Knock You Down

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For the album by Dynazty, see Knock You Down (album).

"Knock You Down"
Single by Keri Hilson featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo
from the album In a Perfect World...
ReleasedApril 7, 2009
Recorded2009
Studio
Genre
Length5:26
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Keri Hilson singles chronology
"Turnin Me On"
(2009) 		"Knock You Down"
(2009) 		"Make Love"
(2009)
Kanye West singles chronology
"Paranoid"
(2009) 		"Knock You Down"
(2009) 		"Kinda Like a Big Deal"
(2009)
Ne-Yo singles chronology
"Mad"
(2009) 		"Knock You Down"
(2009) 		"Part of the List"
(2009)
Music video
"Keri Hilson - Knock You Down (Official Music Video) ft. Kanye West, Ne-Yo" on
YouTube

"Knock You Down" is a song by American singer and songwriter

urban
airplay in the United States as the album's fourth single in the US, and it would later serve as the third worldwide single.

The song is an

52nd Grammy Awards
.

"Knock You Down" peaked at number one in New Zealand, and was certified Platinum by the

The Rachael Ray Show. She also notably performed the song at the 2009 BET Awards
, where she used the Jackson reference of the song to give a tribute performance to the late singer.

Background

Hilson and Ne-Yo knew each other from their days as co-songwriters. Hilson had appeared as Ne-Yo's love interest in the video for his song "Miss Independent" (referenced in the song), the second single taken from his 2008 album, Year of the Gentleman. In a September 2008 interview with Rap-Up about a recent crop of songwriters becoming singers, Ne-Yo said "For one, I think Keri Hilson’s too freakin’ pretty to be in the background. For two, her voice is incredible—on top of the fact that she can write. So I think that she's definitely one that deserves the spotlight."[1] In "Knock You Down", Kanye West makes multiple references to Michael Jackson, and coincidentally, the song was released in numerous territories around the death of the singer.[2]

Composition

"Knock You Down"
A sample of the chorus of "Knock You Down", which is said to be in a "frenetic midtempo groove"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Knock You Down" is a

Joe, in the following lyric "Now mad, real mad, Joe Jackson."[2] Lyrically, the song is about how a great love goes wrong.[5]

Critical reception

A man wearing a printed blue T-shirt, silver jewelry and a cap; he is holding a microphone.
Critics were divided as to whether the song's features overwhelmed Hilson. Nick Levine said that Ne-Yo (pictured) had a more "distinctive" voice than Hilson

Chris Williams of

BBC Music positively received the song, calling it the album's "biggest potential hit."[8] Although Nick Levine of Digital Spy gave the song three out of five stars, complimenting production by Danja, and saying that the song sounded like a more obvious hit than "Return the Favor", he complained that "getting two R&B A-listers to appear on your track should be a real coup, but not when one's got a more distinctive voice than you and the other steals the show with some typically ballsy rapping."[2] Quentin B. Huff of PopMatters criticized the repetitive hook, stating "Hook-wise, it’s a little like listening to an album of kids chanting while playing double-dutch."[9] He also said that Hilson's vocals "show promise but fail to distinguish the Hilson brand from the crowd."[9]

"Knock You Down" was nominated for three awards. At the

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, but lost to Jay-Z's "Run This Town", another song in which West is featured.[11] Entertainment Weekly named "Knock You Down" the fourth best song of 2009.[12] Slant Magazine listed it the 19th on its list of the best songs of 2009.[13]

Chart performance

"Knock You Down" debuted on the

European Hot 100.[24]

Music video

A flashback of West and Hilson's prior relationship is shown during their confrontation in the music video.

The music video for "Knock You Down", directed by Chris Robinson,[25] premiered on March 23, 2009.[25] The video begins with Hilson slowly falling backwards onto a bed, and then West appears and raps the introduction. Both start reflecting on their previous relationship, before the clip flashes back to the previous events. West is shown to be an artist, who is painting a portrait of Hilson. Hilson and West begin to caress each other, as she is shown in several seductive poses in a bed and sings in front of a white backdrop. The video returns to the present, showing Hilson and West breaking up, as both of them fall backwards onto the floor, similar to the way Hilson falls onto the bed in the opening sequence. Visual effects come into play greater in this scene, as when West falls, he shatters into pieces.[7] Ne-Yo then appears, and sings his lines in front of a grey backdrop. Ne-Yo and Hilson proceed to go on a date at a party in West and Hilson's apartment, and are seen being affectionate by West. He then confronts Hilson, and Ne-Yo also approaches the duo before Hilson walks off, torn between the two men. The clip ends with Hilson falling backwards onto a bed, in similar fashion as the opening scene.

Melinda Newman of HitFix positively received the video, stating "its success lies solely in the charisma and believability that the trio brings to the small screen, which is considerable."

Today Show, anchor Hoda Kotb made a remark to Ne-Yo, stating, "You have this really hot new video that you do with Kanye West and another woman named Keri. You [and Kanye] are such big stars. How did this happen?" Blogs reported this as a possible "diss" toward Hilson, however, neither camps reported anything after the fact.[28]

Live performances

Hilson performed the song for

2010 Haitian earthquake.[38] On October 22, 2010, she performed the song in Chicago at Collins Academy High School during for the Get Schooled National Challenge and Tour.[39]

Track listing

Credits

Credits adapted from the In the Perfect World... liner notes.[41]

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Knock You Down"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[72] Gold 35,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[73] Platinum 15,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[74] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[75] 2× Platinum 2,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Knock You Down"
Region Date Format(s) Ref.
United States April 7, 2009
urban
airplay 		[76]
April 14, 2009 Mainstream airplay [76]
United Kingdom May 4, 2009 Digital download [77]
June 22, 2009 CD single [78]
Brazil September 9, 2009 Digital download [79]

Covers and parodies

References

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  8. BBC Music Blog
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