Power (Kanye West song)
| "Power" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Power" is the first single from American rapper Kanye West off of his unnamed fifth studio album. The song features singer Dwele and is co-produced by Kanye West and Symbolyc One. The song features a samples of "21st Century Schizoid Man" by British progressive rock band King Crimson, "Afromerica" by Continent Number 6, and "Its Your Thing" by Cold Grits.
Background
The beat to the song was initially given to Rhymefest, only having West to listen to the song and gave interest in it. The song was recorded in Hawaii.[1] The song was supposed to be released for digital download in early June, but for an unexplained reason it was canceled.
On Friday, May 28, 2010, an unfinished version of the speculative first single was leaked onto the internet.
"Power" song samples "21st Century Schizoid Man" by the British rock band King Crimson and "Afromerica" by Continent Number 6. Kanye West stated in his first Ustream broadcast that the single included elements from his previous songs "Amazing" and "Jesus Walks".
Late on the night of Wednesday, June 30, 2010, the single was released on iTunes for digital download with a different album cover also designed by the same artist that drew the last album cover.[2] The cover art for the song "Power" was produced by American visual artist George Condo. The single had two other alternate albums designs.
"Power" Debuted at number 36 on sales of 6,254 downloads, in the United Kingdom (It was a download only single). This Marked his 26th singles chart entry in less than six years.[3] It debuted at number 10 on the UK R&B Chart. In its second week on the charts in the UK, the single fell to number 42 on the main charts, but remained at number 10 on the R&B chart.
Remix
In an interview with Hot 97, West said the official remix was to feature Jay-Z and would be released on August 13, 2010, but was premiered on August 20, 2010 on Hot 97 by Funkmaster Flex.[4] The song which features Jay-Z also feature vocals and production from Swizz Beatz. Swizz Beatz produced the second half of the song sampling Snap!'s hip house hit, "The Power."[5]
Music video
The New York Times previewed a clip of the music video directed by artist Marco Brambilla. The Power video commences with a portrait-view headshot of Kanye West staring intensely into the camera with illuminated eyes and wearing a large, low-hanging gold chain necklace with an equally large pendant of Ra.[6] As the music begins, the camera slowly pans out in one continuous take to reveal West standing between black columns, and surrounded by partially-dressed female characters. Some kneel before him; some embrace; four figures wear ibex-like horns; and some are suspended upside down, pouring water that flows upward. Two horned, staff-bearing figures, loosely resembling interpretations of Isis and Hathor, stand on either side of West; each slowly strikes the ground with their staff, in time to the music. The Sword of Damocles hangs over the rapper’s head, while other slowly-moving figures appear ready to strike West with blades.
The various figures within the painting are presented in poses similar to the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana of the Etteilla occult tarot deck, including: The Devil; Judgement; The Lovers; The World; The Hanged Man; The Ace of Swords/Sword of Damocles; The Page of Swords; The Seven of Wands; and The Queen of Cups.
“It’s kind of apocalyptic, in a very personal way,” Brambilla told ArtsBeat. “It’s a very exaggerated hyper-sensational version of what the song is saying.”[7]
The video premiered on MTV on August 5, 2010 preceding a new episode of Jersey Shore. Kanye has tweeted the tag line, “ITS NOT A VIDEO, ITS A MOVING PAINTING”.[8] The video is much shorter than the actual song, lasting less than two minutes and only covering the first verse. It was later revealed that the 103-second video, which invokes cultural references from the Renaissance period to Greek mythology, is a teaser for a longer clip.[9]
Critical reception
Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone gave a positive review of the song saying, "Kanye's best single since "Stronger" rides a torrid whipsaw beat, as he takes on his spelunking media image, pinballing from self-aware ("I'm an asshole") to defiant ("Kiss my asshole"). The sentiment is classic Kanye, but he hasn't melted down this brilliantly in a long time."[10] Jason Lipshutz from Billboard praised the song saying, "With its stunning mix of rock-leaning production, memorable rhymes and unadulterated attitude, new single "Power" is a pissed-off shot of adrenaline that plays upon all of the controversial rapper's strengths. Rhyming over a soulful vocal harmony and an abrasive sample of King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man," West dismisses his doubters, takes a shot at "Saturday Night Live" and shrugs off his recent hiatus from hip-hop."[11]
Live performances
Kanye West performed this song at the 2010 BET Awards atop a mountain-like prop, with a video compilation of footage shot on top of a mountain playing in the back.[12]
Media usage
The song was used in promotional trailers for David Fincher's film "The Social Network".[13]
Track listing
- Digital single
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Sample(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Power" (featuring Dwele, produced by S1, co-produced by Kanye West, additional production by Jeff Bhasker, Mike Dean) | Kanye West, Larry Griffin, Andwele Gardner, Ken Lewis, Francois Bernheim, Jean Pierre Lang, Boris Bergman, Mike Dean, Jeff Bhasker,Peter Sinfield | * Contains samples of "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson and "Afromerica" by Continent Number 6 | 4:53 |
- CD single
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Power" (clean version) (featuring Dwele) | K. West, L. Griffin, A. Gardner, K. Lewis, F. Bernheim, J. Lang, B. Bergman, M. Dean, J. Bhasker, R. Fripp, M. Giles, G. Lake, I. McDonald, P. Sinfield | S1, co-produced by Kanye West, additional production by Jeff Bhasker, Mike Dean | 4:53 |
| 2. | "Power" (explicit version) (featuring Dwele) | K. West, L. Griffin, A. Gardner, K. Lewis, F. Bernheim, J. Lang, B. Bergman, M. Dean, J. Bhasker, R. Fripp, M. Giles, G. Lake, I. McDonald, P. Sinfield | S1, co-produced by Kanye West, additional production by Jeff Bhasker, Mike Dean | 4:53 |
Chart positions
During the week entering July, 8th, "Power" charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #22 as a Hot Shot Debut.
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 100[14] |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 22[15] |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[16] | 22 |
| UK Singles Chart | 36 |
| UK R&B Chart | 10 |
| UK Download Chart | 32 |
| U.S. Billboard Rap Songs | 14 |
| German Black Charts | 4[17] |
| Canadian Hot 100 | 49[18] |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United States | May 28, 2010 | Radio premiere |
| July 1, 2010 | Digital download | |
| United Kingdom | August 29, 2010[19] |
References
- ^ Kanye West's 'Power' Lets Fans Know 'He's Back,' Dwele Says. June 2, 2010.
- ^ http://www.rap-up.com/2010/06/30/single-cover-kanye-west-power-2/
- ^ http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=22&storycode=1042434&c=1
- ^ http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.11932/title.kanye-west-to-release-power-remix-with-jay-z-tomorrow
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/news/kanye-west-drops-power-remix-with-jay-z-1004110537.story?tag=hpfeed#/news/kanye-west-drops-power-remix-with-jay-z-1004110537.story?tag=hpfeed%20%20%20
- ^ http://blog.thenext2shine.com/2010/music-video-kanye-west-ft-dwele-power
- ^ http://blog.thenext2shine.com/2010/music-video-kanye-west-ft-dwele-power
- ^ http://www.americansongwriter.com/2010/08/news-roundup-don-henley-kanye-west-beck-jerry-garcia/
- ^ Kanye West Says 'Power' Video 'Basically A Trailer' For Longer Clip
- ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/reviews/song/17384/112111
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/new-releases?tag=nav#/new-releases/kanye-west-featuring-dwele-power-1004097589.story
- ^ Kanye West Kicks The Horus Chain At The BET Awards
- ^ New 'The Social Network' Trailer Surfaces With New Looks, Kanye West Single 'Power'. July 30, 2010.
- ^ http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20100811-0001/Issue1070.pdf
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/news/emimem-s-recovery-remains-at-no-1-on-the-1004102406.story?tag=hpflash1
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/r-b-hip-hop-songs?begin=31&order=position
- ^ http://www.trendcharts.de/de/trendcharts.html?dl=deutsche_black_charts.html
- ^ http://acharts.us/canada_singles_top_100
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/playlist/
