"Try" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado, taken from her second studio album, Folklore (2003). The song, written by Furtado herself, and Brian West, was released as the second single from the album in February 2004. The song was moderately successful in several European countries, including Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, where it reached the top 20. It did not chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, but it did peak at number 29 on the Adult Top 40 chart.
| "Try" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Nelly Furtado | ||||
| from the album Folklore | ||||
| B-side | "I'm Like a Bird" | |||
| Released | February 23, 2004 | |||
| Studio | 4th Street Recording (Santa Monica, California) | |||
| Length | 4:38 | |||
| Label | DreamWorks | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Nelly Furtado singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Try" on YouTube | ||||
Lyrically, Furtado said the song "is about the reality of love. My energy used to just go everywhere, but now I'm more grounded because I've found true love. The idea here is that, yeah, sometimes life sucks. But life is only so long, and somebody can come along who makes you want to be a better person. You just have to roll with the punches. So "Try" is not a happy-go-lucky song. It has a strange arrangement because the chorus happens only twice, and the end is improvisational. It's like one of those epic power ballads." The Los Angeles Times said of "Try", "Her unfettered enthusiasm wins out as she sings of passion for life".
Commercial release
Although the single was a success in some European countries, it did not chart in the United States. "Try" was the last single released from Folklore in the US; the subsequent singles were released only in Canada, Europe and Latin America. Two versions of the song exist; the original with the chorus only occurring twice, and a radio edit version in which the improv is taken out at the end and an extra chorus is added. A Spanish version, "Dar", was released in 2007 in the album of Loose (Summer Edition) only available in Latin America.
Music video
The music video was directed by Sophie Muller. The music video features Nelly Furtado and a male actor (who is assumed to be her husband) in traditional Portuguese dress, around the Settler time period. It shows their various hardships, and in one scene, Furtado is seen tying lover's knots to the underside of the couple's bedsprings, which is assumed to be an infertility cure from folklore. There is an alternate version of the video, that shows Furtado singing the song with a guitar near the sea.[1]
Track listings
UK CD maxi-single[2]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Try" (radio edit) | |
| 2. | "I'm Like a Bird" (acoustic live on New Ground) | |
| 3. | "Powerless (Say What You Want)" (video) |
European 2-track CD single[3][4]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Try" (radio edit) | 3:49 |
| 2. | "I'm Like a Bird" (acoustic live on New Ground) | 4:33 |
Australian & European CD maxi-single[5]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Try" (radio edit) | 3:49 |
| 2. | "I'm Like a Bird" (acoustic live on New Ground) | 4:33 |
| 3. | "Try" (acoustic version) | 4:42 |
| 4. | "Try" (video) |
European Premium CD maxi-single[6]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Try" (radio edit) | 3:49 |
| 2. | "I'm Like a Bird" (acoustic live on New Ground) | 4:33 |
| 3. | "Try" (acoustic version) | 4:42 |
| 4. | "Powerless (Say What You Want)" (alternative acoustic mix) | 3:47 |
| 5. | "Try" (video) |
Credits and personnel
Credits are lifted from the Folklore album booklet.[7]
Studios
- Recorded at 4th Street Recording (Santa Monica, California)
- Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California)
Personnel
- Nelly Furtado – writing, lead and background vocals, production
- Brian West – writing, engineering
- Track & Field – production, programming
- Field – intro guitar
- James Bryan – acoustic and electric guitars
- Mike Elizondo – bass
- Alex Alessandroni – piano, echo harmonium
- Joey Waronker – drums
- Russ Miller – drums
- Bob Leatherbarrow – vibraphone
- Lil' Jaz – scratching
- Brad Haehnel – mixing, engineering
- Joe Labatto – engineering
- Neil Couser – engineering assistance
- Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – mastering
Charts
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[25] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | February 23, 2004 | DreamWorks | [26] | |
| United Kingdom | March 15, 2004 | CD single | [27] | |
| Digital download | [28] | |||
| Australia | March 29, 2004 | CD single | [29] |