We Need a Resolution

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"We Need a Resolution"
Single by Aaliyah featuring Timbaland
from the album Aaliyah
Released April 13, 2001
Format CD single, 12" single, cassette, digital download
Recorded March 2001;
Westlake Recording Studios
(Los Angeles, California)
Genre R&B[1]
Length 4:02
Label Blackground, Virgin
Writer(s) Tim Mosley, Stephen Garrett
Producer(s) Timbaland
Aaliyah singles chronology
"Come Back in One Piece"
(2000)		 "We Need a Resolution"
(2001)		 "More Than a Woman"
(2001)
Timbaland singles chronology
"Can't Nobody"
(1999)		 "We Need a Resolution"
(2001)		 "Ugly"
(2001)

"We Need a Resolution" is a song performed by American recording artist Aaliyah. It was written by Static Major and Timbaland, who also produced and contributed a featured rap. The song was released on April 13, 2001, as the lead single for Aaliyah's self-titled 2001 album Aaliyah.[2]

The song was a moderate success internationally. "We Need a Resolution" reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart and the top 30 in Canada. In October 2011, NME placed it at number 119 on its list 150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years.[3] It was placed 21st on Slant Magazine's Best of the Aughts: Singles list and 30th on Stylus Magazine's Top 50 Singles: 2000–2005.[4][5] The single and the music video was also ranked 8th and 6th, respectively, on Slant Magazine's Best Singles and Music Videos of 2001 list.[6]

Composition

"We Need a Resolution" has a sparse arrangement with stop-start drum patterns, hand claps,[7] and a clarinet sample from John Ottman's "Tricks of the Trade" from the score to the 1998 film Incognito. While this particular part of the song is in 10/8 time signature, Timbaland used quantization to make the "We Need a Resolution" beat completely in 4/4.[8] The song's lyrics maturely present two perspectives in a passive-aggressive relationship.[9] Aaliyah's sinuously sung concerns are playfully dismissed in Timbaland's featured rap.[7] The song leaves its hook unresolved, plays backwards after Timbaland's rap, and concludes with a reversed loop of the vocal "where were you last night", which echoes the female protagonist's sentiment.[10]

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Paul Hunter from April 6–8, 2001 and premiered on BET's 106 & Park and MTV's TRL on April 26, 2001. The video placed at #77 on the BET: Notarized top 100 videos of 2001, and at number 30 on MTV's top 50 videos of 2001.

The video opens with Aaliyah sitting in a dark room in a black dress and also appearing on a TV screen performing the first verse. She is also shown sitting on a large question mark as it moves through a blue tunnel. Leading up to the chorus Aaliyah can be seen laying on a glass bed with headphones on. During the second verse and the next chorus she is in a scene with a snake around her neck in a snake pit, wearing snakeskin underwear. As Timbaland's rap verse begins he can be seen in a dark room wearing shades. Aaliyah performs a dance routine with other dancers during Timbaland's verse, wearing a dragon t-shirt. The video closes with Aaliyah in the dark bedroom scene again and Aaliyah with one of the male dancers.

Formats and track listings

Charts

Chart (2001) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[11] 44
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] 47
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[13] 28
France (SNEP)[14] 53
Germany (Official German Charts)[15] 66
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[16] 37
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 46
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 56
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) 20
US Billboard Hot 100[19] 59
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[20] 15

References

Footnotes
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  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Clover 2001, p. 130; Cinquemani 2001a
  11. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Aaliyah feat. Timbaland – We Need a Resolution". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  12. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Aaliyah feat. Timbaland – We Need a Resolution" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  13. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Aaliyah feat. Timbaland – We Need a Resolution" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  14. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Aaliyah feat. Timbaland – We Need a Resolution" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  15. ↑ "Musicline.de – Aaliyah feat. Timbaland Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  16. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Aaliyah feat. Timbaland search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  17. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Aaliyah feat. Timbaland – We Need a Resolution". Singles Top 60. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  18. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Aaliyah feat. Timbaland – We Need a Resolution". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  19. ↑ "Aaliyah – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Aaliyah. Retrieved 2013-02-24.
  20. ↑ "Aaliyah – Chart history" Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Aaliyah. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
Bibliography
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External links

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