The song was produced by Dupri and Cox for Usher's fourth studio album, Confessions (2004).

A downtempo track about the breakup of a relationship, it was originally planned as the album's lead single, but "Burn" was pushed back after favorable responses for the song "Yeah!".

[1] "Burn" topped various charts around the world, including the US Billboard Hot 100 for eight non-consecutive weeks; it succeeded "Yeah!"

Both singles gave Usher nineteen consecutive weeks at the top spot, longer than any solo artist of the Hot 100 era.

When Usher planned to make a new record after his third album, 8701 (2001), he decided to not branch out much with collaborators and continue building music with his previous producers.

Dupri contacted his frequent collaborator Bryan-Michael Cox, who had also made hits like the 2001 single "U Got It Bad" for Usher.

", which was intended as a promotional song and a teaser for Usher's fans, was released to street DJs and mixtapes.

[10] Usher decided about the new material "to let it all hang out by singing about some of his own little secrets, as well as a few bones from his homies' skeleton-filled closets.

[5][11] In early 2004, Usher broke up with Chilli due to "irreconcilable differences and because they found it almost impossible to make compromises.

[7] It was later revealed that Chilli in fact broke up with Usher because of cheating, and the media said otherwise because of the lyrics in the song, which was not based on their relationship.

For the lines "It's been fifty-eleven days / Umpteen hours / I'm gonna be burnin' / Till you return", the direction changes after Usher realized that breaking up with her was a huge mistake and that he wanted her back.

[16] Laura Sinagra of Rolling Stone found Usher's singing a "sweet falsetto on the weepy breakup song ", adding, it "convincingly marries resolve and regret, but when it comes to rough stuff, there's still no 'u' in p-i-m-p."[17] Cibula called the song brilliant and considers its step one and step two technique a hit.

"[13] Andy Kellman of Allmusic considered "Burn" as one of the Usher's best moments in the album, together with "Caught Up", the final single from Confessions.

[18] Steve Jones of USA Today stated that Usher is singing about a relationship that cannot be saved because of the "flame has simply died".

In the United States, the single debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number sixty-five, months prior to its physical release.

[26] It returned to number one for one last week, before it was finally knocked off by the album's third single, "Confessions Part II".

[28] The single was certified four-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping 4,000,000 units.

[30] This gives him the distinction, alongside The Beatles in 1964, to have two of his singles occupying the top two spots on the Billboard Year-End Chart.

[24] Across European countries, the single performed well, reaching the top ten in Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland.

[34] In the July 2008 issue of Vibe magazine, Usher told writer Mitzi Miller, "Women have started to become lovers of each other as a result of not having enough men.

"[35] On June 26, 2008, AfterEllen.com writer Sarah Warn revealed that Jessica Clark, the lead in Usher's "Burn" music video, was in fact an openly gay model.

In the article, Warn writes, "Maybe it's not a lack of men that's turning women gay, Usher – maybe it's you!

When the verse starts, Usher goes to a wide glass window pane, looking at his girlfriend swimming in the pool.

The bedsheets burn, the scene then cutting to Usher riding a silver right-hand drive Aston Martin DB5 with a British registration - EGF 158B (the car was featured in the TV series Fastlane).

He had previously contributed to records for Alicia Keys, B2K, Mariah Carey and Destiny's Child, but he felt 2004 introduced him to another landscape in the music industry.