Genre R&B, pop Label MySpace | Length 4:39 Writer(s) Christina Milian | |
Released October 7, 2008 (2008-10-07) Format Digital download, CD single | ||
"Us Against the World" is a single by Christina Milian. Milian wrote the single herself, and described it as a "cinematic power ballad". The song was released on October 7, 2008, and was serviced to US radio on October 28, 2008. The single's official remix, by Jason Nevins, was released on iTunes on January 20, 2009. After two-and-a-half weeks on Milian's MySpace page, the single received over eight million streams.
Contents
Production
Milian calls the song a love anthem because she wrote it while watching Romeo + Juliet (1996). Milian finds it to be more dramatic than her other singles, and explains it is about "having somebody to be there for you through thick and thin". Milian believes the lyrics speak a million words for people all over the world:
Milian sees the single as a representation of what the world needs: "There are people that are holding it down for somebody. It's important to have someone that has your back." "Us Against the World" is Milian's first single to be a ballad, which she notes is a "very exciting" chance to take.
Music video
A music video for "Us Against The World" was shot in November by Norwegian director Ray Kay, who previously directed the videos for Milian's singles "Whatever U Want" and "Say I". Milian described the video as "very Mad Max versus 300". The video was shot in a desert, featuring Milian and a male love interest played by Nick Denbeigh, who are the last two people on earth. Milian says, "When you see it, it's nothing like anything you'd see now. I want to be iconic in every music video that I do. I want to make a mark. This is very different."
The video premiered on January 13 on Milian's official MySpace page. The video is set in a desert, where Milian sings in different gold and bronze colored, often metallic, outfits. Near the end of the video, her love interest appears and she sings the last chorus to him.
Ray Kay revealed that the sand dunes in the video were used by ATV and dune buggy enthusiasts at the time of filming. The video was shot during the busiest weekend of the year for the location, and the crew were constantly forced to stop filming to get clear backgrounds. The video was designed to show Milian's growth from her last album, and Kay's aim as to create an iconic image of the singer. Kay explained that the desert and elemental fashion were a visual metaphor of the lyrics.