Demonstrate
by JoJo

Album: non-album single (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Jojo sings about her sexual allure on the slow, sultry, R&B track. "I know I can demonstrate. And I can let my body explain. I know I can demonstrate. So I'mma make it simple and plain. You just need to come over," the former teen star croons.
  • Drake's regular collaborator Noah '40' Shebib produced the song. Back in 2011, Drake acclaimed Jojo's female version of his "Marvin's Room" "I was drawn by the boldness and honesty of Drake's lyrics," the songstress told Billboard magazine at the time. "If something speaks to me, I get the itch to take a stab at it."
  • JoJo admitted to MTV News that she was "a little apprehensive" of releasing the track due to its sexually explicit content. "But I think any thoughts were kind of dispelled when people responded so well to my version of 'Marvin's Room,'" she continued. "I think that it was reassuring to me of the direction I wanted to go in. Now the response I am concerned about is from my family. I was like, 'Mom, check out my new single,' and she was like, 'My god, that's raunchy, but you look pretty on the cover!'"
  • The singer was so taken with the song's sound and her other work with Shebib that she decided to officially throw out the more pop-orientated material she had previously recorded and start fresh.
  • The music video was directed by Jason Beattie (Miguel's "Adorn") and shows JoJo bringing the song's sexy lyrics to life. "I think the song 'Demonstrate' is kind of more ... it's buttoned up, but freaky at the same time," JoJo explained to MTV News. "I'm basically saying, 'There's a lot of freaky things going on in my mind, but I'm not going to tell you, you're going to need to get over here so I can show you.' So there's kind of a cat-and-mouse game, I suppose, and that's kind of what's going on here. I wanted to show dancers doing their thing to this because I think even though this is a slow tempo song, there's absolutely a feeling of wanting to move to it."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?Song Writing

A big list of musical marriages and family relations ranging from the simple to the truly dysfunctional.

Jonathan Cain of Journey

Jonathan Cain of JourneySongwriter Interviews

Cain talks about the divine inspirations for "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Faithfully."

U2 Lyrics

U2 LyricsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the lyrics of U2?

JJ Burnel of The Stranglers

JJ Burnel of The StranglersSongwriter Interviews

JJ talks about The Stranglers' signature sound - keyboard and bass - which isn't your typical strain of punk rock.

Bill Withers

Bill WithersSongwriter Interviews

Soul music legend Bill Withers on how life experience and the company you keep leads to classic songs like "Lean On Me."