Wikipedia

Eenie Meenie

For the children's game, see Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. For the record label, see Eenie Meenie Records.

"Eenie Meenie" is a song by American-Jamaican singer Sean Kingston and Canadian singer Justin Bieber. The song was written by both Kingston and Bieber along with Carlos Battey, Steven Battey, Marcos Palacios and Ernest Clark and Benny Blanco and was produced by the latter. It was originally released as the first single from Kingston's third studio album Back 2 Life on March 15, 2010,[1] but was taken off for unknown reasons. However, it is included on Bieber's first studio album My World 2.0. The song, a dance-pop number with Kingston's reggae influences and Bieber's R&B vocals, is lyrically about an indecisive lover.

"Eenie Meenie"
Two young men are looking forward. The man of the left is wearing a green jacket and has his hands on his pockets. Moreover, the man of the right is wearing a plaid blue shirt, and has his hands on his chest. The background is black and in front of them the words "Sean Kingston / Justin Bieber" are written in flesh capital letters, while "Eeenie Meenie" are in lower case letters.
Single by Sean Kingston and Justin Bieber
from the album My World 2.0
ReleasedMarch 15, 2010 (2010-03-15)[1]
RecordedFebruary 6, 2010
StudioKing of Kings Studio
(Miami, Florida)
GenreDance-pop
Length3:24
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Benny Blanco
Sean Kingston singles chronology
"Feel It"
(2009) 		"Eenie Meenie"
(2010) 		"Everyone"
(2010)
Justin Bieber singles chronology
"Baby"
(2010) 		"Eenie Meenie"
(2010) 		"Somebody to Love"
(2010)
Music video
"Eenie Meenie" on YouTube

The song reached the top ten in the United Kingdom and New Zealand, and the top twenty in Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United States. The accompanying music video features Kingston and Bieber at a pool party at a condo, being pursued by the same girl.

Background and composition

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"Eenie Meenie"
A 22-second sample of "Eenie Meenie" featuring vocals from Kingston and Bieber.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The song premiered on March 4, 2010, on Ryan Seacrest's website,[2] and it was released officially on March 23, 2010, in the United States.[3] It is a dance-pop song, with R&B, and reggae fusion influences,[4][5] written in the key of D♭ major, with a vocal range from F3 to D♭5.[6] It moves at 120 beats per minute and is set in common time.[6] The song features a prominent synthesized back beat, followed by verses from both singers, then a rap interlude, while utilizing the children's rhyme "Eenie Meenie Miny Moe."[7]

Critical reception

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Kyle Anderson of MTV said that "'Eenie Meenie' melds Sean Kingston's island-inflected dance-pop with Bieber's sweet tween R&B."[5] A reviewer of DJBooth said, "The record’s crown jewel, of course, is the chorus, which will worm its way into your head whether you like it or not."[8] Although he called the song catchy, Chris Richards of The Washington Post said Kingston "hogs the mike" on the song.[9] Rudy Klapper of Sputnikmusic wrote about the lyrics, on the album review, that those are "disturbing", but at the same time "unintentionally hilarious." She also criticized the production: "There's not much to say about the kind of producer who thinks the use of the term 'shorty' with an elementary school gimmick is a good idea."[10] Luke O'Neil from The Boston Globe noted "Sultry reggaeton is repackaged here for the tween set with Sean Kingston's 'Eenie Meenie.' 'Shorty' was never sung so literally."[11]

Chart performance

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In the United States "Eenie Meenie" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number thirty on April 7, 2010, where it was the highest debut of the week.[12] The next week it dropped three places,[13] and stayed there for another additional week.[14] On the Billboard issue dated May 15, 2010, the single reached its peak, at number fifteen,[15] and it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[16] As of February 2011, the single was sold 1,238,000 times.[17] In Australia, it debuted at number forty-nine within the ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart on April 4, 2010,[18] the next week, "Eenie Meenie" reached the number thirty, but it fell out the chart the following week.[18] It re-entered at number forty-five on April 25, 2010, and reached its peak at number eleven on May 30, 2010, where it stayed for three weeks.[18] Later it was certified as gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association.[19] The song appeared in the UK Singles Chart on May 22, 2010, at number fifty-eight. The next week "Eenie Meenie" rose to number seventeen and peaked at number nine in the next two weeks.[20]

In Ireland, it debuted at number forty-one in the Irish Singles Chart on April 15, 2010,[21] and rose the number twelve on May 17, 2010.[22] In the Canadian Hot 100 "Eenie Meenie" debuted and peaked at number fourteen, becoming the highest debut of the week.[23] But in the next issue, the single became the biggest drop, falling to the number thirty-one.[24] It was certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.[25] In New Zealand it debuted at number thirteen on March 29, 2010, and in its eighth week the song peaked at number five.[26] It also was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand.[27]

Music video

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Kingston and Bieber at a party on the balcony of a condominium in the video.

The music video was filmed on March 30, 2010, in Beverly Hills, California,[28] and was directed by Ray Kay, director of Bieber's "Baby" video.[29] On the topic of choosing the lead girl, Kingston told MTV News, "I picked the main girl, basically, because Justin is 16 and I'm 20 years old, so it had to be a girl that fit the both of us, because in the video and song, she's trying to play the both of us. So there had to be a contrast. She fit it perfectly."[30] Additionally, Kingston explained the plot of the video to Rap-Up, commenting, "The video is basically about this girl trying to play both of us and at the end... we end up both at the same place at one time, and she's left with a stupid look on her face."[31] Appearances are made by Bieber's friend, Christian Beadles, as well as rapper Lil Romeo and singer/actress Jasmine Villegas, whose appearance further fuelled media speculation Villegas and Bieber were romantically involved after a previous appearance in his music video for 'Baby'.[30][32] Jocelyn Vena of MTV News reviewed the video, "Here's the play-by-play: While Kingston and the lady in question are flirting out on the deck, Bieber is chilling inside. But, wait — there she is flirting with Bieber while Kingston is hanging out, wondering where she went. The fickle girl eventually leaves Bieber to chill with Kingston, and then — boom — there she is with Bieber again. And, well, you get it. Of course, the 'eenie-meenie-miny-moe lover' eventually gets caught. While she's chatting up Kingston, along comes Bieber, and her game is blown. The dudes are cool with it. Well, they're not cool with her playing them, but they seem to remain friends despite both going for the same girl."[33] As of November 2024, the music video on YouTube has over 738 million views.[relevant?]

Track listing

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Digital Download[34]
No.TitleLength
1."Eenie Meenie"3:21
CD Single
No.TitleLength
1."Eenie Meenie"3:21
2."Eenie Meenie" (Video)3:30

Credits and personnel

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Source:[35]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[57] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[58] Gold 20,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[59] Gold 45,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[60] Gold 7,500*
United Kingdom (BPI)[61] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[62] Platinum 1,000,000^

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

Release history

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Region Date Label Format
United States March 15, 2010[1] Beluga Heights, Epic Airplay
March 23, 2010[3] CD single
France[63] March 28, 2010 Digital download
Germany[64]
United Kingdom[65]
United States[66]
Canada[67] June 29, 2010
Japan[68]
United Kingdom[69] July 5, 2010

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings: 3/15 Mainstream". Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, Inc. and Mediaspan Online Services. FMQB. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
  2. ^ "Listen To Justin Bieber & Sean Kingston's New Single "Eenie Meenie" (Audio)". Ryan Seacrest Official Website. March 4, 2010. Archived from the original on March 7, 2010. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
  3. ^ a b Bartolomeo, Joey (March 4, 2010). "Listen: Justin Bieber and Sean Kingston's New Jam". People. Time Inc. Archived from the original on March 7, 2010. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
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  6. ^ a b Sheet music for My World 2.0. Beluga Heights Records, Epic Records (2010).
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