"Shut Up and Drive" is a song by Barbadian singer
Rihanna for her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007). It was written and produced by
Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers, and features an interpolation of the 1983 song "
Blue Monday" by the British band
New Order, whose members
Bernard Sumner,
Peter Hook,
Stephen Morris, and
Gillian Gilbert received songwriting credits. Released as the album's second single, the song was solicited to United States radio stations on June 12, 2007, and was physically released on August 27, 2007 in the United Kingdom. "Shut Up and Drive" is a
new wave song which heavily incorporates 1970s and 1980s musical styles. Lyrically, it contains multiple references to cars and car parts including the
'57 Cadillac.
"Shut Up and Drive" was received with mixed reviews from music critics, who labeled its lyrics as fluffy and goofy. The song peaked at number 15 on the US
Billboard Hot 100 chart and at number one on the US
Dance Club Songs chart. On the
UK Singles Chart, it reached number five, becoming Rihanna's fifth top-five single. "Shut Up and Drive" peaked within the top 10 in nine other countries, including in Australia, Canada, Germany and Italy. Its accompanying music video was directed by
Anthony Mandler and was shot in several places in the Czech Republic, such as airship hangar in
Příbram or junkyard in
Sluštice near
Prague. It features Rihanna in a makeshift junkyard. Rihanna performed "Shut Up and Drive" on the
Good Girl Gone Bad (2007–09),
Last Girl on Earth (2010–11) and
Loud (2011) concert tours.
Production and release
"Shut Up and Drive" was produced by Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers, and its composition is credited to Sturken and Rogers as well as the members of
New Order (
Bernard Sumner,
Peter Hook,
Stephen Morris and
Gillian Gilbert), whose 1983 song "
Blue Monday" forms a partial basis for the song.[1] Al Hemberger
recorded the song at Sunwatch in
Saint James, Barbados and The Loft Recording Studios in
Bronxville, New York. Hemberger also served as a
mixing engineer and
mixed "Shut Up and Drive" at The Loft Recording Studios, together with mixing assistant Roy Matthews. Sturken provided all of the
instrumentation while Rihanna and Rogers sang the
background vocals. The production manager of the song was Rob Heselden with Christie Moran serving as a production assistant.[2] "Shut Up and Drive" was released as the second single from the album, following the worldwide chart-topper "
Umbrella" (2007).[3] The song premiered on Tuesday, May 22, 2007, on Rihanna's official website.[3] It was originally scheduled to be released to
contemporary hit radio in the United States on June 5, 2007.[4] However, it was postponed to the next week. It was also sent to
rhythmic contemporary radio on June 19, 2007.[5] The single was later released as a
CD single on August 27, 2007, in the UK.[6]
A 21-second sample from the chorus of the song, which samples British new wave group
New Order's 1983 song "
Blue Monday" and heavily incorporates 1970s and 1980s music styles.[7]
"Shut Up and Drive" is a
new wave song[8] that incorporates influences of the 1970s and 1980s musical styles.[7] It
interpolatesNew Order's 1983 single "
Blue Monday".[7] The song contains an
upbeat opening sequence with a heavy
guitar riff.[7] Tom Breihan from Pitchfork Media wrote that the song "begins with über-processed new wave guitars that sort of sound like the Cars".[9] According to a digital music sheet published at Musicnotes.com by
Sony/ATV Music Publishing, "Shut Up and Drive" is written in the
key of
C♯ major and is set in
simple time with a moderately fast
groove.[10] Rihanna's vocal range spans from the low note of F♯3 to the high note of B4 and the song follows a
chord progression of E–B–C♯–F♯–B–C♯.[10] Lyrically, "Shut Up and Drive", as the title suggests, is about Rihanna looking for a "driver", having nothing to do with the cars' performance described being thinly veiled metaphors for her and the driver as for a lover capable to handle them.[11] The lyrics also contain multiple references to various cars and car parts, including 'class like a
'57 Cadillac', all about her own attributes.[12]
Critical reception
"Shut Up and Drive" received mixed reviews from contemporary
music critics. Bill Lamb from
About.com commented that there are better songs on Good Girl Gone Bad, but "Shut Up and Drive" captures "the spirit of summer just as well as Rihanna's first hit '
Pon de Replay'".[13] Lamb further continued, "The lyrics are pure fluff, and the vocals have the now familiar thin and reedy quality common to many of Rihanna's efforts. However, like any successful sports car, the look, feel, and speed of 'Shut Up and Drive' pull you in despite the model's shortcomings."[13] Quentin B. Huff from PopMatters wrote that "Shut Up and Drive" is a sassier version of Aretha Franklin's "
Freeway of Love" and Michael Jackson's "
Speed Demon".[12] He also stated that the song would have fit comfortably on
Gwen Stefani's
first album.[12] Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine found that the song did not live up to its campy title,[14] while Rodney Dugue from The Village Voice described it as simultaneously "goofy and sexually daring".[15] Andy Kellman from
AllMusic also referred to it as "a sleek, forthcoming proposition...as undeniable and rocking as
Sugababes' 2002 UK smash '
Freak Like Me'".[7] "Shut Up and Drive" won Most Popular R&B Song at the
People's Choice Music Awards.[16]
Chart performance
"Shut Up and Drive" debuted at number 88 on the US BillboardHot 100, and peaked at number 15 several weeks later, failing to match the success of Rihanna's previous single "Umbrella".[17] The song reached number one on the US
Dance Club Songs, becoming Rihanna's sixth number-one song on that chart.[18] "Shut Up and Drive" peaked at number 11 on the US BillboardPop Songs and became Rihanna's seventh top 20 single on that chart.[19] The song was certified platinum by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of over 1,000,000 copies.[20] "Shut Up and Drive" reached the top 10 on the
Canadian Hot 100, peaking at number six.[21] "Shut Up and Drive" debuted on the
UK Singles Chart on July 28, 2007, at number 65. After six weeks, the song peaked at number five and became Rihanna's fifth UK top 10 single. It stayed on the UK Singles Chart for 31 weeks, becoming her sixth longest charting song there. "Shut Up and Drive" has sold more than 230,000 copies in the UK.[22]
In mainland Europe, the song achieved moderate success. It peaked in the top 10 in eight other countries including Hungary, the Republic of Ireland, Germany and Italy. In Switzerland and Sweden, the song reached number 14 and number 31, respectively.[23][24] "Shut Up and Drive" debuted and peaked at number four on the
Australian Singles Chart, becoming the album's second top five single there.[25] "Shut Up and Drive" was certified gold by
Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipment of over 35,000 copies.[26] The song peaked at number 12 on the
New Zealand Singles Chart and charted for 13 consecutive weeks.[27]
Promotion
Music video
Rihanna filmed the music video for "Shut Up and Drive" in an airship hangar in
Příbram and in a makeshift
junkyard placed in
Sluštice, the
Czech Republic.[28] It was directed by
Anthony Mandler, who directed the videos for Rihanna's 2006 singles "
Unfaithful" and "
We Ride".[29] The video was officially released on the iTunes Store on June 25, 2007.[30] It begins with Rihanna driving a Ferrari to a junkyard. As she enters the junkyard, the song begins. Many girls are repairing broken cars and Rihanna joins them while singing the song. Other scenes, showing Rihanna dancing on a car, are intercut. As the video progresses, Rihanna and the girls get out from the junkyard and go to a race stage. Then, she sings the song's lyrics to the drivers. Later, she becomes a car race starter and on her sign, both drivers begin their race. Scenes of Rihanna climbing on a navigate stair are shown. Near the end of the video, Rihanna dances and sings the song on a microphone together with her band, while wearing a black dress with white stars.
Live performances
Since its release, "Shut Up and Drive" has regularly been featured in Rihanna's live performances and tours. She performed the song for first time at the
BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend on May 21, 2007, held in
Preston, United Kingdom together with "Umbrella" and "Breakin' Dishes".[31] Rihanna performed "Shut Up and Drive" at the
2007 MTV Video Music Awards held at
The Palms in
Las Vegas. For the performance, she was joined by American rock band
Fall Out Boy.[32] In late December 2007, Rihanna was the guest star at the Late Show with David Letterman, where she gave a performance of "Shut Up and Drive".[33]
She also performed it at the 2009 Super Bowl, which was held at the
Pepsi Center in
Denver,
Colorado.[34] According to Gil Kaufman from MTV, the performance featured "a chair dance, lots of funky wah-wah and screaming guitar solos, and graphics of spinning rims and neon speed gauges on the mega screens".[34] Rihanna performed "Shut Up and Drive" on her three major tours:
Good Girl Gone Bad (2007–09),
Last Girl on Earth (2010–11) and the
Loud Tour (2011).[35][36][37] The performances of the song on the Last Girl on Earth and the Loud Tour shows, featured a car present on the stage.[36][37] In a review of one of the shows from the Loud Tour, Jonathan McCambridge from Belfast Telegraph commented about the performance, "'During Shut Up And Drive', a car appeared from underneath the stage and a number of dancers then proceeded to pretend to batter the hell out of it for no obvious reason."[37]
Usage in media
"Shut Up and Drive" is featured on the soundtrack of the 2012 Disney film Wreck-It Ralph, playing over the scene in which Ralph teaches Vanellope von Schweetz to drive in the arcade game Sugar Rush.[38] The song is also featured in 2008 movies College Road Trip, 21, and Wild Child. It was used in 2012 commercials for cars from the Japanese automobile maker Mazda.
The song was later used as a "Lip Sync for your Life" song on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Contestants
Tatianna and
Alyssa Edwards performed this song for a chance to re-enter the competition; since both performed exceptionally well, they both got to return. This has frequently been rated the number one best Drag Race lip-sync performance.[39][40]
Cover versions
The song was covered by the rock band
Weep on their album Worn Thin. Ned Raggett of
AllMusic praised Weep's interpretation in his review of Worn Thin, calling it a "revelation, turning the machine pop of one style into another with ease".[41]
Track listings
German CD single
"Shut Up and Drive" (Radio Edit) – 3:32
"Haunted" – 4:08
UK CD single
"Shut Up and Drive" (Radio Edit) – 3:32
"Shut Up and Drive" (The Wideboys Club Mix) – 6:36
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^"
ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 20040 into search. Retrieved September 6, 2013.