U Don't Have to Call

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"U Don't Have to Call"
Single by Usher
from the album 8701
ReleasedJanuary 18, 2002 (2002-01-18)
StudioThe Record Plant (Los Angeles, California)
Length4:29
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)Pharrell Williams
Producer(s)The Neptunes
Usher singles chronology
"U Got It Bad"
(2001) 		"U Don't Have to Call"
(2002) 		"I Need a Girl (Part One)"
(2002)
Music video
"U Don't Have to Call" on
YouTube

"U Don't Have to Call" is a song by American singer

8701
(2001). The song was released as the third US single from the album and the fifth international single. In the US, it was first serviced to radio on January 18, 2002, and it was issued as a commercial single in Europe and Australia later that year.

"U Don't Have to Call" peaked at number three on the US

Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2003.[1] The single's music video was filmed in Los Angeles at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and features Usher going to a club with Sean Combs
and other celebrities.

Background

"U Don't Have to Call" was written by Neptunes member Pharrell Williams and produced by Williams along with Chad Hugo.[2] The song was initially given to Michael Jackson for his tenth and final studio album Invincible (2001), along with several other songs by The Neptunes.[3] Jackson did not want any of the tracks, and so all the material was passed onto different artists, including Usher and Justin Timberlake.[4] Lyrically, the song tells the story of a man who is tired of worrying about his woman and decides to go live it up with the friends.[3]

Usher's intro on "U Don't Have to Call" was inspired by

Puff Daddy."[5] In 2022, Usher commented on the intro: "I go into the studio with Pharrell, who did the song. I'm being authentic to the original, and me and JD were working on the entire 8701 album. So I go in the booth, and I'm like, "Don't leave your girl round me. True player for real, ask my nigga JD." And Pharrell was like, "Yo, man." So I'm like, "Oh, my bad." I flipped it to "Don't leave your girl around me / True playa for real, ask my nigga Pharrell."[5]

Critical reception

"U Don't Have to Call" earned largely positive reviews from critics. In a retrospective review,

A game on full display on "U Don't Have to Call," which features half a dozen fragmented, interlocking synth hooks colluding to create the melodic bed for Usher's vocal about a man taking his mind off a break up on a night out with friends. The multitracked weirdness abates for the song's jazzy middle eight, which, if it wasn't created explicitly for [Michael Jackson], was certainly inspired by [Jackson]."[8]

Music video

Portions of the video for "U Don't Have to Call" were filmed at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles.[9]

A

Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas who previously co-starred in "U Got It Bad" as the female lead, has a cameo in the video.[11]

Picking up where the clip left off on "U Got It Bad," the video captures Usher who is "still sobbing" over the separation from his celebrity girlfriend, receiving an uplifting

video call from Diddy, who prompts him to come to the club while flanked by his friends.[12] In 2022, Mya Abraham from Vibe ranked the video among Usher's ten best visuals, writing: "As the singer dances like James Brown, half-naked in a bathrobe across his apartment floor and gets ready for a night out, this Director X-led video is signature early 2000s. Plus, if there's one thing Usher is gonna do, it's give us a dance break."[13]

The music video on YouTube has received over 70 million views as of April 2024.[14]

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the European CD single liner notes.[18]

Studio

  • Recorded at The Record Plant (Los Angeles, California)
  • Mixed at
    Criteria
    (Miami, Florida)

Personnel

  • The Neptunes – production
  • Usher – vocals
  • Brian Garten – recording
  • Supa Engineer "Duro" – mixing
  • Scott Kieklak – mixing assistant

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for "U Don't Have to Call"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[38]
Digital 		Platinum 1,000,000‡
United States (RIAA)[39]
Video single 		Gold 25,000^

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

Release history

Release dates and formats for "U Don't Have to Call"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States January 18, 2002
Urban radio
 Arista [40]
February 11, 2002 Rhythmic contemporary radio [41]
March 18, 2002 Contemporary hit radio [42]
United Kingdom July 29, 2002
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
[43]
Australia September 2, 2002 CD Arista [44]

References

  1. ^ "Usher". Grammy Awards. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  2. ^ 8701 (booklet). Usher. Arista Records. 2001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^
    revolt.tv
    . Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  4. ^ "20 Hit Songs Meant For Other Singers". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. February 28, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  5. ^
    Vulture
    . Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  6. ^ Ravens, Chal; Kelly, Chris; Twells, John; Morpurgo, Joseph; Leao, Tom. "The 50 greatest Pharrell tracks so far". Fact. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  7. Complex
    . Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  8. Complex
    . Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Duncan, Fiona Alison (2020). "History of Downtown L.A. through the Eyes of a Mirrored Hotel Complex". Pin-Up. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  10. MTV.com
    . Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  11. ^
    MTV.com
    . Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  12. revolt.tv
    . Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  13. ^ Abraham, Mya (November 5, 2022). "For The Love Of U: Usher's 10 Best Music Videos, Ranked". Vibe. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  14. ^ Usher - U Don't Have To Call (Official Video).YouTube
  15. ^ U Don't Have to Call (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Usher. Arista Records. 2002. 07822-15060-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ U Don't Have to Call (Australian CD single liner notes). Usher. Arista Records. 2002. 74321-95844-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ U Don't Have to Call (New Zealand CD single liner notes). Usher. Arista Records, BMG. 2002. 74321920032.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ a b U Don't Have to Call (European CD single liner notes). Usher. Arista Records, BMG. 2002. 74321962912.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. P. Diddy, Usher. Arista Records, BMG. 2002. 74321 94724 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link
    )
  20. ^ I Need a Girl (Part One) / U Don't Have to Call (UK 12-inch single vinyl disc). P. Diddy, Usher. Arista Records, BMG. 2002. 74321 94724 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ "Issue 654" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  22. ^ "Issue 659" ARIA Top 40 Urban Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  23. Les classement single
    .
  24. ^ "Usher – U Don't Have to Call". Top 40 Singles.
  25. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  26. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  27. ^ "Usher Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  28. ^ "Usher Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  29. ^ "Usher Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  30. ^ "Usher Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  31. ^ "Usher Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
  32. ^ "Top 40 Urban Tracks of 2002" (PDF). Music Week. January 18, 2003. p. 32. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  33. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 2002". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  34. ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – 2002 Year End Charts". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  35. Airplay Monitor
    . Vol. 10, no. 51. December 20, 2002. p. 12.
  36. ^ "The Year in Music 2002: Hot Dance Maxi-Singles Sales". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 52. December 28, 2002. p. YE-53.
  37. ^ "Most-Played Rhythmic Top 40 Songs of 2002". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 10, no. 51. December 20, 2002. p. 22.
  38. ^ "American single certifications – Usher – U Don't Have to Call". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  39. ^ "American videosingle certifications – Usher – U Don't Have to Call / U Got It Bad". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  40. ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1436. January 18, 2002. p. 31. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  41. ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1439. February 8, 2002. p. 30. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  42. ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1444. March 15, 2002. p. 31. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  43. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 29 July 2002: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. July 27, 2002. p. 31. Retrieved August 28, 2021. The song is not mentioned on the source but is included on the single release of "I Need a Girl (Part One)".
  44. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 2nd September 2002" (PDF). ARIA. September 2, 2002. p. 27. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2002. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
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