Please Me

0n February 10, 2019, Cardi B won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album for her debut studio album Invasion of Privacy (2018) at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. On the same date, after receiving criticism due to her win at the ceremony, the rapper deactivated her social media account on Instagram due to the frustration this caused. Nevertheless, Cardi B returned on February 13 to announce the release of a new song, on the following Friday, with American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars.[2][3][4] "Please Me" is the artists' second collaboration, the first being Cardi B's remix of Mars' single "Finesse" (2018).[3][4] The rapper first shared the cover art on her Instagram account.[5]

Atlantic Records released "Please Me" for digital download and streaming on February 15, 2019.[6] On the same date, the aforementioned label issued the song to American contemporary hit radio and rhythmic contemporary stations.[7] It was also released on urban contemporary in the United Kingdom and by Warner Music Group to Italian contemporary hit radio stations.[8][9] On February 19, 2019, the single was re-released to contemporary hit radio by Atlantic Records.[10]

"Please Me" was written by Cardi B, Bruno Mars, James Fauntleroy, Jonathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves, and Ray McCullough II. The production and programming was handled by Mars and the latter four, known as The Stereotypes.The guitar and guitar synthesizer was played by Mars and Christopher Brody Brown, while Byron "Mr. Talkbox" Chambers provided additional background vocals. "Please Me" was engineered by Charles Moniz, mixed by Serban Ghenea and mastered by Randy Merrill

"Please Me" is a R&B and rap song.[11][12]

It has been described as a "mid-tempo retro groove", as well as a "mix of modern and classic- smooth slow jam with trap stylings".[13][6] According to Rolling Stone, in the lyrics Cardi B and Mars' characters flirt with each other, with him "emotively pleading for some loving" and her answering with the desire of "getting down on the dancefloor before taking it to another level."[14][15] This time, that takes the form of telling her man exactly how their night is going to go down, beginning with “twerkin’ in some J’s on the dancefloor” before moving things to the bedroom.[13]

"The sexy track sees Cardi slowing down her flow as Bruno taps into the classic R&B tradition of "begging for pussy"."[16]

Rhian Daly of NME despiting considering "Please Me" not to be Cardi B's best song as "she's far better when she's got some fire beneath her", she praised it by saying that Cardi B "dominates" the track as most songs have "the man calling the shots". However, Daly felt that the rapper "snatches control while making sure she's getting what she wants too". Daly considered that, Mars' "silky, begging vocals" show "sensual R&B", as Cardi B's rapping is "something far more x-rated".[13] Writing for Pitchfork, Michelle Kim criticized the song, saying Mars "attempts to make his own bump'n'grind anthem" but that "his request feels painfully safe and vanilla, like if a bot was programmed to write sexts". Kim summarized that the song has an "awkward tempo" and is "definitely not sexy enough to be played in the bedroom".[17] "Please Me" that felt perfect for the holiday: horny, performative, a little corny.[18]

Tara Martinez found "Please Me" to be "extremely suggestive" and "unapologetically sexy". She said the lyrics were written "to make you feel your own body temperature rise".[19]

In the United States, "Please Me" debuted at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 with 51,000 downloads (debuted at number-one on Digital Songs), 27.9 million streams and 39 million radio impressions in its first full tracking week. It became Cardi B's seventh and Mars' sixteenth top ten on the Hot 100 chart.[26] On its third week on the chart, the single reached its peak of number three on the Billboard Hot 100, following the release of its official music video on March 1, 2019. It sold 20,000 copies, with 52.9 million radio impressions and 45.3 million streams.[27] "Please Me" also topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Rhythmic chart, becoming Cardi B and Mars' second collaboration to do so, after the remix of the latter's "Finesse" (2018). It became Cardi B's fourth and sixth number one on the former and latter chart, respectively. It also became Mars' third and eleventh number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Song and Rhythmic chart, respectively.[28][29] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the song three times platinum.[30] In Canada, "Please Me" peaked at number 12 on the Canadian Hot 100 and number 19 on the Canada CHR/Top 40.[31][32] The song was certified platinum by Music Canada (MC).[33]

"Please Me" peaked at number 13 on the Euro Digital Song Sales chart, on March 2, 2019.[34] In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at its peak of number 12 on the UK Singles Chart on February 22, 2019.[35] The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified the track silver for sales and streams over 200,000 certified units.[36] The single peaked at number 15 in Croatia and reached number 14 on its second week on the IFPI Greece chart.[37][38] It also debuted at its peak of number 12 in the Lithuanian Top 100.[39] "Please Me" reached the top spot on the Chile General Monitor Latino chart and peaked at number two on the Peru Anglo Monitor Latino.[40][41] The song entered at number 19 on the New Zealand Singles Chart and peaked at number 12, spending eight weeks on the chart.[42] It also peaked at number 18 on the Lebanese Top 20 chart.[43]

• Audio on YouTube