Have Mercy

Album: single release only (2021)
Charted: 72 28
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Songfacts®:

  • Chlöe is Chlöe Bailey, one half of the American R&B duo Chloe x Halle. This hypnotizing booty anthem is her debut solo single, which finds her asserting confidence in her body.
  • The self-celebratory trap-pop song finds Chlöe flexing about her large rear and curvaceous figure. The title comes from one of Chlöe's boastful lyrics:

    Booty so big, Lord, have mercy.
  • Chlöe wrote the song with a team of writers that includes:

    Canadian producer Murda Beatz. He is a frequent collaborator of both Migos ("MotorSport") and Drake ("Nice For What").

    Australian production duo FnZ, who comprise Michael "Finatik" Mulé and Isaac "Zac" Deboni. They have also worked with Drake ("Lemon Pepper Freestyle") and Kid Laroi ("Stay").

    Theron Thomas, one half of the songwriting duo Rock City, who had their own hit in 2015 with "Locked Away." Thomas has also co-penned several of Lizzo's hits, including "Juice" and "Rumors."

    Los Angeles-based songwriter Nija Charles. She co-wrote Chloe x Halle's single "Forgive Me" and also co-penned Chris Brown featuring Drake's "No Guidance," and Lady Gaga featuring Ariana Grande's "Rain On Me."
  • Chlöe co-produced the song with Murda Beatz, Joseph L'étranger, FnZ and BoogzDaBeast. They built their booming beat around a sample of TT the Artist and Uniiqu3's 2018 club track "Off the Chain."
  • The hook features a repetitive call and response. That's Murda Beatz responding to Chlöe's braggadocio vocals about her bootylicious body.
  • The Karena Evans-directed video finds a twerking, writhing Chlöe heading up a sorority house of undercover gorgons who seduce men and turn them to stone. Actor Rome Flynn (Zende Forrester Dominguez in The Bold and the Beautiful) plays her love interest, and Beyoncé's mom, Tina Knowles, cameos as a sorority house mother.

    "Men can glorify ass in their videos. I want to do it with this in an artful, really fun, beautiful way," Chlöe told MTV News correspondent Dometi Pongo. "I think it's so great how women can claim ownership of their bodies and not let the world do it. We get to do it in the way that we want to."
  • Chlöe gave the song its debut at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2021, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The singer's younger sister, Halle Bailey, introduced Chlöe for her first-ever solo performance.
  • Chlöe wrote the song with her writing team around April 2021. At the time, there were plenty of people talking about her and what she'd posted on Instagram. The singer told Audacy's Julia she used the song as her way of controlling her narrative by saying "What's the problem? It's my body."

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