Express Yourself (Labrinth song)

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"Express Yourself"
Syco
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Labrinth singles chronology
"Last Time"
(2012) 		"Express Yourself"
(2012) 		"Treatment"
(2012)

"Express Yourself" is a song by English musician

N.W.A. in their 1988 song of the same name, and the famous drum break from James Brown's "Funky Drummer
".

Labrinth premiered the song live during the results show of the fourth live-semi final of the sixth series of Britain's Got Talent, on 9 May 2012. Maxumi Magazine commented that the track demonstrates "Labrinth's Kanye West like ability to make cracking use of samples that pay homage to their originators whilst forming the basis for inventive new tunes".[1] Don Diablo remixed the single, due to be released as part of the digital EP, but he later revealed via his SoundCloud that the remix missed the deadline and therefore was not included on the iTunes package.[2] This song is featured in a Windows 8 commercial.

Reception

Digitalspy.co.uk reviewed the single saying "From the gospel-inspired chorus in "Let the Sun Shine" to the hi-wired grime beats on "Earthquake", Labrinth is quickly earning himself a reputation as the chameleon of the pop world. Better yet, it appears he still has plenty more ideas tucked up his sleeve, having told us he wants to put out eight singles from his debut LP Electronic Earth. So what of release number four? The singer has tried his hand at

X Factor, I'm not what they expect," he admits over funk-driven guitars, before the chorus of trumpets and sparkly synths shower down. It's a suit that fits him remarkably well, though given his history, we won't allow ourselves to enjoy it too much."[3]

Music video

Several images of the music video were posted to

The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, where he brings back the rotating throne from the sitcom's opening titles, Ice Age and The Simpsons
, recreating scenes from the show's opening sequences and also he is seen performing on a floor with comic book artworks covering it. The video uses the single remix of "Express Yourself", rather than the album version.

Track listing

Digital EP
Lazy Jay Remix)
5:48
3."Express Yourself" (Oliver Twizt Remix)4:28
4."Express Yourself" (Rudimental Remix)3:47
5."Express Yourself" (Wideboys Remix)5:18

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2012) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[6] 22
France (
SNEP)[7]
 160
Germany (Official German Charts)[8] 55
Ireland (IRMA)[9] 22
Scotland (OCC)[10]
 17
UK Singles (OCC)[11]
 12

Year-end charts

Chart (2012) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[12] 86

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Express Yourself"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[13] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Label Format Ref.
United Kingdom 4 June 2012
Syco
 Digital download [5]

In popular culture

References

  1. ^ Labrinth – Express Yourself | Maxumi Magazine
  2. ^ Labrinth - Express yourself (Don Diablo Remix) (Preview) by Don Diablo on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free
  3. ^ Labrinth: 'Express Yourself' – Single review – Music Singles Review – Digital Spy
  4. YouTube
  5. ^ a b Express Yourself: Labrinth: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads
  6. ^ "Labrinth – Express Yourself" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  7. Les classement single
    .
  8. ^ "Labrinth – Express Yourself" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  9. ^ "Chart Track: Week 27, 2012". Irish Singles Chart.
  10. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  11. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  12. ^ "Top 100 Singles of 2012". BBC Radio 1. BBC Online. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  13. ^ "British single certifications – Labrinth – Express Yourself". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  14. ^ SoFi TV Commercial, 'SoFi Members Get Their Money Right: No. 1 Source of Stress' Song by Labrinth, retrieved 2021-01-24
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