"Don't Wanna Go Home" is a song by American recording artist Jason Derulo, released as the lead single from his second studio album, Future History, on May 23, 2011. The song was written by Derulo, Chaz Mishan, David Delazyn, William Attaway, Irving Burgie, Allen George and Fred McFarlane. It was produced by The Fliptones. The song is an up-tempo electropop and dance-pop song that samples Robin S.' 1993 single "Show Me Love" and incorporates an interpolation of Harry Belafonte's 1956 single, "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)".
"Don't Wanna Go Home" received mixed reviews; some music critics praised its production and lyrics, while others claimed it lacked originality. In the United States, "Don't Wanna Go Home" peaked at number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and at number four on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. It also attained top 20 positions across Europe and in Australia and New Zealand. In the United Kingdom, "Don't Wanna Go Home" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Derulo's second consecutive number-one single in Britain following "In My Head" (2010). The accompanying music video was directed by Rich Lee, and features Derulo in various dance sequences and a cameo appearance by Melody Thornton.
Background and composition
"Don't Wanna Go Home" was written by Jason Derulo, Chaz Mishan, David Delazyn, William Attaway, Irving Burgie, Allen George and Fred McFarlane. Production for the song was handled by The Fliptones, with additional production by Tim Roberts and Heather Jeanette. It was recorded at Serenity West Recording Studio in Los Angeles, California and was mixed by Serban Ghenea at Mixstar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia. On May 3, 2011, a 34-second preview of the song premiered online and its cover art was also unveiled. "Don't Wanna Go Home" was sent to contemporary hit radios in the United States on May 10, and was released for digital download on May 20.
"Don't Wanna Go Home" is an up-tempo electropop, dance-pop, and EDM song. "Don't Wanna Go Home" makes use of a thumping Euro disco beat and some Auto-Tune vocals. Its hook features the lyrics, "Day-o, me say day-o / Daylight come and we don't wanna go home", as it is partially constructed from lyrics of "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" by Harry Belafonte, while a sample of "Show Me Love" by Robin S. runs throughout the song. In an interview with MTV UK, Derulo commented on the "Show Me Love" sample: "I'm in love with that bassline, it's just really hypnotic and I just wanted to play around with it in the studio. I heard it a bunch of times in the club and I fell in love with it, like most people do." Meena Rupani from DesiHits noted that the song borrows lyrics from Lil Wayne, while Shahryar Rizvi from Dallas Observer noted that its pre-chorus line "from the window / to the wall" comes from Lil Jon's 2003 single "Get Low".
Critical reception
"Don't Wanna Go Home" received mixed reviews from music critics. Bill Lamb from About.com awarded "Don't Wanna Go Home" a rating of four stars out of five, praising the song's "ingratiating party mood" and Derulo's "energetic vocal performance". He also went on to say that "Jason Derulo should have no problem taking back his place on pop radio playlists and pulling the Beluga Heights sound back into the spotlight." Scott Shelter from PopCrush wrote that, "Despite the track's lack of originality, the beat is irresistible, and its lyrics about staying out all night are likely to resonate with summer partiers," and concluded by writing that it is "a song that succeeds in spite of its shortcomings." A writer for Beatweek magazine praised Derulo for sampling "Day-O" into the song's chorus, writing that "'Don't Wanna Go Home' is yet the latest evidence that Derulo can create a song in any genre, using any kind of samples, and turn it into a hit."
Robbie Daw from Idolator wrote that, "Compared to his last few mediocre offerings, this single actually seems to have some fire" courtesy of the samples in the song. However, Daw concluded by writing that "if Derulo wants to achieve any kind of credibility in the pop world, he'd better establish his own sound fast." Meena Rupani from DesiHits felt that Derulo "should think twice before he takes his lyrics from others." Shahryar Rizvi from Dallas Observer called Derulo a "lousy sampler", writing that "all this song boasts is Derulo throwing airballs". At the 2011 Teen Choice Awards, "Don't Wanna Go Home" was nominated for 'Choice R&B/Hip Hop Track' accolade.