Vacancy
| "Vacancy" | ||||
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| Single by Brody Chandler | ||||
| from the album Introduction | ||||
| A-side | "Emergency" | |||
| Released | December 14, 2009 | |||
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| Recorded | 2008 | |||
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| Length | 4:55 | |||
| Label | Music Nation Label Group | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Riprock & Alex-G | |||
| Brody Chandler singles chronology | ||||
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| Double A-side cover | ||||
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"Vacancy" is a song recorded by American singer Brody Chandler for his debut studio album Introduction (2009). It was co-written by Chandler and Justin Lamar, and produced by Riprock & Alex-G. The song was released on December 14, 2009 by Music Nation Label Group as the album's fourth single. It was also released as a double A-side with "Emergency", exclusive to Australia. A pop ballad with influence from middle eastern, new wave and new-age music, "Vacancy" features a more ambient composition than the other singles released from the album. Lyrically the song depicts the loss of innocence and the myriad of emotions that run deep with such an act. Like the other songs on Introduction, clever metaphors are used to illustrate the meaning of the song.
"Vacancy" received mixed response from music critics, who noted it as an exceptional ballad amongst the overtly sexual content on Introduction, but also criticized it for imitating the sonic structure of Duran Duran's 1993 single "Come Undone". The song became Chandler's second chart topper on the US Billboard Singles Chart. It spent two weeks atop the chart and became Chandler's third chart-topper on the UK Singles Chart. In Australia, it peaked at number two on the ARIA Singles Chart, where it charted as the double A-side "Vacancy/Emergency". The song also earned Chandler his second Grammy Award, in the category of Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. "Vacancy" continued its chart run through 2011 and became Chandler's biggest hit. It earned Chandler the distinction of being only artist to chart a song on the Billboard Singles Chart in three separate calendar years (2009, 2010 and 2011); it also became the highest-selling single by a male solo artist in the United States. "Vacancy" remains one of the best-selling singles of all time with sales of over 17 million copies across the nations.
The accompanying music video was shot by filmmaker Adrian Lyne in New York City. It features several memorable scenes, most notably that of Chandler on a rooftop overlooking the evening lights of New York City. The concept of the video is that vacancy (emptiness) can be destroyed by love and intimacy. The clip was nominated for Best Male Video at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2010. Chandler performed "Vacancy" on his two major concert tours: the Introducing Brody Chandler World Tour (2009–10) and the Tourist World Tour (2014–16).
Background and recording
In the fall of 2008, Chandler started meeting with Riprock & Alex-G at Chalice Recording Studios in Los Angeles to begin working on his forthcoming album Introduction. "Vacancy", along with the songs "Future", "Mysterious" and "Emergency" made up the first batch of songs that they worked on together — Chandler and collaborator Justin Lamar writing the lyrics to the songs as Riprock & Alex-G worked on the music. "Vacancy" references a night of passionate lovemaking, however, it's not Brody's first time, but it is for the woman he's with. "I wanted to have a song on the album that talked about the loss of innocence, but not in a crass and trashy way," Chandler told Us Weekly. "I believe that losing your virginity is a beautiful thing, especially when it's with someone you're madly in love with. In the song, I'm in love with this girl and I'm taking her innocence in the most loving way possible. I'm guaranteeing her some form of ecstacy, even if it's not perfect." The recording process was enginereed by Matthew DeLaney and Jacob Coleman, while the mixing was engineered by Don Pensado. Another musician involved was Elijah Dixon, who provided the drum programming.
Release
"Vacancy" was released as the fourth single from Introduction in the United Kingdom and United States; it was released as the third single with A-side "Emergency" in Australia. On December 14, 2009, two editions of the CD single were released in the United Kingdom containing the radio edit of the song and several dance mixes. On December 15, 2009, a three-track version of the single was released in the United States including a live mix. In Australia, the single included a live cover of Prince's "Darling Nikki" from Chandler's Introducing Brody Chandler World Tour. "Vacancy" was also released in all nations as a standalone digital single.
Critical reception
Upon release, "Vacancy" received generally mixed feedback. Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine called the song "a sleazy, frothy snoozefest masquerading as accomplished music". Tyler Martin of The Guardian credited the song in "being the perfect introduction to the last act [of the Introduction album]". Arion Berger from The Independent described the song as a "seductive ballad that flows into your eardrums". Tony Power from Blender picked it as one of the stand-out tracks from Introduction. Annie Zaleski from The A.V. Club wrote, "Chandler's harmonies glide atop the psychedelic beats, thunder-claps of percussion, and skyward drone of the sonorous 'Vacancy'." NME stated that "Vacancy" was a "shameless rip-off of Duran Duran's 1993 hit 'Come Undone', but not nearly as well-executed". Stephen Horton from the Boston Globe described it as "a slow and seductive base surrounded by cascading, ethnic synths inspires a caressing and charming vocal. Though not as catchy as 'Bodyrock', this is a wonderfully constructed, memorable tune that deserves as much attention and airplay as it can garner". Jon Caramanica of The New York Times called the song "a lousy Duran Duran impression".
Commercial performance
"Vacancy" became Chandler's biggest hit and one of the best-selling singles in history, having sold more than 17 million copies worldwide. In the United States, the song debuted at number one on the Billboard Singles Chart, with sales of 391,641 copies. In total, the song spent 52 weeks on the chart, and earned Chandler the distinction of being only artist to chart a song on the Billboard Singles Chart in three separate calendar years (2009, 2010 and 2011). A testament to its remarkable longevity, the single was eventually certified 12× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making it the highest-selling single by a male solo artist in the United States.
Internationally, the song was phenomenally successful, spending many weeks on charts in other nations, including 65 weeks on the UK Singles Chart in the UK, where it peaked at number one. The double A-side release "Vacancy/Emergency" spent 63 weeks on the ARIA Singles Chart in Australia, where it peaked at number two. In the UK, "Vacancy" was certified 8× platinum for selling over five million copies, and was ranked as one of the most popular singles ever released there. Additionally, the double A-side was certified 5× platinum in Australia.
Music video
Development
The music video for "Vacancy" was filmed by director Adrian Lyne from November 30–December 1, 2009 at The Peninsula Hotel in New York City. Other production crews include Randy Montag as the producer, Harris Jackson as the director of photography, Aaron J. Peters as the production designer, Kelly Duffy as the editor, and Martin Bradshaw as the wardrobe stylist. Chandler initially was unsure who he wanted to direct the video. "Right now I'm just exploring different directors and trying to find out whose vibe would fit this song the best," he told the media at his Introducing Brody Chandler: Live In Concert DVD press conference. Two days later, it was announced that Lyne had been chosen to direct. Lyne commented: "I came up with the basic idea of setting it in New York City and showing the film crew. It was very zen, very stripped away. He was this accessible, vulnerable creature surrounded by the high-tech and the city lights." The director's primary inspiration came from watching a fragrance commercial by Diesel.
Synopsis
The video opens in silence with a close-up of joined hands rubbing up and down naked skin. Then the soft, exotic, Middle Eastern-influenced track "Vacancy" begins to play as Chandler is revealed on a rooftop overlooking the evening lights of New York City. Several scenes featuring Chandler and his love interest begin to flash back and forth to document a romantic relationship. One scene shows the couple caressing each other in bed, another shows them having a playful conversation in a kitchen, and towards the end of the video, they're seen holding each other close on the rooftop. The concept of the video is that vacancy (emptiness) can be destroyed by love and intimacy. Despite the sexual innuendos heard in the song, the video leans more-so towards romantic than salacious. The primary colors are blue and black, giving the clip a dark, yet sophisticated look.
The video premiered on December 16, 2009 on MTV, and later was nominated in the category for Best Male Video at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2010. It was ranked number 79 on FHM magazine's "100 Greatest Music Videos of the 2000s" list.
Live performances
Chandler performed the song in a medley alongside "Director" at the American Music Awards on November 28, 2009. He also performed the song live on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, where he served as a musical guest, on December 12, 2009. While promoting his second studio album Casanova in May 2014, he performed "Vacancy" for the first time in over four years on Good Morning America.
"Vacancy" was featured on both of Chandler's world tours, the Introducing Brody Chandler World Tour (2009–10) and the Tourist World Tour (2014–16).
Track listings
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Credits and personnel
- Recording and mixing
- Recorded and mixed at Chalice Recording Studios in Los Angeles and Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank.
- Personnel
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Credits adapted from the liner notes of Introduction, Music Nation Label Group.
Charts
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Certifications
| Nation | Certification | Sales/Shipments |
|---|---|---|
| AUNation (Australian Recording Industry Association) | 5× Platinum | 340,058 |
| UKNation (British Phonographic Industry) | 8× Platinum | 5,091,181 |
| USNation (Recording Industry Association of America) | 12× Platinum | 12,132,125 |
| Summaries | ||
| Worldwide | 17,563,364 | |
Release history
- Vacancy
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | December 14, 2009 |
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Music Nation Label Group |
| United States | December 15, 2009 | ||
| Canada |
- Vacancy/Emergency
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | December 12, 2009 |
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Music Nation Label Group |
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