Work

"Work" is a song recorded by American recording artist Ciara for her third studio album Fantasy Ride (2009). It was released by LaFace Records on July 24, 2009, as the album's third and final single. Rapper Missy Elliott provides featured vocals on the song. Ciara and Elliott wrote it in collaboration with its producers Nate "Danja" Hills and Marcella Araica. "Work" is a fast-paced electropop and dance song with elements of bounce music and hip hop. Ciara described it as an energetic club track, and considered it initially as the lead single of Fantasy Ride. "Work" received mixed opinions overall by critics, some of whom called it the album's strongest track and praised its hook, while others regarded the song as unoriginal and disappointing. The single peaked at number 52 on the UK Singles Chart and number 46 in Sweden. In Ireland, it reached number 31, the single's highest peak position on any chart. Melina Matsoukas directed the song's music video, in which Ciara performs with her dancers. Background Ciara and Missy Elliott wrote "Work" in collaboration with its primary producer Nate "Danja" Hills and additional producer Marcella Araica. Araica recorded the track at Chalice Recording Studios in Los Angeles and Goldmind Studios in Virginia Beach. Jared Newcomb later assisted her for mixing, at Chalice Recording Studios. The song was announced in June 2008 and was revealed in October to be a duet with Elliott. "Work" was their third collaboration, following Ciara's "1, 2 Step" (2004) and Elliott's "Lose Control" (2005). Ciara told MTV News on the set for the music video of "Go Girl" that "Work" is "crazy and out of this world. The energy is to the 10th power again." Ciara elaborated on her collaboration with Elliott in an interview for Blogcritics: When Missy and I do a record, the energy is on a whole other level. I can't explain exactly what it is. It's just the energy, I think. She knows how to really make a party a party. That's what I want – to make this record to be the ultimate party record. That's pretty much how that all came about. ... I guess each time we work together, we give 100% of our energy to each other. It's crazy. Sometimes you can't explain what the chemistry is. It's just how you feel. Ciara originally planned to release Fantasy Ride in the form of three discs, each representing a particular sound. The third disc "Kingdom of Dance", which featured dance-oriented music, was set to include "Work".