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Jordin Sparks - Battlefield
"Battlefield" is a song from American R&B/pop singer-songwriter Jordin Sparks. It serves as the lead single from Sparks' second studio album, Battlefield, which was released on July 21, 2009. The single was added to US iTunes on May 12, and was first performed live on American Idol on May 13, 2009. The single has become Sparks' fifth consecutive top 20 hit and third non-consecutive top 10 hit.
Background
In an interview and press release for the album, Sparks commented:
| “ | It kinda came up by fluke. I was in the studio working on another song with Wayne Wilkins, one of the writers of 'Battlefield', and he said to me, 'I have a song I wanna play you but I don't know if I should'. I was like, 'Go for it - the worst that could happen is I don't like it'. He played the song and honestly my jaw hit the floor. I didn't wanna ask him on the spot if I could have the song, so I went to my A&R and said, 'This song's so phenomenal, you have to ask him if it's available'. About a week later I got a call saying I was going to record it. | ” |
| "What grabbed me at first actually was the fact it was so big. The melody starts off very soft but then it gets massive and kinda angsty. I've had lots of friends who've gone through 'Battlefield' situations in their relationships, so when I was singing the song I put myself in their position and tried to imagine what they were going through." |
| — Jordin Sparks |
The mid-tempo R&B ballad was written and produced by The Runaways (Wayne Wilkins, Louis Biancaniello and Sam Watters) and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder. It is set in common time in a key of G major with a tempo 144 beats per minute. Sparks's vocal range spans from A3 to C6.
The song was released to the US iTunes Store on May 12, 2009.
The media monitoring organization Media Base reported that "Battlefield" was the number one added and requested single on US radio during its first week of release.
- Performances
Sparks appeared on American Idol's Top 3 Result Show on May 13, 2009 to perform a shortened version of "Battlefield" with Ryan Tedder.
On May 24, 2009 Jordin headed to Europe with her brother, PJ, to begin promotion for the single. She is currently performing the song with the Jonas Brothers during her appearances as a special guest on their tour. Kevin is among the guitar players, Nick plays the drums, and Joe sings alongside Jordin during the "Battlefield" performance
Formats and track listings
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Critical reception
The song has been warmly received by critics. Popjustice writes, "To start with you think 'this isn't up to much' then by the end of it you think 'this is going to be Number One for precisely 2.5 months'. There is a brilliant middle eight where everything falls out and it's just Jordin bellowing "like a battlefield! Like a battlefield!" and then it all crashes back in and then it all falls out again and then it all goes back in again and it's all jolly good." The New York Post also raves that "the single is simply pure pop magic." This was echoed by About.com, which rated the song 4½ stars, stating, "This may indeed be the sound of summer 2009." MTV's Buzzworthy raves, "Battlefield" is "one of the most dangerously powerful pop tracks and videos to hit us in a minute" and that it is "the type of song that takes Jordin out of the juniors department and into the diva leagues."
Digital Spy compared "Battlefield" to Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love" and Beyonce Knowles' "Halo", but found "Battlefield" "more bombastic, more overblown and, well, just plain better" The reviewer continues, "Tedder lavishes 'Battlefield' with ear-bashing drums, lashings of guitar, piano straight off an old Bonnie Tyler record, chanty backing vocals and if you listen carefully, an electro effect that sounds a bit like Sonar. To say his production job's bombastic is like calling Lady Gaga a bit of a show off. Fortunately, the song has the killer pop hooks to carry it off and Jordin Sparks is enough of a singer to rise above the rumpus...Number one surely beckons." The result? A strong contender for single of the year." Chris Williams of Billboard also predicts chart success for Sparks' single: Sparks makes her voice the perfect companion to his majestic pop productions. Big, crashing percussion; wall-of-sound layered vocals; and Sparks' cutting power pipes blast this song into the radio stratosphere. With lyrics aimed at motivating lovers to fight to the end for what they've got, it's clear from the first listen that Sparks is armed for victory at the top of the charts."
Female First said "So in truth, I have heard of Jordin Sparks, and loved her, but never put two and two together to realise how bloody epic she was! But now, I promise you, I’ll never leave her again, as her latest single, 'Battlefield' is, to say the least, incredible. You know when you hear a song once and think, 'Oh my god, this is amazing?' well, 'Battlefield' is one of those songs. From the build-up of the verses to the epic chorus that is just made to be sung in arenas all over the world; the greatness of this song can really not be summed up in words."
Music video
Philip Andelman was booked to shoot the music video in Los Angeles before the single was perfomed live on American Idol. Andelman has shot videos for the likes of Beyoncé Knowles, Jesse McCartney and Jonas Brothers. The video began production on May 13 and shooting was completed by May 14, 2009. Entertainment Tonight got a behind the scenes of "Battlefield" and also had a short interview with her about American Idol season 8 finalists. The video premiered on MTV June 8, 2009. And MTV played it on heavy rotation all day for the remainder of the day every hour.
In the video, Sparks sports a few different looks — in a 1971 De Tomaso Pantera wearing a black dress, lying out in a field in a white dress — but it's when she steps out of the car that we see her turn up the attitude in the aforementioned black gown. The song is about a tumultuous relationship where neither side wants to compromise. She sings, "I never meant to start a war/ You know, I never wanna hurt you/ Don't even know what we're fighting for/ Why does love always feel like a battlefield, a battlefield, a battlefield." There are several times in the video — especially by the time night falls and the song's bridge comes in — where Sparks, flanked by fireworks and smoke, warns her love interest to get his armor. And, it seems like she's using the video as a way to step out of her shell a little — perhaps she's out to show the world that she isn't all that sweet and can "start a war" in a relationship with the best of them.
Charts and sales
From a slow start, "Battlefield" recently became a big (top 10 hit) for Sparks in the US after the release of her second album. It has, so far, peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it her fifth consecutive top 20 hit and third top 10 hit in the US.
"Battlefield" was also quite successful in the United Kingdom, where it is Sparks' second highest charting single ever on the UK Singles Chart after "No Air" (which peaked at #3 at the UK Singles Chart and #1 on the R&B Chart). "Battlefield" is currently at #11 on the Singles Charts and #6 on the R&B Charts. To date, "Battlefield" brings Sparks' tally of top 30 hits in the UK to four. Despite this, it is yet to enter the top 10, although it has peaked at #11 on three separate occasions. The most recent move was back up to #11 after the release of her album.
The song also became a big hit in New Zealand and Australia where it was a top 5 hit, and in Ireland where it charted in the top 10.
| Chart (2009) | Peak position | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 4 | |
| Canadian Hot 100 | 5 | |
| Eurochart Hot 100 Singles | 23 | |
| German Singles Chart | 40 | |
| Irish Singles Chart | 9 | |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 3 | |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 81 | |
| UK Singles Chart | 11 | |
| UK R&B Chart | 6 | |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 10 | 544,000+ |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Top 40 | 7 |
Release history
The song was released on May 25, 2009 to mainstream, CHR/Top 40, and on June 8, 2009 to Hot AC.
| Country | Release date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | May 12, 2009 | Digital download | Jive, Zomba |
| Australia | May 18, 2009 | ||
| Europe | RCA, Zomba, Sony Music | ||
| North America | May 25, 2009 | Airplay | Jive, Zomba |
| Europe | RCA, Zomba, Sony Music | ||
| Germany | July 3, 2009 | CD single | Zomba, Sony Music |
| United Kingdom | July 6, 2009 | RCA, Sony Music |
You Can Download "Jordin Sparks - Battlefield.mp3" Here :
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