Commander (song)

"Commander"
The background is mostly neutral though there are several brown horizontal stripes. In the foregrand stands a woman wearing a pastel yellow sleeveless dress with colored and beaded detail. She is stood sideways and on the arm nearest toward the front sits a silver bangle. The woman is styled with a large perm whilst her other hand holds a military hat to her head.
Single by Kelly Rowland featuring David Guetta
from the album Here I Am
ReleasedMay 17, 2010 (2010-05-17)
Recorded2009
StudioGum Prod and The Bunker, Paris, France
Genre
Length3:38
LabelUniversal Motown
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • David Guetta
  • Rico Love
  • Sandy Vee
Kelly Rowland singles chronology
"When Love Takes Over"
(2009) 		"Commander"
(2010) 		"Rose Colored Glasses"
(2010)
David Guetta singles chronology
"Wavin' Flag (Celebration Mix)"
(2010) 		"Commander"
(2010) 		"Club Can't Handle Me"
(2010)

"Commander" is a song performed and co-written by American singer Kelly Rowland featuring French DJ and record producer David Guetta from Rowland's third studio album, Here I Am (2011). It serves as the project's international lead single and her debut release with Universal Motown. It was the pair's second collaboration, having previously topped charts around the world with a similar dance production, "When Love Takes Over", in 2009. Rowland and Guetta co-wrote the song with French DJ Sandy Vee and American songwriter Rico Love, who described the song as a "fun and aggressive club record" with themes of female empowerment and lyrics with deliberate grammatical errors. Guetta and Vee produced "Commander" with synthesized dance beats that blend R&B with electronica and house music, with Love providing backing vocals and vocal production. The song was premiered at the 2010 Winter Music Conference and subsequently garnered widespread acclaim from contemporary critics for Rowland's vocal performance as well as Guetta's musical production.

Just over a month after release, it topped the US Hot Dance Club Songs and later peaked within the top-ten in the United Kingdom and top-twenty in Ireland and New Zealand. Entertainment Weekly named "Commander" the number-one summer jam of 2010 and named by Fitness Magazine as one of The Top 100 Workout Songs of 2010. The song was nominated at the International Dance Music Awards for Best R&B/Urban Dance Track. An accompanying music video was directed by Masashi Muto, and portrays Rowland facing herself in various dance-off scenes. Promotion for the release included performing the song live on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge and The Graham Norton Show. The Extended Dance Mix, also produced by Guetta, was released alongside the main single worldwide, whereas the urban remix featuring American rapper Nelly was released in the United Kingdom and the United States.