The Only Promise That Remains
| "The Only Promise That Remains" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Reba McEntire and Justin Timberlake | ||||
| from the album Reba: Duets | ||||
| Released | November 5, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2007 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 5:06 | |||
| Label | MCA Nashville | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Justin Timberlake | |||
| Reba McEntire singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Justin Timberlake singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"The Only Promise That Remains" is a country duet recorded by American singers Reba McEntire and Justin Timberlake for McEntire's 24th studio album, Reba: Duets (2007). It was written and produced by Timberlake, with additional writing from Matt Morris. McEntire and Timberlake met at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony in February 2007, where McEntire asked him to be a part of the album. She was initially skeptical when Timberlake suggested that he write a song for her, expecting it to be "something that was wayyy out of [her] ballpark".[1] She was relieved when he played "The Only Promise That Remains", an acoustic-based Celtic love song, for her.
"The Only Promise That Remains" received lukewarm reviews from
Writing and production
On February 12, Timberlake wrote, alongside
Recalling the events, McEntire revealed that the collaboration "worked out really great". Of Timberlake, she said: "He's a sweetheart, a very good old country boy from Memphis, Tenn., and he's a huge fan of country music so it worked out wonderfully well".[1] Timberlake dedicated the song to his grandfather, an avid country music fan. Timberlake announced their collaboration in May 2007, revealing that he was "making [his] grandfather very proud by working with someone like Reba McEntire".[6]
Composition and reception
"The Only Promise That Remains" is a country song that lasts for a duration of five minutes and six seconds.
According to Jurek, the song is "maybe a tad longer" than it should be, although he specified that it was a "small complaint".[8] Lana Cooper of PopMatters questioned the strength of the song, and Billboard's KT agreed, calling the song the most "unexpected cut" on the album and that "one could picture the pair singing it at a writer's night somewhere".[10][11] Cooper wrote that in Timberlake's "unexpected surprise cameo" he "fades into a secondary role", as opposed to the other artists on Reba: Duets that "make a strong showing" next to McEntire.[10] She wrote that Timberlake "sounds pretty enough" and that he does "contribute a certain mood" to the song, however, commented that "anyone expecting more of a collaborative effort out of him would be sorely disappointed".[10]
Charts
On the week of October 6, 2007, "The Only Promise That Remains" debuted at number 72 on the Billboard Pop 100.[12]
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US | 5 |
| US | 55 |
| US Pop 100 (Billboard)[12] | 72 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States[14] | November 5, 2007 | Country radio | MCA Nashville |
References
- ^ a b c d e f Ferber, Lawrence (November 7, 2007). "Reba McEntire: It Takes Two". Windy City Times. Tracy Baim. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- MTV Networks. September 11, 2007. Archivedfrom the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- Penske Business Media. Archivedfrom the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
- ^ Gannett Company. Archivedfrom the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ a b Reba: Duets (booklet). Reba McEntire. Nashville, Tennessee: MCA Nashville Records. 2007.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ MTV Networks. Archivedfrom the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ Cohen, Howard (2007-09-21). "Duets". The Miami Herald. p. 144. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
- ^ Rovi Corporation. Archivedfrom the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ Orloff, Brian (September 15, 2007). "WEEK AHEAD: Mariah Carey a Musical Hero – Mariah Carey". People. Time Inc. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ a b c Cooper, Lana (October 22, 2007). "Reba McEntire: Reba Duets". PopMatters. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
- ^ ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
- ^ "Bubbling Under Hot 100 – Issue Date: 2007-10-06". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ Curtis, R.J. (November 5, 2007). "Going for Adds – Country". Radio & Records. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
