Mirror (Lil Wayne song)
"Mirror" | ||||
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Single by Lil Wayne featuring Bruno Mars | ||||
from the album Tha Carter IV (Deluxe Edition) | ||||
Released | September 13, 2011 | |||
Studio | CMR South Studios (Miami, Florida) | |||
Genre |
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Length | 3:48 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Lil Wayne singles chronology | ||||
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Bruno Mars singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Mirror" on YouTube |
"Mirror" is a song by American rapper
Release and production
"Mirror" was released as the album's sixth and final single. Young Money, Cash Money and Universal Republic Records released the track to American
Ramon "REO" Owen of the Soundkillers produced "Mirror" with co-production by the Smeezingtons. Dwayne Carter, Peter Hernandez, Philip Lawrence and Owen wrote the song. Michael "Banger" Cadahia and his assistant Edward "Jewfro" Lidow recorded it at CMR South Studios in Miami, Florida. The single was mixed at the Record Plant in Los Angeles by Fabian Marascuillo, with Ghazi Hourani as the mixing assistant. It was mastered by Brian "Big Bass" Gardner at Bernie Grundman Mastering.[6]
Background and lawsuit
Owen created the instrumental three years before its inclusion on Tha Carter IV. With the help of Atlantic Records A&R Mike Caren, Owen was able to get this recording, which already had Bruno Mars singing the hook, heard by industry "heavy-hitters" including rappers Kanye West, Drake, and Nas. The track was turned down a number of times until it reached Lil Wayne, who liked it and decided to keep it. Owen initially wanted the track to be a part of West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010); he "settle[d]" for it being included on Tha Carter IV. He considered its conclusion lucky, given the amount of material recorded during the time an album is produced. Owen claimed he alone produced the track with the Smeezingtons as co-writers; however, the CD's liner notes also credit the team as co-producers. Owen agreed that Wayne's verses captured the feeling of the song.[7] The track leaked on August 25, 2011.[8]
In late 2014, Owen filed a lawsuit against Wayne alleging he had promised him at least $91,000 for his work on the song. According to the lawsuit, Owen never received this payment.[9] On February 19, 2015, Manhattan Federal Court judge, Katherine B. Forrest, order Wayne to pay Owen $100,000 and Young Money to "hand over" their accounting records, as they failed to respond to the allegations in court, after being served with the legal documents in December 2014. During the judgment, Owen stated that he tried to contact Wayne regarding the money for 11 months prior to the lawsuit. According to court filings, Owen is entitled to $91,841.50 in royalties.[10][11]
Composition
"Mirror" is a
In the track, Mars shows his emo-angst by singing: "Through my rise and fall/ You've been my only friend" and Wayne gets "reflective" on his verses "Looking at me now I can see my past/Damn, I look just like my f—king dad/Light it up, that's smoke in mirrors/I even look good in the broken mirror."
Critical reception
The song received positive reviews from most
Commercial performance
In the United States, "Mirror" debuted at its peak of number 16 on the
In Europe, "Mirror" debuted at number 12 on the Danish charts, spending 10 weeks there.
Music video
Filming for the music video took place in November 2011, directed by Antoine Fuqua.[39] GloriaFX created the visual effects. The company was responsible for the painting and the appearance and disappearance effects among others.[40] Vevo released a teaser of the music video on YouTube on January 27, 2012. The full-length video premiering on Vevo's official website on January 31, 2012.[41][20]
The video begins with a shirtless Wayne standing in a room, while a camera shows various close-ups of his intricate tattoos.
Gregory Adams of
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Tha Carter IV (Deluxe Edition).[6]
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Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
‹See Tfd›Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA)[29] | 2× Platinum | 140,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[62] | 2× Platinum | 120,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[32] | Gold | 15,000^ |
Germany (BVMI)[63] | Gold | 150,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[25] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000‡ |
Streaming | ||
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[31] | 2× Platinum | 1,800,000† |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
Country | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
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United States | September 13, 2011 | Urban contemporary radio |
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[2] |
November 1, 2011 | Rhythmic contemporary |
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[4] | |
Urban contemporary radio | [3] | |||
United Kingdom | December 18, 2011 | Digital download | Unknown | [5] |
See also
References
- ^ Horowitz, Steven (December 1, 2011). "Eminem & Lil Wayne Perform in Melbourne, Australia". HipHopDX. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ a b "Urban/UAC Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on September 13, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
- ^ a b "®R&R :: Going For Adds™ :: Urban". Radio & Records. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012.
- ^ a b "FMQB: Lil Wayne ft. Bruno Mars Mirror". FMQB. October 25, 2012. Archived from the original on January 3, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Corner, Lewis (December 26, 2011). "Lil Wayne feat. Bruno Mars: 'Mirror' – Single review". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on June 8, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
- ^ Universal Republic Records. 2011.
- ^ a b c Markman, Rob (August 26, 2011). "Lil Wayne's Mirror had a long road to Carter IV". MTV News. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ Thiessen, Brock (August 25, 2011). "Lil Wayne "Mirror" (ft. Bruno Mars)". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ Robertson, Iyana (October 7, 2014). "Lil Wayne Is Being Sued Again...This Time Over His Single, "Mirror"". Vibe. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ Brown, Stephen Rex (February 19, 2015). "Exclusive: Judge ready to order Lil Wayne to pay producer $100K in royalties after he fails to respond to lawsuit". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- Swazi Observer. New York. February 25, 2015. p. 30 – via PressReader.
Lil Wayne was hit with a nearly $100K judgement, with the music producer who sued Young Money over unpaid royalties scoring a HUGE victory in court and the judge ordering the record label to hand over ALL their accounting records ASAP. Ramon Owen – aka REO – filed suit against Lil Wayne's Young Money last year claiming they screwed him out of profits for his work on the song "Mirror" featured on Wayne's Tha Carter IV. Then, the judge in the case came back with his decision, explaining that Cash Money was served with the legal docs back in December and has failed to respond to the allegations in court.
- ^ a b c d e f Adams, Gregory (January 31, 2012). "Lil Wayne "Mirror" (ft. Bruno Mars) (video)". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
- ^ "Lil Wayne and Bruno Mars – "Mirror" Sheet Music (Digital Download)". Musicnotes. October 10, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ a b Lyle, Ashley (October 4, 2016). "Bruno Mars' Best Hip-Hop Collaborations". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "New Music: Lil Wayne ft. Bruno Mars – "Mirror"". Rap-Up. August 25, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ Braboy, Mark (July 9, 2015). "Review: Lil Wayne Struggles With Freedom On 'Free Weezy Album'". Vibe. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^ a b c Bain, Becky (August 25, 2011). "Lil Wayne And Bruno Mars Stare into The "Mirror" On 'Tha Carter IV' Track". Idolator. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^ Complex. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ DeAndrea, Joe (October 12, 2016). "Bruno Mars' 5 Best Deep Cuts". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Sherman, Maria (January 31, 2012). "Lil Wayne Debuts 'Mirror' Feat. Bruno Mars: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
- ^ Burguess, Omar (August 29, 2011). "Lil' Wayne – Tha Carter IV". HipHopDX. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ Trust, Gary (September 7, 2011). "Adele's 'Someone Like You' Soars To No. 1 On Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
- ^ a b "Lil Wayne Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
- ^ a b "Lil Wayne Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
- ^ a b "American single certifications – Lil Wayne – Mirror". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- ^ a b "Lil Wayne Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
- ^ a b "Lil Wayne feat. Bruno Mars – Mirror". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ a b "Top 40 Urban ALbums & Singles Chart". ARIA Charts. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- ^ a b "Lil Wayne feat. Bruno Mars – Mirror". Tracklisten. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
- ^ a b "Danish single certifications – Lil Wayne feat. Bruno Mars – Mirror". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
- ^ a b "Danish single certifications – Lil Wayne feat. Bruno Mars – Mirror". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
- ^ a b "Lil Wayne feat. Bruno Mars – Mirror" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ a b "British single certifications – Lil Wayne feat. Bruno Mars – Mirror". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 19, 2012" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
- ^ a b "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201223 into search. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ a b "Lil Wayne feat. Bruno Mars – Mirror". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ "Lil Wayne Shoots "Mirror" Music Video with Bruno Mars". Rap-Up. November 5, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
- ^ "Lil Wayne & Bruno Mars – "Mirror"". GLORIA FX. Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
- ^ "Mirror Music Video Teaser". Vevo. January 27, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
- ^ Consequence of Sound. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ Daw, Robbie (January 31, 2012). "Lil Wayne And Bruno Mars Paint A Somber Picture In "Mirror" Video". Idolator. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ "Lil Wayne feat. Bruno Mars – Mirror" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ "Lil Wayne feat. Bruno Mars – Mirror" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- Les classement single. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
- ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Lil Wayne". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
- ^ "il Wayne feat. Bruno Mars – Mirror". Top Digital Download. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
- ^ "Lil Wayne feat. Bruno Mars – Mirror" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ "Lil Wayne feat. Bruno Mars – Mirror". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ "Lil Wayne feat. Bruno Mars – Mirror". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
- ^ "Lil Wayne Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
- ^ "Lil Wayne Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2012" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
- ^ "Top de l'année Top Singles 2012" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2012" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- Mega Charts. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ^ "Årslista Singlar År 2012" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ^ "End of Year 2012" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
- ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Lil Wayne – Mirror" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Lil Wayne feat. Bruno Mars; 'Mirror')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved June 2, 2023.