"Diamonds" is a song by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion and American singer Normani. It was released on January 10, 2020, by Atlantic, as the lead single from the soundtrack to the film Birds of Prey.[1] The song samples "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" by Marilyn Monroe, making this the first song to directly sample the jazz classic according to the music blog Idolator.[2]
| "Diamonds" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Megan Thee Stallion and Normani | ||||
| from the album Birds of Prey: The Album | ||||
| Released | January 10, 2020 | |||
| Recorded | 2019 | |||
| Genre | Pop rap | |||
| Length | 3:19 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Megan Thee Stallion singles chronology | ||||
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| Normani singles chronology | ||||
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| Birds of Prey singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Diamonds" on YouTube | ||||
Background and composition
editThe collaboration was announced in December 2019.[3] The single art was unveiled and the song was released on January 10, 2020.[4] "Diamonds" was written by Edgar Machuca, Jule Styne, Kameron Glasper, Leo Robin, Louis Bell, Madison Love, Megan Thee Stallion, Mike Arrow, Normani, Santeri Kauppinen, and Tayla Parx; it was produced by Bell and MD$.[5] "Diamonds" is a pop and hip hop song with lyrics of female empowerment and moving on from a relationship.
Critical reception
editHarper's Bazaar's Erica Gonzales wrote that "the high-energy track is a perfect fit for Megan's razor-sharp flow, while Normani gracefully interpolates Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" in the melody".[6] Billboard called it "a gem of a song".[7] Madeline Roth of MTV described the song as "a total flex anthem".[8] Time named it one of the five best songs of the week.[9] XXL magazine also named it one of the best new tracks of the week.[10]
Music video
editA music video for the song was released on January 10, 2020.[11]
The video sees the artists in a "dark" amusement house spliced with scenes of the film, including a sequence of Harley Quinn which was inspired by Marilyn Monroe's version of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.[12]
Credits and personnel
editCredits adapted from Tidal.[13]
- Megan Thee Stallion – vocals, songwriter
- Normani Kordei Hamilton – vocals, songwriter
- Marilyn Monroe – background vocals
- Edgar Machuca – songwriter
- Jule Styne – songwriter
- Kameron Glasper – songwriter
- Leo Robin – songwriter
- Madison Love – songwriter
- Mike Arrow – songwriter
- Santeri Kauppinen – songwriter
- Tayla Parx – songwriter
- Louis Bell – songwriter, producer
- MD$ – producer
- Jaime P. Velez – engineering, vocal production
- Michele Mancini – mastering
- Manny Marroquin – mixing
Charts
edit| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[14] | 23 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[15] | 16 |
| US Digital Songs (Billboard)[16] | 31 |
| US R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[16] | 12 |
| US Rhythmic (Billboard)[17] | 27 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | January 10, 2020 | Digital download, streaming | Atlantic | [18] |
References
edit- ^ "Megan Thee Stallion and Normani Share New Song "Diamonds": Listen". Pitchfork. January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
- ^ "A Banger! Megan Thee Stallion & Normani Team Up On 'Diamonds'". idolator. January 10, 2020. Archived from the original on May 15, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ Saponara, Michael (December 19, 2019). "A Megan Thee Stallion and Normani Collab Is Happening". Billboard. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ "Megan Thee Stallion & Normani's "Birds Of Prey" Collab Cover Art Revealed". HotNewHipHop. January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
- ^ "Diamonds". Spotify. January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ Gonzales, Erica (January 10, 2020). "Normani and Megan Thee Stallion Kick Ass in Their New "Diamonds" Music Video". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ "Megan Thee Stallion and Normani Beat up Bad Guys In 'Diamonds': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ Roth, Madeline. "Normani And Megan Thee Stallion Unleash Their Inner Harley Quinns In 'Diamonds'". MTV News. Archived from the original on January 11, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ Vruner, Raisa (January 10, 2020). "The 5 Best Songs of the Week from Mac Miller to Selena Gomez". Time. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ Seabrook III, Robby (January 10, 2020). "The 13 Best New Songs This Week". XXL. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ "Megan Thee Stallion & Normani (Birds of Prey: The Album) – Diamonds [Official Music Video]". January 9, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020 – via YouTube.
- ^ Malone, Chris. "Megan Thee Stallion & Normani Prove That 'Diamonds' Are A Girl's Best Friend". Forbes. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^ "Diamonds by Megand Thee Stallion". Tidal. United States. January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 20, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
- ^ "Chart History Diamonds". Billboard. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
- ^ a b "Normani Kordei Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ "Normani Kordei Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- ^ "Diamonds– Single by Megan Thee Stallion and Normani on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved January 11, 2020.