The song was written by Max Martin , Savan Kotecha , Ilya Salmanzadeh , Alexander Kronlund , Grande and Minaj . Martin was also responsible for production , along with Salmanzadeh , as well as programming , drums , percussion , guitars , bass and keyboard . The background vocal was provided by Kotecha , Chonita Gilbert , Joi Gilliam and Taura Stinson . It was recorded at MXM Studios in Los Angeles , California and Wolf Cousins Studios in Stockholm , Sweden while Minaj 's verses were recorded at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank , California and MilkBoy the Studio in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . " Side to Side " is written in the key of F minor with a common time tempo of 159 beats per minute . Grande 's vocals span two octaves , from the low note of F3 to the mixed note of F5 . The song is a reggae-pop song complemented with R&B influences with a duration of three minutes and forty-six seconds ( 3:46 ) . Lyrically , " Side to Side " describes a feeling of soreness after sex . In an interview to MTV News reporter Gaby Wilson , Grande explained " that whole song is about riding leading to soreness " . Deepa Lakshmin from '' MTV '' noted that when Minaj says “ bicycle ” and “ tricycle , ” " she ’s rapping about something a bit more risqué than your standard gym workout . " Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic noted that its sound is comparable to works from Barbadian singer Rihanna . Maeva McDermott from '' USA Today '' noted the same : the editor wrote that " Grande borrows the tropical flavors and ska upstrumming that Rihanna ushered into pop music ’s consciousness . " And completed praising Minaj participation saying : " who better to invite on an album about female fierceness than Nicki Minaj , whose understated verse steals the show and lends Grande some real danger . " '' Rolling Stone '' s writer Rob Sheffield ranked " Side to Side " at number 22 on his list of " 50 Best Songs of 2016 " , describing it as " an ode to having so much sex you ca n't walk straight the next day . " Following the performance at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28 , 2016 , " Side to Side " made its official debut in the United States at number 31 on the US '' Billboard '' Hot 100 dated September 17 , 2016 . The song leaped to number 18 the next week . After six weeks on the chart , the song hiked up 12 – 10 on the Hot 100 issue dated October 29 , 2016 , marking Grande 's eighth top-ten entry on the chart and Minaj 's thirteenth ; it also doubles as the second top-ten single from '' Dangerous Woman '' . The song later reached a peak of number four for two non-consecutive weeks , becoming the highest charting single from the album . The song stayed in the Hot 100 's top ten for 14 weeks of its chart run , dropping out of the top ten on January 28 , 2017 . The song also spent five weeks atop the '' Billboard '' Mainstream Top 40 airplay chart , becoming Grande 's second number-one on that chart , and Minaj 's first . As of April 2018 , the song has sold 1.11 million copies in the country
2016 MTV Video Music Awards
2016 MTV Video Music Awards
Side to Side