Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)
"Watch Me" (also known as Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)) is the debut single by American rapper Silentó. In March 2015, he was signed to Capitol Records, which released the track as a single with an accompanying music video. The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, where it spent six non-consecutive weeks. With a viral clip on YouTube, the song was popular for its dance despite mixed reviews, a combination of two popular moves cited in the title: the "Whip" and the "Nae Nae"[1] as well as other hip hop dances from various songs "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" and "Stanky Legg".
"Watch Me" | ||||
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Single by Silentó | ||||
Released | May 5, 2015 | |||
Length | 3:05 | |||
Label | Capitol | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Bolo Da Producer | |||
Silentó singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Watch Me" on YouTube |
Release
The song was released on May 5, 2015. Starting August 28 until September 6, 2015, Silentó performed a remixed version for Nickelodeon to help advertise their Labor Day weekend line-up of shows (SpongeBob SquarePants, ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks, Harvey Beaks, Sanjay and Craig, and Pig Goat Banana Cricket) under the title "Epic Dance Party". In the promos, portions of Silentó's original music video are used, although there are new shots featuring him dancing with the Nick characters and rapping the remix.[2]
Music video
The music video was uploaded online on Silentó's Vevo channel on YouTube on June 25, 2015, and shot in Atlanta, Georgia. It was directed by Marc Klasfeld. Set in a high school gymnasium, Silentó performs the dance moves mentioned in the song with dance crews, high school, and university cheerleaders, fans, even a trio of conservative women who later join in on the dance, and also incorporates videos sent in by viewers. Lil Scrappy and Rich White Ladies make guest appearances in the video.[3] As of July 2020, it has surpassed 1.7 billion views on YouTube,[4] making it one of the site's 80 most viewed videos.[5]
The video was listed as Vevo's second most watched video of all time.[6]
DanceOn campaign
The digital media company DanceOn was crucial to the success of “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae).” After striking a deal with Silentó, DanceOn reached out to its network of dance content creators to make instructional videos to the song for their #WatchMeDanceOn campaign. 50 of their creators made videos that they then posted on YouTube. Instantly they gained popularity bringing in more than 250 million views in under three months.[7] The campaign was launched on April 13, 2015, and by May 22, 2015, the track’s sales tripled from 17,000 units a week to 42,000 a week.[8]
Reception
Commercial
"Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, where it has spent six non-consecutive weeks being kept from number one on the chart by songs such as "Cheerleader" by Omi and "Can't Feel My Face" by The Weeknd. It spent eighteen weeks in the top ten of that chart before dropping out on October 14, 2015.[9] Internationally, the song has peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia, as well as the top twenty of the charts in Denmark, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.[10] The song reached over 2 million in sales by November 2015,[11] and has sold 2,440,000 copies as of June 2016.[12]
Critical
The song received mixed to negative reviews. Elliot Wilson listed it #2 on his list of 15 worst singles.[13] Complex called it "One of the most annoying things to ever exist", and listed it among their "Songs We Hated in 2015".[14]
It received a nomination for Song of the Summer at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards[15] and another nomination for R&B/Hip-Hop Song at the Teen Choice Awards.[16]
In other media
The song is featured in the television shows South Park, The $100,000 Pyramid, and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. It can also be heard in the film The Emoji Movie and the first teaser trailer for Trolls. The track appears in the video game Just Dance 2017, and is playable in the demo for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, Wii U copies of the demo keep Justin Bieber's "Sorry" as the playable demo track.
Covers and adaptations
In 2015, The Australian group The Janoskians released a parody of the song titled "We Don't (Whip/Nae Nae)".[17]
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
All-time charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[62] | 2× Platinum | 140,000 |
Canada (Music Canada)[63] | 2× Platinum | 160,000* |
New Zealand (RMNZ)[64] | Platinum | 15,000* |
Poland (ZPAV)[65] | Platinum | 20,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI)[66] | Gold | 400,000 |
United States (RIAA)[67] | 6× Platinum | 6,000,000 |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
References
- Stanos, Brittany (December 9, 2015). "2015's 10 Most Viewed Music Videos on YouTube". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
- Nickelodeon (August 27, 2015), Watch Me Whip Nae Nae Nick Remix | Silentó | Nick, retrieved August 25, 2016
- "Watch Me: Behind the Scenes" from YouTube (Posted July 21, 2015)
- SilentoVEVO (June 25, 2015), Silentó – Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) (Official), retrieved August 17, 2016
- "Top 1000 Most Viewed YouTube Videos of All Time". YouTube. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
- "10 Most-Watched Vevo Videos of All Time". Billboard. October 16, 2019.
- "Madonna cofounded a startup that manufactures viral dance trends — and 'Whip/Nae Nae' was its first monster hit". Business Insider. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
- "Atlanta Rapper Silento's Road to a Label Deal, Chart Success: Professional YouTubers". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
- "Silento Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
- "Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)". acharts.co. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
- Mansell, Henry (November 14, 2015). "Hip Hop Single Sales: Drake, Justin Timberlake & The Weeknd". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
- "Nielsen SoundScan charts – Digital Songs – Week Ending: 06/06/2016" (PDF). Nielsen SoundScan. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 5, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
- "'15 Worst Singles #1: Wiz Khalifa "See You Again"". Rap Radar.
- "Songs We Hated in 2015". Complex.
- "Song of Summer". MTV. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
- "2015 Teen Choice Awards, Nominees, Winners, TV Schedule". chiff.com. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
- "The Janoskians: We Don't (Whip/Nae Nae)".
- "Australian-charts.com – Silentó – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
- "Ö3 Austria Top40: Single-Charts". orf.at. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
- "Ultratop.be – Silentó – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
- "Ultratop.be – Silentó – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
- "Silento Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- "Canada CHR/Top 40: Sep 12, 2015". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2015. (subscription required)
- "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201534 into search. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- "danishcharts.dk – Silentó – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)". Tracklisten. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
- "Lescharts.com – Silentó – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)" (in French). Less classement single. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
- "Musicline.de – Silentó Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
- "Chart Track: Week 35, 2015". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- "Top Digital – Classifica settimanale WK 37 (dal 2015-09-11 al 2015-09-17)". Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
- "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 36, 2015" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Silentó – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
- "charts.nz – Silentó – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
- "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201535 into search. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- "EMA Top 10 Airplay: Week Ending 2015-09-15". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- "Swedishcharts.com – Silentó – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)". Singles Top 60. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
- "Swisscharts.com – Silentó – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- "Silento Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
- "Silento Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
- "Silento Chart History (Latin Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- "Silento Chart History (Latin Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- "Silento Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- "Silento Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- "Silento Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- "Radio Disney – Year End Charts – Top 50 Songs of 2015". Disney. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
- "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2015". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
- "Jaaroverzichten 2015: Urban" (in Dutch). Ultratop Flanders. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
- "Canadian Hot 100 Year End 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Media Group. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
- "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2015". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2015" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
- "Top Selling Singles of 2015". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- "Hot 100: Year End 2015". Billboard. billboard.com. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
- "Year-end – US Hot R&B/Hop-hop Songs". Billboard.com. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
- "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- "As 100 Mais Tocadas nas Rádios Jovens em 2016". Billboard Brasil (in Portuguese). January 4, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
- "Canadian Hot 100 Year End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
- "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
- "Decade-End Charts: Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
- "Decade-End Charts: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
- "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2016 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
- "Canadian single certifications – Silento – Watch Me". Music Canada. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
- "New Zealand single certifications – Silento – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
- "Polish single certifications – Silento – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
- "British single certifications – Silento – Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
- "American single certifications – Silento – Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 30, 2016. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH.