letter online via
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
, which featured some of the lyrics from the song, and ended with "Sorry 8/20", and premiered the song's single cover on August 20, 2012. Ciara's label, Epic Records went on to confirm that it would serve as the
lead single A lead single (also known as a debut 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. Release ...
from ''One Woman Army'' on September 10, 2012, with it replacing "
Sweat Perspiration, also known as sweating, is the production of fluids secreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and apocrine glands. The eccrine sweat glands are dist ...
", which had originally been confirmed for the position. In speaking on "Sorry"'s release, Ciara stated that she viewed it and its follow-up " Got Me Good" as the album's dual
lead single A lead single (also known as a debut 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. Release ...
s, stating "Those two just make a cool marriage. ‘Got Me Good’ is living in the moment of being ‘Got Good’. Like when someone makes you feel real good and no one can make you feel like they feel. So it's ‘you got me good’, then it's ‘you had me good’ and then it got to the point where a ‘Sorry’ was necessary." The single premiered on
Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...
, alongside its music video, on September 13, 2012. "Sorry" was released via digital download in North America, Australia, and in select European countries on September 25, 2012, and impacted US
Urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, 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 conte ...
and
Rhythmic Rhythmic may refer to: * Related to rhythm * Rhythmic contemporary, a radio format * Rhythmic adult contemporary, a radio format * Rhythmic gymnastics, a form of gymnastics * Rhythmic (chart) The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and ...
radio stations on October 9, 2012. The single was released in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2012.


Composition and critical reception

"Sorry" is an R&B ballad with a four minutes and forty nine seconds length. The song was co-written by
Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...
, Elvis Williams, and Jasper Cameron and produced by Ciara and Cameron. The song samples
Ginuwine Elgin Baylor Lumpkin (born October 15, 1970), better known by his stage name Ginuwine, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. He began his career as a member of Swing Mob in the early 1990s. Signing to Epic Records as a solo ...
's song Differences, and a melody similar to that of "Promise". Lyrically the song speaks on a relationship gone sour, being described by MTV as an autobiography. Pop Crush stated that :Ciara is back in a big way.: Idolator compared the song to past songs by Ciara saying "It has a similar vibe to her past slow burners, like 'Never Ever' and 'Ride'".


Chart performance

In the United States, "Sorry" debuted on the ''
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 ...
''
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 ...
chart at ninety-six on September 27, 2012, and rose to seventy-five the following week.[] On October 11, 2012, ''Billboard'' introduced new chart methodology, which converted the 100 position airplay based-
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 ...
chart, into one that takes into account digital sales, airplay, and online streaming in urban markets and has 50 positions. As a result, "Sorry" fell off the chart after only two weeks. It re-entered the chart at forty-nine on October 18, 2012, and peaked at forty-two. With the change, ''Billboard'' also introduced the R&B Songs chart, which combines the airplay, sales, and streams of solely R&B (non-rap) songs. Upon its introduction on October 11, 2012, "Sorry" entered the chart at twenty, and peaked at number 14 on the chart. Following its digital release, the song entered the ''Billboard''
Hot Digital Songs The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally start ...
chart at number 69, prompting it to chart at number 22 on the ''Billboard''
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...
chart on October 4, 2012,http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/chart-search-results/singles/14125247 a listing of the top 25 songs that have yet to enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but fell off the chart the following week. On the ''Billboard'' chart dated February 16, 2013, the song reached number 6 of the Hot Dance/Club Songs chart, making it her first song to accomplish that on the chart.[]


Promotion


Music video

The music video, directed by Christopher Sims, was filmed in August 2012 in
Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Mali ...
. On August 31, 2012, Ciara revealed a still photograph from the video shoot. On September 11, 2012, more stills from the video were released. The following day, on September 12, a 30-second sneak peek of the cinematic video was released. Later that day, Ciara revealed another 30 second sneak peek of the video. Even later that day, a third preview was shown on BET's ''
106 & Park ''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rat ...
''. The video premiered on September 13, 2012, on ''
106 & Park ''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rat ...
'' and
VEVO Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...
. On the video, Complex said, It's a “really dope video” while MTV commented that Ciara brings it with “the perfect blend of sexy and apologetic.”.


Live performances

On October 13, 2012, Ciara performed "Sorry" and "
1, 2 Step "1, 2 Step" is a song by American singer Ciara featuring hip-hop rapper Missy Elliott for Ciara's debut album, '' Goodies''. Written by Ciara and Missy Elliott and produced by Jazze Pha, it was released as the album's second single on November ...
" with rapper
Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...
at the '' Black Girls Rock!'' Awards. The show aired on BET on November 4, 2012. Ciara performed "Sorry" and "Got Me Good", as well as past hits, " Goodies", "
1, 2 Step "1, 2 Step" is a song by American singer Ciara featuring hip-hop rapper Missy Elliott for Ciara's debut album, '' Goodies''. Written by Ciara and Missy Elliott and produced by Jazze Pha, it was released as the album's second single on November ...
", and " Like a Boy", on ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's l ...
'' on her birthday, October 25, 2012.


Remixes

On November 27, 2012, it was revealed that Epic Records had commissioned a number of official remixes for "Sorry" by Jasper Cameron (who produced the original version), Kenneth "
Soundz Kenneth C. Coby (born August 1, 1983), better known as his stage name Soundz is an American record producer and rapper from Milwaukee, Wisconsin signed to US Records and EMI Publishing. He was born to Charles and Lolita Coby, both former singe ...
" Coby and Watch the Duck. That same day, the first remix titled "Sorry (Remix, Pt. 2)" was premiered online via
Rap-Up ''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on th ...
.com. The new version features an alternative musical production courtesy of Cameron and Sean "JumpStupid" Notty, along with new vocals from Ciara and new verses from her label mate, American rapper
Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currentl ...
. The collaboration came about after Ciara featured on a remix of Future's 2012 single " Turn on the Lights". "Sorry (Remix, Pt. 2)" was released digitally on December 3, 2012.


Track listing

*;Digital download #"Sorry" – 4:49 *;Digital Download – Remix Single #"Sorry (Remix, Pt. 2)" – 3:37


Charts


Radio and release history


References

{{Ciara 2012 singles Ciara songs Contemporary R&B ballads Songs written by Ciara Songs written by Jasper Cameron 2012 songs Songs written by Blac Elvis Epic Records singles