"Try Again" is a song recorded by American singer Aaliyah for the soundtrack to Romeo Must Die (2000). After its initial release, it appeared as a bonus track on international editions of Aaliyah's eponymous third and final studio album (2001). The song was written by Static Major and Timbaland, while production was handled by the latter. "Try Again" was released to Rhythmic contemporary radio stations by Blackground and Virgin Records on March 21, 2000. Musically, it is an R&B, electro, dance-pop, and trip hop song. It also includes influences from hip hop, EDM, and acid house. The intro contains an interpolation from Eric B. & Rakim's song "I Know You Got Soul" (1987). Lyrically, the narrator (Aaliyah) encourages a potential partner not to give up when she initially rejects his advances.
The song received critical acclaim from music critics for its innovative futuristic production. In retrospective reviews, critics have credited the song for helping "smuggle the innovative techniques of electronic dance music onto the American pop charts". In 2001, Aaliyah earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the song at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards. Aside from its critical success, the song enjoyed commercial success as well. In the United States, it peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first single to reach number one based solely on airplay. Internationally, "Try Again" peaked within the top ten in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
An accompanying music video for "Try Again" was directed by Wayne Isham. It is a dance-heavy video that combines futuristic elements with re-created stunt scenes from Aaliyah's film Romeo Must Die. In addition, Aaliyah's co-star Jet Li and producer Timbaland appear in the video. After its release, the video received acclaim from the music industry, winning Best Female Video and Best Video from a Film at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. The video also was nominated for Best R&B Clip and Maximum Vision Video at the 2000 Billboard Music Video Awards. In 2001, the video earned a nomination for Outstanding Music Video at the NAACP Image Awards. Throughout the years, critics have praised the video for its fashion and choreography, with many deeming Aaliyah's look iconic.
Background and production In 1999, Aaliyah landed her first movie role in Romeo Must Die (2000), a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Aaliyah starred opposite martial artist Jet Li, playing Trish O'Day and Han Sing, a couple who fall in love amid their warring families. It grossed US$18.6 million in its first weekend, reaching number two at the box office. In addition to acting, Aaliyah served as an executive producer of the film soundtrack, to which she contributed four songs, including "Try Again". Aaliyah revealed that the production team "actually talked about the soundtrack before we even shot the movie".
"Try Again" was recorded at Sound on Sound Studios in New York City and was originally written as an inspirational song. According to engineer Jimmy Douglass, it was "written to inspire young people, but Barry [Hankerson] heard it and told them, 'It's got to be about love'." After all the changes were made to the song, the melody and hook remained the same but the lyrics became love-themed. It was written by Stephen "Static Major" Garrett and Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley, and produced by the latter.
Timbaland created the beat by accident while playing around with a keyboard. In an interview he stated, "I was playing with this keyboard," he began. "And it was a mistake, and my engineer Jimmy Douglass caught it. I said, 'Jimmy did you catch that lil rhythm?, [and] he said, 'I sure did. So [after] he caught it and played it back, I put the beat on it. I said, 'Ooo, chop it right there,' and he chopped it right there." During the production stages of the song, rapper Jay-Z was one of the few people to hear it and he declared that it was going to be a hit. "When Jay-Z came in the studio, he was like, 'Oh my God,' and that's when I was like, 'Yeah, we got one,'" said Timbaland.
Music and lyrics
Musically, "Try Again" is an R&B, electro, and dance-pop song. It was also described as being "classic Aaliyah trip hop". James Poletti from Dotmusic, stated that the song's sound is associated with Detroit techno. Other genres that are utilized within the songs instrumental is hip hop, early EDM of the 2000s, and acid house. MusicNotes published this song in the key of C minor in common time with a tempo of 92 beats per minute. Aaliyah's vocals range from G3 to G4. Katie Atkinson from Billboard said its production "skews more toward the fuzzy electronic sounds of the future than the thumping hip-hop beats of the past". The Guardian writer Alexis Petridis further explained that the production features "disembodied backing vocals, electronically treated string and flute samples, speaker-rumbling bass, and the sort of grinding synthesiser riff more usually found on late-1980s acid-house records". While, Craig Jenkins from Complex mentioned that it incorporates, "programmed snares, kicks and shakers for drums" while also implementing "a wide array of synth sounds, sitars, horns, guitars, and a snaky, distorted bass line underneath it all". The Buffalo News writer Craig Seymour felt that "the song announces itself with horn blasts straight out of a Renaissance processional and then it thrusts you onto a ripping electro-bass roller coaster with Aaliyah's airy voice serving as the wind blowing through your hair". Vocally throughout the record, "Aaliyah's voice is as nimble as ever, slinkily sliding over the synth line and icing the techno-inspired beat with her R&B finesse". As "the song nears the end, a haunting growling noise stalks the edges of the mix like a monster on the prowl".
Lyrically, Aaliyah encourages "a potential partner not to give up on her". Gil Kaufman from Billboard interpreted the lyrics as, "her step-by-step instructions on how to win your way into her shy heart despite what seems like a hard "no" on going forward.... until she crucially lets her guard down in the bridge and is like, "c'mon, man! you know how this game is played! Hang in there!." In his analyses of the lyrics, Tom Brehian from Stereogum said, "Maybe she's stringing this other person along. Maybe she just hasn't made up her mind yet. Either way, it seems totally plausible that this other person would want to keep trying". During the song's intro, Timbaland pays homage to Eric B. & Rakim by interpolating the duo's opening verse from "I Know You Got Soul". The song "doesn't really have a bridge, and it repeats its chorus a whole lot of times". The chorus line "If at first you don't succeed, then dust yourself off and try again" is hypnotically repeated in a fashion similar to the sampling and vocal manipulation found in house music.
Release and promotion On February 18, 2000, it was announced that "Try Again" would be released as the lead single from the Romeo Must Die: The Album soundtrack, while an accompanying music video would be directed by Wayne Isham. Blackground Records and Virgin Records officially serviced it to rhythmic contemporary radio in the United States on March 21, and to contemporary hit radio on April 4. On May 22, a maxi CD single was issued in Europe. In Australia, "Try Again" was released as a CD single on July 3, 2000, while in the United Kingdom, the single was released on July 10, 2000, via three formats: CD, cassette, and 12-inch vinyl.
In August 2021, it was reported that Aaliyah's recorded work for Blackground (since rebranded as Blackground Records 2.0) would be re-released on physical, digital, and, for the first time ever, streaming services in a deal between the label and Empire Distribution. Romeo Must Die was re-released on September 3, 2021, including "Try Again".
Live performances To promote "Try Again" and Romeo Must Die, Aaliyah performed the song during numerous televised appearances. It was first performed alongside "Come Back in One Piece" (featuring DMX) on Romeo Must Die: The Kickoff Special, which aired on MTV in March 2000. Aaliyah performed it again on The Rosie O'Donnell Show on April 17. On April 26, she performed the song on both Total Request Live and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Rap-Up ranked her at TRL performance as one of her 10 greatest live performances saying, "As her only song to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart, there was no shortage of Aaliyah performing 'Try Again,' but it was her 2000 live performance on MTV's TRL—with her sign-of-the-times bedazzled belt and signature belly dance (amidst that always seamless, almost liquid-like choreography)—that stayed in heavy rotation, and for good reason." Yardbarker ranked the performance at number 1 on its "15 iconic TRL performances" list saying, "just one year before her tragic death in a 2001 plane crash, R&B sensation Aaliyah pulled off an engaging performance of her song "Try Again" in front of a spring break crowd that couldn't get enough".
To promote "Try Again" in the United Kingdom, Aaliyah performed it via satellite on the July 21, 2000 episode of Top of the Pops. Siân Pattenden from Mixmag said "she looked sultry, perhaps a little sulky", on her Top Of The Pops performance, and that even her "dancing was low-key".
Critical reception Oliver VanDervoort from AXS said the song has a "kind of futuristic beat" and that it has a "rather memorable line, having to do with hitting on a girl that goes, If at first you don't succeed, dust it off and try again". Ed Masley from AZCentral called the song "Another avant-garde gem from the Timbaland school of future funk". Taylor from Billboard felt that Aaliyah had another smash hit on her hands and praised her vocal styling by saying: "Aaliyah's sultry vocals slide all over the futuristic beat". However, he had a mixed response to the production, although he thought the synth sample and snare alternate lived up to his expectations, he ultimately felt that the synth sample "becomes grating as the song progresses." Amy Mackelden from Bustle thinks that "Try Again", is Aaliyah's best song "because of its inspirational lyrics and flawless sound". She also mentioned that the song has "an unforgettable music video and an empowering message". James Poletti from Dotmusic said the chorus "refuses to leave your brain after a couple of listens" and that it was a "class Timbaland product" which would be equally successful in Europe.
Robert Hilburn from the Los Angeles Times gave a mixed review of the song saying, Toni Braxton "would have brought more vocal presence to this smash from the Romeo Must Die soundtrack, but Aaliyah does express the youthful optimism of co-writer-producer Timbaland's gently taunting ode to romantic resilience". In his review of Romeo Must Die: The Album, Christopher O'Conner from MTV News said "It's been a long time/ We shouldn't have left you/ Without a dope beat to step to, Timbaland proclaims in his murky voice as the electronica fuzz bass of "Try Again" kicks off the album. He's not bold. He's not out of line. He's just honest. And he's right". Music Week labeled the song as a "funky uptempo workout" and highlighted its early on radio support. Stephen Dalton from NME mentioned that the songs production was "veering increasingly close to the far fringes of left-field electronica", and that it wouldn't "sound out of place in an underground German techno club".