"Attention" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth for his second studio albumVoicenotes, with Jacob Kasher co-writing the lyrics and Puth producing the track by himself. A midtempo pop rock track with elements of 1980s soft-soul and funk music, the song finds Puth singing about how he realizes his partner was "just want attention" from him instead of loving him. It was released digitally through Artist Partner Group and Atlantic Records on April 21, 2017, and later serviced to the radio on May 2, serving as the album's lead single. An accompanying music video was released on April 24, 2017, featuring Puth brooding at the club while scoping out his former partner, later returning home and finding the partner again at his apartment. Upon its release, "Attention" received positive reviews from music critics for its "slinky" and "groove-injected" production, further applauding the track as a better musical representation for Puth comparing to his previous release. Commercially, the song was an international success and became one of Puth's signature songs, reaching the top-ten in over twenty countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lebanon, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, where it peaked at number five for three non-consecutive weeks. By this, the song became his highest and longest charting entry as a solo artist on the BillboardHot 100 chart to date, as well as his third single to receive a 4× platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, for achieving over 4 million certified units in the States. To promote the song, Puth had his first live performance for "Attention" on The Voice on May 10, 2017, followed by performances on several shows, such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and The Late Late Show with James Corden. He later performed the song on his third headlining concert tour, titled Voicenotes Tour, throughout 2018.
Background and release
The original idea of "Attention" began to develop in 2016 when Puth started to record bits of the song while he was on tour in Japan. Puth premiered the song in an "immersive music exhibit" in Los Angeles called "The Attention Room" on April 19. The pop-up installation features an LED "infinity tunnel" and is designed to replicate the brain's reaction to receiving attention. Two days later, "Attention" was officially released as the lead single of Puth's second studio album.
Composition
"Attention" is a midtempo pop rock song that features elements of '80s soft-soul and funk. Throughout the song, the singer realizes that his partner only wants to be around him for attention and other ulterior motives instead of loving him for who he is. It is performed in the key of E♭ minor with a tempo of 100 beats per minute. Puth's vocal span from E♭3 to B♭4.
Critical reception
Writing for Idolator, Mike Wass suggested that "Attention" is a "Song of Summer contender". He added that Charlie "is still the boy next door, just a little more jaded and a lot more willing to speak his mind." Praising the song's production, he said that "That boldness also comes through on the production, which Charlie handled himself, chugging along with chunky bass and faint traces of disco." Lars Brandle of Billboard described it as "polished" and "groove-injected."
Music video
The official music video was released on April 24, 2017, on YouTube. It was filmed in Hollywood Hills and directed by Emil Nava. Cameras capture Puth brooding at the club while scoping out a blond girl, played by Samara Weaving. Throughout the song, he realizes that she only wants to be around him for attention and other ulterior motives instead of loving him for who he is. The music video has over 1.1 billion views on YouTube as of April 2020.
"Attention" has peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Puth's third top ten single, his highest-charting as a lead artist, and his first top 5 hit on the chart since "See You Again". He also led the Radio Songs all-format airplay chart for four weeks. On Billboard'sDance/Mix Show Airplay, "Attention" gave Puth his first number-one on this chart as a solo artist in its September 2, 2017 issue, eclipsing "See You Again," which peaked at number 3 on this chart in 2015.
