"C'mon Let Me Ride" is a song by American singer Skylar Grey, released December 11, 2012 as the first single from her major-label debut album Don't Look Down (2013). The song, produced by frequent collaborator and longtime producer Alex da Kid and Mike Del Rio, features a guest appearance from American rapper Eminem, who also mixed the record.[1][2] The song was released to contemporary hit radio in January 2013.[3]
| "C'mon Let Me Ride" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Skylar Grey featuring Eminem | ||||
| from the album Don't Look Down | ||||
| Released | December 11, 2012 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:40 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| Skylar Grey singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Eminem singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "C'mon Let Me Ride" on YouTube | ||||
It samples the chorus of the 1978 hit song "Bicycle Race" by the British rock band Queen.[4]
Music video
editA music video was shot for the track in October in Detroit and released on December 11, 2012 on Vevo and MTV. Skylar Grey stated that she's poking fun at widespread and excessive sexualization and she also told MTV, "The video is a combined effort between director Isaac Rentz, me and Eminem, and we just wanted to make sure it was very clear that it's a sarcastic song."
There's one scene in the music video where I'm dressed up in this Red swimming suit with a pink wig, pink nails, a pink bicycle with an ice-cream cone on the back of it and it's totally girly — and not me at all. I think that's clear, because that scene happens over the bridge of the song, where I say, 'I'm only f--king with you, and f--k you for thinking it's true,' and that's when I have the pink polka-dot thing on, so it's saying, "This isn't really me".'
— Skylar Grey[5]
The video also sponsored Dr. Dre portable speaker beats in three scenes. To date, it has over 37 million views on YouTube.
Critical response
editAllMusic highlighted the song and wrote: "Grey is clever enough to allow herself some measure of silliness – there is absolutely no other way to describe the Queen-quoting "C'mon Let Me Ride"—a move that reveals the seams in her goth-princess persona and makes a good chunk of Don't Look Down come across as nothing more than bubblegum Lana Del Rey."[6] HitFix wrote: "there are times when there's such a disparity between the strength of the beats vs. the strength of the lyrics that miles separate them, no more so than on "C'mon Let Me Ride," the first single that came out in December featuring Eminem. The beats are ridiculously infectious and even though the song is meant to be lightheaded, tongue-in-cheek and full of sexual innuendo, the lyrics are so inane: "I'm not like the sluts in this town/They make me blah in my mouth," it's hard to get through it without grimacing."[7] Knoxville News Sentinel wrote: "More than anything, the Wisconsin native is bold. She made that much clear with the previously released single "C'Mon Let Me Ride," a grainy carnival of a song in which she coos endless innuendo as Eminem himself channels Pee-wee Her-man singing Queen's "Bicycle Race."[8] Glenn Gamboa of Newsday was disappointed in her emotionless delivery and he added: "The closest we get to one is playful in the oddly defiant "C'mon, Let Me Ride."[9] New York Post wrote: "They can sound hollow, like "C'mon Let Me Ride," a silly promise of oral sex. (Eminem's surprisingly crafty guest verse is the highlight.)"[10] Now magazine noted that the song is inane but predictable, too.[11]
The Oakland Press called this song "goofy."[12] Rolling Stone was mixed: "even a goofy Eminem cameo (the "Allen Iverson of safe sex") can't save "C'mon Let Me Ride" from sounding like an over-the-top hookup plea."[13] Ted Scheinman of Slant Magazine wrote a favorable overview: "When she's having fun you can tell: "C'mon Let Me Ride," featuring Eminem, is a high-camp glory of a song, as Grey expresses her libido through the usual perverse childish metaphors and Mathers apes Freddie Mercury's "Bicycle" before dropping a zig-zagging verse that turns the beat on its head. It's the funniest fuck song of the year so far."[14] The New York Times called this song "sarcastic flirtation."[15] The Boston Globe was positive: "One minute she's getting silly with Eminem, who co-executive produced the set with "Lie" co-writer Alex da Kid, on the throwaway innuendo happy jam "C'mon Let Me Ride."[16]
Track listings and formats
edit- Digital download
- "C'mon Let Me Ride" featuring Eminem – 3:50
- Digital download (Remixes)
- "C'mon Let Me Ride" (Valentino Khan Remix) – 3:08
- "C'mon Let Me Ride" (Mikael Weermets & Danny Avila's Trapstep Remix) – 4:14
Chart performance
editThe song debuted and peaked at number 82 on the Canadian Hot 100.
Charts
edit| Chart (2012–13) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[17] | 47 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[18] | 37 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[19] | 82 |
| Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100)[20] | 51 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[21] | 52 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[22] | 17 |
| Poland (Polish Airplay New)[23] | 3 |
| US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[24] | 33 |
Release history
edit| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada[25] | December 11, 2012 | Digital download | Interscope |
| France[26] | |||
| Germany[27] | |||
| United States[28] | |||
| United States | January 15, 2013[29] | Contemporary hit radio |
|
References
edit- ^ "Eminem To Executive Produce Skylar Grey's 'Fun And Sarcastic' Album". MTV. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012.
- ^ Tobias, Jonathan (December 25, 2012). "Skylar Grey Explains Mood Of Debut Album, Eminem & Dr. Dre's Involvement". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on December 30, 2012. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
- ^ "FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!". Archived from the original on 2010-02-21. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
- ^ Eminem Sings Classic Queen Hook on Skylar Grey's New Single by Steve Baltin, Rolling Stone. October 31, 2012.
- ^ Nadeska Alexis (December 11, 2012). "Skylar Grey And Eminem's 'C'mon Let Me Ride' Video: Watch Now!". MTV News. Archived from the original on January 21, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
- ^ "Don't Look Down - Skylar Grey - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ "HitFix". www.hitfix.com.
- ^ "Go Knoxville Entertainment and Features - Knoxville News Sentinel". Knoxville News Sentinel.
- ^ "Skylar Grey's 'Don't Look Down': Remote control".
- ^ Matos, Michaelangelo (July 9, 2013). "Skylar Grey's songs bring sunny hooks". New York Post.
- ^ Siddiqui, Tabassum (25 July 2013). "Skylar Grey".
- ^ "Album reviews: Skylar Grey, Ciara, Pat Travers Band, more". Archived from the original on 2013-12-29. Retrieved 2013-08-19.
- ^ Hermes, Will (29 July 2013). "Don't Look Down". Rolling Stone.
- ^ "Skylar Grey: Don't Look Down - Album Review - Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. 7 July 2013.
- ^ Pareles, Jon; Chinen, Nate; Ratliff, Ben (July 8, 2013). "New Albums by Skylar Grey, Okkyung Lee and Geoffrey Keezer". The New York Times.
- ^ "ALBUM REVIEW: Skylar Grey, 'Don't Look Down' - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe.
- ^ "Skylar Grey feat. Eminem – C'mon Let Me Ride" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ "Skylar Grey feat. Eminem – C'mon Let Me Ride" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ "Skylar Grey Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 12. týden 2013 in the date selector.
- ^ "Chart Track: Week 05, 2013". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ "Skylar Grey feat. Eminem – C'mon Let Me Ride". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay New. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ "Skylar Grey Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
- ^ "C'mon Let Me Ride (feat. Eminem) – Single by Skylar Grey". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ "C'mon Let Me Ride (feat. Eminem) – Single par Skylar Grey". iTunes Store (in French). Apple. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ "C'mon Let Me Ride (feat. Eminem) – Single von Skylar Grey". iTunes Store (in German). Apple. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ "C'mon Let Me Ride (feat. Eminem) – Single by Skylar Grey". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
- ^ "R&R: Going For Adds: CHR/Top40 (Week Of: January 15, 2013)". Radio & Records. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2013.