Domino (Jessie J song)

Background and composition

"Domino" was written by Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, Claude Kelly, Max Martin, Henry "Cirkut" Walter, and Jessie J herself, while production was helmed by Dr. Luke and Cirkut. In July, 2011, Jessie J teased her fans via her official Twitter profile whilst posting 21-second clip of the song. "Domino" officially premiered on 16 August 2011 on Jessie J's official YouTube account. During an interview with MTV Buzzworthy, Jessie J further explained the concept behind the song, "People have heard 'Domino' and said 'it's nothing like you.' But I'm like well the album's really eclectic anyway, and I never go into the studio and say 'I wanna do another song that's like 'Price Tag' or another song like 'Do It Like a Dude'." In the same interview Jessie J unveiled that she often listened to Whitney Houston and Prince, so she came up with an idea to write a song that is "timeless, fun and uplifting". The song was released as lead single from the platinum edition of Jessie J's debut album Who You Are and fifth overall.

"Domino" has a beat that was described as "funky and disco-like". It is written in the key of G major with a tempo of 127 beats per minute, following the chord progression G5–Gsus–G–Gsus. Jessie's vocals span from D₄ to G₅.

Critical response

The song received mixed reviews: with critics praising the vocals, but were divided on the heavy production and similarities to Katy Perry's Teenage Dream (2010).

On June 27, 2012 songwriter Will Loomis sued Jessie J and her record label Universal Music Group for copyright infringement alleging that the melody in "Domino" (2011) was identical to the melody in his song "Bright Red Chords" (2008). Loomis made a mashup of the two songs which Universal attempted to take off YouTube prompting Wikinews to cover the story. Loomis, on his Facebook page, posted a letter from Jessie J's record label dated May 5, 2010 in which they expressed interest in the song and asked him to send them a copy.

Robert Copsey from Digital Spy gave the song a positive review, giving the single four out of five stars. Copsey wrote that although the song's guitar riff is dangerously similar to Perry's "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)", (2011), "'Domino' is easily [Jessie J]'s glossiest outing since 'Price Tag'". He commended the package of "catchy hooks" and "saucy lines" present throughout the song, likening it to "[heading] out for a night on the tiles." James Masterson of About.com said that "Domino" is an "amazing pop record". Sarah Deen from Metro gave the song a positive review, writing "The beat is funky and disco-like, with Jessie's powerhouse vocals adding that extra punch to a melodic and feel-good song." Amanda Dobbins of New York Magazine commented, "Jessie lands the high notes just fine, and 'Domino' shows off her pure pop abilities, if not her soul, to solid effect." Dobbins called the song a "total jam," reminiscent of Teenage Dream.

Katherine St Asaph from Popdust gave the single three and a half out of five stars, writing that, although it was better than Jessie J's other singles, it was still "completely useless". St Asaph criticised the song as generic, saying "it’s almost impossible to imagine 'Domino' offending someone and just as hard to imagine people disliking it specifically". Scott Shettler of PopCrush gave "Domino" a three out of five rating of the song, calling it more derivative than innovative. He commented, "We know from 'Price Tag' and 'Do It Like a Dude' that Jessie is an original performer, full of wit and spunk, but ‘Domino,’ instead sounds exactly like something from Katy Perry‘s Teenage Dream album." Shettler, however, deemed "Domino" as catchy enough to become Jessie J's biggest hit in the United States.

Chart performance

In the United Kingdom, "Domino" debuted at number 54 on the UK Singles Chart issued for 31 December 2011. It then registered a 20-position climb to number 34, becoming Jessie J's sixth consecutive top 40 hit in the United Kingdom. On 14 January 2012, "Domino" climbed a further 26 places to number eight with sales of 30,192, becoming Jessie J's fifth top ten hit from Who You Are. The single then rose seven places to replace Flo Rida's "Good Feeling" at the top of the UK Singles Chart, registering Jessie J's second number-one hit in the United Kingdom following "Price Tag" in 2011. It was number-one for two consecutive weeks, selling 64,255 copies and 12.01% more in its second week at number-one. The song has sold 749,000 copies in the UK in 2012, finishing at number 8 on the UK end of year chart.

"Domino" debuted on the ARIA Charts of Australia at number 12, and peaked at number five the following week. It became her third top ten hit and her second highest peaking single. The song stayed on the charts for 22 weeks. It has since been certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for sales of 210,000 units. On 12 September 2011, the single debuted at number three on the New Zealand RIANZ charts, becoming her fourth consecutive top ten hit there. It spent 21 weeks on the chart and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) for sales of 15,000 units.

Live montage version

After the release of the single in August 2011, there were initial plans to film a music video for the song. The concept of the music video would involve Jessie J sitting on a throne surrounded by an army of purple haired dancers whose behavior she conducts. Due to the injury on her foot which prompted her to pull out of Katy Perry's California Dreams Tour under doctor's orders in 2011, she was unable to dance in the video. Jessie J remarked by saying: "If I can't dance then why not get fifteen amazing dancers that can?" Another scene would show Jessie J standing and shaking her hips while golden glitter is being thrown at her. It was directed by Emil Nava, who previously directed her video for "Price Tag" and "Nobody's Perfect". However, the music video was never released. Instead, a live montage was uploaded at Jessie J's VEVO channel on 14 October 2011. The video shows scenes of live shows, backstage footage, cover shots, and external performances. It served as a promotional video for a time before the actual music video was released.

Studio version

After recovering from her injury, Jessie J then resumed filming and by 11 November she announced on her official Twitter page that they had finished shooting the video. It eventually premiered on 26 December 2011, and is directed by Ray Kay. Jessie J is the only person in the video.

Live performances

Jessie presented the song at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards where she served as the show's house artist, performing various songs from her debut album and covers of many popular songs during commercial breaks.

She performed the full version of the song on the American version of The X Factor during the week 3 result show on 10 November 2011. It was also performed at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball on the Sunday 4 December in The O2. She also performed the song on The Voice of Holland on 16 December 2011. It was later performed on The Jonathan Ross Show and on Let's Dance for Sport Relief. In April 2012, she performed "Domino" on The Voice with Team Christina, performing the track again at the Diamond Jubilee Concert on 4 June 2012. Critics noted that her performance paled when compared to Kylie Minogue's "Spinning Around", but her blue and gold feathery frock was praised for attention grabbing. She also performed the song at the 3rd Indonesian Choice Awards on May 29, 2016.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Who You Are album liner notes.