Try Again (Aaliyah song)
| "Try Again" | |
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| Song |
"Try Again" is a Grammy-nominated single by American R&B singer Aaliyah. The song went to number one on the Billboard charts, received favorable reviews and was awarded two MTV Video Music Awards for Best Female Video and Best Video from a Film.
The song was written by Static Major and Timbaland, the latter also produced the single and is featured on it's intro.
Song history and release
"Try Again" was released as the second single from the Romeo Must Die soundtrack and written for the motion picture of the same name. It uses a Roland TB-303 drum machine. The chorus is an interpolation of the famous proverb by William Edward Hickson. It also uses tuplets. The single was released to radio while "I Don't Wanna" was still at radio. "Try Again" was one of her most successful songs on both the American charts and the international charts. It was the first song ever to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 based solely on the strength of its radio airplay.
The song was listed 10th on The Village Voice's 2000 Pazz & Jop critics' poll. In November 2002, NME magazine ranked "Try Again" 93rd on their list of the 100 Greatest Singles of All Time. In 2003 German metal band Knorkator covered "Try Again" for their album Ich hasse Musik, turning the piece into a crushing orchestral industrial metal piece.
In December 2009, Rolling Stone magazine listed the song 86th on their list of the 100 Best Songs of the Decade.[2] On Billboard's hottest records of the 2000s list, the song placed 98th.[3]
Promotion
While promoting the movie Romeo Must Die and the soundtrack of the film, Aaliyah performed this song on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Top of the Pops, MTV's Romeo Must Die special and Total Request Live.
Music video
The music video was filmed at Hollywood Center Studios in early March 2000. It begins with Jet Li entering a hall of mirrors and Aaliyah stepping in, wearing a revealing low-cut bra and tight low-rise leather pants. Timbaland is also shown. The room is dim with a circle light in the center to resemble the moon shining over the ocean. The making of the video and the video itself was featured on the Romeo Must Die DVD. The video was directed by Wayne Isham, with Fatima Robinson creating the choreography. The "Hall of Mirrors" room was inspired by Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon. The video placed seventh on BET's year-end special Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2000, fifteenth on Channel V's Retro Top 20: 2000 and ranks Aaliyah at 41 on Channel Max's Top 100 Sexiest Women.
Track listing
CD Single
- "Try Again" featuring Timbaland – 4:04
- "Try Again" (Timbaland remix) – 4:59
- "Try Again" (D'Jam Hassan remix) – 5:28
- "Try Again" (instrumental) – 4:43
Promo single
- "Try Again" (album version) - 4:49
- "Try Again" (instrumental) - 4:43
Awards and nominations
At the 43rd Grammy Awards, "Try Again" was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance; it was also honored with two Soul Train Music Award nominations: Best R&B/Soul Single and R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video. The single won two MTV Video Music Awards for Best Female Video and Best Video from a Film, it was nominated for 4 awards in total.
Radio and release dates
- Radio
- February 2000 (United States/ Radio)
- Release dates
- April 24, 2000 (United Kingdom/ CD single)
- June 27, 2000 (United States/ 12" vinyl single)
- June 30, 2000 (Canada/10" CD Single)
- July 10, 2000 (United Kingdom/ Cassette)
- August 8, 2000 (Netherlands/ CD single)
- February 19, 2001 (United Kingdom/ 12" vinyl single)
- June 12, 2001 (Pakistan/ 15" Vinyl single)
- June 15, 2001 (Bangledesh/ 15" Vinyl single)
Chart performance
"Try Again" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in mid-March 2000[4] ; eventually topping the chart on the week of June 17. It stayed in the top 10 for a massive fifteen weeks and in the top one hundred for thirty-two weeks. It also peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart for nine weeks. On the year-end chart for Billboard Hot 100, it was ranked twelfth[5] and ranked eighteenth on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs year-end chart[6].
In UK Singles Top 75, it debuted and peaked at number five, staying in the top 75 for 12 weeks[7].
It peaked at number 8[8] in Australia. It ranked 51st on the year-end chart of ARIA Charts[9].
In Germany, the song peaked at number five; remaining in the chart for twenty weeks[10]. The song became the 7th most successful song of Germany in 2000[11].
In France, the song reached the Top 30.[12].
