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

Brandi Carlile

Brandi CarlileSongwriter Interviews

As a 5-year-old, Brandi was writing lyrics to instrumental versions lullabies. She still puts her heart into her songs, including the one Elton John sings on.

The Evolution of "Ophelia"

The Evolution of "Ophelia"Song Writing

How five songs portray Shakespeare's character Ophelia.

Janis Ian

Janis IanSongwriter Interviews

One of the first successful female singer-songwriters, Janis had her first hit in 1967 at age 15.

Mac Powell of Third Day

Mac Powell of Third DaySongwriter Interviews

The Third Day frontman talks about some of the classic songs he wrote with the band, and what changed for his solo country album.

Spooner Oldham

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."

Curt Kirkwood of Meat Puppets

Curt Kirkwood of Meat PuppetsSongwriter Interviews

The (Meat)puppetmaster takes us through songs like "Lake Of Fire" and "Backwater," and talks about performing with Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged.