"Promiscuous" was released as the first single from Loose in North America in early 2006, and as the second single elsewhere in mid-2006 except in Latin America, where the single was released as the third single in late 2006. The song received positive reviews and became Furtado's first number-one single in United States. It won in the Best Pop Song category at the 2006 Billboard Music Awards, was nominated for the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals Grammy Award at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards and won Single of the Year at the 2007 Juno Awards. The song got a number 3 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2006.
The lyrics of "Promiscuous" describe the two sides of the relationship that the song's protagonist deals with. It was one of the first songs Furtado wrote with labelmate Timothy "Attitude" Clayton. Furtado called their teamwork something she "had never done before" because she saw the writing process as "extremely freeing" because of his different approach and style. Clayton helped Furtado experiment with interpreting the "promiscuous girl" character and the two-sided relationship she is in. Furtado also described that in the process of writing lyrics "we were actually flirting, which is why the song is so playful" and that she and Clayton nicknamed the song "'The BlackBerry Song', because everything we say in the song you could text-message to somebody".
Because of the preponderant musical influence of artists such as Talking Heads, Blondie, Madonna, The Police and Eurythmics, whom producers Timbaland and Danja listened to during the writing of the album, "Promiscuous" takes inspiration from pop music of the 1980s. The sexuality was based on the "strong women in control" of the 1990s, such as Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, Salt-N-Pepa and TLC.
A reference to basketball player Steve Nash in the song's lyrics led to speculation that he and Furtado were romantically involved, but both deny the link, with Nash commenting, "I'm flattered that she put me in her song, but I'm completely in love with my wife and two little baby girls". Furtado decided to include him because she and Nash are both from Victoria, British Columbia, and due to frequent citations of basketballers in songs, she decided to "give him the props".
In one of the verses Timbaland introduces himself as Thomas Crown. The Thomas Crown Affair is a film about wealthy businessman who plays a cat-and-mouse/flirting game with an insurance investigator.
Timbaland only performed the song live on special occasions, such as Furtado's appearance on Saturday Night Live, and the 2006 MuchMusic Video Awards. Starting with Furtado's show at the 94th Grey Cup on November 19, 2006, and extending into the Get Loose Tour, Timbaland's part is filled in by Canadian rapper Saukrates.
The song's music video was directed by Little X and features cameo appearances by Keri Hilson, Bria Myles and Justin Timberlake. It does not follow a storyline and per Furtado's request, focuses on scenes with dancing and flirting because she wanted to recreate the song's indicative vibe, and took the opportunity to film a club video for the first time. Furtado said of the video, "It's that whole dance that goes on. There's that mystery there, the fun, playful sexiness, the verbal Ping-Pong game". Furtado and Timbaland cannot decide whether they want to begin dating or instead flirt with others on the dance floor. Their single performances are intercut with several scenes of a dancing crowd, and the lighting changes between blue, green, red, and yellow colors.
"Promiscuous" premiered on MTV's Total Request Live on May 3, 2006, where it reached number one after spending twenty-one days on the countdown. After its debut on MuchMusic's Countdown, it ascended to number one for the week of July 28, 2006. At the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, it was nominated for the Best Dance, Female and Pop Video Awards. The video was parodied by MADtv in a segment entitled "Syphilis Girl"; in the video, Furtado (Nicole Parker) is comically portrayed as having given Timbaland (Jordan Peele) the sexually transmitted disease, as well as on YouTube by the comedic group Train of Thought Sketch Comedy, where the video is parodied by troupe member Kaci and features a puppet version of Timbaland.
Promiscuous
Nelly Furtado ft. Timbaland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nope!
Didn't think so
How ya doing young lady
The feeling that you gave me really drives me crazy
You don't have a player on your trunk
I was at a loss of words
First time that we spoke
If your looking for a girl that'll treat you right
If you looking for her in the day time in the light
You might be the type if I play my cards right
I'll find out by the end of the night
You expect me to just let you hit it
But will you still respect me if you get it?
All I can do is try, give me one chance
What's the problem? I don't see no ring on your hand
I'll be the first to admit it, I'm curious about you, you seem so loose
You wanna get in my world, get lost in it
Boy I'm tired of running, let's walk for a minute
Promiscuous girl
Wherever you are
I'm all alone
And it's you that I want
Promiscuous boy
You already know
That I'm all yours
What you waiting for?
Promiscuous girl
You're teasing me
You know what I want
And I got what you need
Promiscuous boy
Let's get to the point
'Cause we're on a roll
You ready?
Roses are red
Some diamonds are blue
Chivalry is dead
But you're still kind a cute
Hey! I can't keep my mind off you
Where you at, do you mind if I come too
I'm out of this world come with me to my planet
Get you on my level do you think that you can handle it?
They call me Thomas
Last name Crown
Recognize game
I'm a lay mine's down
I'm a big girl I can handle myself
But if I get lonely I may need your help
Pay attention to me I don't talk for my health
I want you on my team
So does everybody else.
Baby we can keep it on the low
Let your guard down ain't nobody gotta know
If you with it girl I know a place we can go
What kind of girl do you take me for?
Promiscuous girl
Wherever you are
I'm all alone
And it's you that I want
Promiscuous boy
You already know
That I'm all yours
What you waiting for?
Promiscuous girl
You're teasing me
You know what I want
And I got what you need
Promiscuous boy
Let's get to the point
'Cause we're on a roll
You ready?
Don't be mad, don't get mean
Don't get mad, don't be mean
Hey! Don't be mad, don't get mean
Don't get mad, don't be mean
Wait! I don't mean no harm
I can see you with my t-shirt on
I can see you with nothing on
Feeling on me before you bring that on
Bring that on?
You know what I mean
Girl, I'm a freak you shouldn't say those things
I'm only trying to get inside of your brain
To see if you can work me the way you say
It's okay, it's alright
I got something that you gon' like
Is it the truth, are you talking trash?
Is your game M.V.P. like Steve Nash?
Promiscuous girl
Wherever you are
I'm all alone
And its you that I want
Promiscuous boy
I'm calling your name
But you're driving me crazy
The way you're making me wait
Promiscuous girl
You're teasing me
You know what I want
And I got what you need
Promiscuous boy
We're one in the same
So we don't gotta play games no more
The song "Promiscuous" by Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland is about a woman who is interested in a man, but she wants to make sure he respects her before getting involved with him intimately. The song begins with Timbaland asking if he is throwing her off, and Nelly responding that he is not. She then mentions that she is interested in the feeling he gave her and that he does not seem like a player. She asks if he is looking for a girl who will treat him right and hints that she is interested in him. Timbaland responds by saying that he expects her to let him hit it but asks if she will still respect him afterward.
Throughout the song, Nelly expresses her curiosity about Timbaland and hints that she is interested in being with him. She mentions that he seems like a promiscuous boy, but she is willing to give him a chance. She also mentions that she can handle herself, but she may need his help sometimes. The song ends with the two flirting and saying that they do not need to play games anymore.
Line by Line Meaning
Am I throwing you off?
Is my forwardness making you uncomfortable?
Nope!
No, I'm not uncomfortable.
Didn't think so
I figured as much.
How ya doing young lady
How are you, beautiful?
The feeling that you gave me really drives me crazy
I'm very attracted to you and can't stop thinking about you.
You don't have a player on your trunk
You don't have a man in your life.
I was at a loss of words
I was speechless when I first saw you.
If your looking for a girl that'll treat you right
If you're looking for a loyal girlfriend,
If you looking for her in the day time in the light
If you look for her during the day, when things are clear,
You might be the type if I play my cards right
You could be the type of guy I'm looking for if I pursue you correctly.
I'll find out by the end of the night
I'll know for sure by the end of tonight.
You expect me to just let you hit it
You seem to assume I'm just going to sleep with you.
But will you still respect me if you get it?
But will you still treat me with respect after we have sex?
All I can do is try, give me one chance
All I can do is ask for a chance to show you who I am.
What's the problem? I don't see no ring on your hand
What's holding you back? I don't see that you're in a committed relationship.
I'll be the first to admit it, I'm curious about you, you seem so loose
I'll admit that I'm intrigued by you and your carefree nature.
You wanna get in my world, get lost in it
You want to be a part of my life and get lost in it with me.
Boy I'm tired of running, let's walk for a minute
I'm tired of playing games and just want to slow down and enjoy each other's company for a bit.
Promiscuous girl
A girl who enjoys casual sex.
Wherever you are
No matter where you are in life or location.
I'm all alone
I'm single and looking for someone to be with.
And it's you that I want
Out of everyone I've met, I want to be with you.
Promiscuous boy
A guy who enjoys casual sex.
You already know
You're aware of your promiscuous behavior.
That I'm all yours
But still, I want to be with you and only you.
What you waiting for?
Why aren't we together yet?
You're teasing me
You're playing games with me.
You know what I want
You know that I want to be with you.
And I got what you need
I can fulfill your needs and desires.
Let's get to the point
'Cause we're on a roll
You ready?
Let's cut the games and get together because it seems like we both want the same thing.
Roses are red
A classic line from a love poem.
Some diamonds are blue
But not everything in love goes smoothly.
Chivalry is dead
Men don't act chivalrously towards women anymore.
But you're still kind a cute
But you're still attractive to me despite the lack of chivalry.
Hey! I can't keep my mind off you
Hey, I can't stop thinking about you.
Where you at, do you mind if I come too
Where are you right now? Do you mind if I join you?
I'm out of this world come with me to my planet
I'm different and unique, come with me and experience my world.
Get you on my level do you think that you can handle it?
Can you handle being with someone who is different from anyone you've been with before?
They call me Thomas
Last name Crown
Recognize game
I'm a lay mine's down
My name is Thomas Crown and I know how to get what I want.
I'm a big girl I can handle myself
I'm an independent woman who can take care of herself.
But if I get lonely I may need your help
But sometimes I do get lonely and I may need you to be there for me.
Pay attention to me I don't talk for my health
Listen to me because what I say is important and true.
I want you on my team
So does everybody else.
I want to be in a relationship with you, but so does everyone else.
Baby we can keep it on the low
We can keep our relationship private if you want to.
Let your guard down ain't nobody gotta know
Relax and be yourself, we don't have to let anyone else know what we're doing.
If you with it girl I know a place we can go
If you're interested, I know a good place for us to go.
What kind of girl do you take me for?
What do you think of me? Do you think I'm easy?
Don't be mad, don't get mean
Don't get angry, there's no need for that.
Wait! I don't mean no harm
Hold on a second, I don't want to hurt you.
I can see you with my t-shirt on
I can visualize you wearing my clothes.
I can see you with nothing on
I can imagine you without any clothes on.
Feeling on me before you bring that on
Touch me and let's see if the chemistry is really there before we move to anything else.
Bring that on?
Is that what you really want to do?
You know what I mean
You understand what I'm trying to say.
Girl, I'm a freak you shouldn't say those things
I'm very sexually adventurous, so you shouldn't tease me like that.
I'm only trying to get inside of your brain
I'm only trying to understand you better and see if we're a good match.
To see if you can work me the way you say
To see if you can satisfy me in the way you claim you can.
It's okay, it's alright
I got something that you gon' like
It's fine, don't worry about it. I have something that I think you'll enjoy.
Is it the truth, are you talking trash?
Are you really being honest or just saying things to get my attention?
Is your game M.V.P. like Steve Nash?
Are you as good at seducing women as Steve Nash is at playing basketball?
I'm calling your name
I want your attention.
But you're driving me crazy
But your promiscuous behavior is making me crazy with jealousy.
The way you're making me wait
I'm frustrated by how long it's taking for us to be together.
We're one in the same
So we don't gotta play games no more
We're similar people, so we don't need to play games and can be honest with each other now.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, OLE MM
Written by: TIMOTHY MOSLEY, NATE HILLS, NELLY FURTADO, TIMOTHY CLAYTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SuperRaedizzle
Surprised with how fresh this song still sounds
@Queenofblood666x
Hi Rae ❤️❤️❤️❤️
@zoezhong1721
Hi
@artist.lifeart
Hi
@gabygab9608
Hiii rae how are you
@420_Lucifer
Mainly because of TikTok
@djcook
youre TEASIN me
@ramenm495
you know what i want and i GOT what you need
@adam6543
I love your videos hope you get to 1 mil soon
@janesvirtualworld
XD