♪ To the left, to the left ♪
♪ Everything you own in the box to the left ♪
- [Interviewer] And you wrote that-
(Ne-Yo laughs)
- I definitely wrote that, yeah.
What's going on everybody, greetings and salutations.
I am Ne-Yo and right about now we're gonna play a game
of Song Association with Elle.
I'll be given a word and then I have 10 seconds
to sing or rap that word in a song.
I should be really good at this.
But before we get into the game
make sure that you check out
my brand new album "Self Explanatory" out July 15th.
(whale pulsed callings)
(bright upbeat music)
That is the Guatemalan tiger whale mating call.
I got a dozen of 'em.
Let, first word let.
Well, super-duper obvious, "Let Me Love You."
I can do mine or I could do Mario's.
We both have one.
And I wrote 'em both.
♪ Let me love you ♪
♪ And I will love you ♪
♪ Until you learn to love yourself ♪
Yeah, that, that song, that song.
Okay, this might be easier than I thought.
All right, I might be all right.
Give, yeah.
We're gonna go with me again.
"Give Me Everything" by myself and Pitbull.
♪ Tonight, I want all of you tonight ♪
♪ Give me everything tonight ♪
Give, you heard give.
You caught the give, that was the give
and the give.
I have amazing memories with Pitbull.
That song is literally taking us all around the world.
I don't know if he was Mr. Worldwide before that song,
but he was definitely Mr. Worldwide after that song.
And he took me with him to a lot of places.
One of my fondest memories of that song is Wembley stadium.
80,000 people all jumping up and down at the same time.
♪ Grab somebody sexy, tell 'em ♪
It was insane, it was electric.
Maybe, Carly Rae Jepsen, is that the name?
♪ Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy ♪
♪ But here's my number, so call me, maybe ♪
Yes, yeah. (bell rings)
Yeah, Carly Rae Jepsen- - Jepsen.
- Jepsen, I'm sorry Miss Jepsen,
just destroyed your name.
I apologize for that.
Love that song though.
Sick, (laughs).
Starting to think this game
might be rigged a little bit guys.
Just saying, okay, sick.
Yeah, we're gonna go with me again.
♪ And I'm so sick of love songs ♪
♪ So tired of tears ♪
Yeah, by yours truly.
I can remember music as far back as three years old.
I can remember the music that my mom would play
because it was literally a constant staple in our house,
her entire life (indistinct) soundtrack.
The day that I fell in love with the music
the song that was playing was Billy Ocean's "Suddenly."
♪ Suddenly, life has new meaning to me ♪
I think I might've been five or six
and I'm sitting in front of the stereo
in the living room as my mom's cleaning up.
And I just started crying
and I didn't know why I was crying.
I know now cause I'm 42 and I'm smart.
But at five years old,
I was just really, really confused as to why I was crying.
Even my mom was like, (indistinct) what's wrong with you?
You're sitting there crying for nothing.
What's wrong with you, get up.
But what I realized was
the melodies and the lyrics in that song were so powerful
that it it hit me right then at five years old.
And from that point it was gonna be music.
Girl, I got it, (claps) I got it, I got it, I got it.
Michael Jackson, "Liberian Girl."
♪ Liberian girl ♪
♪ You came and you changed my world ♪
♪ Your love is so brand new ♪
♪ Liberian girl ♪
Sorry, I was, sorry.
I was gonna go off on a tangent but I decided not to,
but yes, Liberian is it "Liberian Girl"?
Me and my friends used to say librarian girl,
it was funny to us.
Bump, B2K.
♪ Baby, turn around and let me see that sexy body go ♪
♪ Bump, bump, bump ♪
♪ That is all I wanna see ♪
Yeah, yeah, that was one of my
that was one of my favorite B2K records.
Shout out B2K, shout out Diddy who actually I think
I think Diddy produced that record
or at least he was on it, yeah one of the two.
Left, (clock ticking).
Left.
I'm really trying to use other people's songs, not my songs.
Okay, Beyonce "Irreplaceable."
♪ To the left, to the left ♪
♪ Everything you own in the box to the left ♪
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, it's too easy when I use my songs-
- [Interviewer] And you wrote that-
(Ne-Yo laughs)
- I definitely wrote that, yeah.
Favorite song I've ever written?
Probably Beyonce's "Irreplaceable."
Primarily because it started out as one type of song
and wound up being a completely other type of song.
Like I wrote the song with the intent to keep it.
What I realized is that those lyrics
sang from a male perspective
versus sang from a female perspective,
the latter just made more sense.
You know what I mean?
It comes off empowering when a woman sings it.
It comes off a little chauvinistic and mean
when a man sings it, just to be honest.
Yeah so lessons learned and female Anthem created
and angry husbands and boyfriends all over the world
mad at me.
Don't, it's a brand new song.
It's my song.
It's off of my brand new album "Self Explanatory."
The name of the song is "Don't Love Me."
And it goes...
♪ Please, oh, please, don't love me ♪
♪ Walk away, you'll be better for it ♪
If I was not making music
I might be serving you French fries,
or asking you for money
as you drive past me on the freeway.
I really never gave myself a plan B I didn't.
I draw and paint.
I've been doing that pretty much
as long as I've been singing.
And I had scholarships
to go to school for fresh outta high school
and much to my mother's dismay
I decided that I didn't wanna take those scholarships.
And I moved to California with friends
in pursuit of this music and never looked back.
Put, put, put, put, put, put.
Busta Rhymes "Hands Where My Eyes Can See."
♪ If you really wanna party with me ♪
♪ Put all your hands where my eyes can see ♪
♪ Straight buckwildin in the place to be ♪
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, Busta Rhymes.
People, I don't know who sings the song.
♪ I am everyday people ♪
I don't know who sings that song-
- Sly & The- - Sly & The Family Stone.
Thank you.
Voice of God from off camera,
Sly & The Family Stone "Everyday People" yes.
Love, let me see.
♪ Sexy love ♪
♪ Do the things you do ♪
♪ Keep me sprung ♪
♪ Keep me running back to you ♪
You heard love in the beginning.
That was, that was love.
Yeah, "Sexy Love" also by yours truly.
I normally do pretty good at games and stuff, but yeah.
Were this ever like a competition game?
I might, I might just be the champ, I think.
You, (clock ticking).
Oh wow, okay.
Jodeci "Feenin'".
♪ I can't leave you alone ♪
♪ You got me feenin' ♪
♪ Baby, I'm feenin' for you ♪
I gave you three you's, see that was, that was,
that was good, that was good.
I'd pat myself on the back, but my suit is tight.
Let's, (clock ticking) okay.
We're gonna use my songs again, "Let's Go."
Yeah, that's just...
♪ Let's go ♪
♪ Hey, its now or never, ooo ♪
Yeah, yeah, yours truly.
I might have a catalog guys.
I might have one, yeah, yeah.
Just realizing that right this second.
Low.
♪ She hit the floor ♪
♪ Next thing you know ♪
♪ Shawty got low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low ♪
I used to like that song a whole lot.
That was one of my favorites from Flo Rida.
♪ Shawty had them apple bottom jeans ♪
♪ Boots with the fur ♪
♪ With the fur ♪
♪ The whole club was lookin' at her ♪
Enough, (clock ticking).
Somebody, somebody, somebody.
(claps) yes, okay Stevie Wonder "Living For the City."
♪ Living just enough ♪
♪ Just enough, for the city ♪
Yeah, yes, yes, thank you Stevie.
Yes, Stevie Wonder to the rescue there man.
All right, I was trying to not use my records
because making use of my records made it very, very easy.
I had fun and that's what's important.
Thank you so much for watching me play Song Association.
For more videos like that, subscribe to Elle
right now, the chip's down, do it.
(bright upbeat music)