"I Gotta Feeling" is the second single from The Black Eyed Peas' fifth studio album The E.N.D., produced by the French DJ David Guetta.^[2] The song was released on May 21, 2009^[3] and debuted at number two on the Canadian and Billboard Hot 100 on the week of June 27, 2009, behind the group's "Boom Boom Pow", making the group one of 11 artists who have occupied the top two positions of the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. The song later reached number one on the US charts and 20 charts worldwide. The song was nominated for Record of the Year at the 52nd Grammy Awards and won the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.^[4] "I Gotta Feeling" was 5th on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade.^[5] The song was also nominated as Song of the Year at the 2009 World Music Awards. In March 2011, it became the first song in digital history to sell over 7 million digital copies in the United States. This also makes it the highest selling digital, the group's best hit, as well as non-charity single in the US ever.^[6]

"I Gotta Feeling" spent fourteen consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, the longest-running number-one single of 2009. The song was the third most successful song of the decade in Australia, as announced on January 7, 2010.^[7] As of February 2010, "I Gotta Feeling" holds the record as the most downloaded song on iTunes of all time.^[8] Worldwide it has sold over 14 millions units, becoming one of the most successful songs in the history of popular music.^[9][10]

Background[link]

"I Gotta Feeling" was written and composed by all the members of The Black Eyed Peas (credited as William Adams, Allan Pineda, Jaime Gomez, Stacy Ferguson) together with French producers David Guetta, Frederick Riesterer, both of who produced the song. will.i.am provided additional synth work to the song. The song was recorded at Square Prod in Paris, France and Metropolis Studios in London, England, United Kingdom. "I Gotta Feeling" is the second single released from The E.N.D. (2009). Interscope Records serviced the song to contemporary hit and rhythmic crossover radios on June 15, 2009 in the United States.^[11][12] In an interview with Annie Reuter of Marie Claire, will.i.am stated that "It’s dedicated to all the party people out there in the world that want to go out and party. Mostly every song on the Black Eyed Peas record is painting a picture of our party life. It was a conscious decision to make this type of record. Times are really hard for a lot of people and you want to give them escape and you want to make them feel good about life, especially at these low points."^[13]

Composition[link]

"I Gotta Feeling" is an uptempo dance pop song that runs a length of 4:49 (4 minutes and 49 seconds). The song follows in the inspirational dance-pop theme of The E.N.D., being built upon the heavy use of Auto-Tune and futuristic synthesizers while running through a tick-tock rhythm.^[14][15][16] The song begins with in a restrained fashion then moves in to a throbbing dance beat that shifts tempos during the course of the song.^[15] Ann Powers of Los Angeles Times noted the song's similarities to Five Stairsteps' song "Ooh Child", writing that it emulates the song's "use of a repetitive, warm vocal line to signify a good mood coming on."^[17] According to Jimmy Iovine of the Interscope Geffen A&M label group, the melody was inspired by the U2 song "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight": "I sent will.i.am over to the studio to do some remixes on I'll Go Crazy. He works on them for two weeks, comes back and writes I Gotta Feeling. The chords are U2 chords, 100 per cent. Will even told them."^[18]

Critical reception[link]

"I Gotta Feeling" received generally positive reviews from music critics. David Balls, a writer for Digital Spy, gave the song a four-star rating, writing that the song is "every bit as quirky as its predecessor ("Boom Boom Pow")".^[15] However, he compared it to Girls Aloud's "Biology", writing that they sound like a collection of musical ideas "that only makes sense after a few listens."^[15] Another writer for Digital Spy, Nick Levine, praised "I Gotta Feeling" and "Rock That Body" as ace collaborations with French disc jockey David Guetta.^[19] Music critics like John Bush of All Music Guide and Andy Gill of The Independent labeled it as one of the albums best tracks.^[14][20] Ann Powers wrote a positive review about "I Gotta Feeling", noting that "the Peas do let in some human sweetness and light" on the song and that it uses "a repetitive, warm vocal line to signify a good mood coming on."^[17] Ben Westhoff of Las Vegas Weekly dismissed the song as a blend of house, electro and dancehall beats that do not work compared to songs on The E.N.D. like "Imma Be" and "One Tribe".^[21] Mike Schiller, a writer for PopMatters, found the song to be irresistable, writing that it "is one of those dance tunes that’s impossible to hate thanks to something like good natured naïveté".^[22] In his review of the album for Stuff.co.nz, Chris Schultz dismissed the lyrics, writing that they were the worst since Flo Rida "Right Round".^[23]

The Observer-Dispatch writer David T. Farr praised the song as "the summer track of 2009", writing that "It’s one of those songs you grasp onto right away and crank up as the beat goes on, even the first time you hear it (guilty as charged)."^[24] Will Hines of Consequence of Sound shared similar feelings about "I Gotta Feeling", defining it as "chart baiting".^[25] Guy Blackman, a writer for The Age, labeled "I Gotta Feeling" and "Boom Boom Pow" as further dumbed-down dance-pop songs.^[26] Bill Lamb of About.com gave the song a four-star rating, praising it for the difference of style from previous releases by The Black Eyed Peas and as a great summer song with a feel good mood. Lamb, however dismissed the song for its lack of lyrical depth and constant use of Auto-Tune.^[16] Billboard's Chris Williams praised the song as their most mainstream release, writing that "they trade off on a simple, yet effective melody and message".^[27]

Chart performance[link]

"I Gotta Feeling" followed in the international success of The E.N.D.'s lead single "Boom Boom Pow". In the United States, the song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number two, behind "Boom Boom Pow", prompted by sales of 249,000 downloads.^[28] The song held at number two for another week before rising to the top position on the chart.^[29] On July 30, 2009, it was reported that the song, along with "Boom Boom Pow" helped earn The Black Eyed Peas the longest run at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 by a duo or group (17 weeks).^[30] The song held at number one on the chart for a total of fourteen weeks, which ended on the week ending October 17, 2009 when Jay Sean's "Down" took the position.^[31][32] The song, together with "Boom Boom Pow", earned the group a total of twenty-six consecutive weeks atop the Hot 100 chart while also earning them their longest running single on the chart, with a total of fifty-six weeks logged.^[31][33] It also earned the accolade of being the best digital seller in history, with total sales standing at 7.4 million downloads, being the one of the two songs in history to sell over seven million downloads (the second is Adele's hit Rolling In The Deep) and the group's second single to sell over six million downloads in the United States.^[34] It was certified seven times platinum on August 25, 2010 by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) signifying sales of over seven million units. "I Gotta Feeling" also peaked at number one on the several Billboard charts, including Hot Digital Songs, Pop Songs, and Radio Songs.^[33] In Canada, the song debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 at number two, similar to its beginning run in the United States, on the week ending June 27, 2009.^[35] The next week, it rose to number one following a surge in airplay, where it maintained that position for sixteen consecutive weeks.^[36][37] The song was present on the chart for a total of seventy-six weeks.^[33][37] The song was certified diamond by Music Canada for sales of over 800,000 digital downloads.^[38]

"I Gotta Feeling" fared similarly in international markets. The song had a slower rise in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number seventy on the week ending June 20, 2009.^[39] It quickly picked up momentum, moving in to the top five in its fifth week on the chart. On the week ending August 8, 2009, the song peaked at number one, where it stayed for two non-consecutive weeks.^[40][41] "I Gotta Feeling" held within the top ten for sixteen consecutive weeks and lasted on the chart for a total of seventy-six. The song was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry on January 7, 2010 for sales of 600,000 units.^[42] It became the first song to sell over one million units based solely on the strength of digital downloads.^[43] "I Gotta Feeling" has currently sold over 1.2 million units in the United Kingdom.^[44] In Ireland, the song peaked at number one and held that position for twelve non-consecutive weeks, falling to number two on the week of August 27, 2009 at six weeks in the top position.^[37][45] It rose to number one the following week and held that position for another six weeks.^[37] In Sweden, the song debuted on the chart at number thirty-six on the week ending July 19, 2009.^[46] It quickly entered the top ten and peaked at number one in its seventh week on the chart.^[46] "I Gotta Feeling" maintained its position there for eight consecutive weeks and stayed present on the charts for a total of eighty-seven weeks.^[46] The single was certified double platinum for sales of 40,000 units.^[47] In Germany, the song debuted on the chart at number seven and rose to number three two weeks later.^[48]

"I Gotta Feeling" peaked at number one in countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, The Netherlands, and New Zealand.^[37] The song reached top five peak positions in Finland, France, Norway, and Spain.^[37] It has sold over seven million units worldwide in 2009 and an additional six million in 2011, as reported by the IFPI.^[49][50]

Live performance[link]

On September 8, 2009, the song was performed (with slight modification) by The Black Eyed Peas for the taping of the Kick-off Party for the 24th season of The Oprah Winfrey Show, with 21,000 fans performing a dance on the "Magnificent Mile" portion of Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois.^[51] They also performed the song at the 52nd Grammy Awards nomination announcement ceremony with David Guetta (a remix edit by David Guetta appears on his album, One Love). The Black Eyed Peas also performed the song during a concert at Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2009. Being the half-time performers for Super Bowl XLV, The Black Eyed Peas sang "I Gotta Feeling" in front of more than 100,000 fans at Cowboys Stadium. On April 29, 2011, they performed the song along with others at the "i.am.FIRST" event at the FIRST Robotics Competition World Championships.

Music video[link]

The official final version was released on June 2 on Dipdive and on June 16 on iTunes. There is both a censored version and an explicit version of the music video and a live performance of the explicit video. The video starts with scenes in Hollywood Blvd. and then showing will.i.am combing his hair and Fergie putting on make-up while wearing lingerie. It also shows Taboo checking his messages on Dipdive and apl.de.ap checking his text messages. Then it cuts to the party as the first verse starts. In the uncensored version, there are some scenes featuring gay and lesbian content – Fergie dances suggestively and makes out with another woman, whilst two female partygoers are seen kissing at the two minute mark. Before these scenes, one of two men making out is shown. The video ends with a large sign with human-sized letters that reads "The E.N.D." The video is directed by Mikey Mee of Little Minx and features guest appearances by David Guetta, Kid Cudi, Katy Perry, Chantal Jones, members of the indie rock band Gossip, the designer duo Dean and Dan Caten of Dsquared² and a few well-known personalities of the LGBT community, including Ongina of RuPaul's Drag Race fame. A video was shown on Disney's Re-Micks featuring Minnie, Mickey, and all of their friends.

Credits and personnel[link]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The E.N.D., Interscope Records, in association with will.i.am Music Group.^[52]

Recording and mixing

• Recorded at Square Prod in Paris, France and Metropolis Studios in London, England, United Kingdom

Personnel

• Songwriting – William Adams, Allan Pineda, Jaime Gomez, Stacy Ferguson, David Guetta, Frederick Riesterer
• Production – David Guetta, Frederick Riesterer
• Synths – will.i.am

Track listing[link]

• Digital download (worldwide version)

1. "I Gotta Feeling" – 4:49

• UK CD Single^[53]

1. "I Gotta Feeling" (Radio Edit) – 4:06
2. "Boom Boom Pow" (David Guetta's Electro Hop Remix) – 4:05

• German CD Single

1. "I Gotta Feeling" (Radio Edit) – 4:06
2. "Boom Boom Guetta" (David Guetta's Electro Hop Remix) – 4:05
3. "I Gotta Feeling" (Instrunmental Version) – 4:49
4. "I Gotta Feeling" (Official Video) – 4:52

• Digital Download E.P.^[54][55]

1. "I Gotta Feeling" (David Guetta's FMIF Remix) – 6:12
2. "I Gotta Feeling" (Printz Board vs. Zuper Blahq Remix) – 5:04
3. "I Gotta Feeling" (Laidback Luke Remix) – 6:28
4. "I Gotta Feeling" (Zuper Blahq Remix) – 5:48
5. "I Gotta Feeling" (Taboo's Broken Spanglish Remix) – 4:51

Charts and certificates[link]

Other cover versions[link]

• From 2009 to 2011, the song was partially covered in a medley by Barenaked Ladies on their All in Good Time Tour.^[130]
• In 2009, it was performed by The X Factor finalists, this was the first group performance from the finalists in the history of the show.
• In 2010, the song was performed by Westlife on their Where We Are Tour.
• It was covered on the Nickelodeon Mega Music Fest.
• A video parody called "I Gotta Filling" was produced by The Madow Brothers and shown during TBSE 2011 at "The Joint" in The Hard Rock Hotel and Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Justine Ezarik produced a parody video of the song that focused on going to events mainly to update one's social media profile picture; it gained 4.8 million views on YouTube.^[131]
• The Chipmunks and The Chipettes covered the song as a bonus track on their 2009 album Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.^[132]
• Jack Black did a cover of the song at opening ceremony of the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2011.
• It was one of the most used songs on G-Force (film).
• A 30-second sample of the song is featured in a McDonalds Happy Meal Toy as part of the 'Music Academy: Class Of 2011' promotion which runs May 4 – June 14, 2011.
• A Mexican band, Calor Norteño (Heat from North), covered the song in a Spanish dubbed and norteño rhythm named "Tengo un Sentimiento"
• Used in the 2009 Year In Review Music Video of the 2009 Yankee Season on the YES Network.
• Lil Wayne did a freestyle over the intrumentals titled I Got No Ceilings for his 2009 mixtape No Ceilings
• This song was mixed with Club Can't Handle Me by Flo Rida.
• will.i.am, Tom Jones, Jessie J and Danny O'Donoghue performed the song on the opening episode of The Voice UK, on which they are the show's mentors.
• Orangez also made a mix of this song and is featured on "Hard Dance Mania Vol. 18(mixed by Pulsedriver)."
• Six13 posted on their website a free single that includes a Jewish parody version of the song, called "I got tefillin."

See also[link]

• List of number-one singles in Australia in 2009
• List of number-one hits of 2009 (Austria)
• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2009 (Canada)
• Dutch Top 40 number-one hits of 2009
• List of number-one singles of 2009 (Ireland)
• List of number-one hits of 2009 (Italy)
• List of number-one singles from the 2000s (New Zealand)
• List of number-one singles in Romania
• List of number-one hits of 2009 (Switzerland)
• List of Swedish number-one hits
• List of number-one singles from the 2000s (UK)
• List of number-one R&B hits of 2009 (UK)
• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2009 (U.S.)
• List of Mainstream Top 40 number-one hits of 2009 (U.S.)
• Ultratop 40 number-one hits of 2009

References[link]

External links[link]

• Will.i.am's blog on Dipdive
• Music video on Dipdive
• Analysis of the songwriting techniques in "I Got a Feeling"
• I Gotta Feeling – David Guetta Edit Remix 2011

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2011)

Shayne Ward
Ward in 2006
Background information
Birth name	Shayne Thomas Ward
Born	(1984-10-16) 16 October 1984 (age 27)
Origin	Clayton, Manchester, England
Genres	Pop, R&B, soul
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Syco (2005–2011)
Website	shayneward.com

Shayne Thomas Ward,born 16 October 1984^[1] in Manchester, England^[2], is an English pop singer who rose to fame as the winner of second series of The X Factor. He has sold over three million records worldwide and has had number one albums and singles in nine countries. During The X Factor competition, Ward was mentored by manager Louis Walsh. The Bookies' favourite to win the show, he defeated duo Journey South and singer Andy Abraham in the final screened by ITV1 by a margin of 1.2% of the vote, out of a reputed 10.8 million phone votes cast by viewers. His first single, "That's My Goal", was released in the United Kingdom on December21, 2005 and became the last number one of 2005, hitting the top spot on 31 December.^[3] It sold 313,000 copies on its first day of sales, making it the third fastest selling single of all time, behind Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" and Will Young's "Evergreen", which sold 685,000 and 400,000 copies in their first days of sale respectively. Ward's prize, as winner, was a recording contract with Simon Cowell's Syco record label, which is co-owned by Sony Music Entertainment. The contract had a stated value of £1 million, of which £150,000 was a cash advance and the remainder was allocated to recording and marketing costs.^[4]

Early life[link]

Ward was born in 1984 in Clayton to Irish Traveller parents Martin and Philomena.^[5] He has a twin sister named Emma and five other siblings: Mark, Martin, Michael, Lisa and Leona.^[5] He is a Manchester United supporter,^[6] and in 2002 he reached the final thirty of Popstars: The Rivals,^[7] the television show that created Girls Aloud. Prior to his participation in The X Factor, Ward was in a band called Destiny with two women named Tracy Murphy and Tracey Lyle, performing at pubs, clubs and weddings.^[7] Ward has been in a relationship with Faye McKeever since 2004.^[8]

Career[link]

[edit] 2005: The X Factor

In early 2005, Ward auditioned for the second series of The X Factor. He impressed all three judges (Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh) and passed through to the next round. His category (16 to 24 year olds) was then mentored by Walsh, and Ward was chosen to be among Walsh's top four contestants and perform on the live shows. Ward quickly became the bookmakers' favourite to win the show, and after making it to the grand final, he defeated Simon Cowell's duo Journey South and Sharon Osbourne's over-25 singer Andy Abraham and was crowned as the winner of The X Factor 2005.^[9] He had not fallen into the bottom two throughout the entire competition, and won by a margin of 1.2% of the vote, out of a reported 10.8 million phone votes cast by viewers. Immediately after the competition, his X Factor mentor Louis Walsh became his manager under a joint venture with Global Publishing and Walsh Global Management.

[edit] 2006–07: Shayne Ward

Immediately after his victory on The X Factor, Ward signed a recording contract with Syco Music and his first single, "That's My Goal", was released in the UK on Wednesday, 21 December 2005. After selling 742,000 copies in the first week, including 313,000 on its first day, it became the Christmas number one single of 2005, held the top spot for four weeks and stayed in the top 75 until June 2006, a 21-week run. It became, at that time the fourth fastest-selling UK single of all time, beaten only by Elton John's "Candle in the Wind", Will Young's "Anything Is Possible/Evergreen", and Gareth Gates' "Unchained Melody" which sold 685,000, 403,000 and 335,000 copies in their first days of sale respectively. To date, "That's My Goal" has sold over 1.3 million copies in the UK. Ward also won an Ivor Nevello Award for being the Best Selling Single. Ward's second single, "No Promises", a cover of a Bryan Rice song was released on 10 April 2006, and peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart. Shayne Ward, his self-titled debut album was released on 17 April 2006. It sold 201,266 copies in the first week and entered the albums chart at number one. To date, the album has sold 520,000 copies in the UK and a further 2,000,000 worldwide, reaching number one in eight other countries. The album was certified platinum. Ward's third single "Stand by Me" failed to make the chart impact of the previous two, entering and peaking in the UK Singles Chart at number fourteen.^[10] It fared slightly better in the Irish charts however, reaching number nine. It was confirmed in Gary Barlow's autobiography My Take, that in 2006, fellow Take That member, Jason Orange threatened to quit the band, and Ward was seriously considered as his replacement. Orange, however, later changed his mind and a replacement was not required.^[11] In August 2006, it was reported that Ward had developed vocal cord nodules – the same condition that stopped the singing career of Julie Andrews – and was to be flown out to Los Angeles in early September to see a specialist surgeon. His manager, Louis Walsh, released a statement that he was confident Ward would be fine and would be back at work by the end of the month. Ward had successful treatment and was indeed able to return to his singing career. In November 2006, he released his autobiography entitled My Story. He travelled to several places around the UK for book signings, which hundreds of people attended. In early 2007, Ward embarked on a solo tour of UK & Republic of Ireland venues, taking in eighteen concerts in twenty-eight days from late January to mid-February. The tour commenced in Dublin on 21 January and ended in Birmingham on 17 February 2007.

[edit] 2007–08: Breathless

After the completion of his successful debut tour, Ward's fourth single and first from his second album, "If That's OK with You" was given a release date of 20 August 2007, but was then delayed and became a double A-side single with "No U Hang Up". It was finally released on 24 September 2007, and charted at number two in the UK being held off by the Sugababes with "About You Now". "No U Hang Up" and "If That's OK with You" charted separately in Ireland, the former reaching number eleven and the latter entering at number one. Ward's second album, Breathless, was released on 26 November 2007, and after selling over 95,000 copies in its first week, debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, held off the top spot by his X Factor successor, Leona Lewis's, multi-platinum selling debut, Spirit. In Ireland, the album debuted at number one, removing Lewis's album from the top spot, a position it held for three weeks, and was later certified five times platinum. The second single from Ward's album was announced as "Breathless", and was released on 19 November 2007. It peaked at number six in the UK and number two in Ireland. On 10 November, Ward performed "Breathless" on the live results show of the fourth series of The X Factor, although the single was not available for download until the 18 November, followed by a performance on The Paul O'Grady Show on 19 November. In the UK the album has been certified platinum with sales of over 450,000. In May 2008 Ward embarked on his month-long UK tour named The Breathless Tour 2008. He made his stage debut at London's O₂ Arena and visited his home town Manchester at the MEN Arena. He also performed his complete show as a support act for Westlife's 2008 tour in front of a crowd of over 80,000 at Ireland's Croke Park. Ward also played on the opening night at The O₂, Dublin, at the Cheerios Childline concert on 16 December 2008.

[edit] 2009–2011: Obsession

Simon Cowell refused to release any further music by Ward for three years in favour of Leona Lewis and Susan Boyle, prompting manager Louis Walsh to stop managing Ward.^[12] Ward began working on his third album in 2009 with producers RedOne and Taio Cruz.^[13] The album, titled Obsession, was released on 15 November 2010.^[14] The singer worked with songwriters such as Savan Kotecha, Quiz & Larossi and Lucas Secon, while the songs produced by RedOne and Taio Cruz will not be included.^[15] The first single from the album is a cover version of Nickelback's 2008 single, "Gotta Be Somebody".^[16] Ward's version was released on 7 November 2010 and reached number 12 in the UK and number 10 in Ireland.^[14] The video for the song premiered on 29 October 2010 and he performed the song on The X Factor on 7 November. Shayne also performed at the Miss World Pageant, which was held in Sanya, China. He did his first television appearance in over two years, on Live From Studio Five the day after his X Factor appearance, where he also performed his single. The album reached number 11 in Ireland on 19 November and peaked at number 15 in the UK on 21 November. On 8 March 2011, Shayne performed the title track from the album Obsession on The Alan Titchmarsh Show. In an interview with Digital Spy Ward stated that he hoped he could release a second single from the album. On 19 April 2011, it was reported that Syco Music had not renewed their recording contract with Ward due to the chart performance of Obsession.^[17] Ward later responded to the label's decision on his Twitter profile writing, "1 door closed, A Thousand more will open."^[18]

[edit] 2011-present: Rock of Ages

On 9 June 2011, it was announced that Ward would star as Stacee Jaxx in 80s-themed musical Rock of Ages at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London.^[19] He has since announced that he will be returning to the studio in September 2012, after his contract with Rock of Ages ends.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]