Do You... (Miguel song) explained

Do You...
Cover:Do You - Miguel.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Miguel
Album:Kaleidoscope Dream
Recorded:Platinum Sound Recording (New York)
Prev Title:Adorn
Prev Year:2012
Next Title:Power Trip
Next Year:2013

"Do You..." is a song by American R&B singer and songwriter Miguel. It was released on September 18, 2012, as the second single from his 2012 album Kaleidoscope Dream. It was written by producer Jerry Duplessis, co-producer Arden Altino, guitarist Paul Pesco, and Miguel, who recorded the song at Platinum Sound Recording Studios in New York City. "Do You..." is a love song built around gentle guitar strumming and a playful rhythm section. Its lyrics pose flirtatious, rhetorical questions and feature both metaphorical and literal references to narcotics, inspired in part by Miguel's occasional use of MDMA.

As a single, "Do You..." charted for eight weeks on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, peaking at number 32. It was well received by music critics, who praised Miguel's playful delivery and cited it as a highlight on Kaleidoscope Dream. A music video for the song was filmed in Las Vegas and showed Miguel and his girlfriend Nazanin Mandi on an intimate date. He performed "Do You..." on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and incorporated elements of Bob Marley's "Stir It Up" into the song in his other concert performances.

Background

"Do You..." was written by Miguel, producer Jerry Duplessis, co-producer Arden Altino, and guitarist Paul Pesco. It was recorded at Platinum Sound Recording Studios in New York City and mixed by engineer Manny Marroquin at Larrabee Studios in North Hollywood.[1] The song features slap bass by Duplessis.[2]

Music and lyrics

"Do You..." is built around gentle guitar strumming and a playful rhythm section, featuring a walking bassline and double-time drums. Chris Kelly of Fact categorizes it as an atmospheric pop rock song,[3] while Mesfin Fekadu of the Associated Press calls it "a mellow R&B outtake".[4] The song begins with an echoed haze and acoustic guitar, with Miguel asking, "Have you ever felt alone?"[5] It is then followed by a euphoric vocal reverb that leads to blasting drums,[6] and Miguel asks "Do you like drugs" over a smooth guitar riff.[7]

A wooing love song, "Do You..." poses flirtatious, rhetorical questions such as "Do you like hugs?" and "Do you like love?".[8] Miguel melismatizes with three syllables at the end of each question, before he replies with "Well, me too."[9] He evokes a romantic relationship with simple, imagistic lyrics:[8] "What about matinee movies, pointless secrets / Midnight summer swims, private beaches / Rock, paper, scissors. Wait! Best out of three."[10]

The song references drugs both metaphorically and literally,[11] and innocently delivers a transgressive message through the use of simile: "I'm going to do you like drugs tonight".[3] Miguel said of the song's lyrics, "I have this propensity to just come out and say things. That's how I am in real life. If I wanna know something I just ask. Like, 'Hey, do you like drugs?' Because I do! Sometimes! ... MDMA… on occasion."[12] Alex Macpherson of The Guardian observes "faded psychedelia" and "promises of narcotic trysts" in the song's lyrics.[13] Pitchfork Medias Carrie Battan said that "Do You..." is "not so much about being in love as about a shared love of vices."[14]

Release and reception

"Do You..." was originally featured on Kaleidoscope Dream: The Air Preview, which was released on September 11, 2012, as the second in a three-part series of EPs released by Miguel to preview Kaleidoscope Dream.[15] It was released as a digital single on September 18 by ByStorm Entertainment and RCA Records.[16] In the week of November 3, it debuted at number 49 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[17] It spent eight weeks on the chart,[18] peaking at number 32 in the week of January 26, 2013.[19] It also charted for 19 weeks and reached number 24 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.[20] On the R&B Songs chart, "Do You..." spent 24 weeks and peaked at number 10.[21]

"Do You..." was well received by critics. Evan Rytlewski from The A.V. Club said the song "spins the ostensibly sleazy pickup line 'Do you like drugs?' into an irresistibly sweet proposal, imagining lovely, perfectly wasted afternoons spent in a content daze."[22] Erin Thompson of Seattle Weekly called it a "fabulous song" and felt that "Miguel's smooth, subtle swagger is so appealing that a line like 'I wanna do you like drugs tonight' comes off as audacious instead of offensive."[8] Rob Tannenbaum of Rolling Stone quipped, "Just when you thought there were no new ways to say 'I love you'".[23]

In MSN Music, Robert Christgau found the lyric "Do you like drugs?" to be one of "the two most memorable lines" on Kaleidoscope Dream,[24] while Kevin Ritchie of Now cited "Do You..." as the album's best song.[25] Andrew Ryce from Pitchfork Media cited it as a "standout" on the album and commented that it "unfolds in an ethereal cloud of synth, voices streaming like angelic choirs before stumbling into a verse buoyed by its own euphoria." The website's Carrie Battan called "Do You..." "one of Miguel's best songs [and] also his glibbest".[14] However, Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe felt that its "good hook ... gets washed away by effects".[26]

Promotion

A music video for the song was released on October 3, 2012. It juxtaposes tableaus of the Great Basin Desert in Nevada with black-and-white shots of Miguel and his real-life girlfriend, actress and model Nazanin Mandi. Set in Las Vegas,[27] the video shows them on a date, driving a 1967 Pontiac GTO convertible through the desert, "making out on a pool table, and taking a helicopter trip".[28] Miguel and Mandi become increasingly intimate as the night progresses in the video, which is "intercut with a sequence of Miguel performing on stage in a packed nightclub".[29]

On November 16, Miguel performed the song as a musical guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.[30] He incorporated elements of Bob Marley's 1973 reggae song "Stir It Up" into "Do You..." when performing the song live at Oracle Arena in Oakland on November 23,[31] at Madison Square Garden in New York City on December 5,[32] and at Shepherd's Bush Empire in London on January 14, 2013.[33]

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes for Kaleidoscope Dream.[1]

Charts

Chart (2012–13)Peak
position
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[34] 2
US R&B Songs (Billboard)10
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[35] 29

Notes and References

  1. Miguel. Kaleidoscope Dream. RCA Records. 88725-47203-2. CD liner notes. 2012.
  2. Web site: Soto . Alfred . October 16, 2012 . Miguel . . October 20, 2012 . https://archive.today/20130204132948/http://thequietus.com/articles/10378-miguel-kaleidoscope-dream-review . February 4, 2013 . live .
  3. Kelly . Chris . October 4, 2012 . Kaleidoscope Dream . . London . October 20, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121008051157/http://www.factmag.com/2012/10/04/kaleidoscope-dream/ . October 8, 2012 . live .
  4. Web site: Fekadu . Mesfin . January 16, 2013 . Adorned by the Grammys: Miguel has breakthrough . . January 19, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130118171933/http://www.usnews.com/news/entertainment/articles/2013/01/16/adorned-by-the-grammys-miguel-has-breakthrough . January 18, 2013 . live .
  5. Web site: Cheesman . Danielle . September 10, 2012 . Miguel Previews His "Kaleidoscope Dream" (Again) with "The Air Preview" . . January 19, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121016034759/http://social.entertainment.msn.com/music/blogs/groove-blogpost.aspx?post=a01c720b-6f55-435f-9884-db01c35bb1bb . October 16, 2012 . dead .
  6. Web site: Alexander . Christopher . November 28, 2012 . Miguel / Neurosis: Kaleidoscope Dream / Honor Found in Decay . Cokemachineglow . December 1, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121202040927/http://cokemachineglow.com/records/miguelneurosis-kaleidoscopedecay-2012/ . December 2, 2012 . live .
  7. Wete . Brad . August 21, 2012 . Interview: Miguel Talks Upcoming "Kaleidoscope Dream" Album, Working With Alicia Keys, and Wanting More Fame . . New York . January 21, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120826090523/http://www.complex.com/music/2012/08/interview-miguel-kaleidoscope-dream-alicia-keys-fame . August 26, 2012 . live .
  8. Web site: Thompson . Erin . December 27, 2012 . My 12 Favorite Songs of 2012 . 4 . . January 19, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130123141925/http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2012/12/my_12_favorite_songs_of_2012.php?page=4 . January 23, 2013 . dead .
  9. Web site: Lee . Christina . October 2, 2012 . Miguel's 'Kaleidoscope Dream': Album Review . . . January 21, 2013 . https://archive.today/20130216063843/http://idolator.com/6962452/miguel-kaleidoscope-dream-album-review . February 16, 2013 . live .
  10. Cooper . Duncan . November 16, 2012 . Miguel: Second Wind . . New York . 83 . November 17, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121117183611/http://www.thefader.com/2012/11/16/miguel-second-wind/ . November 17, 2012 . live .
  11. Web site: Browne . Rembert . October 5, 2012 . Miguel's Kaleidoscope Dream and the R&B Renaissance of 2012 . . January 19, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121114125849/http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/59094/miguel . November 14, 2012 . live .
  12. News: Jonze . Tim . February 8, 2013 . Miguel: the slow-burn success of a new R&B superstar . . London . The Guide section, p. 10 . February 9, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130210032812/http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/feb/09/miguel-kaleidoscope-dream . February 10, 2013 . live .
  13. News: Macpherson . Alex . October 18, 2012 . section G2, p. 23 . Miguel: Kaleidoscope Dream – review . The Guardian . London . October 19, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121020071625/http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/oct/18/miguel-kaleidoscope-dream-review . October 20, 2012 . live .
  14. Web site: Battan . Carrie . October 3, 2012 . Miguel Heads West in the Video for "Do You..." . . January 20, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130206124319/http://pitchfork.com/news/48078-miguel-heads-west-in-the-video-for-do-you/ . February 6, 2013 . live .
  15. Zeichner . Naomi . September 10, 2012 . Stream Miguel's Kaleidoscope Dream: The Air Preview . . New York . January 19, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121108033527/http://www.thefader.com/2012/09/10/stream-miguels-kaleidoscope-dream-the-air-preview/ . November 8, 2012 . live .
  16. Web site: Miguel - Do You MP3 Music Download . . . January 18, 2013 . https://archive.today/20130215170019/http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=8830115 . February 15, 2013 . live .
  17. Web site: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs : Nov 3, 2012. Billboard.biz. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. April 24, 2015. subscription .
  18. [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=Miguel|chart=R&B/Hip-Hop Songs}} Miguel - Chart history: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs]. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. April 24, 2015.
  19. Web site: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs : Jan 26, 2014. Billboard.biz. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. April 24, 2015. subscription .
  20. Web site: Hip Hop/R&B Songs Airplay Chart | Billboard: Feb 02, 2013. Billboard.biz. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. April 24, 2015.
  21. Web site: R&B Songs Chart | Billboard: Dec 29, 2012. Billboard.biz. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. April 24, 2015. subscription .
  22. News: Rytlewski . Evan . October 9, 2012 . Miguel: Kaleidoscope Dream . . Chicago . October 19, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121030073133/http://www.avclub.com/articles/miguel-kaleidoscope-dream,86389/ . October 30, 2012 . live .
  23. Tannenbaum . Rob . October 5, 2012 . Kaleidoscope Dream . . New York . October 19, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121021052649/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/kaleidoscope-dream-20121005 . October 21, 2012 . live .
  24. Web site: Christgau . Robert . Robert Christgau . December 28, 2012 . Miguel . MSN Music . December 28, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130108002013/http://social.entertainment.msn.com/music/blogs/expert-witness-blogpost.aspx?post=4ae4a71f-e229-44a9-ae0d-5f3bf53cc93b . January 8, 2013 . dead .
  25. News: Ritchie . Kevin . October 4, 2012 . 32 . 5 . Miguel - Kaleidoscope Dream . . Toronto . January 19, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121025180224/http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/story.cfm?content=188954 . October 25, 2012 . live .
  26. News: Capobianco . Ken . October 2, 2012 . CD Review: Miguel, 'Kaleidoscope Dream' . . October 20, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141028160609/http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2012/10/01/review-miguel-kaleidoscope-dream/4oiBSgRFDvhGDMeCJEq9VK/story.html . October 28, 2014 . live .
  27. Web site: Dobbins . Amanda . October 3, 2012 . 'Do You … ' Video: Miguel Takes Vegas . . New York Media . January 19, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130215053601/http://www.vulture.com/2012/10/you-video-miguel-takes-vegas.html . February 15, 2013 . live .
  28. Brown. Harley. October 3, 2012. Miguel Demonstrates He Likes Love in 'Do You...' Video. Spin. New York. January 19, 2013. https://archive.today/20240526113509/https://www.webcitation.org/6DmXm64F3?url=http://spin.kargo.com/v/Misc/MiguelDemonstratesHe/%3Fp=0&KSID=368a360e655e437675ffd2c92a06100d&ints_viewed=1. May 26, 2024. live.
  29. Web site: Lansky . Sam . October 3, 2012 . Miguel's "Do You…" Video: Watch The Hypnotic Clip . Idolator . Buzz Media . October 24, 2012 . https://archive.today/20130125191744/http://idolator.com/6990111/miguel-do-you-video . January 25, 2013 . live .
  30. November 17, 2012 . Miguel Performs 'Do You' on 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon' . . Calabasas . November 17, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130127042626/http://www.rap-up.com/2012/11/17/miguel-performs-do-you-on-late-night-with-jimmy-fallon/ . January 27, 2013 . live .
  31. Web site: Meline . Gabe . November 25, 2012 . Live Review: Miguel at the Oracle Arena, Oakland . City Sound Inertia . January 20, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130313034028/http://citysound.bohemian.com/2012/11/25/live-review-miguel-at-the-oracle-arena-oakland/ . March 13, 2013 . live .
  32. Garraud. Tracy. December 7, 2013. New York. Trey Songz Brings Out Jeezy, Fabolous & Trinidad James At NYC Show. Billboard. January 19, 2013.
  33. News: Mugan . Chris . January 14, 2013 . Miguel, Shepherd's Bush Empire, London . . London . January 19, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083121/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/miguel-shepherds-bush-empire-london-8450465.html . March 4, 2016 . live .
  34. Web site: Bubbling Under Hot 100 : Feb 09, 2013. Billboard.biz. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. April 24, 2015. subscription .
  35. Web site: Rhythmic Songs: Mar 02, 2013. Billboard.biz. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. April 24, 2015. subscription .

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