Right Round

Album: R.O.O.T.S. (2009)
Charted: 1 1
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Songfacts®:

  • This song is based on Dead Or Alive's 1985 high-energy hit "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)." That one goes:

    You spin me right 'round, baby
    Right 'round, like a record, baby
    Right 'round, 'round, 'round


    Flo Rida's "Right Round" tweaks it for the hook:

    You spin my head right round, right round
    When you go down, when you go down down


    The concept is the same: The singer has spotted someone who makes them dizzy with lust. Flo Rida's lyrical tweak adds a more libidinous connotation.
  • The female vocals are from a then-unknown singer-songwriter named Kesha Sebert, who later in 2009 would release her debut single "TiK ToK" and become a superstar.

    At the time, Kesha's claims to fame were her song "Chain Reaction" (which was featured in the MTV reality show The Hills), and an appearance in Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" video. After her "Right Round" cameo, she started using the name Ke$ha, in part because she made very little money from the song and wanted to make an ironic statement - she said that money is very low on her list of priorities.

    Despite her financial indifference, Kesha quickly came into a lot of cash when her debut album, Animal, went to #1. Money and fame led to an eating disorder, and in 2014 the glittery singer dropped the $ after a stay in rehab to treat her condition.
  • Flo Rida had a huge hit with his first single, "Low," which was released in 2007 and spent the first 10 weeks of 2008 at #1. "Right Round" was released in 2009 as the lead single from his second album, "R.O.O.T.S.," and went to #1 that February, staying for six weeks. This was before the streaming era when downloading was big; both songs put up huge download numbers and are floating around on a lot of iPods and old computers as digital files.
  • Flo Rida explained to MTV News that the song "is about a young lady, she might be in the strip club and she's got my head spinning round. Or any young lady that I might see walking past me that's getting my attention. She got it going on! I'm going crazy over her. I might go to the club and make it rain... in the club on her because she got it going on."
  • Flo Rida told Billboard magazine about the Dead or Alive sample: "I always listened to those kinds of records growing up. But, it was actually my A&R from Atlantic that brought the beat to my attention. So, we went in the studio, Dr. Luke did the sample and made the production, and I recorded it."
  • On this song, Flo Rida raps about pole dancers. When Digital Spy asked him if he was "a connoisseur when it comes to that sort of thing?" Flo Rida replied: "Oh yeah! You're not wrong. With my 'Low' record and all my success last year, going to strip clubs was my staple. Now with my new record I'm sure it's going to be just the same! When I go to a strip club and my music is being played, it feels great to know everyone's getting off on it."
  • The woman in this song has Flo Rida throwing his money around, but he's OK with it. He explained to djbooth.net: "It's not really sayin' that I don't want 'em to take my money; it's the fact that I'm enjoying myself, and just really gettin' the female's attention, like, 'Hey, when I'm havin' a nice time in the club, you just might watch me make it rain. You might get some of my money.' So I'm not really sayin' I don't want 'em to take my money, it's really that I've come to enjoy myself."
  • Kesha was asked to appear in the video but declined. In an interview with Esquire magazine, she said, "They [Flo Rida's team] wanted me in the video, and I said, 'Nah, I want to make my own name for myself.'"
  • Twelve different writers are credited on this song, including the five guys who wrote "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)," which it interpolates. The song's producers, Dr. Luke and Kool Kojak, are credited, as is Flo Rida. Among the other writers listed is Peter Hernandez, who you know better as Bruno Mars.

    At the time, Mars was writing and producing songs for other artists as part of a team called The Smeezingtons. They placed charting songs with Brandy ("Long Distance") and Sean Kingston ("My Girlfriend"), by "Right Round" was their first big hit. Mars released his debut album in 2010 and quickly found fame with chart-topping singles like "Just The Way You Are" and "Grenade."

Comments: 12

  • George from Vancouver, CanadaAlso featured as the Regional finals winning song for the boys' A Capella group (Treble Makers) in the movie Pitch Perfect.
  • Cyberpope from Richmond, CanadaI always thought it said "...Right Round when you go Down Town" (as in oral sex)
  • Annaleigh from Cypress, CaI find it really weird that Ke$ha didn't want any credit for her vocal part in the song.. I mean she can't use the excuse that it was a stupid song because she does much dumber songs than this one. And I do believe this song is probably about oral sex because in the lyrics it says something like "You Spin My Head Right Round, Right Round when you go Down Down" "down"?
  • Virgo from Perth, AustraliaDead or Alive is my favorite band and you spin me right round like a record is my favorite song in the world but l also love flo ridas version l like the beat the most dont care for the words so much l have 2 of his albums and enjoy listening to all songs plus he is HOT!HOT!HOT! same with Snoop Dog he is lovely mate and pete burns from dead or alive was very HOT back in the 80s when l was a young teenager l will always love pete burns song it always stuck with me all my life.
  • Steve from Whittier, CaNo less than THREE flicks featured this song last year [in 2009]
    "The Couples Retreat"
    "The Hangover"
    "The Ugly Truth",
    the last two on the end credits!!!
    That song describes my feeling about its star Katharine Heigl, for sure.
  • K from Nowhere, OnI think this song is horrible. (this, too, can be seen in a different way.) Kesha sang in it, and her name is on the tab when you see the video, but why isnt it HER in the video??
  • Lacey from Chicago, Ilpoor ke$ha, she barely got any credit for singin this song.
  • Blake from Los Angles, CaThis song has no meaning.... lol


    its about oral sex
  • Steve from Richmond, VaCome on- the only reason it has a good beat(and that's it), is because it's taken from the British band Dead or Alive. Even the name of the band is a rearrangement of a state name- get original for once. Hoping the originators of this song got a cut of the royalties. Hennessey,Richmond,VA
  • Jai from Kingston, JamaicaOh! Please Flo! The song i am sure... is not ONLY about what you said! It can be interpreted as someone "going down" on someone else. The feeling that is the result is just like saying one's head is spinning right round. It is just an awesome feeling and it makes you "lost!" So dont just limit your song by placing a one meaning to it when you know it can be interpreted in more that one ways! I hate that! Even the video has oral connotations to it.
  • Mckenzee from Dallas, TxThis song has an awesome beat
  • Leon from Waterbury, CtI still think this song is about, uh...being "gone down" on.
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