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Why I Love You (Jay-Z and Kanye West song)

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"Why I Love You"
Single by Kanye West and Jay-Z featuring Mr. Hudson
from the album Watch the Throne
ReleasedSeptember 13, 2011
Recorded2011
GenreHip hop
Length3:21
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Kanye West
  • Mike Dean
Jay-Z singles chronology
"Niggas in Paris"
(2011) 		"Why I Love You"
(2011) 		"Gotta Have It"
(2011)
Kanye West singles chronology
"Niggas in Paris"
(2011) 		"Why I Love You"
(2011) 		"Gotta Have It"
(2011)
Mr Hudson singles chronology
"Love Never Dies (Back for the First Time)"
(2010) 		"Why I Love You"
(2011) 		"Charge"
(2012)

"Why I Love You" is a song by American hip hop artists Kanye West and Jay-Z, from their first collaborative album Watch the Throne (2011). The song features pop musician Mr. Hudson who is signed to West's GOOD Music label. "Why I Love You" heavily samples French house duo Cassius' 2010 single "I <3 U So", which itself is based upon a sample from the original 1971 version of "I Feel a Song (In My Heart)" by Sandra Richardson. The song almost entirely features Jay-Z rapping and only contains a few lines provided by West. Lyrically, the song is about the people who have stood in the way of Jay-Z throughout the year and expresses themes of victory and anger. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who normally praised the production.

The song was released as the fifth single from Watch the Throne on September 13, 2011. However, the song was only released outside the US. The song became a top 40 single on the UK R&B Chart, in Iceland and in Belgium. Kanye and Jay performed the song at all the stops on their 2011 Watch the Throne Tour.

Background

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Kanye West and Jay-Z are both American rappers who have collaborated on several tracks together.[1] In 2010, they began production and recording on a collaborative record Watch the Throne.[1] The track features Mr. Hudson, who is signed to West's GOOD Music label, singing an interpolation of Cassius's track "I <3 U So".[2][3] Mike Dean and West handled the production of the song.[4] On an initial version of the album's tracklist given out by music insider blog The DOTR, the song was titled "Why I Love You (Guilt Trip)". The "Guilt Trip" version of the track ended up being cut from the album and released as a standalone song on West's 2013 album Yeezus, with no contributions from Jay-Z. Despite the final version not having Jay-Z on it, GOOD Music-signed producer S1, who has credits on the final version of "Guilt Trip", confirmed Jay-Z did record vocals for the track, but that they were more of a freestyle than a finished product.[5]

The artwork for "Why I Love You" features the French flag with a black third substituted for blue and is exactly the same cover used for Kanye West and Jay-Z's song "Niggas in Paris", which was sent to rhythmic radio simultaneously with "Why I Love You" on September 13, 2011.[6] The track was performed by West and Jay on their Watch the Throne Tour.[7] It was released as a single in the United Kingdom on November 28, 2011.[8]

Composition

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"Why I Love You"
A 19 second sample of "Why I Love You", which features Kanye West and Jay-Z's trading verses during the ending of the song.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The track contains a "sledgehammer beat" which is "built around French house duo Cassius' 2010 single "I <3 U So".[4] West, who co-produced the track, "continues in the sonic vein he introduced in My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, lacing the songs with rock dynamics, layering his beats with eerie vocal chorales, piling on proggy flourishes."[9] "Slashing violin parts" come in on the bridge before the song ends abruptly.[4]

Lyrically the song is about "Jay's dismay at past crewmates' betrayals."[10] The track features lines such as "Caesar didn't see it, so he ceased to exist / So the nigga that killed him had keys to his shit" which have been interpreted as insults towards artists such as Dame Dash, Beanie Sigel and Wiz Khalifa.[11][12] The song "revisits" the split-up of Roc-A-Fella Records and has Jay-Z lamenting betrayal and how his past protégés failed to maintain without him.[13] The track makes the "trendentious point that being Shawn Carter or Kanye West can have its downsides."[3]

Critical reception

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"Why I Love You" received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Rob Harvilla of Spin commented that "Why I Love You" closes out the album proper with a monster Cassius-lifted chorus."[12] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian stated that the song is "pure pop aggrandisement", musing that "this rather enjoyable piece of maximalism feels quite at home on an album writ so large, both in sound and verse, that a planetarium was deemed the only fitting venue for its first playback."[3] Craig Jenkins of Prefix wrote that "Mike Dean's titanic, Cassius-sampling "Why I Love You" slowly peels layers off its stuffy largess to reveal the gorgeous string accompaniment underfoot. Kanye and his team are still trafficking in proggy, kitchen-sink experimentation, and Kanye's transformation into rap's own ELO is nearly complete."[14] Entertainment Weekly's Kyle Anderson was less enthusiastic about the track, writing that "Everything falls apart on the album-closing "Why I Love You," which cranks up West's love of prog-rock bombast so much that it sounds like guest crooner Mr Hudson is trying to sing the hook over a poorly recorded bootleg of a Muse concert."[15]

Chart performance

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"Why I Love You" debuted on various charts globally on the week of the album's release. In the UK, the song reached a peak of 87 on the Singles Chart and 27 on the R&B Chart.[16][17] In South Korea, the track charted at position 94.[18] The song became a top 40 single in both Iceland and Belgium.[19][20] It also charted in France at number 56, and in Switzerland at 52.[21][22]

Charts

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Chart (2011) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[20] 14
France (SNEP)[21] 56
Iceland (Lagalistinn)[19] 30
Swiss Music Charts[22] 52
South Korean Gaon Chart[18] 94
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[17] 87
UK R&B (Official Charts Company)[16] 24
US R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[23] 50

Certifications

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Certification for "Why I Love You"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Credits and personnel

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References

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  1. ^ a b Dombal, Ryan (October 25, 2010). "Kanye West and Jay-Z Planning Joint Album". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  2. ^ Published Monday, 12 Oct 2009, 06:24 BST (12 October 2009). "Mr Hudson – Music Interview". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b c Petridis, Alexis (August 11, 2011). "Jay-Z & Kanye West: Watch the Throne – review". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c Vozick-Levinson, Simon (July 8, 2011). "Jay-Z Previews 'Watch the Throne' in New York". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  5. ^ DJBooth (2014-10-20). Kanye West's "Guilt Trip" off "Yeezus" Was for "Watch The Throne", Has Missing Jay Z Verse - S1. Retrieved 2024-07-09 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ "Kanye West & Jay-Z Reveal Cover Art For Single "Why I Love You"". Hip Hop DX. September 9, 2011. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved 2011-09-10.
  7. ^ Bretbaf (May 21, 2012). "Kanye West & Jay-Z Concert Setlist at the O2 Arena, London, UK on May 21, 2012". the Independent. Archived from the original on May 23, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  8. ^ "New Releases 28-11-11". Official Charts Company. November 28, 2011. Archived from the original on June 28, 2012. Retrieved 2014-05-20.
  9. ^ Rosen, Jody (August 11, 2011). "Watch the Throne by Jay-Z and Kanye West". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  10. ^ Breihan, Tom (August 11, 2011). "Album Reviews: Jay-Z / Kanye West: Watch the Throne". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on August 16, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  11. ^ Amidon, David (August 12, 2011). "Jay-Z & Kanye West: Watch the Throne". PopMatters. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  12. ^ a b Harvilla, Rob (August 10, 2011). "Jay-Z and Kanye West, 'Watch the Throne' (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam/Roc Nation)". Spin. Spin Media. Archived from the original on October 28, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  13. ^ Gissen, Jesse (August 8, 2011). "Jay-Z & Kanye West Miraculously Manage to Keep Watch the Throne Leak-Free". XXL. Harris Publications. Archived from the original on August 16, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  14. ^ Jenkins, Craig (2011-04-16). "Jay-Z Kanye West Watch the Throne". Prefix. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
  15. ^ Anderson, Kyle (August 9, 2011). "Kanye West and Jay-Z's 'Watch the Throne': Read the EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Archived from the original on November 14, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  16. ^ a b "Archive Chart". UK R&B Chart. Official Charts Company. December 17, 2011. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  17. ^ a b "Archive Chart". UK Singles Chart. Official Charts Company. December 17, 2011. Archived from the original on February 20, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  18. ^ a b "South Korea Gaon International Chart (Week: August 13, 2011 to August 20, 2011)". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on November 5, 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-20.
  19. ^ a b "Iceland Official Top 30 airplay chart – Lagalistinn". tonlist.is. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
  20. ^ a b "Ultratop.be – Jay-Z / Kanye West feat. Mr Hudson – Why I Love You (in French)". Ultratop. ULTRATOP & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on December 16, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  21. ^ a b "Lescharts.com – Jay-Z / Kanye West feat. Mr Hudson – Why I Love You" (in French)". Les classement single. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  22. ^ a b "Jay-Z / Kanye West feat. Mr Hudson – Why I Love You". Swiss Singles Chart. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on February 1, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  23. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  24. ^ "British single certifications – Jay-Z/Kanye West/Mr Hudson – Why I Love You". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
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