Songoftheday 09/30/24 -Really wanna work this out but I don't think you're gonna change, I do but you don't think it's best we go our separate ways...

 

 

"Burn" - Usher

from the album Confessions (2004)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (eight weeks)

Weeks in the Top-40: 27

 

Today's song comes from R&B star Usher, who landed the biggest hit of 2004 with the lead single from his fourth album (and second on Arista Records), Confessions, "Yeah!", which spent three months atop the Hot 100 in Billboard magazine in the late winter and early spring of that year. His follow-up single was the sensual love jam that was meant to be the first single, "Burn". Written by the singer with producers Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox, the lyrics have Usher laying it on the line with the woman he's about to break up with. It was purportedly meant to mimic his own circumstances - Usher was splitting with girlfriend Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas of the group TLC at the time, and he was with mixed emotions about it. (Since then Chilli said she broke it off after Usher cheated repeatedly, and Dupri claimed his relationship was the one referenced here.) That context puts the lyrics in a different light, but of course it's freaking Usher and even though he's cribbing R. Kelly's phrasing he sells as much as he can here. The production from Dupri and Cox harkens back to the soft soul of Babyface and Boyz II Men. The music video, which has a model played tricks with Usher's mind, was a smash at MTV and he found himself in the envious position of succeeding himself at #1....

"Burn" spent eight non-consecutive weeks at #1 (interrupted by a single week for the winner of American Idol that will come up soon) starting in May of 2004, while taking four weeks at the top of their R&B Singles chart. On the radio, the song hit #2 on the Mainstream Top-40 chart, took five weeks at #1 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay list, #4 on the older-skewing Adult R&B station tally, and topped the dance/R&B-oriented Rhythmic format for four weeks. Internationally, the single topped the chart in the United Kingdom and New Zealand, and reached the top ten in Australia (#2), Ireland (#2), Canada (#3 Airplay), Denmark (#10), Norway (#10), Switzerland (#10), and Hungary (#10). It also made top-40 in Germany (#11), the Netherlands (#12), Romania (#12), Sweden (#18), Belgium (#18 Flanders/#28 Wallonia), Austria (#21), and France (#28). At the Grammy Awards in 2005, "Burn" was nominated for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance, losing to Prince for the forgettable "Call My Name", and was up for Best R&B Song, which went to "You Don't Know My Name" by Alicia Keys. 

Both Usher and the album will be back to the series.

(6/10)

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Here's Usher performing "Burn" on the British music program CD:UK...

Up tomorrow: Australian rockers make a romantic proposal.