"Whistle" is a song by American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), known professionally as Flo Rida ( ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 debut and breakout single "Low (Flo Rida song), Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the ...

from his fourth album '' Wild Ones'' (2012). It was released on April 24, 2012, as the third single from the album. "Whistle" was written by Flo Rida, David Glass, Marcus Killian, Justin Franks, Breyan Isaac and Antonio Mobley while production was handled by DJ Frank E and Glass. "Whistle" is an electropop song characterized by a

whistling Whistling, without the use of an artificial whistle, is achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips, usually after applying moisture (licking one's lips or placing water upon them) and then blowing or sucking air through the space. Th ...

melody. Upon its release, the song received mixed to negative reviews from music critics who generally praised its pop sound and noted that it had the potential of becoming another hit with its "catchy" hook. "Whistle" peaked at the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Flo Rida's third number one hit and his first since 2009's "

Right Round "Right Round" is a single performed by American rapper Flo Rida featuring guest vocals from American singer Kesha. It was released as the lead Single (music), single from his second studio album, ''R.O.O.T.S.'' (2009). It was released to radio ...

". Outside of the United States, "Whistle" topped the charts in several countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand, and peaked within the top ten of the charts in many others, including Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom. An 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 ...

for the song, directed by

Marc Klasfeld Marc Klasfeld is an American music video director. He has directed over two hundred music videos for artists such as Slipknot, Sum 41, Katy Perry, Jay-Z, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Britney Spears, Kid Rock, Michael Bublé, Nelly, Foo Fighters, Kelly ...

, was released on May 24, 2012. It was filmed in

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , ; ), is a city and Port of Acapulco, major seaport in the Political divisions of Mexico, state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Located on a deep, semicirc ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and makes use of

split screen Split screen may refer to: * Split screen (computing), dividing graphics into adjacent parts * Split screen (video production), the visible division of the screen * ''Split Screen'' (TV series), 1997–2001 * Split screen, a focusing screen in a ...

at various points. It mostly shows shots of Flo Rida and several girls on a beach. Upon its release, it received mixed to positive reviews from critics, who noted that it was a perfect accompaniment for the song. Flo Rida also promoted the song by performing it during the finale of the talent show, '' The Voice''. This song is the second track on '' Now 44''. The cover image of the single also drew praise for its subtlety and originality.

Background and composition

"Whistle" was written by Flo Rida, David Glass, Marcus Killian, DJ Frank E, Breyan Isaac, and Antonio Mobley while production was handled by DJ Frank E and Glass. The song premiered online in April 2012. During an interview with ''

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 ...

'' magazine, Flo Rida described the song as "the biggest record I've done yet". Later, during an interview with

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 ...

, Flo Rida revealed that the lyrics of the song are sung in a

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...

ical way, saying that it had sexually suggestive lyrics. He noted, "Well, put your own swing on it, but for the most part I keep it clean, but if you listen to it, you can take it another way as well". When asked how does he know where to draw the line between sexually suggestive and downright dirty lyrics, he acknowledged that when he's in the studio, "I have my boys in there and they'll tell me and give me their suggestions and what they think..... If it's too much I'll go back." "Whistle" is an electropop song 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 104 beats per minute, instrumentally complete with a

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

and a

melody. The guitar riff has been noted for its similarity to the final track on the

Silent Hill 2 is a 2001 survival horror video game developed by Team Silent, a group in Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2. The second installment in the ''Silent Hill'' series, ''Silent Hill 2'' centers on ...

OST, "Promise", by

Akira Yamaoka is a Japanese composer, musician, producer, and sound designer who composed for Konami's ''Silent Hill'' video game series from 1999 to 2009, and 2024 onwards. He also produced many of its installments, and composed for its three film adaptatio ...

. It opens with a whistle heard in the background. Robbie Daw of the website Idolator, Kevin Rutherford of ''Billboard'' magazine and Katherine St Asaph noted that the use of whistling throughout the song was very similar to

Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, d ...

's and

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...

's 2011 song "

Moves like Jagger Moves may refer to: * ''Moves'' (ballet), by Jerome Robbins * ''Moves'' (magazine), a periodical * ''Moves'' (Singing Adams album), 2012 * ''Moves'' (Kirara album), 2016 * "Moves" (Big Sean song), 2017 * "Moves" (Olly Murs song), 2018 * A mo ...

". Rutherford further compared it with

OneRepublic OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado, formed in 2002. The lineup currently consists of Ryan Tedder (lead vocals, piano), Zach Filkins (guitar, viola), Drew Brown (musician), Drew Brown (guitar), Brent Kutzle ( ...

's 2010 song " Good Life".

Critical reception

Upon the release of the song, it received polarized reviews from music critics. A writer of ''

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 the ...

'' described it as "catchy" and further wrote that it contains a whistling

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

, "that you won't be able to get out of your head". Kevin Rutherford of ''

'' ''

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

'' praised the song, writing: "The result is a sun-drenched, happy-go-lucky tune, that's sure to provide Flo with a horse in the summer anthem race... Flo's not a formidable singer, so his latest offering may lack the pop pizzazz of ' Good Feeling' and ' Wild Ones.' But with the track's care-free vibe, the rapper's transgressions are easy to forgive." Robert Copsey of

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 ...

was negative about the song, grading it with two out of five stars and adding, "Even more surprising is that in this instance, the

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

-born rapper hasn't relied on an accomplice to bolster the song's commercial appeal. He's not even dug out a song from yesteryear to sample. In that sense, 'Whistle' could be the most

original Originality is the aspect of created or invented works that distinguish them from reproductions, clones, forgeries, or substantially derivative works. The modern idea of originality is according to some scholars tied to Romanticism, by a notion t ...

song Flo Rida has turned out to date; even if the

dreamed up by its thirteen co- producers is anything but." Upon the

release Release may refer to: * Art release, the public distribution of an artistic production, such as a film, album, or song * Legal release, a legal instrument * News release, a communication directed at the news media * Release (ISUP), a code to i ...

of "Whistle", many

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 ...

commented on the song's

sexually suggestive Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. Sex, SEX or sexual may also refer to: *Sexual intercourse, a sexual activity Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Sex'' (1920 ...

lyrics, with many claiming that the chorus is a subtle reference to

oral sex Oral sex, sometimes referred to as oral intercourse, is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a person by another person using the mouth (including the lips, tongue, or teeth). Cunnilingus is oral sex performed on the vu ...

. Daw and Rutherford described it as "the least subtle song ever". Rob Markman of

noted that he makes "catchy tunes that appeal to the masses, but Flo is also a master of the

double entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, one of which is typically obvious, and the other often conveys a message that would be too socially unacc ...

, masking some pretty suggestive lyrics with a candy-pop coating. His latest single, 'Whistle,' is a perfect example." Markman further noted that Flo Rida's 2009 hit "

" contained sexual suggestive lyrics. Katherine St Asaph of the website Popdust, gave a negative review for the song, grading it with one-and-a-half out of five stars and writing:

"The gimmick here, as you've probably guessed, is a whistled hook. This is a problem. Whistling was last year's trend, and a certain pair of Jagger-movers made it overplayed. Whistling the melody to ' Just Can't Get Enough' is not an improvement. Nor is pairing it with a double-entendre ripped off near-verbatim from
Lauren Bacall Betty Joan Perske (September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014), professionally known as Lauren Bacall ( ), was an American actress. She was named the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the America ...
–a metaphor ruined by being made more explicit. Flo's obvious enough to taunt 'blow my whistle, baby,' but his quoted instructions would not literally work. 'Whistle while you work it,' later, ''might'' have worked–it's a snowclone just stupid enough to stick as a hook–but Flo smothers it in a bunch of Flo Rida delivery."

Chart performance

"Whistle" debuted at number 64 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. For the week dated August 25, 2012, the song reached number one on the chart, selling 317,000 copies and overtaking

Carly Rae Jepsen Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...

's "

Call Me Maybe "Call Me Maybe" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen from her extended play ''Curiosity'' (2012) and later appeared on her second studio album and international debut album ''Kiss'' (2012). The song was written by Jepsen an ...

", which had been at the top for the preceding nine weeks since June 23, 2012. The following week, however, it was overtaken by

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

's crossover hit " We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together". On the week of September 8, 2012, "Whistle" once again topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for another week, until once again being overtaken by " We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together ." The song has sold 3,372,000 copies in the US as of November 2012. In Australia, the song debuted at number eight on the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian 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 became the offici ...

on May 6, 2012. It moved to number one on the chart the next week and it kept the first position for the next seven weeks. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart on June 10, 2012 – for the week ending date June 16, 2012 – beaten to the top of the chart by "

Sing 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 singi ...

" by

Gary Barlow Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the pop group Take That. Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, having writ ...

& The

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

Band featuring Military Wives. For the same chart issue, it debuted at the top of the

UK R&B Chart Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart The UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart and the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart (also known as The Official UK Hip Hop and R&B Charts, and previously the Top 40 Hip Hop and RnB Singles and the Top 40 Hip Hop and ...

. According to 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 ...

, "Whistle" sold 620,000 copies in the UK, becoming Britain's 15th best-selling song of 2012. In Ireland, for the chart issue dated May 31, 2012, "Whistle" debuted at number eight 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 ...

. For the next two weeks, the song moved to number three on the chart. For the chart issue dated June 22, 2012, "Whistle" moved from number three to number one on the

removing

Cheryl Cole Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. She rose to fame as a member of Girls Aloud, a Pop music, pop girl group created through ITV (TV network), ITV's reality competition show ''Popstars: The R ...

's " Call My Name" from the top spot of the chart. As of August 14, 2012 the single has sold over 4 million copies around the globe.

Music video

The

for "Whistle" was directed by

and premiered on May 24, 2012, at 4 p.m. EST. A preview of the video was released on May 21, 2012. It was filmed in

. A behind-the-scenes video was released the next day on May 25, 2012. It makes use of

at various points. It mostly shows Flo Rida lying on a bed on a beach singing the song. Hamish Macbain of ''

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 ...

'' described the video, "The video setting: Flo Rida, topless, head shaved, shorts on, on a cliff edge. Other video personnel: women in bikinis, some allowed to whistle to take Flo Rida’s dream outlined at the beginning of this track one step closer to reality." Becky Bain of Idolator reviewed the video positively, saying: "Flo Rida's thinly-veiled sexual euphimism, 'Whistle', gets exactly the type of video you’d expect: shot in sunny Acalpulco, the ... vid ofeatures boobs, babes, bikinis, and little else. The clip also acts as a video pamphlet for any millionaires out there looking to find the next location for their luxury vacation. Flo Rida and his booty-shakin’ ladies not included, but with an unbelievable setting like this, you can do more than just whistle the night away." A writer of ''Rap-Up'' noted that "Water, women, and wild parties rule" with the video and further wrote that viewers will "escape to paradise with Flo". Katherine St Asaph of Popdust gave a mixed review for the video, writing that "it's fitting that the 'Whistle' video is basically an update of 'Wild Ones,' with less Sia and more whistling". However, she praised the landscapes in the video, saying that "This could double as a travel commercial–a commercial for the very idea of travel.".

In other media

A 2014 YouTube fan video made for actor

Josh Hutcherson Joshua Ryan Hutcherson (born October 12, 1992) is an American actor. He began acting in the early 2000s and appeared in several commercials and minor film and television roles before gaining prominence in his teenage years with main roles in ' ...

using a cover of "Whistle" went viral on

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

in 2023 after users started posting

bait and switch Bait-and-switch is a form of fraud used in retail sales but also employed in other contexts. First, the merchant "baits" the customer by advertising a product or service at a low price; then when the customer goes to purchase the item, they disco ...

videos in which the viewer is unexpectedly shown the video in various creative situations. It was viewed as a modern-day successor to the

Rickroll The Rickroll is an Internet meme involving the unexpected appearance of the music video to the 1987 hit song "Never Gonna Give You Up", performed by English singer Rick Astley. The aforementioned video has over 1.6 billion views on YouTube. Th ...

internet trend.

Can You Blow My version

The week before Flo Rida's version entered the UK Singles Chart, a pre-release cover version by a tribute collective under the name of Can You Blow My, entered the chart at number 55, moving up to number 38 the following week.

Track listing

*;Digital download #"Whistle" – 3:45 *;CD single #"Whistle" – 3:48 #" Wild Ones" (Alex Guesta remix) – 6:59

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the liner notes of '' Wild Ones''. *

– songwriter, vocal *David Glas – songwriter, producer, recording *Marcus Killian – songwriter * DJ Frank E – songwriter, producer *Breyan Isaac – songwriter * Antonio "Jovii Hendrix" Mobley – songwriter, background vocals *JP "The Specialist" Negrete – recording *

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is a Guatemalan-American record mixing engineer. He has been credited on albums for high-profile pop, R&B, hip hop and rock acts. He has worked with artists including Rihanna, Kanye West, Katy Perry ...

– mixer *Chris Galland – assistant mixer *Delbert Bowers – assistant mixer *Pat Kraus – mastering *Trent Mazur - guitar

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Radio and release history

References

External links