Cater 2 U: История песни Destiny's Child

2005 single by Destiny's Child

"Cater 2 U" is a song recorded by American group Destiny's Child for their fifth and final studio album Destiny Fulfilled (2004). The song was written by group members Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams along with Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Ricky "Ric Rude" Lewis and Robert Waller, with Beyoncé, Rude and Jerkins handling its production. An R&B ballad talking about a woman's desire to cater to the male love interest of her life, "Cater 2 U" contains synthesizers in its instrumentation. A lawsuit filled by singer songwriter Rickey Allen in 2006 claimed the group only recorded a cover of the song, which was originally his; however, the case was settled in 2009. "Cater 2 U" was released as the fourth and final single from Destiny Fulfilled on June 7, 2005, by Columbia Records and Sony Urban Music. It received mixed reviews from music critics who, despite generally praising its composition and the group members' vocal performances, criticized the lyrical content. The song was nominated in two categories at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards (2006) and received an award for Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo at the 2006 Soul Train Music Awards. Commercially, it peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100, being certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Jake Nava and filmed at the Red Rock Canyon State Park in California. It features the trio at a desert, with each member singing at a separate set and later a choreographed dance during the chorus. To further promote "Cater 2 U", Destiny's Child performed the song during several televised appearances and at the 2005 BET Awards. In addition, "Cater 2 U" was added to the set list of Destiny's Child's final tour Destiny Fulfilled and Lovin' It (2005). Both Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland performed the song during their solo tours after Destiny's Child's disbandment. A cover version of "Cater 2 U" was performed by Usher and Babyface at the 2005 World Music Awards as a tribute to the group, due to their disbandment.

"Cater 2 U" was written by Destiny's Child members Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, along with Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Ricky "Ric Rude" Lewis and Robert Waller. The production was handled by Beyoncé, Rude and Jerkins, with the group members also serving as the vocal producers. The song was recorded in 2004 at Sony Music Studios in New York City with guidance from Jeff Villanueva and Jim Caruna. The audio mixing was done by Tony Maserati while the mastering was finished by Tom Coyne.

"Cater 2 U" is a four minute long R&B ballad. Instrumentally it consists of silky synthesizers "slink[ing] and slurp[ing]" throughout, creating a seductive feel as stated by Dimitri Ehlrich of Vibe and writers of Billboard magazine. J. Freedom du Lac, a staff writer of The Washington Post wrote that the song's theme was supplication. Rowland was noted for nearly rapping her solo part during which she promises to "keep my figure right," "keep my hair fixed" and acknowledges that if her man comes later home while she's asleep, "all he's gotta do is tap her on the shoulder and 'I'll roll over.'" Williams sings her solo verses during the song's bridge.

"Cater 2 U" was released as the fourth and final single from Destiny Fulfilled by Columbia Records and Sony Urban Music.

Tom Sinclair of Entertainment Weekly noted the song was one of Destiny Fulfilleds "nice bits here and there", adding, "the pillow talky pandering of 'Cater 2 U'  is hard to resist." AllMusic's writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine included "Cater 2 U" as one of the highlights on the album. Slant Magazine writer Eric Henderson opined: "But just about the only element of the whole album that really sticks is the Laura Bush worthy domestic complacency of 'Cater 2 U,' in which the trio espouses their joy in total submission." Dimitri Ehrlich from Vibe found that "the sexy trio is far more believable on the seductive R&B ballad 'Cater 2 U,' in which they set the feminist movement back more than a century over the course of four minutes". Andy Battaglia writing for The A. V. Club felt that the song and "Soldier" "make sassy end runs around notions of womanly subservience, but their best musical moments hide in tiny melismatic twirls instead of hooks". The Guardians Caroline Sullivan wrote that "Cater 2 U" was one of the songs that showcased "the girliness in the trio, musically and lyrically". Thomas Inskeep of Stylus Magazine hailed the song "sexy" while USA Todays Elysa Gardner felt it was more "gently sensuous". Rebecca Thomas from MTV News felt that the song differentiated from the trio's other material and added: "While the Third Wave set may have side eyed the gushy ballad, male fans eagerly welcomed [it]". The lyrics of the song were criticized with BBC's Nick Reynolds saying that although the group "reinvent[ed] themselves as domestic goddesses for some lucky man", the song was neither convincing nor good. Jenny Eliscu of Rolling Stone echoed his statements, writing: "Jerkins should hang his head in shame for having a hand in the maudlin 'Cater 2 U,' a saccharine tune about how low Knowles, Rowland and Williams will stoop to prove their devotion to their man  Since when did these independent women become so craven?". Jess Harvell of the same website offered similar criticism: "[The song] reneged on everything early DC stood for in a parade of kept wifey pleas". Alex MacPherson of Stylus Magazine dismissed the sincerity of the lyrics, classifying "Cater 2 U" as a "queasy" song. Neil McCormick from The Daily Telegraph panned it as "cringe inducing, with lots of sensuous moaning". Barbara Ellen of The Observer wrote: "I thought this was the kind of song bands recorded by mistake then hid guiltily in the attic".

At the 48th Annual Grammy Awards (2006), "Cater 2 U" was nominated in two categories, Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, ultimately losing in both. The song won an award for Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo at the 2006 Soul Train Music Awards. It was one of the Award Winning R&B/Hip Hop Songs at the 2006 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards. In 2013, Lindsey Weber from the website Vulture listed "Cater 2 U" at number seven on her list of the 25 best songs by Destiny's Child. Weber went on to describe it as "probably the least feminist song" of the band's material, but "the best song ever to lyrically use the phrase 'run your bathwater'" and hailed Williams for her contribution during the bridge. For Beyoncé's 32nd birthday, Erika Ramirez and Jason Lipshutz of Billboard included "Cater 2 U" at number 25 on the list "Beyonce's 30 Biggest Billboard Hits".

On November 16, 2004, Destiny's Child performed "Cater 2 U" during the Good Morning America broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). They performed it again on December 18 on Saturday Night Live, along with their then recent single "Soldier". The song was also performed at the 2005 BET Awards in Los Angeles on June 28, 2005. Midway through the performance, for which the members wore form fitting, floor length brown gowns, they randomly picked Terrence Howard, Nelly and Magic Johnson from the audience to the stage and performed a lap dance for them. Steve Baltin, writing for Rolling Stone, remarked that the group provided "some sizzle". The group gave a live rendition of "Cater 2 U" again on NBC's The Today Show on July 29. A writer for People felt that "Beyoncé shimmies and shakes things up" during the performance. An acoustic version was also performed on MTV during its 2005 Spring Break coverage. In 2005, "Cater 2 U" was part of the set list of the group's final tour Destiny Fulfilled and Lovin' It, where they performed it in the same style as during the BET Awards, following the popularity of that performance. "Cater 2 U" was included on the track listing of the group's live album Live in Atlanta (2006) chronicling a concert from the tour in that city. Following the group's disbandment, both Beyoncé and Rowland included "Cater 2 U" in the set lists of their respective solo tours. The former performed it as part of a Destiny's Child medley included during The Beyoncé Experience (2007). It was subsequently included in the live DVD The Beyoncé Experience Live (2007), which included a concert filmed at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Similarly, Rowland performed "Cater 2 U" live during her Lights Out Tour (2013) as part of a segment which included songs by Destiny's Child.

Usher and Babyface performed "Cater 2 U" at the 2005 World Music Awards on August 31 as a tribute to Destiny's Child, due to their disbandment. Byron Flitsch of MTV described their duet as "sensual". In 2009, "Cater 2 U" was referenced in Lil Wayne and Drake's song "My Darlin' Baby".

Chicago based singer songwriter Rickey Allen pushed allegations that "Cater 2 U" was inspired by a song he had composed with the same title and spelling, which was copyrighted in the mid 1990s and 2000, and performed locally during that time. He claimed he handed over a version to producer Maurice Joshua, who allegedly went on to cover the song with Destiny's Child. Allen filed a lawsuit against the group for compensation in a Chicago court in 2006 where the group was due to appear in December 10 for an eight day trial. However, they managed to avoid any given court dates after their public split and agreed to settle behind closed doors. In early December 2009, it was confirmed by Chicago Sun Times that the group had reached a settlement with Allen. His attorney Matthew Wildermuth said in a statement: "I can confirm that yes, [the case] did settle. All of the issues have been amicably resolved and the case is going to be dismissed. [Allen is] excited about being able to devote time to pursuing his musical career. All legal terms and agreement will not be released and the case will be dismissed by a judge".

+Release dates and formats for "Cater 2 U"RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref. (Reference(s)) United States June 7, 2005 Contemporary hit radio Columbia Records, Columbia, Sony Urban Music, Sony Urban June 14, 2005 Digital download July 19, 2005 Digital download Italy July 25, 2005 Sony BMG Australia August 8, 2005 Maxi CD