Back to Sleep (song)

Background

The song was written by Chris Brown, Anderson Hernandez, Matthew Samuels, Allen Ritter, and August Rigo, and was produced by Vinylz, Boi-1da and Allen Ritter. Premiered and was sent to radio as the album's third single and its first urban single on November 5, 2015, receiving its commercial release for digital download on November 9, 2015.

Composition

"Back to Sleep" is an R&B, mid-tempo slow jam that features beats and minor influences of funk and pop music, reminiscent of Marvin Gaye's 1982 song "Sexual Healing". The production of the song infuses elements of new school R&B with elements of '80s pop, and is a based on a roland TR-808.

Critical reception

"Back to Sleep" received mixed reviews from music critics. AllMusic editor Andy Kellman called the song a "lullaby of sorts". Brad Wete of Billboard said that the song "excels as a quality addition to his catalog’s stellar collection of panty-dropping and baby-making songs", comparing the song to Brown's previous singles "Take You Down" (2008) and "No Bullshit" (2011), and also to Marvin Gaye's 1982 song "Sexual Healing". Jesse Cataldo of Slant Magazine said that the song is "an otherwise sultry slow jam that centers around an astoundingly ill-advised “f*ck you back to sleep” hook", comparing the song to the sounds of R. Kelly. Mikael Wood of The Courier-Journal described the song as "a coarser number in which Brown puts his needs ahead of an exhausted lover’s".

Commercial performance

On the Billboard Hot 100, the song debuted at number 64 on the week ending January 2, 2016, and reached number 48 on the week ending February 13, 2016. On the week ending March 12, 2016, it reached number 36 on the Hot 100, and number 2 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart. On the week ending March 19, 2016, it reached number 20 on the Hot 100 and became the top Digital Gainer of the week, debuting at number 13 on the Digital Songs chart, having sold 42,000 downloads that week, 32% of which stemmed from the Part 1 remix. The same week, it reached number 5 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, number 2 on the R&B Digital Songs chart, and number 3 on the Hot R&B Songs chart. By April 2, 2016, the single had sold 300,620 copies in the US.

Music video

On December 14, 2015 Brown uploaded the music video for "Back to Sleep" on his YouTube and Vevo account. The video begins after the conclusion of Brown's "Fine By Me" music video.

Synopsis

The music video for "Back to Sleep" was directed by Brown. The video begins, after the conclusion of Brown's "Fine by Me" music video, and starts with Brown making a call to his girlfriend, insisting that he come over even though it’s late at night. After Brown and his girlfriend get intimate, showing them kissing and touching on display in the shower and bedroom. Intercut with performance clips where Brown sings the song in a club.

Live performances

Brown promoted the song with live performances on televised shows, including Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Taraji & Terrence's White Hot Holidays and the 3rd iHeartRadio Music Awards.

Remixes

Chris Brown has released three remixes to the song. Part 1 features Usher and Zayn, and was released as "Back to Sleep (Remix)" on February 26, 2016; in addition to verses from Usher and Zayn, the remix also features a new verse from Brown where he mentions his ex-girlfriend Karrueche. Part 2 features Miguel, August Alsina, and Trey Songz, and was released as "Back to Sleep (Remix)" on April 8, while Part 3 was released on April 10 as "Back To Sleep (Legends Remix)", and features Tank, R. Kelly and Anthony Hamilton.

Track listing

1. "Back to Sleep" (Explicit) — 3:21

1. "Back to Sleep" (Remix) (featuring Usher and Zayn) — 4:27

1. "Back to Sleep" (Legends Remix) (featuring Tank, R. Kelly and Anthony Hamilton) — 4:27