U Don't Have to Call

"U Don't Have to Call" is a song by American singer Usher. It was written by Pharrell Williams and produced by Williams and Chad Hugo under their production moniker The Neptunes for Usher's third studio album, 8701 (2001). The song was released as the third US single from the album and the fifth international single. In the US, it was initially serviced to radio on January 18, 2002, and it was eventually issued as a commercial single in Europe and Australia later in the year.

"U Don't Have to Call"
Single by Usher
from the album 8701
ReleasedJanuary 18, 2002 (2002-01-18)
StudioThe Record Plant (Los Angeles, California)
Length4:29
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)Pharrell Williams
Producer(s)The Neptunes
Usher singles chronology
"U Got It Bad"
(2001)		 "U Don't Have to Call"
(2002)		 "I Need a Girl (Part One)"
(2002)
Music video
"U Don't Have to Call" on YouTube

"U Don't Have to Call" peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the United Kingdom, it was released as a double A-side with "I Need a Girl (Part One)" by P. Diddy, on which Usher provides additional vocals; this release reached number four on the UK Singles Chart. "U Don't Have to Call" won Usher his second consecutive Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2003.[1] The single's music video was filmed in Los Angeles at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and features Usher going to a club with Sean Combs and other celebrities.

Background

"U Don't Have to Call" was written by Neptunes member Pharrell Williams and produced by Williams along with Chad Hugo.[2] The song was initially given to Michael Jackson for his tenth and final studio album Invincible (2001), along with several other songs by The Neptunes.[3] Jackson did not want any of the tracks, and so all the material was passed onto different artists, including Usher and Justin Timberlake.[4] Lyrically, the song tells the story of a man who is tired of worrying about his woman and decides to go live it up with the friends.[3]

Usher's intro on "U Don't Have to Call" was inspired by The Notorious B.I.G.'s "One More Chance" (1995) in which the rapper says: "Don't leave your girl around me / True player for real, ask Puff Daddy."[5] In 2022, Usher commented on the intro: "I go into the studio with Pharrell, who did the song. I'm being authentic to the original, and me and JD were working on the entire 8701 album. So I go in the booth, and I'm like, "Don't leave your girl round me. True player for real, ask my nigga JD." And Pharrell was like, "Yo, man." So I'm like, "Oh, my bad." I flipped it to "Don't leave your girl around me / True playa for real, ask my nigga Pharrell."[5]

Critical reception

"U Don't Have to Call" earned largely positive reviews from critics. In a retrospective review, Fact magazine wrote: "Muffled drums and star guitar – it’s no secret that The [Neptunes] were knocking beats like this out in their sleep in 2001, and without Usher's presence there's three or four songs on N.E.R.D. album In Search of… that you could easily confuse this with. Of course, none of that matters when Usher is present, and "U Don't Have to Call" is the peak moment of one of the Neps' most rewarding relationships."[6] Lauren Nostro from Complex found the song to be "flawlessly written [...] and produced." She further called the song "the sweetest song about losing every fuck you give once you walk into the club."[7] Nostro's colleague Craig Jenkins noted: "You can hear the Neptunes' A game on full display on "U Don't Have to Call," which features half a dozen fragmented, interlocking synth hooks colluding to create the melodic bed for Usher's vocal about a man taking his mind off a break up on a night out with friends. The multitracked weirdness abates for the song's jazzy middle eight, which, if it wasn't created explicitly for [Michael Jackson], was certainly inspired by [Jackson]."[8]

Music video
Portions of the video for "U Don't Have to Call" were filmed at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles.[9]

A music video for "U Don't Have to Call" was directed by Little X.[10] A continuation from the visuals for previous single "U Got It Bad," also directed by Little X, it was filmed back-to-back with the video for "I Need a Girl (Part One)" in February 2002,[11] with the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles serving as one of the shooting locations.[9] P. Diddy makes occasional appearances in the video.[11] TLC member Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas who previously co-starred in "U Got It Bad" as the female lead, has a cameo in the video.[11]

Picking up where the clip left off on "U Got It Bad," the video captures Usher who is "still sobbing" over the separation from his celebrity girlfriend, receiving an uplifting video call from Diddy, who prompts him to come to the club while flanked by his friends.[12] In 2022, Mya Abraham from Vibe ranked the video among Usher's ten best visuals, writing: "As the singer dances like James Brown, half-naked in a bathrobe across his apartment floor and gets ready for a night out, this Director X-led video is signature early 2000s. Plus, if there's one thing Usher is gonna do, it's give us a dance break."[13]

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the European CD single liner notes.[17]

Studio

Personnel

  • The Neptunes – production
  • Usher – vocals
  • Brian Garten – recording
  • Supa Engineer "Duro" – mixing
  • Scott Kieklak – mixing assistant

Charts

Certifications and sales
Certifications and sales for "U Don't Have to Call"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[34] Gold 25,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Release dates and formats for "U Don't Have to Call"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States January 18, 2002 Urban radio Arista [35]
February 11, 2002 Rhythmic contemporary radio [36]
March 18, 2002 Contemporary hit radio [37]
United Kingdom July 29, 2002
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
[38]
Australia September 2, 2002 CD Arista [39]

References
  1. "Usher". Grammy Awards. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  2. 8701 (booklet). Usher. Arista Records. 2001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. Grove, Rashad D. (October 15, 2018). "11 Usher songs that changed the game forever". revolt.tv. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  4. "20 Hit Songs Meant For Other Singers". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. February 28, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  5. Jenkins, Craig (July 27, 2022). "Usher on His Most Enduring and Misunderstood Music". Vulture. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  6. Ravens, Chal; Kelly, Chris; Twells, John; Morpurgo, Joseph; Leao, Tom. "The 50 greatest Pharrell tracks so far". Fact. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  7. Nostro, Lauren (October 14, 2016). "The 25 Best Usher Songs". Complex. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  8. Jenkins, Craig (March 5, 2013). "The 50 Best Neptunes Beats". Complex. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  9. Duncan, Fiona Alison (2020). "History of Downtown L.A. through the Eyes of a Mirrored Hotel Complex". Pin-Up. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  10. "Usher – U Don't Have to Call". MTV.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  11. Reid, Shaheem (February 6, 2002). "P. Diddy, Usher Shoot Clip For 'The-Not-About-J.Lo' Song". MTV.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  12. Brown, Preezy (August 30, 2019). "9 of Usher's most cinematic music videos". revolt.tv. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  13. Abraham, Mya (November 5, 2022). "For The Love Of U: Usher's 10 Best Music Videos, Ranked". Vibe. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  14. U Don't Have to Call (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Usher. Arista Records. 2002. 07822-15060-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. U Don't Have to Call (Australian CD single liner notes). Usher. Arista Records. 2002. 74321-95844-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. U Don't Have to Call (New Zealand CD single liner notes). Usher. Arista Records, BMG. 2002. 74321920032.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. U Don't Have to Call (European CD single liner notes). Usher. Arista Records, BMG. 2002. 74321962912.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. I Need a Girl (Part One) / U Don't Have to Call (UK CD single disc notes). P. Diddy, Usher. Arista Records, BMG. 2002. 74321 94724 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. I Need a Girl (Part One) / U Don't Have to Call (UK 12-inch single vinyl disc). P. Diddy, Usher. Arista Records, BMG. 2002. 74321 94724 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. "Issue 654" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  21. "Issue 659" ARIA Top 40 Urban Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  22. "Usher – U Don't Have to Call" (in French). Les classement single.
  23. "Usher – U Don't Have to Call". Top 40 Singles.
  24. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  25. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  26. "Usher Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  27. "Usher Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  28. "Usher Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  29. "Usher Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  30. "Usher Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
  31. "Top 40 Urban Tracks Of 2002" (PDF). Music Week. January 18, 2003. p. 32. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  32. "Billboard Top 100 – 2002". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  33. "R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – 2002 Year End Charts". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  34. "American videosingle certifications – Usher – U Don't Have to Call". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  35. "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1436. January 18, 2002. p. 31. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  36. "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1439. February 8, 2002. p. 30. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  37. "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1444. March 15, 2002. p. 31. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  38. "New Releases – For Week Starting 29 July 2002: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. July 27, 2002. p. 31. Retrieved August 28, 2021. The song is not mentioned on the source but is included on the single release of "I Need a Girl (Part One)".
  39. "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 2nd September 2002" (PDF). ARIA. September 2, 2002. p. 27. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2002. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
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