Hands Tied


"Hands Tied" is a song by American recording artist Toni Braxton. It was written by Heather Bright, Warren "Oak" Felder, and Harvey Mason Jr. for her sixth studio album Pulse, while production was helmed by Oak and Mason. Built around a cascading piano line, it features Braxton as the protagonist talking about how she could love a guy with her hands tied.
Chosen as the album's second official single, it was released on February 23, 2010 on U.S. urban radio stations. The track has since reached number #29 on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Club mixes by Hex Hector were promoted to the clubs.

Promotion

Braxton appeared on The Mo'Nique Show on May 3, a day before the album's release. She performed Hands Tied as well as her classic hit "Breathe Again".
She also was on NBC's The Today Show performing Hands Tied and her most successful single "Unbreak My Heart" on the day that the album was released.

Chart performance

The song first appeared at #80 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. In its 14th week, the song peaked at #29. To date, Hands Tied spent 20 weeks on the chart. Hands Tied also charted at number 100 on the Billboard 2010 Best R'n'B/Hip-Hop singles chart.

Music video

A music video for "Hands Tied" was shot back-to-back with the video for fellow Pulse single "Make My Heart." Directed by Bille Woodruff, it marked his eighth collaboration with Braxton. The video depicts Braxton as a "woman is teasing a bar full of men who are mesmerized by her moves, but are not allowed to touch her," performing a pole dancing tease while singing. Actors Michael Jai White, Cory Hardrict, Eric Balfour, Victor Webster, Robert Scott Wilson, Ryan Paevey and Jensen Atwood make cameo appearances in the video. The final clip was premiered on April 14, 2010.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes of Pulse.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts