I Gotta Feeling

Background

"I Gotta Feeling" was written and composed by all the members of The Black Eyed Peas (credited as William Adams, Allan Pineda, Jaime Gomez, and Stacy Ferguson) together with French producers David Guetta, Frederick Riesterer, both of whom produced the song. will.i.am provided additional synthesizer work to the song. The song was recorded at Square Prod in Paris, France and Metropolis Studios in London, England, United Kingdom. "I Gotta Feeling" is the second single released from The E.N.D (2009). Interscope Records serviced the song to contemporary hit and rhythmic crossover radios on June 23, 2009 in the United States. In an interview with Annie Reuter of Marie Claire, will.i.am stated that "It’s dedicated to all the party people out there in the world that want to go out and party. Mostly every song on the Black Eyed Peas record is painting a picture of our party life. It was a conscious decision to make this type of record. Times are really hard for a lot of people and you want to give them escape and you want to make them feel good about life, especially at these low points."

Composition

"I Gotta Feeling" is an uptempo dance pop song that runs a length of 4:49 (4 minutes and 49 seconds). The song follows in the inspirational dance-pop theme of The E.N.D, being built upon the heavy use of Auto-Tune and futuristic synthesizers while running through a tick-tock rhythm. It is composed in the key of G major. The song begins in a restrained fashion then moves in to a throbbing dance beat that changes patterns so that at least one reviewer thought it shifted tempos, although in fact the tempo does not change at all, suggesting the use of a click track in recording. It contains electronic influences. The "woo-hoo" line is sampled from The Police's song "Every Breath You Take". Ann Powers of Los Angeles Times noted the song's similarities to Five Stairsteps' song "Ooh Child", writing that it emulates the song's "use of a repetitive, warm vocal line to signify a good mood coming on." According to Jimmy Iovine of the Interscope Geffen A&M label group, the melody was inspired by the U2 song "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight": "I sent will.i.am over to the studio to do some remixes on I'll Go Crazy. He works on them for two weeks, comes back and writes I Gotta Feeling. The chords are U2 chords, 100 per cent. Will even told them."

Critical reception

"I Gotta Feeling" received generally positive reviews from music critics. David Balls, a writer for Digital Spy, gave the song a four-star rating, writing that the song is "every bit as quirky as its predecessor ("Boom Boom Pow")". However, he compared it to Girls Aloud's "Biology", writing that they sound like a collection of musical ideas "that only makes sense after a few listens." Another writer for Digital Spy, Nick Levine, praised "I Gotta Feeling" and "Rock That Body" as ace collaborations with French disc jockey David Guetta. Music critics like John Bush of All Music Guide and Andy Gill of The Independent labeled it as one of the album's best tracks. Ann Powers wrote a positive review about "I Gotta Feeling", noting that "the Peas do let in some human sweetness and light" on the song and that it uses "a repetitive, warm vocal line to signify a good mood coming on." Ben Westhoff of Las Vegas Weekly dismissed the song as a blend of house, electro and dancehall beats that do not work compared to songs on The E.N.D like "Imma Be" and "One Tribe". Mike Schiller, a writer for PopMatters, found the song to be irresistible, writing that it "is one of those dance tunes that’s impossible to hate thanks to something like good natured naïveté". In his review of the album for Stuff.co.nz, Chris Schultz dismissed the lyrics, writing that they were the worst since Flo Rida's "Right Round".

The Observer-Dispatch writer David T. Farr praised the song as "the summer track of 2009", writing that "It’s one of those songs you grasp onto right away and crank up as the beat goes on, even the first time you hear it (guilty as charged)." Will Hines of Consequence of Sound shared similar feelings about "I Gotta Feeling", defining it as "chart baiting". Guy Blackman, a writer for The Age, labeled "I Gotta Feeling" and "Boom Boom Pow" as further dumbed-down dance-pop songs. Bill Lamb of About.com gave the song a four-star rating, praising it for the difference of style from previous releases by The Black Eyed Peas and as a great summer song with a feel good mood., but he criticized the lack of lyrical depth and constant use of Auto-Tune. Billboard's Chris Williams praised the song as their most mainstream release, writing that "they trade off on a simple, yet effective melody and message".

Chart performance

"I Gotta Feeling" followed in the international success of The E.N.D's lead single "Boom Boom Pow". In the United States, the song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number two, behind "Boom Boom Pow", prompted by sales of 249,000 downloads. The song held at number two for another week before rising to the top position on the chart. On July 30, 2009, it was reported that the song, along with "Boom Boom Pow" helped earn The Black Eyed Peas the longest run at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 by a duo or group (17 weeks). The song held at number one on the chart for a total of 14 weeks, which ended on the week ending October 17, 2009 when Jay Sean's "Down" took the position, making "I Gotta Feeling" fall to number 5. The song, together with "Boom Boom Pow", earned the group a total of 26 consecutive weeks atop the Hot 100 chart while also earning them their longest running single on the chart, with a total of 56 weeks logged. "I Gotta Feeling" also peaked at number one on several other Billboard charts, including Hot Digital Songs, Mainstream Top 40, and Radio Songs. It was the group's second single to sell over 6 million downloads in the United States, and was certified 7× Platinum on August 25, 2010 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) signifying sales of over 7 million units. It was the first song to reach sales of over 6 million (July 25, 2010), 7 million (March 20, 2011) and 8 million (June 24, 2012). It also earned the accolade of being the best digital seller in history; as of June 2015, the song has sold 8,700,000 downloads in the US.

In Canada, the song debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 at number two, similar to its beginning run in the United States, on the week ending June 27, 2009. The next week, it rose to number one following a surge in airplay, where it maintained that position for 16 consecutive weeks, setting the record for longest run at number one on the chart. The song was present on the chart for a total of 76 weeks, setting the record for longest stay on the chart. The song was certified Diamond by Music Canada for sales of over 800,000 digital downloads.

"I Gotta Feeling" fared similarly in international markets. The song had a slower rise in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number 70 on the week ending June 20, 2009. It quickly picked up momentum, moving in to the top five in its fifth week on the chart. On the week ending August 8, 2009, the song peaked at number one, where it stayed for two non-consecutive weeks. "I Gotta Feeling" held within the top ten for 16 consecutive weeks and lasted on the chart for a total of 76 weeks. The song was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry on January 7, 2010 for sales of 600,000 units. "I Gotta Feeling" became the first song to sell over one million units based solely on the strength of digital downloads, and has sold over 1.45 million copies in the United Kingdom as of June 2015. In Ireland, the song peaked at number one and held that position for 12 non-consecutive weeks, falling to number two on the week of August 27, 2009 after six weeks in the top position. It rose to number one the following week and held that position for another six weeks. In Sweden, the song debuted on the chart at number 36 on the week ending July 19, 2009. It quickly entered the top ten and peaked at number one in its seventh week on the chart. "I Gotta Feeling" maintained its position there for eight consecutive weeks and stayed present on the charts for a total of 87 weeks. The single was certified double platinum for sales of 40,000 units. In Germany, the song debuted on the chart at number seven and rose to number three two weeks later.

"I Gotta Feeling" peaked at number one in countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, The Netherlands, and New Zealand. The song reached top five peak positions in Finland, France, Norway, and Spain. It has sold over seven million units worldwide in 2009 and an additional six million in 2010, as reported by the IFPI.

Live performance

On September 8, 2009, the song was performed (with slight modification) by The Black Eyed Peas for the taping of the Kick-off Party for the 24th season of The Oprah Winfrey Show, with 21,000 fans performing a dance on the "Magnificent Mile" portion of Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. They also performed the song at the 52nd Grammy Awards nomination announcement ceremony with David Guetta (a remix edit by David Guetta appears on his album, One Love). The Black Eyed Peas also performed the song during a concert at Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2009. Being the half-time performers for Super Bowl XLV, The Black Eyed Peas sang "I Gotta Feeling" in front of more than 100,000 fans at Cowboys Stadium. On April 29, 2011, they performed the song along with others at the "i.am.FIRST" event at the FIRST Robotics Competition World Championships. For Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Concert, will.i.am and Jessie J sang a duet of "I Gotta Feeling".

Music video

The official final version was released on June 2 on Dipdive and on June 15 on iTunes. There is both a censored version and an explicit version of the music video and a live performance of the explicit video. The video starts with scenes in Hollywood Blvd. and then showing will.i.am combing his hair and Fergie putting on make-up while wearing lingerie. It also shows Taboo checking his messages on Dipdive and apl.de.ap checking his text messages. Then it cuts to the party as the first verse starts. In the uncensored version, there are some scenes featuring gay and lesbian content – Fergie dances suggestively and makes out with another woman, whilst two female partygoers are seen kissing at the two-minute mark. Before these scenes, one of two men making out is shown. The video ends with a large sign with human-sized letters that reads "The E.N.D" The video is directed by Mikey Mee of Little Minx and features guest appearances by David Guetta, Kid Cudi, members of the indie rock band Gossip, the designer duo Dean and Dan Caten of Dsquared² and a few well-known personalities of the LGBT community, including Ongina of RuPaul's Drag Race fame.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The E.N.D, Interscope Records, in association with will.i.am Music Group.

Track listing

1. "I Gotta Feeling" – 4:49

1. "I Gotta Feeling" (Radio Edit) – 4:06
2. "Boom Boom Pow" (David Guetta's Electro Hop Remix) – 4:05

1. "I Gotta Feeling" (Radio Edit) – 4:06
2. "Boom Boom Guetta" (David Guetta's Electro Hop Remix) – 4:05
3. "I Gotta Feeling" (Instrumental Version) – 4:49
4. "I Gotta Feeling" (Official Video) – 4:52

1. "I Gotta Feeling" (David Guetta's FMIF Remix) – 6:12
2. "I Gotta Feeling" (Printz Board vs. Zuper Blahq Remix) – 5:04
3. "I Gotta Feeling" (Laidback Luke Remix) – 6:28
4. "I Gotta Feeling" (Zuper Blahq Remix) – 5:48
5. "I Gotta Feeling" (Taboo's Broken Spanglish Remix) – 4:51

Other cover versions and use in popular media