"Water Me" is a song by American singer and rapper Lizzo, released as a single on August 18, 2017.[1] It was written by Clarence Coffee Jr., E. Kidd Bogart, Ricky Reed, Farhad Samadzada, Lizzo, Morris Wittenberg, Nneka Lucia Egbuna and Tobias Wincorn. Reed handled the production, with Wincorn as an additional producer.[2] The song was later included on the deluxe edition of Lizzo's 2019 album Cuz I Love You.[3]
| "Water Me" | ||||
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| Single by Lizzo | ||||
| Released | August 18, 2017 | |||
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| Length | 3:06 | |||
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| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Lizzo singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Water Me" on YouTube | ||||
Composition edit
"Water Me" contains lyrics about body positivity, self-love and freedom.[4]
The song's chorus is based on re-interpreted lyrics from the opening lines of a children's anti-drug song titled "I Am Free, No Dope For Me" written by Morris Wittenberg and recorded by Latin soul group The Dynamics in 1970.[5] The song itself also uses samples from Nigerian singer Nneka's 2011 single "My Home" (from her fourth album Soul Is Heavy); both Nneka and producer Farhad Samadzada received credits as co-writers.[2]
Usage in media edit
"Water Me" was featured in the 2018 film Blockers, as well as the 2018 dance rhythm game Just Dance 2019.[6] In 2019, Walmart used the song in their Black Friday commercial making the song become more known and leading to many Shazam's, and a new TikTok challenge.[7]
The song was also featured in the season 14 premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race in a lip sync between June Jambalaya and Orion Story as Lizzo herself was guest judging the episode.
Music video edit
The music video for "Water Me" was directed by Quinn Wilson and Asha Efia. It features people nourishing themselves with water and shots of sprinklers and bath tubs. The end of the video shows dinner being served. A headpiece on the dinner table shows a picture of Lizzo posing with everyone.[4] Lizzo talked about the music video with The Fader, "'Water Me' is a labor of love. I pride myself on how quickly I can finish a song but this took 7 months! It's about needing nourishment, it's about being loved for who you are. The video concept was a collaboration from my bad ass creative team: me, Andy Madeline, Quinn Wilson and Asha Efia. We're celebrating black beauty and the meaningful freedom of water," she stated.[1]
Credits and personnel edit
- Lizzo – vocalist, songwriter, synthesizer
- Ricky Reed – songwriter, producer, bass guitarist, drummer, programmer, synthesizer
- Tobias Wincorn – songwriter, additional producer
- Clarence Coffee Jr. – songwriter, additional vocalist
- E. Kidd Bogart – songwriter
- Farhad Samadzada – songwriter
- Morris Wittenberg – songwriter
- Nneka Lucia Egbuna – songwriter
- Ethan Shumaker – engineer
Charts edit
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[8] | 19 |
| US R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[9] | 4 |
Release history edit
| Country | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | August 18, 2017 |
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[2] |
References edit
- ^ a b Pache, Juliana (August 17, 2017). "Lizzo's "Water Me" Video Is All About Nourishing The Self". The Fader. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Water Me / Lizzo – TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ Harris, Joseph. "Lizzo 'Cuz I Love You' Album Review". Vocal. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ a b Moran, Justin (August 17, 2017). "Lizzo's 'Water Me' is a Body Positive Anthem For Black Femmes". Out. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ "Afterschool Special: 123s of Kid Soul". Bandcamp. Numero Group. September 16, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- ^ "Just Dance 2019". Ubisoft. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- ^ @lizzo (November 27, 2019). "Actually Walmart just used my song..." (Tweet). Retrieved March 11, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Lizzo: Chart History - Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
- ^ "Lizzo: Chart History - Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved December 16, 2019.