Lions, Tigers & Bears

"Lions, Tigers & Bears" is the fourth single released from American R&B–soul singer Jazmine Sullivan's debut album Fearless. The song impacted radio on November 11, 2008, and was officially released on December 16, 2008 as the third single. The track received a Grammy Nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and a nomination for Best R&B Song.

For other uses, see Lions, Tigers, Bears.

"Lions, Tigers & Bears"
Single by Jazmine Sullivan
from the album Fearless
ReleasedNovember 11, 2008 (airplay)
December 16, 2008 (CD single)
Genre
Length4:11
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • J. Sullivan
  • S. Remi
Producer(s)Salaam Remi
Jazmine Sullivan singles chronology
"Bust Your Windows"
(2008)		 "Lions, Tigers & Bears"
(2008)		 "Dream Big"
(2009)

Background

"Lions, Tigers and Bears" uses a sample from Salaam Remi's "Shila's Playground". It was written by Jazmine Sullivan and Salaam Remi. The song is a soulful melody, written in Dorian Mode, about love and heartbreak using instrumentation of a violin. The protagonist states that she's not scared of things most people fear, such as facing carnivorous animals, but she's scared to love because of potential heartbreak. Sullivan said that, "the lions, tigers and bears reference represents my career in the music business."[1]

The phrase "Lions, tigers and bears" comes from a passage spoken by the Tin Man, Dorothy, and the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz.

Reception

Soul Bounce reviewed the song:

Her latest, "Lions, Tigers & Bears," seemingly belies the "Fearless" album title, with Jazzy breaking down to a perspective paramour that kings of the jungle, Seigfried & Roy's crew AND Yogi are all cool with her, but this love thing? Yeah, scary as hell. What I love most about this track is the haunting melody, and of course, that voice. Lawd.[2]

Music video

A music video premiered on Sullivan's MySpace blog promoting Jazmine Sullivan's single on January 29, 2009. It shows her performing in the middle of a gray-colored town while surrounded by floating, transparent violins. The town eventually becomes more colorful as time progresses. First, a golden color is seen spreading on the street inspired by The Wizard of Oz (as is the title of the song),[3] meeting with blue color in intersection, where a couple is having a fight.[4] Later, orange is introduced as the main color of another couple's outfits as they argue in the balcony of an apartment, while a tiger arrives and runs through the streets. A third couple is introduced, bringing the color purple to the town.

During the bridge, Jazmine performs on top of a skyscraper, still surrounded by the violins. The violins are then attacked by the tiger, creating a heart-shaped area of purple mist around Jazmine. Once the bridge is completed, the video returns to Jazmine performing at the yellow brick road (which again, is inspired by The Wizard of Oz, like the title of the song[3]) and a brain appears and the girl in the blue and walks away from the guy she is seeing. A lion of courage appears on the back of the man's jacket in purple and he gets the "courage" to walk away. A heart appears on the girl in orange and she embraces her lover. This is in direct reference to The Wizard of Oz and the tinman, the lion and the scarecrow. The video ranked at No. 88 on BET's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2009 countdown.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[5]

Remixes
  • Fabolous is featured on the official remix.
  • The-Dream has covered the song.
  • Yo Gotti has recorded a freestyle
  • Beyonce covered it at her Mrs. Carter Tour in 2013.
  • Will has done a remix with Pattie.

Charts

Release history
List of release dates, showing region, and release format
Region Date Label
United States November 11, 2008 J Records, Puppy Love, Arista

References
  1. "Lions, Tigers & Bears". Songfacts.com. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
  2. http://www.soulbounce.com/soul/2008/07/what_scares_jasmine_sullivan_more_than_lions_tigers_bears.php
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. http://dimewars.com/Video/default.aspx?bcmediaid=c342765b-53da-4c6b-aed5-8151533a8378
  5. Fearless (booklet). J Records, Arista Records. 2008.
  6. "Jazmine Sullivan Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  7. "Jazmine Sullivan Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  8. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
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