Heard 'Em Say

"Heard 'Em Say"
Single by Kanye West featuring Adam Levine
from the album Late Registration
Released	November 8, 2005
Recorded	2004
Studio	Sony Music Studios (New York) Grandmaster Recording Studios (Hollywood, California)
Genre	Hip hop R&B
Length	3:23
Label	Roc-A-Fella Def Jam
Songwriter(s)	Kanye West Adam Levine Michael Masser Gerry Goffin
Producer(s)	Kanye West Jon Brion
Kanye West singles chronology
"Brand New" (2005) "Heard 'Em Say" (2005) "Touch the Sky" (2006)
Adam Levine singles chronology
"Heard 'Em Say" (2005) "Say It Again" (2007)
Music video
"Heard 'Em Say (Version 1)" on YouTube "Heard 'Em Say (Version 2)" on YouTube

"Heard 'Em Say" is a song by American hip-hop recording artist and record producer Kanye West. It was included as the opening song on the track-listing of his second studio album Late Registration (2005). The track was produced by West with Jon Brion and contains excerpts of "Someone That I Used to Love" as performed by Natalie Cole. The song features a guest appearance from Adam Levine, lead vocalist of the American pop rock band Maroon 5. West and Levine met for the first time and forged a friendship during a flight to Rome set for the 2004 MTV Europe Music Awards. West introduced himself to Levine and played tracks from his forthcoming sophomore album on his iPod. When they came across a demo for "Heard 'Em Say," the singer had ready an unused chorus he'd written for his band that he felt was perfect for it. The two artists decided to collaborate, working together to write the song on the same plane.

The song harbors a soothing lullaby tone and retains moody atmosphere. It features soulful undertones, containing an R&B chorus as well as elements of art rock. The track's subdued instrumentation has a cascading piano line dressed over tumbling delayed beats laced with warped bass synth and a subtle interjection of acoustic guitar. Lyrically, "Heard 'Em Say" imparts contemplative moral soliloquies touching on social issues. The melancholic song is written from the perspective of an afflicted, impoverished American lamenting societal fallacies and questioning the ways of the world. West reflects on socioeconomical issues assailing black communities as he encourages listeners to remain optimistic.

"Heard Em Say" managed to debut at number one-hundred and peak at twenty-six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The single was a significant crossover success for both West and Levine. By having "Heard 'Em Say" enter at this position the same time his previous single "Gold Digger" ranked number-one on the chart, West became the sixth and penultimate artist to make the rare, coincidental achievement of securing both the top and bottom spots on the Billboard Hot 100. The single also marked Adam Levine's first Hot 100 chart appearance separate from Maroon 5. "Heard 'Em Say" has since been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Upon its release, "Heard 'Em Say" received widespread critical acclaim from contemporary music journalists. West was praised for his thought-provoking sociopolitical commentary while Levine's singing earned comparisons to Stevie Wonder. Two separate accompanying music videos were produced for the single. The original video was directed by French filmmaker Michel Gondry and shot live-action inside the flagship department store Macy's Herald Square in New York for the Christmas season. An alternate video was co-directed by American cartoonist Bill Plympton and features extensive use of pencil-sketch animation. Both music videos were very well-received and met by generally positive reviews. The animated version managed to garner much airplay on MTV and BET while the live-action version won Best Hip-Hop Video at the 2006 Music Video Production Awards.

Background[]

West and Adam Levine developed a friendship sitting together on a flight to Rome. West came across a demo for "Heard 'Em Say" while playing tracks from his sophomore album for Levine on his iPod.

"Heard 'Em Say" was included as the opening song on the track-listing of Late Registration (2005), the second studio album by American hip-hop recording artist and record producer Kanye West.^[1] It was written by West with Adam Levine, lead vocalist of the American pop rock band Maroon 5.^[1] West co-produced the track with record producer and multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion.^[1] The song contains excerpts of "Someone That I Used To Love" as performed by soul singer Natalie Cole.^[1] Its hauntingly understated record production is primarily built on a twinkling piano figure over tumbling beats.^[2][3][4] Although "Heard Em Say" is the first song on Late Registration, it is preceded by a track that features a reprisal of West's critical inner voice.^[5] This introductory track continues where West's debut album The College Dropout left off, opening with a skit spoken by Deray Davis, who is playing a school administrator still unsatisfied with West's classroom performance.^[6][7] The college teacher exclaims, "I knew I was gon' see you again!" in an impersonation of comedian Bernie Mac and questions, "Where your goddamn book bag at?"^[8] As the piano instrumental rises in the background, West falls asleep in class, until a yell of "Wake up Mr. West!" wakes him from his stupor.^[8] This tirade ends with the echoing "Wake up Mr. West" refrain and fades into the beginning of "Heard 'Em Say."^[6][7] The phrase and its accompanying piano melody purposefully bleeds into the album's opening track in full.^[7][8]

West enlisted Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine to sing the chorus of "Heard 'Em Say."^[9] He and Levine had first collaborated when Maroon 5 commissioned West to remix their 2004 single "This Love."^[10] The two later developed a friendship while sitting together on a flight to Rome for the 2004 MTV Europe Music Awards. While playing songs from his forthcoming sophomore effort Late Registration on his iPod for Levine, West came across the demo for "Heard 'Em Say", the very first track recorded for the album. As Levine recalled, "He was rhyming over it, and I had just written a hook that was so perfect for it. It was one of those natural collaborations where you're so excited because it's all very pure and very easy."^[11] West himself initially hesitated slightly, as he felt the singer was a bit too popular for him, but came to be overwhelmed by the sheer prowess and quality of Levine's voice after overhearing his band rehearse backstage at the 47th Grammy Awards ceremony.^[12] Adam Levine would later appropriate the refrain of "Heard 'Em Say" for the Maroon 5 song, "Nothing Lasts Forever", on their second album It Won't Be Soon Before Long (2007).^[13]

For his second studio album, West collaborated with American film score composer and multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion.^[14] With its layered arrangements and meticulous attention to songwriting, Brion's involvement is evident on "Heard 'Em Say" and throughout Late Registration, and together the two managed to craft sophisticated, baroque hip-hop.^[6][15][14] West's sonic reference points go well beyond the realm of mainstream hip-hop artists, drawing from British trip-hop band Portishead, the Beatles, Stevie Wonder and Pink Floyd.^[9] He recruited Brion to dress the record with orchestrations and lush arrangements that fit widening his musical vision.^[16][9] Brion's orchestral arrangements and progressive rock flourishes infused the graceful opening song with a high sense of drama while enabling him to be vulnerable across the record.^[16][17] "Heard 'Em Say" and other songs from "Late Registration would lay out the foundation for West's maximalist approach to lyrical tone and musical arrangement.^[3] This musical trait would become a hallmark of his subsequent works, most prominently on the studio albums My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) and Cruel Summer (2012).^[3]

As he did on The College Dropout (2004), West opted to take rap lyricism in a different direction by exploring ideas beyond the gangsta lifestyle and attitude dominant in mainstream hip-hop at the time.^[18] While some of Late Registration was celebratory, the understated opener is one of the songs that follow a contemplative political path.^[12][2] "Heard 'Em Say" is one of many pop-oriented songs from the album that represent a scope of human experience, containing political rage and underpinning personal trauma.^[2] Atop a spare, compulsive backing track, West delivers lyrics which take a dissective view of American life. The song is conceptually written from the perspective of a downtrodden citizen dealing with the ills of society, religion and government.^[8] On "Heard 'Em Say," West laments the socioeconomical issues besetting the African-American community while reminding listeners to appreciate the present.^[13][19] His rhymes illustrate the concept of anxious youth racked with lack of opportunities struggling against the overwhelming odds of society and the topical subject matter address a range of social issues, including minimum wage, AIDS, cigarettes, religion and police.^[3][18][8]

Recording[]

"Heard 'Em Say" was the very first song that Kanye West recorded for his second studio album, Late Registration (2005).^[20] It was one of the tracks from Late Registration that West made several revisions to before its release.^[21] The recording sessions took place at Sony Music Studios in New York City and at Grandmaster Recording Studios in Hollywood, California.^[1][22] The track was then mixed at the Chalice Recording Studios in Hollywood, California.^[1] For the track, West employs poignant excerpts taken from the torch song "Someone That I Used To Love" as performed by soul singer Natalie Cole.^[19][4][1] He combines subtle hip-hop beats with a cascading piano melody, alongside restrained, experimental electronics reminiscent of late-1990s post-rock.^[8] His understated record production is driven by the piano line, which runs throughout over tumbling delayed beats laced with a parping synthesized bassline in addition to a subtle interjection of acoustic guitar.^[2][4] As time goes on, additional keyboards enter and sweep the song away towards an outro that consists of wobbly bass, jangling percussion and wailing synths.^[3][5] In comparison to the chipmunk-soul production technique which characterized his debut album, West incorporated a much broader array of live instrumentation on his sophomore effort. West opted in favor of a more symphonic orchestration to serve as a backdrop for his improved lyricism.^[23][24][18] Though elements of his trademark looped samples were still present, there was now a heavier reliance on keyboards, string sections and boisterous yet haunting horns.^[23][24] Additionally, elongated and vibrant outros were integrated into most tracks, providing them with more time to breath and settle into listener's ears.^[23]

On Late Registration, West progressively moves past his previous musical limitations in terms of contextualization and deployment.^[3][24] Near its conclusion, as Levine's vocals fade out, the record production inventively incorporates various bells and whistles, warped bass and scathing synthesizers.^[25][6] This elongated outro was arranged by American film score composer and multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion.^[6] For his second studio album, West collaborated with Jon Brion, sharing record production duties with him for several tracks.^[26][12] Best known for his quirky, baroque-pop film soundtracks, such as those of I Heart Huckabees and Punch-Drunk Love, as well as his musical collaborations with Fiona Apple and Aimee Mann, Brion added his melancholy touch to "Heard 'Em Say."^[27] West was exposed to Brion's work while watching the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, for which Brion had composed music. He had also been listening to songs Brion produced for When the Pawn... (1999), the second studio album of alternative singer-songwriter Fiona Apple, who was another one of his favorite artists and sources of musical inspiration for his sophomore effort.^[28][29] West was introduced to Brion by way of a mutual friend, American record producer Rick Rubin.^[30] He was able to get in contact with Brion after acquiring his phone number from Rubin.^[30][20] At the time, Brion had no background in hip-hop music and no prior experience whatsover in creating rap records. Nevertheless, he and West soon found that they could productively work together after their first afternoon in the studio where discovered that neither confined his musical knowledge and vision to one specific genre.^[31]

West said that he appreciated the broader palette Jon Brion brought to his music.^[32] He had been in pursuit of a more enriching sound for Late Registration.^[24][12] With the assistance of Brion, West widens his musical vision and expands the sound of his hip-hop production beyond his usual sped-up soul samples.^[16][18] Brion integrated an unprecedented third element into West's hit-making combination of soulful hooks and rhythm tracks.^[24] He supplemented a thematic, orchestral feeling to the record, elevating West's signature sound to take on a more polished package.^[23] With its layered arrangements and meticulous attention to songwriting, Brion's involvement is evident on "Heard 'Em Say" and throughout the album, and together the two of them managed to craft sophisticated, baroque hip-hop.^[6][14] Their collaborative work involved building melodies with synths, guitars, and other live instruments around looped samples and drum programming.^[14] West developed the beats and melodies for the record, and then he and Brion would brainstorm on instrumental colors.^[9] Brion would then arrange the music to move analogously with the rhymes, pushes the musicality of hip-hop uncharted territory.^[14] Rather than simple and direct, West took a more complex, subtle approach to his when it came to composing "Heard 'Em Say."^[24] He equipped the track with session musicians, strengthening hooks while descending into winding, progressive orchestral passages. It allows grooves with the space to breath and stretch in ways raps songs don't typically permit.^[3] This musical trait would become a hallmark of West's subsequent works, most prominently on the studio albums My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2009) and Cruel Summer (2012).^[3]

West also set a precedent for record production in regards to his choices in musical collaborations on Late Registration.^[18] "Heard 'Em Say" features a duet between West and Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine.^[13] During the song, West raps two verses which are followed by a chorus that he delivers in tandem with the singer. Levine's smoothing tenor singing voice punctuates the introspective tone.^[18] Adam Levine and Kanye West had first worked together when Maroon 5 commissioned West to remix "This Love," the second single from the band's debut studio album, Songs About Jane (2002).^[33][11] Some time later, a friendship developed between the pair when they sat together on a flight to Rome for the MTV Europe Music Awards.^[11] In a Playboy interview, West revealed that he himself sang on the original version of "Heard 'Em Say."^[21] Although he considers the imperfection of his singing to be a relatable quality, West felt in this particular case that it was hampering the record.^[21] Levine's contribution is just one of several guest appearances throughout the studio album.^[2] The creative direction that West took on "Heard 'Em Say" and other songs on Late Registration would later inform musical and collaborative decisions on his third studio album, Graduation (2007).^[18]

Levine and West were on a flight to the 2004 MTV Europe Music Awards held in Italy when they met for the very first time.^[34] The two artists were sitting in first class on the flight when West approached Levine with his iPod, introduced himself and played "Heard 'Em Say" for him.^[20][34] He had been keeping a demo on his iPod alongside other tracks intended for his forthcoming sophomore effort since he enjoyed playing new music for people.^[20] On his part, Levine had ready a chorus he'd written but was hesitant to use because he was unsure if his band's fans would like it.^[12] Levine recalled, "He started playing me stuff on his iPod — which was far fancier than my iPod — all this new material for his record, and I was really excited about it in general. Then he played me this song that was kind of what 'Heard 'Em Say' eventually became. He was rhyming over it, and I had just written a hook that was so perfect for it. It was one of those natural collaborations where you're so excited because it's all very pure and very easy."^[11] According to West, "And I played it for him and he said, 'Yo, this reminds me of a song that I wrote but I don't know if my band will want to do it. It sounds kind of R&B. But I want to do the song.' I said, 'Yo, we should work together. And that's all it was."^[20] Levine further stated, "He was just getting big too. And he played me this record. Like, 'Hey, I've got this record. Do you want to write a song together?' On a plane. You know? And I said, 'Yeah, sure.' And that was it. The next thing I knew we were in the studio making the record and it was that easy."^[34]

West was able to contact Levine and get him on a record after acquiring his number from American record producer Rick Rubin.^[20] He was hesitant at first, feeling the singer was a bit too popular for him. However, West came to be impressed by the quality of Levine's voice after hearing his band rehearse backstage at the 47th Grammy Awards ceremony.^[32] He remarked, "They were so big that I thought they'd be less ill, but I heard them rehearsing backstage at the Grammys and he was hitting all them mockingbird notes and I said, I have to get him in the studio.'"^[32] Levine came to the recording studio right after the ceremony, sang the song and West discovered that the melody fit perfect with it.^[20] The track was done rather quickly, as Levine had only a couple of free hours available. Since the singer had a vocal that the duo had already discovered meshed well with West's music, Brion was able to translate the two pieces in a matter of hours. Brion said, "Adam had something, Kanye loved it and the three of us went at it like banshees, and there it was."^[28][29] West distinguished the results and circumstances surrounding the collaboration as something of a gift from God.^[8] In retrospect, Levine described he recording session by saying, "It was really a cool, organic process. Kanye's lyrics were beautiful."^[35] The musical collaboration reportedly left a good impression on Levine. He opined, "Kanye West is a genius. I know that he causes different reactions in people. But the bottom line is that he's brilliant. Love him or hate him, he's brilliant. He's a really pure, creative person. I really respect that about him. Everything with him is very legitimate and very real. I love that dude."^[34]

Composition[]

"Heard 'Em Say" is a midtempo hip-hop song that lasts for a duration of three minutes and twenty-three seconds.^[1][36] It harbors a soothing lullaby tone, with moody atmosphere and soulful undertones, containing a melodic R&B chorus as well as elements of art rock.^{[37][38][39][12]} The track has a subdued instrumentation which consists of piano chords, bass synth, and acoustic guitar while incorporating various bells, whistles and keyboards for its coda.^{[19][4][6][3]} Its musical composition is primarily built on cascading broken chords, with Adam Levine gently crooning over them in a luscious falsetto.^[4][40][19] The song contains excerpts of "Someone That I Used To Love" as performed by Natalie Cole.^[1] West employs an arpeggiated piano motif which forms a figure that runs throughout.^[19][4][3] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, the song is written in the time signature of common time, with a moderate tempo of 95 beats per minute.^[36] "Heard 'Em Say" is composed in the key of F major, while Levine's vocal range spans one octave and three notes, from a low of to a high of B₅.^[36] The song follows a basic sequence of F₇–B♭_maj7–F₇–B♭_maj7–Faug/G–F/A–F₆/A–B♭/D–F₆/A–B♭/D during the verses and coda and F₇–B♭_maj7–F₇–B♭_maj7–Faug/A at the chorus as its chord progression.^[36]

The musical arrangement opens with an introduction, where West utters a series of ad-libs and onomatopoeic vocables atop tumbling delayed beats.^[4] He then begins rapping his lyrics, which are intertwined with a twinkling piano melody.^[41][42][3] The track's cascading piano line is accompanied by warped bass and a subtle interjection of acoustic guitar.^[6][4] With a relaxed flow, West raps the song's two verses as well as a pre-chorus which shifts into a delicate refrain delivered by Adam Levine, who sings in a falsetto register.^{[41][13][43][8]} His smooth tenor delivery and gentle cooing punctuate the introspective tone of each verse.^[18][6] Following a bridge, the musical composition enters a coda, where it acquires more instrumentation.^[6][18] This orchestral passage expresses keyboard flourishes, wailing synthesizer, twinkling Chinese bells, whistles and jangling berimbau percussion before the song fades out.^{[3][24][6][5]}

Despite sounding light-hearted, the subject matter of "Heard 'Em Say" is dreary and bitter.^[40][44][42] The introspective lyrics of the melancholic song express a gentle lamentation on poverty and income inequality.^[27][18][45] It follows a brooding political path, and the lyrical content harbors thought-provoking moral soliloquies that touch on social issues.^[12][18][26] The song's pair of stream-of-conscious verses are conceptually written from the perspective of an afflicted, impoverished American quietly bemoaning fallacies of society and questioning the ways of the world.^[46] His rhymes address a wide range of topical subjects, including minimum wage, AIDS, cigarettes, religion, drug trafficking, incarceration, and the false hope of lotteries.^[25] The song also highlights the condition of destitute inner-city youth watching images of rappers flaunt their material goods on television, deluded into thinking that wealth and fame are closer than they actually are, (when the real rock stars in their neighborhoods are the drug dealers).^[25] Essentially, it is a "mournfully contemplative" number which "talks about being honest with yourself in a world that is not."^[47][48] With vulnerable lyricism, West laments socioeconomical issues plaguing the African-American community as he reminds listeners to be grateful for the present.^[13] He reflects on inequitable realities while promoting optimism as a counter, as he preaches, "Nothing's ever promised tomorrow, today."^[6] West himself displays humility and appreciation throughout the relatively subdued track, rapping with a sense of acknowledgment that the success he achieved from his acclaimed debut album can be fleeting.^[19] As the opening track, "Heard 'Em Say" reiterates themes established by West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004), including his gratitude for still being alive, brutal honesty, and faith in God.^[39]

Release and promotion[]

"Heard 'Em Say" was one of the tracks that West played while hosting a late-night album listening session for Late Registration in New York City.^[32] A large crowd of over 300 people, which included rappers Common, Lil Kim, Jay-Z, and Talib Kweli as well as record executive L.A. Reid, assembled into a small room at Sony Music Studios for the listening session on June 15, 2005.^[32][12] At that time, Late Registration was not yet finished, not all of the completed songs were presented and some weren't played in their entirety.^[32] Nevertheless, West wanted to take the opportunity to show off the album and share his art with listeners.^[32][12] While standing on a small stage, West told the story behind each track and afterwards even held a question-and-answer segment.^[12] During the event, West also unveiled the music video for the album's lead single "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" to coincide with its television premiere.^[32]

Once he was done with the music video, West started playing tracks from Late Registration beginning with "Bring Me Down," which was arranged by the album's co-executive producer Jon Brion, who had co-produced "Heard 'Em Say."^[32] Afterwards, West initiated a series of games in which he would play a snippet of a new track that contained a guest appearance he was not yet ready to reveal. West played "Heard 'Em Say" and then asked the audience to guess who was on the song's chorus. One person shouted, "Smokey Robinson" but it turned out to be Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine.^[32] Like every other record presented at the album listening session, "Heard 'Em Say" received a positive reaction from the audience in attendance.^[12] Regarding his collaboration with Levine, West claimed, "I had to fight with myself 'cause he's so good, yet he's so popular. The popularity takes away from the illness of having him. Like I have Lupe Fiasco on "Touch the Sky", 'cause I feel he's one of the best MCs coming out, but nobody knows about him yet. So if I put him on, that's ill. That's keeping it real. Then it's like, 'Kanye has a song with Adam Levine?' It just seems so post-Grammy ... but [Adam's] so ill! His voice sounds like a f---ing instrument. The only other dude that has a voice like that is Akon."^[12] West explained that he and Levine made the decision on which song they would work together and release as a single during the flight to Rome. He stated, "... I used to play that song for people, but girls never liked the song. ... Adam laid his vocals to that, girls start liking the record and it's the [third] single."^[12]

Critical reception[]

"Heard 'Em Say" received critical acclaim upon release.^[49] Ann Powers, writing for Los Angeles Times called the single a "rapturous hit."^[50] Time music critic Josh Tyrangiel lists "Heard 'Em Say" as one of the three best tracks on Late Registration. He characterized it as an "atmospheric ballad" which demonstrates "the stealthy power of West's storytelling."^[51] Billboard writer Marco Cibola said the song was representative of the musical growth on West's second album, opining, "The keys twinkle a bit brighter on "Heard 'Em Say" than they do on anything from Dropout."^[52] Likewise, stated that the soulful undertones of "Heard 'Em Say" gave way to a different type of inspiration.^[38] HipHopDX's Ural Garret remarked, "Depending on how one views hip hop, there's a Kanye West album that speaks directly to a specific socio-economic ideology." He continued encapsulating the song's verses of as "an in-depth introspective look into everyday hood aspirations" and credited West's songwriting for feeling grounded.^[53]

Greg Cochrane from NME declared, "Any album which can boast a trilogy of brilliance like 'Heard Em Say,' 'Touch The Sky' and 'Gold Digger' is onto a winner."^[54] While he maintains the belief that Late Registration is home to misfires, Kyle Ryan of The A.V. Club wrote that they're outweighed by stronger moments like "Heard 'Em Say" and complimented the "elegant simplicity" of its musical composition.^[55] Amos Barshad of FADER cites the track as being part of a "suite of nested aural pleasures" on West's sophomore effort. He stated, "The delicate plinking of 'Heard Em Say' ... was undercut with the bitter sting of a politicized shoulder shrug."^[42] Alex Heigl for People asserted that the considerably nuanced lyrics retain obvious statements which reveal West's conflicted view on finance, calling it, "A clear-eyed, sober look at poverty and income inequality."^[56] Steve Jones from USA Today praised West's ability to "touch on social issues without making it seem like homework."^[18]

Adam Levine received acclaim from music critics for his performance of the chorus.

Sean Fennessey for Pitchfork remarked that the opening track "might be the most bandied about joint here, thanks to the presence of Maroon 5's Adam Levine, but guess what? He sounds great. Off-key and blue-eyed selling his soul, but like nearly every risk here, the syrupy pop works."^[57] PopMatters summarized the song, saying, "With its sweet piano chords and Levine's gentle cooing, the track is probably the best hip-hop lullaby to come along since Slick Rick's 'Children's Story'.'"^[6] Chris Deville of Stereogum describes "Heard 'Em Say" as a "gorgeously graceful opening song" which despite its gentle nature feels "bigger than life."^[17] He continued writing, "Beautiful and understated opener 'Heard 'Em Say' even manages to wring actual human emotion out of hit-making robot Adam Levine. That's just one of the many excellent guest spots throughout."^[2] Slant Magazine reviewer Vadim Rizov described "Heard 'Em say" as a "vulnerable song" and claims that it redeemed Maroon 5.^[58] Eric Henderson, from the same publication, likened Adam Levine's falsetto delivery of the song's chorus to a "butterfly singing."^[43] Rolling Stone senior writer Brian Hiatt compared his performance of the chorus to that of Stevie Wonder.^[35] Slate's Ben Mathis-Lilley claims that Levine had "an indisputably fantastic voice for the wistful soul of 'Heard 'Em Say.'"^[26] Cat Warner from the London-based radio station Capital XTRA complimented his polished vocals and implored listeners: "Turn this up loud."^[49] Ross Bonaime from Paste asserted that Levine's contribution to "Heard 'Em Say" might be one of the best things the singer has ever done.^[39] On behalf of MSN Music, writer Sam Greszes quipped, "A bitingly political and scathing collaboration between Adam Levine and Kanye West? What's not to like?"^[59]

Virgin Media reviewed the single as "an accomplished piece of production" commenting on its "poignant sample ... the cascading piano melody which runs throughout, alongside tumbling delayed beats, a parping bass synth and the odd interjection of subtle acoustic guitar."^[4] Writing for Village Voice, rock critic Robert Christgau concurred with this sentiment and voiced his approval of the complex yet subtle musicality of the composition, highlighting the Chinese bells and berimbau found in its coda.^[24] Bansky Gonzalez from Uproxx remarked that the sonic versatility makes for an exhilarating ride, distinguishing the piece as "somber and painstakingly thoughtful."^[23] Joey DeGroot for Music Times lists "Heard 'Em Say" as being one of a few hip-hop songs that he considered to be "straight up beautiful." He compared it to Wu-Tang Clan's "C.R.E.A.M.", Nas' "One Love" and Biggie's "Juicy."^[60] A decade later, while interviewing Bill Plympton, Jen Yamato from The Daily Beast retrospectively referred to "Heard 'Em Say" as "the mournfully soulful 2005 single."^[61] Complex ranked "Heard 'Em Say" as West's eighty-second best song, writing, "The track featured luscious piano chords with Levine gently crooning atop them. But despite the song sounding like a hip-hop lullaby, Kanye was kicking that real shit. While 'Heard Em Say' might've sounded light-hearted and friendly, the content definitely wasn't."^[40] Sharing similar sentiments, a columnist from Paste bestowed "Heard 'Em Say" with much acclaim and ranked it as West's fifty-third best album track. He elaborated, "Late Registration starts with Kanye waking up, but 'Heard 'Em Say' plays like a soothing lullaby with some bite to it."^[39] It was listed in Capital XTRA as one of 18 songs for "those who miss the old Kanye West".^[49] It was nominated for Best Hip-Hop Song Collaboration at the 2007 Groovevolt Music and Fashion Awards.^[62] Pitchfork named it the tenth best song of 2005.^[63]

Chart performance[]

In the United States, the single entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at one hundred for the chart date of October 29, 2005.^[64] West's previous album single "Gold Digger" was atop the Billboard Hot 100 when "Heard 'Em Say" debuted at number 100 for the chart date of October 29, 2005. By having "Heard ' Em Say" enter at this position, Kanye West achieved the incredibly rare, coincidental feat of bookending the Billboard Hot 100.^[64] West stands as the sixth and penultimate artist to make this unusual chart achievement as of September 17, 2010.^[64] Upon researching the computerized archives of the weekly top and bottom chart spots for the Billboard Hot 100, analysts indicate that only seven times has the same artist held the apex and anchor positions since the chart's inception on August 4, 1958. This odd, random occurrence accounts for an infinitesimal .003% of the 2,721 weekly Hot 100 charts to-date.^[64] The single also marked Levine's first U.S. Billboard Hot 100 appearance separate from Maroon 5.^[65] Over the next four weeks, the song climbed the chart and eventually reached its peak at number twenty-six on December 17, becoming a significant crossover success for both West and Levine.^[66][25] The single remained in the position for two weeks before relapsing.^[67] "Heard 'Em Say" debuted on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at number and reached its peak position in the seventeenth spot on the issue dated December 31.^[68] It peaked at number thirty-four on the Pop 100 chart and at number twelve on Hot Rap Tracks.^[69][70] "Heard 'Em Say" has since sold over half a million copies in the United States, earning a Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[71]

"Heard 'Em Say" entered the Irish Singles Chart at number twenty-six on the issue date of December 8, 2005.^[72] The next week, the song dropped down eight spaces to number thirty-four.^[73] In its third week on the chart, it yielded another slot and dropped to number thirty-five.^[74] The song experienced a rebound in its fourth week, when it rose upwards again and reached number twenty-seven.^[75] "Heard 'Em Say" rose once more to reach its peak at number twenty-three on the issue date of January 5, 2006.^[76] In the United Kingdom, "Heard 'Em Say" debuted and peaked at number twenty-two on the issue date of December 11, 2005.^[77] On the Australian Singles Chart, the song peaked in the twenty-seventh position on the issue dated January 23, 2006.^[78] The song's highest chart performance occurred in Finland, where it charted at number ten for the issue date of March 1, 2006.^[79] In New Zealand, "Heard 'Em Say" made its debut within the top twenty, entering and peaking on the chart at number fifteen on March 6.^[80] "Heard 'Em Say" debuted at number ninety-five on the German Singles Chart on March 20, where it stayed for just one week before relapsing.^[81]

Music videos[]

The original music video for "Heard 'Em Say" was directed by French film director Michel Gondry (left). The alternate video was co-directed by American cartoonist Bill Plympton (right).

Development[]

As was the case with "Jesus Walks", more than one accompanying music video was produced for the single.^[82] West released two separate videos for "Heard 'Em Say," one live-action while the other was mostly animated and both feature Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine.^[83][84] Filmed in Macy's flagship department store on 34th Street in New York City, West enlisted director Michel Gondry to helm the first music video for "Heard 'Em Say."^[11][61] Because the single was originally planned to be released for Christmas, Gondry directed the promotional music video inside a Macy's over the festive season in New York.^[8] Not satisfied with the results, West commissioned cartoonist Bill Plympton to create a new music video in one week.^[84] The animated music video expresses the use of grayscale, pencil-sketch animation. West had watched and loved Plympton's work since his youth, saying that his images were important to him as a child.^[45] West and Plympton later collaborated to create Through the Wire: Lyrics and Illuminations, a graphic book filled with illustrations based on West's song lyrics.^[85]

The first version of the music video for "Heard 'Em Say" was filmed live-action and harbors a distinct Christmas theme.^[86] In the video, Kanye West played a homeless man watching over three fictional children who sneak into Macy's and stay overnight sometime near the Christmas season.^[83][11] For the original video, West hired French film director, screenwriter and producer Michel Gondry.^[45] The auteur is best known for his several innovative music videos with The White Stripes and Björk and has also been celebrated for his 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.^[45][11] He came from directing small music videos in Paris for his own independent rock band Oui Oui, in which he served as a drummer.^[87] West was the one who took the initiative to track Gondry down, insisting that they work together.^[88] According to Gondry, West begged him for two years before he finally accepted the request to do his video.^[87] Even though "Heard 'Em Say" marked the first time Gondry directed a music video for West, it was not the first time that the two collaborated with each other. West had provided a live performance during his appearance in Gondry's forthcoming 2005 documentary film, Dave Chappelle's Block Party.^[11][86] In addition, the director played live drums on "Diamonds From Sierra Leone", the lead single for Late Registration.^[11] It was however the very first time Levine and Gondry had worked together. Levine imparted, "I've been dying to work with him forever. I was just blown away that I got the opportunity. Then I read the treatment and I found out that I would being a little bit of, you know, video acting, which is funny."^[11]

The original music video was shot in live-action and filmed inside Herald Square Macy's, the company's flagship department store on 34th Street in New York City.

The filming of the music video took place at filming took place at Macy's Herald Square, the largest department store in the world and the flagship of the Macy's chain of department stores.^[11][89] The video was shot on location in October 2005 at Herald Square on 34th Street in Manhattan, New York City.^[90][89] It was filmed inside the store while closed down for the night on a Friday and Saturday, with work being done overnight.^[11][61][89] West and the three children were invited into the Herald Square Macy's to shoot the video on a Friday night after closing time. They were allowed to roam the store freely, dance around, play with lamps and recline in chairs as Adam Levine looked on.^[89] Regarding his role, Levine recalled, "This sounds weird, but it's kind of a surrealistic Christmas world that Macy's becomes. I let Kanye and his family in, after hours, to spend the night. And he's got three kids with him and they're running around and I'm chasing them. It's so weird! There's dancing suits in the men's section, all kinds of craziness, but I'm excited about it."^[11] On his part, West didn't have very much rehearsal time due being scheduled for various public appearances. He was set to perform the very next day at the University of Miami Convocation Center in Miami, Florida for the kickoff of his Touch the Sky Tour.^[91] Jon Brion, co-producer of the track, also made a brief cameo appearance in the music video.^[11]

West reportedly provided the French director $500,000 towards the production budget for his version of the video.^[92][61] Gondry, who has said that he prefers "to be more in the physical world," created the charmingly handmade video with minimal sophisticated technology by stylistically molding objects. He filmed the video frame-by-frame, and he shot it by recranking the camera and re-exposing the film several times.^[93] Utilizing his signature special effects, Gondry created a Mary Poppins-inspired fantasy world situated inside a department store, where inanimate objects and appliances come to life.^[11][93][83] There were multiple logistics involved in the live-action video production, with indoor lights to check, mall security personnel to brief and an abundance of plastic mannequins to oversee. Despite this, the filming went off without a hitch with few technical issues. The only exception was one scene where the children were literally flying through the carpet department off the ground(, and they looked a little weird?).^[89] Gondry stated that he doesn't do fanciful high-budget conceptual music videos very often, claiming that he regularly does videos with "zero budget" moreso than those with an average or good budget.^[87] Working with a large budget, his visually elaborate music video was given a slick, colorful treatment.^[84][86] Michel Gondry's expensive, high-concept for the video was in fact a complete alteration his original idea.^[87] He claims that his concept for the music video of "Heard 'Em Say" was initially more "hardcore." Gondry wanted to fill a department store with homeless people, but West desired something "more family-oriented, something sweet."^[88] The end result was Kanye West and some young fictional children having a good time inside a deserted Macy's store, with Adam Levine transformed into a security guard who unlocks the doors for them.^[88][11] West found the video's original concept too hardcore for his tastes and was concerned it may "alienate his audience" during the Christmas season.^[87] (The video eventually aired on the week of December 19, 2005.?^[90])

Even though some of the song's lyrics and West's language were contentious, Macy's was delighted by the message of the music video. They were also assured that any objectionable language would be edited out from the broadcast. Macy's spokesperson Elina Kazan stated, "We moved Heaven and Earth to make it happen; we've been immortalized in movies, but never before in a video. We really rallied the entire Herald Square store. We called it Operation Video Shoot."^[89] Additionally, Kazan elaborated, "we had an MTV crew filming a 'behind the scenes' of the video, so next thing we knew, it was Lights, Camera, Action! in our furniture department."^[89] Kazan enjoyed the star power that was visited upon the department store by the two musicians. She described West as "a real gentleman" and in regards to Levine, "So you have this guy who's this heartthrob to all of the female employees, and he's standing there in the lingerie department. It's Adam Levine, surrounded by bras! It was a surreal experience."^[89] Sharing similar sentiments, Levine described the shoot as "an experience, culturally — and being there doing what we were doing was just so fun. It's inspirational to push yourself past what you're used to. It's nice to be a little bit uncomfortable if it can yield more interesting, unique results."^[11] However, West changed his mind less than two weeks to prior to the video's due date at MTV.^[45] When the release date for the single was pulled forward to November 8, he decided to drop the Christmas-themed music video.^[8] West dismissed Michael Gondry and chose to contact a different type of filmmaker: animator Bill Plympton.^[45] Gondry claims that West shot a second video because he was overwhelmed by his indecision regarding the first.^[87] The director said that even though West was not happy with the results, the two remain fans of each other, remarking, "His music is amazing."^[94] West would eventually send a message to Michael Gondry expressing how much now loves his music video.^[87]

The second version of the music video for "Heard 'Em Say" features extensive use of hand-drawn animation.^[8][95] In contrast to the colorful live-action version, the visuals of the black-and-white animated video illustrate the song's lyrics with drawings in a raw, smudgy style.^[84] West commissioned American animator, graphic designer, cartoonist, and film director Bill Plympton for the alternate video.^[96][45][61] The Oscar-nominated cartoonist is best known for the body-morphing animated short films 25 Ways to Quit Smoking and How to Kiss, once shown on MTV in the late 1980s as well as hit animated film, Your Face.^[45][87] Plympton also directed the half-hour documentary on the 1786 Shays' Rebellion in Massachusetts for the History Channel.^[45] The medium of animation provided Plympton the opportunity to tell two-dimensional stories, and his short films earned a cult status in the 1990s.^[61][96] They've also caught the attention of mainstream recording artists, including Madonna and Weird Al Yankovic. Both have in the past commissioned Plympton's pencil work for their music videos.^[61] This second version of the video for "Heard 'Em Say" was the third music video Plympton had done, and arguably the most high-profile one he'd worked one.^[97] He animated a video for comedian Weird Al of the singles "Don't Download This Song" as well as "TMZ", the former a parody in the style of "We Are the World" that details a teen's life of crime following his intellectual property infringement.^[45][98][87] The artwork of Plympton's cartoons often harbors a warped, morbid aspect.^[87] His illustrations tend to be drawn in a naïve, whimsical style that West felt complemented his idiosyncratic artistry.^[45] In a BET interview, West said that he wanted "something new, refreshing" and sought out Plympton's style of hand-drawn animation because he desired visuals that expressed "how natural the song feels, how organic the song is."^[95] Kanye had watched and loved Plympton's work since his youth, saying that his images were important to him as a child.^[45] West remembered seeing Plympton's films as a kid in Chicago, Illinois, when his mother would take him to the theatrical Spike & Mike animation programs at Chicago's Music Box Theater and the Tournée of Animation.^[92][98][61] He very much enjoyed the artwork and selected Plympton's name out of the films.^[98]

The raw, smudgy visuals of the alternate video for "Heard 'Em Say" expresses the use of grayscale, pencil-sketch animation.

During an interview with Daily Beast, Plympton spoke for the first time about working with Kanye West on the video.^[96] Plympton had known that West was a very popular hip-hop artist, but other than that wasn't really aware of how famous he was.^[92] He received an unexpected phone call from West in October 2005, a day after attending an exhibition for the art of German illustrator Heinz Edelmann at the School of Visual Arts.^[96][92] West had been the one to contact Plympton, giving him a phone call in the middle of the night.^[61] Plympton recalled, "Three or four years ago, [West] called me out of the blue and said, 'I need a music video. Will you do one for me?'"^[98] ... "He said, 'Is this Bill Plympton? This is Kanye West. Are you the animator guy? I want to hire you to do my next music video.'"^[61] ... I said, "Yeah, sure."^[98] According to Plympton, Gondry had spent half a million dollars filming in the closed down Macy's, but it wasn't exactly what West wanted.^[96][92] He didn't care for the video and had to premiere a new version in a week on MTV.^[96] West called and asked if he could make a music video in a week for very little money, seeing as Gondry had spent the $500,000 budget on his version.^[92] Plympton accepted the request and delivered a storyboard of how he visualized the narrative, which West loved.^[92] To visually capture the tone of "Heard 'Em Say," Plympton decided to portray West as a taxicab driver in a fictitious city who picks up troubled passengers and encounters a young boy and his mother.^[45] According to Plympton, "The child is meant to represent Kanye as a young boy and the film is about his experiences."^[45] The two soon began, after which Plympton discovered that West had been watching his animated comedy film I Married a Strange Person! in his spare time while traveling around the country performing at concerts.^[92]

Plympton described working with West as being quite different from working with Weird Al Yankovic. He imparted, "I have to be honest with you. Weird Al doesn't have a big budget for his music videos. He kind of just said, 'Here's a song. Send me the film when you're done.' Whereas Kanye was very hands-on."^[98] West flew over to Plympton's home studio for a couple of days to watch the cartoonist, looking over his shoulder as he was drawing and providing critique.^[98][61] The cartoonist recalled, "[West] actually looked over my shoulder while I drew his caricature, his character, and he was very critical about it, which is his right. I'm drawing him, he's paying me money and he paid me a lot more than Weird Al, so I was happy to change it."^[98] Plympton claims that West is "a real showman," even compared to Weird Al.^[45] He continued, "And he was always curious. He would call me from all over the place: 'Oh Bill, I'm watching Married a Strange Person right now. How did you do this and that?'"^[45] As the deadline neared, Plympton and hi associates Biljana, Lisa and Kerry worked through the weekend.^[92] West then came by and fine-tuned every piece of art.^[92] The live-action scenes of West and Levine performing during the animation were co-directed with Joe DeMaio.^[99][100] Plympton revealed that West wanted to close the music video with a scene at the end where his character went to the pearly gates of heaven, only to be rejected.^[45] The animator had to inform West that they only had one day left to go, and getting the pearly gates just right would be almost impossible, which he fortunately understood.^[45] In the end, they just barely made it in time for the given deadline.^[92] Plympton finished the replacement video just two hours before they needed to deliver it to MTV, and West paid the director out of pocket.^[87][61] As a show of generosity, West insisted that Plympton put an animated credit with his name at the end of the music video.^[92] At the official release party for the video, West called the director, "The Michael Jordan of Animation."^[92]

On December 5, 2005, the animated music video for "Heard 'Em Say" was one of ten films shown on during a screening in New York City celebrating independent animation.^[101] The second music video premiered on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2005 and in the United States on November 21.^[8][97] It first aired during Total Request Live on MTV on a Monday afternoon.^[97] In addition, Bill Plympton also presented the music video for "Heard 'Em Say" during the second annual New York Comic Con on February 23, 2007 at the Javits Convention Center. After offering a brief summary of his career, including his childhood drawings his stint as an editorial cartoonist, Plympton initiated the program by screening his animation.^[87] It was there he explained, "Kanye thought Gondry's piece was too wimpy. He told me I had one week to do it and Gondry had spent all the money."^[87] West's creative involvement had made a good impression on Plympton, who said that he has a lot of respect for him and trusted his opinion.^[98][61][96] He described West as a smart guy, claiming he could be a theater director.^[61] Upon attending one of West's concerts at Madison Square Garden, the animator was amazed his theatrical production.^[92] He characterized West as "tremendously visual," calling him a "real storyteller with great charisma."^[98][92] Plympton stated, "He has really a lot of talent in terms of design and visual flourishes and I respect him so I did what he asked me to do."^[98] West and Plympton enjoyed their collaboration so much, they later decided to work together to create the graphic book Through the Wire: Lyrics and Illuminations for Simon & Schuster. The book is filled with illustrations in the style of Japanese manga based on West's song lyrics.^[85]

Synopsis[]

Kanye West with his children in the original live-action music video. West, the young boy, and his mother as they appear in the alternate animated video.

The visually elaborate live-action music video for "Heard 'Em Say" harbors a distinct Christmas theme.^[86] Gondry created a surrealistic story set inside a seemingly living department store.^[11] West plays a homeless single father watching over his three fictional children who sneak into a Macy's and stay overnight sometime around the Christmas season.^[89][83] The man and his children are invited into the Herald Square Macy's on a Friday night after closing time. A kindly security guard played by Adam Levine unlocks the store for the homeless man and invites him to spend the night inside the store, which turns into a magical playground.^[89][8] All have their fill inside the deserted Macy's store, with Adam Levine's security guard singing his lines and West rapping the song's verses as his fictional children run amok.^[88][11] They're permitted to roam the store freely, dancing around, playing with lamps and recline in chairs while the security guard played looks on.^[89] West does some shopping while the children play around the wonderous store that comes to life.^[83][8] Within the walls of the store, suits dance in the Men's section, Christmas dinners cook themselves, sofa beds fold and unfold to the rhythm of the music, a seemingly infinite race track comes together piece-by-piece in seconds, and the children drive around on a bed through the aisles only to be confronted by the security guard.^{[11][8][89][83]} Jon Brion, who co-produced the track, also makes an appearance during the music video.^[11] He can be seen playing the piano melody on a parade of marching miniature pianos inside the store's toy section.^[8]

With the alternate video, Plympton was able to fully reproduce the visuals that West had in mind.^[99] The thought-provoking lyrics of "Heard 'Em Say" come alive with the pencil-sketch animation. Each individual frame in the music video bursts with the same detail and urgency that West delivers in his rhymes. These striking, black-and-while visuals harbor a mixture of fantasy and reality that conveys a sorrowful story.^[44] His verses are translated into a faithful rendition of cartoon vignettes, with bizarre flourishes characteristic of Plympton's style. The child's eyes are drawn with exaggerated largeness as he looks at advertisements of diamonds and jewelry. The video also features very literal and obvious animated interpretations of selected lyrics from the song, with West even morphing into both Jesus and the devil as they're mentioned in his lines.^[8] They serve to illustrate the narrative of a mythical urban cabdriver who picks up passengers, including a mother and her young boy, meant to represent Kanye as a child.^[99][102] The animated portions of the music video are interspersed live-action footage of Kanye West and guest singer Adam Levine providing vocal performances.^[45] At certain intervals during the video, the duo can be seen performing before a bare, all-white background.^[44] These live-action scenes are interrupted by animated sequences in which a young child traverses a depressing urban landscape, learning the harsh realities of America along the way.^[44]

In the video, Kanye West is portrayed as an underpaid driver in an oversized taxicab.^[8] It begins with a scene of a wealthy woman and her pet poodle exiting his cab. Upon requesting his tip, she offers him a nickel. The next scene of the animated video depicts a small family of chain smokers. A young boy packs his suitcase with the aid of his mother and grandmother, both of whom have cigarettes in their mouths. Its visual narrative follows West the cab driver picking up the little boy and his mother.^[8] A long stream of heavy smoke perpetually trails the child and his mother as they enter West's cab and travel through the bleak, fictional city.^[45] Throughout the video, the child's wide, impressionable eyes express his developing social sense as he observes and tries to comprehend and copy the world that he sees around him. They eventually stop at a fuel station. As the woman runs into the gas station to purchase lottery tickets, the child spots and picks up his mother's cigarettes from the cab seat. He tries one and then throws the lit match out of the window into a nearby puddle of gasoline.^[8] The car erupts in flames, and both the young boy as well as the driver pass on.^[8] The taxicab rockets straight into the sky, where West and the child grow a pair of angel wings.^[8] Following his death, the young boy's mother is left to dwell in anguish on Earth as the child moves on and remains in the heavens. Meanwhile, West's angel returns to Earth to continue his job as a cab drivers, a sort of living purgatory.^[8]

Reception[]

Both music videos were very well-received and met by generally positive reviews, with the second version garnering much airplay on MTV and BET.^[92] Mackenzie Dawson for New York Post described the live-action music video as "a sort of re-imagining of Miracle on 34th Street."^[89] A writer for New York called the animated video "excellent."^[103] John Hugar from Uproxx claims that the video featured a juxtaposition he found intriguing, remarking, "It's a fascinating mixture of fantasy and reality that manages to be whimsical and dreary at the same time."^[44] He compared it to the music video for Björk's 1997 single "Bachelorette," saying the two "couldn't be more different in terms of tone, and their videos certainly have different aesthetics, and yet, we can find a similar theme: the ever-blurred line where fantasy ends and reality begins."^[44] Amid Amidi of Cartoon Brew asserts that the visuals add an entirely new layer of meaning and effect to Heard 'Em Say, noting that the hand-drawn nature of the music video is a more honest expression of the song's earthy, somewhat labored tone. He opined that he prefers the raw, smudgy style of Plympton's video over the slick, candy-colored treatment of Gondry's version, which he believed largely misses the point of the song.^[84] He further elaborated:

Suddenly, it's no longer computer animation that is considered hip and exciting, but rather hand-drawn animation, an art form over a hundred years old. Indeed, the raw messy esthetic of Plympton's drawing style is a welcome change of pace from today's endless parade of mathematically perfect CG models and animation, and the video is a great example showing that hand-drawn animation is still a vital and powerful art form, especially when used by artists like West who are savvy enough to know the technique's strengths and the appropriate places to use it.^[95]

On their list of Kanye West's forty-two best music videos, Complex placed the animated video for "Heard 'Em Say" at number thirty-one.^[99] As of March 6, 2016, the animated music video has since accumulated over 22 million views on YouTube alone. Complex ranked the live-action version as West's thirteenth best music video, writing, "The fantasy world of the department store perfectly embodies the nostalgic yet uplifting sounds of the track."^[83] At the 2006 Music Video Production Awards, the live-action music video won the award for Best Hip-Hop Video.^[104]

Live performances[]

A remote performance of "Heard 'Em Say" taped in Los Angeles was broadcast on a video screen in Foxborough, Massachusetts for an audience of over 40,000 fans during a pre-game concert held on September 3, 2005 at Gillette Stadium.^[105] After the funk rock band Maroon 5 played their 2002 single "Harder to Breathe," West performed his song atop a red-white-and-blue stage.^[105] Accompanied by a seventeen-piece, all-female string orchestra, West performed "Heard 'Em Say" live for an exclusive concert held at Abbey Road Studios in London, England on September 21.^[106] The performance was recorded and later released on a live album titled Late Orchestration (2006).^[107] On October 1, West appeared with Adam Levine as a musical guest on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live where they performed the song together backed by a live orchestra.^[108][109] For the premiere of the song, West wore a brown leather jacket and white-framed sunglasses, reminiscent of an outfit he had worn at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards a few months prior.^[109] West performed the song at Santa Monica High School on December 5 for a concert promoting higher education sponsored by his charity foundation.^[110] He included "Heard 'Em Say" within the setlist of his Touch the Sky Tour that took place in late 2005. During one of its stops in Universal City, California, Adam Levine was able to join West onstage to sing his portion of the song.^[111]

West performed the song for a pre-game concert held during VH1's Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Bash on February 2, 2006. Wearing a Detroit Pistons jacket, West introduced "Heard 'Em Say" by telling the audience it was "my favorite song I ever worked on."^[112] West provided a performance of "Heard 'Em Say" at St. James Theatre in Auckland, New Zealand on March 17. He wore a glittery Adidas jacket and large sci-fi shades, later pausing to change into a bolero jacket, and a preppy white shirt. The complexity of the live arrangement required a string section, back-up singers, and a disk jockey and featured a surprise guest from fellow rapper Common.^[113] He played "Heard 'Em Say" during his appearance at the first day of Coachella 2006 in Indio, California, where he later on had A-Trak spin A-Ha's "Take On Me" while he danced onstage to the delight of the audience.^[114] Backed only by a DJ and two backup singers, West performed "Heard 'Em Say" during his gig at Wango Tango on May 8.^[115] During his headlining performance on the second day of Lollapalooza 2006 in his hometown of Chicago, West did a live rendition of "Heard 'Em Say" before an audience of 60,000 people. Though consisting mainly of indie-rock bands, the festival featured more hip-hop artists than the previous year, including Common, Lady Sovereign, Lyrics Born and Blackalicious.^[116] After performing "Diamonds From Sierra Leone," West shifted into "Heard 'Em Say," during which his DJ A-Trak provided some turntable scratches.^[117]

West performing a medley of the songs "Nothing Lasts Forever" and "Heard Em Say" with Maroon 5 on October 10, 2007 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Kanye gave a performance of "Heard 'Em Say" during his set at Live Earth 2007.^[118] On October 10, while Maroon 5 was playing "Nothing Lasts Forever" during a sold-out concert held inside Madison Square Garden, Adam Levine announced that he was to introduce "a good friend" to the stage, followed by a surprise guest appearance by West. To the delight of the audience, the two segued into a live rendition of "Heard 'Em Say."^[119]

West included "Heard 'Em Say" as the third live performance within the set list of his Glow in the Dark Tour, which began on April 16, 2008 at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington.^[120][121] At the show's start, he's pulled to his feet as the opening strains of "Wake Up Mr. West" from his second album Late Registration played, after which he is informed that Earth had lost all its creativity, and must save the human race from a banal existence.^[122] The composition is but one of the many, various songs taken from West's first three studio albums that West uses for his conceptual concert.^[122] They serve to form a space opera storyline that details the story of how a stranded space traveler struggles for over a year making attempts to escape from a distant planet while on a mission to bring creativity back to Earth.^[120][123] In the narrative, West begins his voyage with a live rendition of "Heard 'Em Say" after conversing with the robotic, disembodied female voice of an onboard computer named Jane.^[122][123] He performed on a small, elaborate stage spread into a desert sand dune shrouded in billowing smoke before an enormous LED screen depicting a skyline that continually morphs from shooting stars to pumping blue cells.^[123][122] West spent the entire performance onstage alone, rapping and singing lyrics of "Heard 'Em Say as his band played in a pit at the foot of the sloping stage.^[123] He wore jeans, a sweater with one missing sleeve, shoulder pads and a red windbreaker tied around his waist.^[124] Like most songs from his early albums, "Heard 'Em Say" was provided an electronic rendition that integrated with both the synthesizer quality of tracks from Graduation as well as the sci-fi theme of his conceptual concert.^[123]

Near the end of the tour's North American leg, West performed the song for a crowd of tens of thousands during the final night of Lollapalooza on August 3, 2008 in his hometown of Chicago, where he co-headlined the festival with Nine Inch Nails.^[125][126] The live venue was slightly more stripped-down than his standard Glow in the Dark Tour concert.^[126] While the big-budget stage did not feature holograms or lunar landscapes, it was still equipped with blinding strobes, moody lighting and rolling fog.^[126] West dedicated the bombastic yet disarmingly earnest and emotional set to his late mother, Donda West, and made several mentions of her throughout.^[126] He performed with a space-age backing band composed of a percussionist/DJ, robot-suited guitarists, and futuristic female singers wearing in foot-high shoulder pads.^[126][127] West took to the stage accompanied by a wall of pulsing synths and chimes while bathed in eerie white light.^[126] After opening with "Good Morning," he ended by pausing at center stage, stroking his beard and cracking a sly smile before segueing into "Heard 'Em Say," to the delight of the audience.^[126] "Heard 'Em Say" was among a list of songs that West performed during a 90-minute set when he headlined the annual dance music festival Global Gathering on July 25, 2008, becoming the very first hip-hop artist to do so. After teasing the audience with a snippet of "Stronger", West appears in a cloud of smoke to perform the songs "I Wonder" and "Heard Em Say."^[128][129] He was accompanied by backup singers, a disc jockey and three pairs of drums while the concert featured extensive use of lighting effects.^[130]

A live rendition of "Heard 'Em Say" was performed during West's secret black-tie show at the cabaret nightclub on Chrystie Street in New York City. He held the late-night function, dubbed "Rosewood", for a select group of 200 guests alongside John Legend on August 13, 2010. A simplistic stage was set-up for the ninety-minute performance. It consisted of a baby grand piano which Legend sat at, a Roland TR-808 drum machine, a keyboard, and two microphones, with one for the use of Auto-Tune. After opening the set with a performance of "Homecoming," West told Legend to take it back to old times, which led into a live rendition of "Heard 'Em Say." Later, Legend began slowly stroking the piano keys and singing the Marvin Gaye song "If This World Were Mine."^[131] West included "Heard Em Say" as one of the extended encore performances of the set-list on his Yeezus Tour, which also began at the KeyArena on October 19, 2013.^[132] There were moments in which he stopped rapping the song altogether during his performance, presumably due to fatigue.^[133]

On January 6, 2019, the first Sunday of the year, West treated his fans to a gospel renditions of "Heard Em Say" during first installment of a weekly event dubbed the Sunday Service.^[134][135] In place of church hymns, West delivered reworkings of tracks from across his albums while leading a large choir, who perform bouncing and clapping as they wearing Yeezy jumpsuits.^{[136][134][137]} During the program, he also performed a new song, entitled "We'll Find a Way."^[137]

Cover versions[]

English hip-hop artist Loyle Carner performed a live rendition of "Heard 'Em Say" for BBC Radio 1 Piano Sessions.

"Heard 'Em Say" has been covered and remixed by other artists and record producers. American disc jockey Girl Talk samples the instrumentation of "Heard 'Em Say" for the mashup track "Summer Smoke" on his third studio album Night Ripper (2006).^[138] Adam Levine himself appropriated the refrain of "Heard 'Em Say" for the Maroon 5 song, "Nothing Lasts Forever." It was released on their second studio album It Won't Be Soon Before Long (2007).^[13] Jesse Boone recorded a cover of "Heard 'Em Say" and released it for his eighteenth birthday in 2013. It was the very first song he ever wrote and gave birth to both his rapping and stage name, Huey Supreme, derived from the combining of a high school nickname and an Xbox Live username.^[139] English hip-hop artist Loyle Carner performed a stripped-down rendition of "Heard 'Em Say" on October 7, 2015 for his two-song live performance at BBC Radio 1 Piano Sessions, presented by Huw Stephens.^[140][141] After performing his debut single "Florence", the burgeoning rapper transitions to a sparse, heartfelt cover of "Hear ' Em Say."^[141] Carner took a deeply personal approach with a very British slant to the song, reworking its lyrics into an ode to his mum.^[141][142] Loyle Carner repeated this performance during his headlining concert at London's Corsica Studios, where he also brought his mother out onstage to thank her for everything she'd done for him.^[142] Max B freestyled over the instrumental for his Library of a Legend Vol. 12 mixtape.

Australian comedian and rapper Matt Okine provided a cover "Heard 'Em Say" with altered verses on February 2, 2016 at Giant Dwarf Theatre in Sydney, Australia. He began his performance with a comical impression of West and stage banter before delivering caustic lyrics that address various issues which currently divide Australian society.^[143] Rapper G-Eazy performed a cover of "Heard 'Em Say" for BBC Radio 1Xtra Live Lounge on March 15.^[144][145] For the live rendition, G-Eazy enlisted English singer-songwriter Anne-Marie to sing the chorus.^[144][146] His cover is faithful to the original, with the exception of a few censors and the inclusion of the line "From the Bay, like 40 and Dre."^[144] A big fan of West's, G-Eazy called him "the greatest."^[144][147] Additionally, an interpolation of "Heard 'Em Say" was later for the song "Charles Brown" on his fourth studio album, The Beautiful & Damned (2017).^[148] During an interlude, G-Eazy delivers lines from the chorus of "Heard 'Em Say" in tandem with guest singer Jay Ant.^[149] For the first verse, he also again changed West's mention of the city of Chicago and Tim Hardaway into a nod to his Bay Area origins.^[144] After asking if she could share a track on Twitter, London-based rapper Little Simz released a freestyle that features her rapping over the instrumental of "Heard Em Say" onto SoundCloud on April 12.^[150] Little Simz starts off the introspective freestyle by promising to "speak from the heart." With a mellow voice and controlled flow, she provides raw, honest and insightful lines that talk about fascist politicians and the importance of speaking the truth.^[151]

Track listings[]

Personnel[]

Information taken from Late Registration liner notes.^[1]

Song

• Songwriters: Kanye West, Adam Levine, Michael Masser, Gerry Goffin
• Producers: Kanye West, Jon Brion
• Recorders: Andrew Dawson, Tom Biller
• Mix engineer: Craig Bauer
• Assistant engineers: Taylor Dow, Nate Connelly, Mike Mo
• Additional vocals: Tony "Penafire" Williams

Live-Action Video^[152][90]

Animated Video^[100][153]

Charts and certifications[]

Certifications[]

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[168]	Platinum	1,000,000
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[]

References[]

Bibliography[]

• Beaumont, Mark (2015). Kanye West: God & Monster. London, England: Omnibus Press. ISBN 9781783233946.
• Brown, Jake (2006). Kanye West in the Studio: Beats Down! Money Up! (2000–2006). Colossus Books. ISBN 0-9767735-6-2.
• Han Kuo-Huang (2009). Marvelene C. Moore; Philip Ewell (eds.). Kaleidoscope of Cultures: A Celebration of Multicultural Research and Practice. R&L Education. ISBN 9781607093039.

External links[]

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics