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See Me Now

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"See Me Now"
Song by Kanye West featuring Beyoncé, Charlie Wilson and Big Sean
from the album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Deluxe Edition)
ReleasedAugust 11, 2010
Recorded2010
GenreHip hop
Length6:04
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
30 second sample showing Beyoncé and West's initial verses.

"See Me Now" is a song by American rapper Kanye West featuring R&B singers Beyoncé and Charlie Wilson. The album version includes a verse by Big Sean and is included on West's fifth studio album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) as an iTunes Store bonus track. It was written by West, Knowles, Wilson and Sean, while production was handled by West, Lex Luger and No I.D.

"See Me Now" received generally positive reviews from music critics. The song peaked at number two on the US Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart in 2010 and appeared at number 160 on the 2011 year-end South Korean Gaon Chart.

Background and composition

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"See Me Now" was produced by West, Lex Luger and No I.D. Southside was in the studio during Luger's production work on the song, which led to him being involved with West's 2011 Jay-Z collaboration "Illest Motherfucker Alive".[1][2] It premiered on August 11, 2010.[3] The song was also available on West's website, also on the same day, for a free digital download.[4] The album version has an additional verse by Big Sean and is included on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy as an iTunes bonus track. Knowles recorded her vocals for the song at 5am.[3]

During the bridge of the song, Knowles sings the lines, "I know one thing, my momma would be proud/And you see me looking up cause I know she's looking down right now".[3] During the hook Wilson sings the lines "I know you see me now right now, I know you see me now right now" with a "deep" tenor.[3]

In October 2010, the song "See Me Again" by West leaked, under the name "Never See Me Again". Described as a "a nine-minute melancholy demo song", it was supposedly recorded while West was in a self-imposed exile to Hawaii due to the backlash he received after interrupting Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Online speculation later formed the theory "See Me Again" was to be West's final song before retiring or committing suicide; West went public with suicidal ideation during this time.[5] The song interpolates "I Never Want to See You Again" by Quasi. "See Me Now" has been viewed as the triumphant, louder spiritual successor to "Never See Me Again".[6]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Rolling Stone[7]

Christian Hoard of the Rolling Stone gave the song a rating of three and a half out of five stars, writing in his review of the song: "'I'm Socrates, but my skin more chocolaty,' shouts Kanye, who goes on to detail several feats of attention-whore behavior — cruising in Ferraris, rocking fur coats, walking into high-end restaurants with no shoes on. But the sound is remarkably warm, a gospel-style mix of heartfelt crooning (from Beyoncé and... Charlie Wilson) and plush accompaniment that's perfect for worshipping at the altar of Yeezy."[7]

Chart performance

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"See Me Now" debuted and peaked at number two on the US Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart on August 28, 2010.[8] It appeared at number 160 on the year-end South Korean Gaon Chart for 2011.[9]

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ Young, Alex (August 11, 2010). "Check Out: Kanye West – "See Me Now" (feat. Beyonce)". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  2. ^ ""The Illest Motherfucker Alive" - An Interview with SouthSide". RESPECT. August 30, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Concepcion, Mariel (August 11, 2010). "Kanye West Premieres Beyonce Track, Album Due Nov. 16". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  4. ^ "See Me Now Feat Beyonce, Charlie Wilson". Kanyeuniversecity.com. August 11, 2010. Archived from the original on August 15, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
  5. ^ "Kanye West Says He Had Considered Suicide". Billboard.
  6. ^ "The ULTIMATE Kanye West Iceberg Explained: PART 2". YouTube. 22 May 2021.
  7. ^ a b Hoard, Christian (August 16, 2010). "Kanye West feat. Beyoncé and Charlie Wilson". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  8. ^ a b "Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: Week Ending August 28, 2010". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. July 1, 2006. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2011.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ a b "Annual South Korea International Chart". Gaon Chart. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
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