"Work from Home" is a song recorded by American girl group Fifth Harmony, featuring American singer Ty Dolla $ign. The song impacted contemporary hit radio four days after its initial release on March 1, 2016, and was released as the lead single from the group's second studio album, 7/27 (2016). "Work from Home" was written by Daniel Bedingfield, Jude Demorest, Eskeerdo, Brian Lee, Ty Dolla $ign, Ammo, & DallasK with production from the latter two. The song is primarily an R&B track that incorporates elements of trap music and tropical house beats with lyrics depicting "work" as a euphemism for sex. Many music publications included it in their lists of best songs of the year.
The song debuted at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached number four in its thirteenth week, becoming their highest-charting single in the United States; it surpassed "Worth It", which peaked at number 12. "Work from Home" also became the first top-five single in the country by a girl group in ten years, following the September 2006 peak of "Buttons" by The Pussycat Dolls at number three. Among national airplay charts, the song topped both the Mainstream Top 40 and Rhythmic Songs. As of December 2016, the single has sold 1.4 million digital downloads in the United States. The song has achieved multi-platinum certifications in several countries, including quintuple platinum in Canada and the United States. Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the song received renewed attention as a result of the increasing adoption and prominence of remote working.
"Work from Home" was accompanied by a music video, directed by Director X and filmed in a construction site of a house. It was released on February 26, 2016, on the group's Vevo channel. The video received commentary from critics over the double entendres in the visuals, which are present in the lyrics as well. The girls are seen interacting with male construction workers and performing choreographed dance routines dressed in construction gear. "Work from Home" won the award for Best Collaboration at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards and the American Music Awards, winning the group their first award in this network. Its music video reached one billion views in October 2016 and became the most viewed music video of 2016.
Background and release
"Work from Home" was initially written by Joshua Coleman with Jude Demorest, Alexander Izquierdo, Dallas Koehlke and Brian Lee. Coleman and Koehlke also produced, performed all instruments and programming for the song. Fifth Harmony's vocals were produced & recorded by Victoria Monét and Andrew Bolooki at Windmark Recording Studios and The Northership, both located in California. The song was mixed by Phil Tan at the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center with assistance from Daniela Rivera. The song came for the group after their A&R Joey Arbagey played it during a meeting to discuss their sophomore album's direction; each member immediately approved of the song. During an interview with Spin, Cabello explained that the group "fell in love" with the song after hearing it mostly for its "laid-back" and "chill" atmosphere that featured an "a kind of urban pocket". She explained that was the reason she and her groupmates loved the track because it "branched out in different ways" than anything they ever recorded. The song's title was announced on February 24, 2016. Originally titled "Work" and set to be released on January 26, 2016, the group had to re-title the song to "Work from Home" to avoid confusion with Rihanna's song of the same name, which was released a month prior.
