On the Floor

"On the Floor"
The cover art for the single, featuring a full-face view of a light-brown-skinned woman (Jennifer Lopez) posing before what appear to be white plastic curtains. She's wearing make-up, clothes and jewelry suitable for a night at the disco. Her blue party dress leaves her arms, parts of her waist and top of her chest bare. She has several silvery chains around her neck. Her hair is streaked light and dark brown and hangs down carelessly to her shoulders and below. Large, multi-colored letters in the foreground read "JLO". Sideways on the right edge are the somewhat smaller words in blue, "ON THE FLOOR" and "FEAT. PITBULL".
Single by Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull
from the album Love?
ReleasedFebruary 8, 2011 (2011-02-08)
Recorded2010
Studio
  • Cove Studio (New York)
  • Henson (Los Angeles)
  • Al Burna (Davie)
  • Et Al Indamix (Dominican Republic)
Genre
Length3:51
LabelIsland
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)RedOne
Jennifer Lopez singles chronology
"Louboutins"
(2009)
"On the Floor"
(2011)
"I'm Into You"
(2011)
Pitbull singles chronology
"Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor)"
(2010)
"On the Floor"
(2011)
"Tu Cuerpo"
(2011)
Music video
"On the Floor" on YouTube

"On the Floor" is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her seventh studio album, Love? (2011). Featuring American rapper Pitbull, it was released by Island Records on February 8, 2011, as the lead single from the album. "On the Floor" was written by Kinnda "Kee" Hamid, AJ Junior, Teddy Sky, Bilal "The Chef" Hajji, Pitbull, Gonzalo Hermosa, Ulises Hermosa, along with the song's producer RedOne. It is a pop song combining techno, Latin, dance-pop and house music and with a common time tempo of 130 beats per minute. Lopez recorded a Spanish-language version of the song titled "Ven a Bailar" (English: "Come Dance"), which includes additional lyrical contributions from Julio Reyes Copello and Jimena Romero.

The song's development was motivated by Lopez's Latin heritage and pays homage to her career-beginnings as a dancer. Interpolated within the song are recurrent elements of the 1982 Bolivian composition "Llorando se fue" written by Gonzalo and Ulises Hermosa of Los Kjarkas, a composition that gained notoriety when it was covered by Kaoma in their 1989 single "Lambada". Lopez described "On the Floor" as an evolution of her classic sound and as something which sounded very current. The debut and release of "On the Floor" coincided with Lopez's appointment as a judge on the tenth season of US reality TV show American Idol, as well as several other product endorsement deals. American Idol also provided a platform to debut the single's music video, as well as the stage for Lopez's first live performance of the song.

Editors from BBC Music and Los Angeles Times drew comparisons to Lopez's debut single, "If You Had My Love" (1999) and follow-up single "Waiting for Tonight" (1999). In the United States, it was Lopez's first single in four years to garner airplay, and has sold 3.8 million copies, earning a triple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was ranked by Billboard as the eleventh-biggest hit of 2011 on the year-end Billboard Hot 100 chart. "On the Floor" was a monster hit reaching the top spot in 37 countries and finished in first in Austria, Finland, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, and other countries.

A music video was directed by TAJ Stansberry and choreographed by Frank Gatson Jr, with fans being given the chance to vote for their preferred ending for the video. The completed clip premiered simultaneously on Vevo and during the March 3, 2011 episode of American Idol. It depicts a Los Angeles underground club culture where Lopez portrays a "queen of the nightclub", among other characters. The video received critical acclaim for its lavish production, styling, and choreography, all of which critics felt highlighted Lopez's skills as a dancer. "On the Floor" sold over eight million copies worldwide in 2011, making it the best-selling single of that year by a female artist.

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