Oath (song)

"Oath" is a song by English singer Cher Lloyd, featuring American musician Becky G. The track was released on 2 October 2012, as the second single from the American version of Lloyd's debut studio album, Sticks and Stones, and the fourth single overall.^[1] "Oath", produced by Dr. Luke and Cirkut, was played for the first time on New York City radio station Z100.^[2] The track was released as a single in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand only. "Oath" was not as successful as Lloyd's previous single, "Want U Back", in the United States, debuting at number 99, and peaking at number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) denoting sales of 500,000 in the country. In New Zealand, following the major success of "Want U Back", which reached number three, "Oath" made a respectable impact, peaking at number 13, becoming Lloyd's third consecutive Top 20 hit in that country.

"Oath"
Single by Cher Lloyd featuring Becky G
from the album Sticks and Stones
Released	2 October 2012
Recorded	2012
Genre	Pop-rap Bubblegum pop
Length	3:38
Label	Syco Music Sony Epic Records
Songwriter(s)	Rebbeca Marie Gomez Lukasz Gottwald Ammar Malik Daniel Omelio Henry Walter Emily Wright
Producer(s)	Dr. Luke Cirkut Robopop
Cher Lloyd singles chronology
"Want U Back" (2012) "Oath" (2012) "Rum and Raybans" (2012)
Becky G singles chronology
"Wish U Were Here" (2012) "Oath" (2012) "Die Young (Remix)" (2012)
Music video
"Oath" on YouTube

Background

"Oath" was originally written by Rebbeca Gomez^[3] but was brought to Cher Lloyd by Dr. Luke. It was later modified by songwriters Ammar Malik and Emily Wright, along with help from producers Dr. Luke, Cirkut and Robopop, for inclusion on Lloyd's second studio album, slated for release in 2013. However, when it was revealed that Lloyd's debut album, Sticks and Stones, was set to be revised for the American and Australian markets, Lloyd's producers decided to use the track as one of the record's lead singles, and Lloyd asked Gomez to appear on the track with her to sing one of the verses. Thus, "Oath" was released as the album's second single, following "Want U Back", in both the United States and Australia, and also featured on the version of the album released in Japan. The track itself premiered on New York City radio station Z100 on 7 September 2012.

Music video

The music video for "Oath" was filmed over the course of three days, between 19 and 21 September 2012. The video was directed by Hannah Lux Davis, and was first previewed in a number of images released via Lloyd's Twitter account. The video premiered in full on 4 October 2012, via Lloyd's official VEVO account on YouTube. The music video has over 146 million views on YouTube as of June 2020.

Synopsis

The video features Lloyd as a student in a high school who is kept behind in detention. Lloyd taps her pencil similar to the scene in "...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears. This scene is cut multiple times by Lloyd sitting on the hood of a red classic convertible. Lloyd and her friends walk to a car filled with pool toys after getting out of school. Gomez begins her verses as she is seen in front of several lockers, with "OATH" written on them. After Gomez's first two lines, the scene cuts to two girls who stare at the two singers walking into a laundromat. They pass a young man playing "Want U Back" on Just Dance 4 and push him aside, and they both pick up a Wii remote to play the game; these scenes are spliced with the girls playing with carts full of clothes. They then walk outside while people look at the group of friends, the men being attracted. The singers dance around the red convertible and a green jeep. The cars drive down a highway to the beach where the friends are seen dancing and playing.^[4]

Live performances

Lloyd performed the song live for the first time on On Air with Ryan Seacrest on 1 October 2012. She performed the song on Today on 5 October, and on Live! with Kelly and Michael on 28 October 2012. Cher also sang the song with Becky G on the American broadcast of The X Factor, on the Top 10 results show on 22 November 2012.^[5] Lloyd also performed the song while she was a supporting act on Demi Lovato's Neon Lights Tour.

Track listing

Digital download^[6]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Oath" (featuring Becky G)	3:38
Total length:		3:38

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (2012–13) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[7] 58 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[8] 58 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9] 13 Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[10] 66 US Billboard Hot 100[11] 73 US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[12] 30

Certifications Region Certification Certified units/sales New Zealand (RMNZ)[13] Gold 7,500* United States (RIAA)[14] Gold 500,000‡ * Sales figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label
United States[15]	2 October 2012	Digital download	Syco Music, Epic
Australia[16]	5 October 2012
New Zealand[17]	26 October 2012

References

1. "Cher Lloyd debuts new song 'Oath' – listen", Digital Spy, 7 September 2012
2. "Cher Lloyd reveals new single 'Oath' artwork", Digital Spy, 14 September 2012
3. Laurence, Emily (17 November 2012). "Becky G Talks Cody Simpson And Cher Lloyd".
4. "Cher Lloyd – Oath ft. Becky G". YouTube. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
5. Nissim, Mayer (23 November 2012). "Cher Lloyd and Becky G perform 'Oath' on 'The X Factor' USA – watch".
6. "iTunes (NZ) – Music – Cher Lloyd – Oath (feat. Becky G) – Single". iTunes (NZ). 26 October 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
7. "ARIA charts "Oath" peak position" (PDF). webarchive.nla.gov.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
8. "Cher Lloyd Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
9. "Cher Lloyd – Oath". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
10. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 20125152 into search.
11. "Cher Lloyd Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
12. "Cher Lloyd Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
13. "New Zealand single certifications – Cher Lloyd feat. Becky G – Oath". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
14. "American single certifications – Cher Lloyd – Oath". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
15. ""Oath (feat. Becky G)" from Sticks & Stones by Cher Lloyd on iTunes". iTunes Store. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
16. ""Oath (feat. Becky G)" from Sticks & Stones by Cher Lloyd on iTunes". iTunes Store. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
17. ""Oath (feat. Becky G)" by Cher Lloyd on iTunes". iTunes Store. Retrieved 8 September 2021.