“Nice & Slow” by Usher
As one would have guessed it by the title, “Nice & Slow” is about sex. Usher wants to take his time and make love to his love interest as he’s “been waiting for this for so long”.
The track starts off with Usher having a phone conversation with his partner, making plans for him to go over to her place. The heat between them is on since the beginning and they both know that their meeting up is going to end with sex. Usher also tells her to wear an outfit that he likes. We can see that his level of excitement is matched when his partner keeps asking for details of the things he’s going to do with her.
As any excited person would be, Usher rushes over with much anticipation to pick his other half up. The date starts with them “driving around town” while sex is the only thing on Usher’s mind. In the search for someplace “nice and quiet”, his partner has got him so turned on to the point that he wishes he “could pull over and get this thing started right now.”
We deduce the amount of anticipation is extremely high as Usher quotes another R&B hit – “Feenin’” by Jodeci. The term “feenin’” is used to highlight ‘obsessive craving, usually for drugs or alcohol.’ In this case, Usher is obsessively craving for his partner as the sexual connection is what he’s hooked on.
Release Date
“Nice & Slow” was released on the 16th of September, 1997 as the second single from his second album “My Way”.
Credits
Usher wrote this song alongside notable names in the R&B industry:
- Brandon and Brian Casey from American R&B group, Jagged Edge.
- American rapper, songwriter and record producer, Jermaine Dupri. He owns record label, So So Def and produced many tracks on Usher’s “My Way” album.
- American record producer, songwriter and vocal coach, Manuel Seal. Seal has worked alongside names such as Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and Aretha Franklin.
Chart Success
“Nice & Slow” was a major hit in the US, resulting in Usher’s first #1 in his home country of the US. It also gave Usher a top ten hit in Canada and New Zealand.
Influence On Current Music
The song has been an influence on many tracks, with its vocals and lyrics being sampled in many tracks such as the following:
- “Deuces (Remix)” by Chris Brown T.I., Fabolous and Rick Ross
- “You & Me” by Gunna and Chlöe
- “To My Bed” by Chris Brown
- “Go Hard (Remix)” by DJ Khaled
Usher’s “My Way” Album
“My Way”, an album by American R&B singer, songwriter and dancer, Usher, was released on the 16th of September, 1997.
Two American record labels namely, LaFace Records and Arista Records were responsible for officially getting the album released.
American music greats Lil’ Kim, Monica and Jermaine Dupri appeared as guests on the album.
Prior to the official release of “My Way”, the following singles were released to help create awareness for it:
- “You Make Me Wanna…” (released on August 12 of 1997)
- “Nice & Slow” (released on September 16 of 1997)
- “My Way”(released on September 16 of 1997)
Selling over 66,000 copies within its first week in the US alone, “My Way” gradually established itself as Usher’s breakthrough album. It landed on the Billboard 200 at No. 15, eventually peaking at No. 4. It occupied various positions on the Billboard 200 for 79 weeks. The album peaked at No. 16 on the OCC in the United Kingdom.
By 2002, it had recorded sales of over 6 million copies in the United States alone, earning it a 6x Platinum certification from the RIAA there. Aside from its commercial success in the US, the album put up a remarkable performance globally, selling over 7 million copies by 2002, earning several certifications as a result. It was certified 2x Platinum in Canada and Gold in the UK, Australia as well as the Netherlands.
The tall list of accolades received by the album was not without a shot at an award at the Grammys. In 1998, Usher received a Grammy nomination for “Best Male R&B Vocal Performance”, courtesy the song, “You Make Me Wanna…”.
The said award was however lost to R. Kelly’s self-produced hit song, “I Believe I Can Fly”.
