“Back And Forth” by Aaliyah: Party Music

“Back and Forth” is a perfect distillation of the Aaliyah sound: the production consists of jagged edges, from the cutting synth to the hard snare hits high in the mix, and Aaliyah’s devious vocals dull those sharp corners like waves on a beach, making them gradual smooth as glass.

The Beats became more and more exciting as their career progressed, with Timbaland becoming their actual producer, which only made the contrast all the more appealing – why does the Beat work so hard while Aaliyah hardly seems to break a sweat?

A song about dancing

“Back and Forth” features hints of Zhane’s “Hey Mr. DJ,” a party anthem released eight months earlier; like many successful R&B singers, Aaliyah knew the best place to wow listeners with a debut single was in the club.

“It’s not a song about love or whatever; it’s about going to a party and having fun,” Aaliyah said. “I have songs about love, crushes or whatever, but this song is about dancing.”