"series of gimmicks", and felt it was reminiscent of melodies used to boost the careers of "lesser artists". Concluding the review on a mixed note, Paoletta wrote "the melody line is palpable and Carey's voice is appreciable, but "Say Somethin'" is mostly a reminder of a time when Carey required others to boost her chart heft." USA Today critic Elysa Gardner called the song "breezy and playful", while Jim Abbott from the Orlando Sentinel classified it as a "high point" on The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). Writer Barry Walters from Rolling Stone felt the song failed to produce a significant and memorable hook, though noting its dance appeal: "it has a beat that makes you move, but the songs' pop hook doesn't stick." While New York Times columnist Jon Pareles called the song an "earthy delight", Glenn Gamboa from Newsday felt Carey's vocals could have easily been replaced by a less skilled singer, and wrote "she sounds like a hook girl in her own song. Her vocals could have been delivered by Kelis or Amerie and no one would have been the wiser." Chart performance "Say Somethin'" was released to rhythmic and Top 40 radio stations in the United States on April 3, 2006, during the same period that "Fly like a Bird" was released to Urban radio stations. The song only managed to attain a peak position of number seventy-nine on the Billboard Hot 100. Internationally, "Say Somethin'" debuted at its peak position of number twenty-six on the Australian Singles Chart during the week dated July 23, 2006. Sustaining an appearance on the singles chart for seven weeks, the song fell outside the top fifty on September 3, 2006. In Switzerland, it appeared on the singles chart on June 18, 2006, at number sixty. The following week, it ascended to its peak of number fifty-five, before spending another four weeks fluctuating in the Swiss Singles Chart. On the UK Singles Chart, "Say Somethin'" made its chart debut at number 128 on May 13, 2006. Spending only four weeks in the top 100, the song managed to peak at number twenty-seven in its second week, before plummeting off the chart on July 1, 2006. "Say Somethin'" attained positions in other notable countries, charting for one week in Ireland at number twenty-three, and number sixty-three in Germany. Music video Background The label initially wanted "Say Somethin" to become the fourth single