Meet Me Halfway

"Meet Me Halfway" is the third single from the Black Eyed Peas' fifth studio album, The E.N.D.[1] It is a dance-pop song that combines futuristic electro hop beats with vintage 1980s pop stylings. Released in September 2009, the song peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts of Australia, Germany, Romania, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. In the latter country, "Meet Me Halfway" became the 10th-biggest-selling single of 2009.

This article is about the song by The Black Eyed Peas. For the similarly-titled song by Kenny Loggins, see Meet Me Half Way.

"Meet Me Halfway"
Single by The Black Eyed Peas
from the album The E.N.D.
ReleasedSeptember 22, 2009
Genre
Length
  • 4:44 (album)
  • 3:45 (radio edit)
LabelInterscope
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
The Black Eyed Peas singles chronology
"I Gotta Feeling"
(2009)		 "Meet Me Halfway"
(2009)		 "Imma Be"
(2010)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help
Music video
"Meet Me Halfway" on YouTube

Background

The song was released as a promotional single, as part of the "Countdown to The E.N.D." where 3 album tracks were released once each week until the release of the album. This song was the final promotional single in the series, the first two, in order of release, were "Imma Be" and "Alive". The song got early airplay on Today Networks' Hot30 Countdown in Australia,[2] and on radio stations across Canada.[3]

Promotion

Meet Me Halfway was performed live on the week 5 results show of the British TV singing competition The X Factor on November 8, 2009. The single was released the previous week in the UK.[4] They performed the song on the American Music Awards of 2009, along with "Boom Boom Pow".[5] The Black Eyed Peas performed the mix of the song at the 2009 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

Critical reception

The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. Prefix magazine stated, "Meet Me Halfway is notable mostly for being better than a 'new-wavey' ballad by The Black Eyed Peas has any right to be."[6] Billboard wrote "Fergie elongates each note for a sensual vocal and offers a nice complement to co-producer Will.i.am, who handles the majority of the rhymes over funk guitar, hand claps and distorted pulses. With this track already climbing the Hot 100, the Peas are proving that their hit parade is far from over."[7]

Bill Lamb of About.com stated that: "Fergie has the clear lead vocal here. She will never blow someone away with a bombastic voice or an otherworldly vocal range. However, she has an almost tearful edge to her voice that makes nearly any of her performances sound soaked with emotion. "Meet Me Halfway" is no exception. With the focus clearly on Fergie, this could in some ways be seen as a solo effort. However, the style of the song fits better in the context of The Black Eyed Peas album The E.N.D. instead of Fergie's The Dutchess."[8] Entertainment Weekly also gave a positive review: "When the group's glitchy future-funk beats sync up with Fergie's unabashedly feminine melodies, as on the sweetly insidious Meet Me Halfway, they find pure Top 40 nirvana."[9]

Chart performance

The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 75 for the week ending October 3, 2009, and peaked at number seven during its sixth week (November 7), becoming the third consecutive top ten hit from the album.[10] It makes The E.N.D. the band's first album to contain three Hot 100 top ten hits. The three songs successively overlapped in the Top 10, giving the group 30 consecutive weeks with a Top 10 hit. It topped the ARIA charts, becoming their third consecutive number 1 single from The E.N.D.

In the United Kingdom, "Meet Me Halfway" entered the UK Singles Chart on October 11, 2009, at number 67. In its fifth week on the chart (November 8, 2009) it climbed to number three, being the highest non-X Factor related song on the chart, and one of only two songs in the top five non-related to The X Factor, along with Jay Sean's "Down", although The Black Eyed Peas performed "Meet Me Halfway" on the X Factor results show on the same night, leading to significant exposure. On November 13, it was announced that "Meet Me Halfway" was outselling its nearest competition, "Happy" by Leona Lewis, and was on course to reach number one.[11] It became The E.N.D.'s third consecutive number one single in Britain, and the band's fourth overall, on November 15, 2009, achieving the same success as in Australia. As of Sunday December 27, "Meet Me Halfway" has sold 517,178 copies in Britain, making it the 13th best selling single of 2009. On December 20, "Meet Me Halfway" fell to number 10 after eight consecutive weeks but rose to number six the following week. As on January 3, 2010, it rose again to number three.

On the New Zealand Top 40, the song peaked at number three, making it their third consecutive top three hit from the album. It was certified Gold after 10 weeks on the chart, selling over 7,500 copies.[12] The song entered the Irish Singles Chart on October 15, 2009, at number 27, it has so far peaked at number 2 for five consecutive weeks, fended off by Cheryl Cole's "Fight For This Love", the X Factor finalists' cover of "You Are Not Alone" and finally Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance". The song also reached number one on the German Single Charts, making it their third chart topper since almost 5 years (last two were "Where Is the Love?" and "Shut Up" – both in 2003).

Music video
Fergie is shown in a luxuriant forest

The music video was confirmed by will.i.am to be directed by Ben Mor (director of "I Gotta Feeling"). "This is a very different type of video ... 'Boom Boom Pow' was very futuristic and 'I Gotta Feeling' had a party vibe, but this is more artistic video. It's very arty."[13] The video premiered on October 12, 2009.[14] It was released onto the iTunes Music store on October 13, 2009.

The video features the members in different parts of the Solar System.[15] The video opens on a road in the middle of a desert panning up to the cosmic sky which shifts to scenes of each of the members singing in different locations of space: Fergie lies in the middle of a lush, green jungle, apl.de.ap levitates on a desert planet in nomadic clothing, will.i.am rides an elephant on a moon of Jupiter and Taboo glides around the Sun in a spacesuit. Apl takes out a map and will.i.am uses a compass to search for a path to the other members. After a while, will.i.am finds a dial that reveals gateways for each of the members to go through. All the members use a stargate and turn into shooting stars, and land on the planet (presumably Earth because it is a mix of all the different places were the singers are and is a halfway of all the locations in the video), with the road in the middle of the desert. This is the first video of the album that does not end with the phrase "The E.N.D."

Covers

In May 2010, two members of the British hip-hop trio, N-Dubz performed an acoustic mash-up of the song with "Down" by Jay Sean at Live Lounge with singer Ny, as the third member Tulisa was ill, the full trio later performed the acoustic mash-up at Isle of Wight Festival and later on their Love.Live.Life Tour. In June 2010, metalcore band Haste the Day released a cover of the song on the special edition of their final studio album, Attack of the Wolf King. In 2012, a cover of "Meet Me Halfway" featured on The Futureheads a capella album Rant.

Track listing

UK CD Single (2721563)

No.TitleLength
1."Meet Me Halfway" (Radio Edit)3:44
2."I Gotta Feeling" (David Guetta's FMIF Remix)6:13
Total length:7:50

Digital Download E.P.

No.TitleLength
1."Meet Me Halfway" (DJ Ammo & A Poet Named Life Remix)5:25
2."Meet Me Halfway" (will.i.am Meet Me At The Remix)5:49
3."Meet Me Halfway" (will.i.am In 3D Remix)5:40
4."Meet Me Halfway" (Printz Board Remix for Beets & Produce, Inc.)5:21
5."Meet Me Halfway" (Richard Vission Solmatic Remix)5:30
Total length:27:45

Credits and personnel

Source adapted from Discogs.[16]

  • Bass [Synth Bass] - Printz Board
  • Guitar [Guitars By] - George Pajon, Tim "Izo" Orindgreff
  • Keyboards [Keys], Synthesizer [Synths], Bass Guitar, Drum Programming - Keith Harris
  • Written-By - William Adams, Allan Pineda, Jaime Gomez, Stacy Ferguson, Jean Baptiste, Keith Harris, Sylvia Gordon
  • Vocals - will.i.am, Fergie, Taboo, apl.de.ap
  • Recorded at: Metropolis Studios in London, UK
  • Management: David Sonenberg and William Derella for DAS Communications, Ltd. and Polo Molina for Grass Roots Productions, Inc

Charts

Certifications
Certifications and sales for "Meet Me Halfway"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[88] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Belgium (BEA)[89] 2× Platinum 60,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[90] 2× Platinum 160,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[91] Gold 15,000^
France (SNEP)[92] Platinum 250,000*
Germany (BVMI)[93] Platinum 300,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[94] Platinum 30,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[95] Platinum 15,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[96] Platinum 40,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[97] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[98] 2× Platinum 866,000[99]
United States (RIAA)[100] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Release dates and formats for "I Gotta Feeling"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States September 22, 2009 Contemporary hit radio Interscope
[101]
Australia October 2, 2009 CD Universal
[102]
United Kingdom November 2, 2009 Polydor
[103][104]
Italy November 13, 2009 Radio airplay Universal
[105]
United States November 17, 2009 Digital download (EP) Interscope
[106]
Germany November 20, 2009 CD Universal
[107]
France November 23, 2009 Polydor
[108]

See also

References
  1. "Screenshot from The Black Eyed Peas official UK newsletter". Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved May 13, 2009.
  2. "Hot30 Countdown Vote". B105.com.au. July 21, 2008. Retrieved September 22, 2009.
  3. "Canadian Hit 30". canadianhit30.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
  4. Mirror.co.uk: Leona Lewis confirms X Factor appearance with The Black Eyed Peas
  5. Postado por Tixa (October 30, 2009). "MusicStarsQuality: The Black Eyed Peas: "Meet Me Halfway" Premiere". Musicstarsquality.blogspot.com. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
  6. Andrew Winistorfer. "The Black Eyed Peas: The E.N.D. (New Album)". Prefixmag.com. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
  7. Kirk Honeycutt. "The Black Eyed Peas: The E.N.D. (New Album)". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
  8. Bill Lamb. "The Black Eyed Peas: The E.N.D. (New Album)". About.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
  9. Greenblatt, Leah (June 3, 2009). "The E.N.D. | Music Review | Entertainment Weekly". Ew.com. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
  10. Retrieved on October 15, 2009
  11. "The Black Eyed Peas - Meet Me Halfway". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 20, 2009.
  12. "New Zealand Chart Facts". RIANZ. November 17, 2009. Archived from the original on October 31, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2009.
  13. "Boom boom wow". channelnewsasia.com. September 10, 2009. Archived from the original on September 13, 2009. Retrieved September 22, 2009.
  14. "Video: The Black Eyed Peas – 'Meet Me Halfway'". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved October 20, 2009.
  15. "Meet Me Halfway Music Video Out". dutchessfergie.com. October 12, 2009. Archived from the original on August 15, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
  16. "Black Eyed Peas, The* - Meet Me Halfway (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. November 20, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  17. "The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  18. "The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  19. "The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  20. "The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  21. "The Black Eyed Peas Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  22. "The Black Eyed Peas - Meet Me Halfway". Tophit. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  23. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 20109 into search.
  24. "The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway". Tracklisten.
  25. "The Black Eyed Peas – Chart Search" Billboard European Hot 100 Singles for The Black Eyed Peas.
  26. "The Black Eyed Peas: Meet Me Halfway" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  27. "The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway" (in French). Les classement single.
  28. "The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  29. IFPI Greek Singles Chart
  30. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Dance Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  31. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  32. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Meet Me Halfway". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  33. "Media Forest Week 45, 2009". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest.
  34. "The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway". Top Digital Download.
  35. "Luxembourg Digital Songs - December 26, 2009". Billboard.
  36. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 48, 2009" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  37. "The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  38. "The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway". Top 40 Singles.
  39. "The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway". VG-lista.
  40. "Nielsen Music Control". Archived from the original on March 9, 2010.
  41. "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Dance Top 50. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  42. "The Black Eyed Peas Chart History (Portugal Digital Song Sales)". Billboard.
  43. The Black Eyed Peas, numarul unu in preferintele romanilor
  44. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  45. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200949 into search.
  46. "The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway" Canciones Top 50.
  47. "Promusicae (Week: January 1, 2010)" (PDF). Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  48. "The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway". Singles Top 100.
  49. "The Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway". Swiss Singles Chart.
  50. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  51. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  52. "The Black Eyed Peas Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  53. "The Black Eyed Peas Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  54. "The Black Eyed Peas Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  55. "The Black Eyed Peas Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
  56. "ARIA End of Year Singles Chart 2009". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  57. "Jaaroverzichten 2009". Ultratop. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  58. "Rapports Annuels 2009". Ultratop. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  59. "Canadian Hot 100 – Year End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  60. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  61. "Rádiós Top 100 - hallgatottsági adatok alapján - 2009". Mahasz. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  62. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2009". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  63. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2009". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  64. "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Rianz.org.nz. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  65. "2009 Year End Swiss Singles Chart". Swiss Music Charts. 2009. Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
  66. "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2009". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  67. "ARIA End of Year Singles Chart 2010". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  68. "Jahreshitparade Singles 2010". austriancharts.at. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  69. "Jaaroverzichten 2009". Ultratop. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  70. "Rapports annuels 2010 - Singles" (in French). Ultratop. Archived from the original on December 31, 2010. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  71. "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  72. "Airplay Detection Tophit 200 Yearly – 2010". Tophit. Archived from the original on April 8, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  73. "2010 Year-End European Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  74. "Top de l'année Top Singles 2010" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  75. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  76. "Dance Top 100 - 2010". Mahasz. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  77. "Rádiós Top 100 - hallgatottsági adatok alapján - 2010". Mahasz. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  78. "FIMI - Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana - Ricerche e dati di mercato". Fimi.it. July 23, 2012. Archived from the original on January 21, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  79. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2010". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  80. "Topul celor mai difuzate piese în România în 2010". România Liberă (in Romanian). Archived from the original on January 6, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  81. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 3, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  82. Archived May 14, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  83. "Årslista Singlar – År 2010" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  84. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2010". hitparade.ch. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  85. "UK Charts Plus 2010" (PDF). Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  86. "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  87. "2009 ARIA End of Decade Singles Chart". ARIA. January 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  88. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2010 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  89. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2010". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  90. "Canadian single certifications – Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway". Music Canada. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  91. "Danish single certifications – Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  92. "French single certifications – Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  93. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Black Eyed Peas; 'Meet Me Halfway')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  94. "Italian single certifications – Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved May 26, 2021. Select "2010" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Meet Me Halfway" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  95. "New Zealand single certifications – Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  96. "Spanish single certifications" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved May 26, 2021. Select Canciones under "Categoría", select 2010 under "Año". Select 25 under "Semana". Click on "BUSCAR LISTA".
  97. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Black Eyed Peas; 'Meet Me Halfway')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  98. "British single certifications – Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  99. Myers, Justin (November 5, 2016). "Girlbands vs Boybands – their biggest songs of the century revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  100. "American single certifications – Black Eyed Peas – Meet Me Halfway". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  101. "Available For Airplay". FMQB. Archived from the original on November 1, 2009. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  102. "Buy Meet Me Halfway The Black Eyed Peas, Urban, CD Singles". Sanity. October 2, 2009. Archived from the original on October 11, 2009. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
  103. "New Releases - UK Forthcoming Albums (Radio1 Rodos Greece ::: Top 40 Music Station ::: Promo Releases)". Radio1.gr. Archived from the original on December 21, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2009.
  104. "Meet Me Halfway". Amazon.co.uk.
  105. "EarOne | Radio Date, le novità musicali della settimana".
  106. "Invasion Of Meet Me Halfway - Megamix E.P.: The Black Eyed Peas: MP3 Downloads". Amazon. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  107. "Meet Me Halfway (2-Track): Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  108. "Meet me halfway – The Black Eyed Peas – CD single" (in French). France: Fnac. November 23, 2009. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.