| "Pills N Potions" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byNicki Minaj | ||||
| from the albumThe Pinkprint | ||||
| Released | May 21, 2014 (2014-05-21) | |||
| Recorded | 2013–14 | |||
| Studio | Luke's in the Boo (Malibu, California) Record Plant (Hollywood)[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
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| Nicki Minaj singles chronology | ||||
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"Pills N Potions" is a song by rapperNicki Minaj from her third studio album,The Pinkprint (2014). It was released as the album's lead single on May 21, 2014, byYoung Money,Cash Money, andRepublic. The song was written by Minaj,Ester Dean, and producersCirkut andDr. Luke.
Pills N Potions peaked at number 24 on the USBillboardHot 100 and within the top 40 in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Its music video was directed byDiane Martel, and was released on June 9, 2014.[2] Minaj promoted the song by performing it live at theBET Awards 2014.[3]
"What that felt like to me was forgiveness, you know, and just understanding that everybody gets mad, but when you love somebody, I feel like you'll always love them. I don't feel like there's ever been somebody that I loved that I no longer love, I just may not be able to live with you or have you in my life, and that's really what the song is about."
Minaj first mentioned the song in her promo single, "Yasss Bish" which featuresSoulja Boy. She stated that the single would be released in two weeks.[5][vague] She revealed the title of the song at the2014Billboard Music Awards and afterwards hosted a Q&A onTwitter where she revealed information regarding the single.[6] In an interview forRap-Up, she stated that "Pills N Potions" was "uplifting" and "very soulful".[7] Speaking toBillboard, she explained: "It sounds like urgency, It sounds like betrayal. It sounds like running. It sounds like fainting. It sounds like love. It sounds like – *gasp!*"[8] On May 19, 2014, Minaj revealed the single's cover art onInstagram.[9]
On May 24, 2014, Minaj premiered "Pills N Potions" onSoundCloud, with song being available for purchase oniTunes later that day. She promoted the single by means of several radio interviews throughout the United States, includingPower 105.1'sThe Breakfast Club,KIIS-FM'sOn Air with Ryan Seacrest,Hot 97's morning show,Z100 withElvis Duran and the Morning Show and a sit down interview forPower 106'sTheBig Boy's Neighborhood Morning Show.[10]
"Pills N Potions" is apop andhip hop[11]piano ballad "framed in the druggy imagery of mixtape rap".[8][12] Chris Payne ofBillboard said the song coupled a chorus "reminiscent of aRihanna ballad" with rapped verses.[8] Kory Grow ofRolling Stone opined that the song shows Minaj "sublimely (and maturely) rising above her detractors, even singing that she still loves them."[13]
The song opens with a sparse, hauntingdrum beat, while Minaj sings the pre-chorus in a feather-like near-whisper, "Pills 'n potions, we're overdosin'/I'm angry but I still love you". As the pre-chorus repeats, anecho effect is added to her vocals, and "blooming" chants of "I still love, I still love, I still lu-uh-uhhhv" are sung to create the song's chorus.[8] During the verses Minaj raps with a sense of urgency, however, the first verse is kept restrained as she raps about someone who wronged her, "They could never make me hate you/Even though what you was doin' wasn't tasteful/Even though you out here looking so ungrateful/I'mma keep it movin' be classy and graceful." She later says that she'll "forgive and forget", but knows that they're jealous of her success: "But I spin off in aBenzie/I see the envy when I'm causin' a frenzy".[14]
Zach Frydenlund ofComplex called "Pills N Potions" a "monster of a song", and explained, "Nicki shows—once again—how she can delicately balance pop and hip-hop, while spitting true to her 'real rap' promise to fans".[11] Chris Payne ofBillboard felt Minaj was sincere in her delivery of the song's personal lyrics, and went on to call it a "crowd pleaser" with something for every listener to enjoy.[8] Gil Kaufman ofMTV News wrote that the song was "actually a huge move back into the pop game, setting Minaj up for what could be her biggest cross-over hit to date".[14] Although Marc Hogan ofSpin found the song's message confusing, but praised Minaj's rapping and said: "when we hear that Rihanna-like 'I still lo-uh-uh-ve' hook blasting out of car windows this summer? We'll probably still lo-uh-uh-ve it."[12] Kory Grow ofRolling Stone noted that "Pills N Potions" was the "diametric opposite" of Minaj's previous single, "Lookin Ass".[13]XXL featured the song on their mid-year list of 25 Best Songs of 2014 (So Far), commenting that "despite the slow tempo of the song, Nicki was still able to supply her classic witty lines with a hard undertone".[15] In contrast, Meaghan Garvey ofPitchfork described "Pills N Potions" as "cute but hollow, its sentimentality trumped by the album's deeply personal openingtriptych."[16]
The music video for "Pills N Potions" was released on June 9, 2014, onYouTube. American rapperThe Game makes a cameo appearance.[17]
In the United States, "Pills N Potions" debuted at number 47 on theBillboard Hot 100 for the week ending June 7, 2014; it sold 84,000 copies and amassed 709,000 domestic streams within its first four days of release.[18] The song went on to peak at number 24 on the chart.[19] As of December 2014, the song has sold 622,000 copies in the United States.[20]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[40] | 2× Platinum | 140,000‡ |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[41] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[42] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Country | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | May 21, 2014 | Digital download | [43] | |
| Canada | [44] | |||
| United Kingdom | [45] | |||
| United States | June 10, 2014 | Rhythmic contemporary | [46][failed verification] | |
| July 1, 2014 | Contemporary hit radio | [47][failed verification] |
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