Time Machine (Alicia Keys song)

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"Time Machine"
Alicia Keys - Time Machine.jpg
Single by Alicia Keys
from the album Alicia
ReleasedNovember 20, 2019 (2019-11-20)
Genre
  • Funk
Length4:30
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Alicia Keys singles chronology
"Show Me Love"
(2019) 		"Time Machine"
(2019) 		"Underdog"
(2020)
Music video
"Time Machine" on YouTube

"Time Machine" is a song by American singer and songwriter Alicia Keys. It was written by Keys, Sebastian Kole and Rob Knox and produced by Keys and Rob Knox.[1] The song was released on November 20, 2019 through RCA Records as the second single from Keys' seventh studio album Alicia (2020).[2][1]

As a song with retro-funk sound, the song is departure from Keys' previous singles. The song received a positive critical reception, with many critics complimenting the new musical direction. A music video directed by Art Johnson and Cole Cook was released on the same day and features a cameo from American rapper Tierra Whack. Remixes by Cedric Gervais, MK and KC Lights were released in February 2020.[3] In the United States, the song peaked on the Billboard Dance Club Songs at number 25 in March 2020.[4]

Background[]

In September 2019, Keys released the first single "Show Me Love" featuring Miguel, from her then untitled seventh studio album.[1][5] In November, it was announced that Keys would host the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, having hosted it also the previous year.[6] Keys released "Time Machine" after announcing 2020 Grammy nominees on November 20, 2019 with Gayle King and Bebe Rexha on CBS This Morning.[7][8]

On the song's release day, Keys tweeted: "You have your roller skates ready? I’ve been dying for you to hear this one!!".[9] In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Keys described the song as "a zone — it’s such a vibration and frequency that you can’t help but just feel good”.[10]

Composition and lyrics[]

"Time Machine" is composed in key of Eb minor with a tempo of 106 beats per minute.[11] It lasts for a duration of four minutes and 30 seconds.[12] As described by Althea Legaspi from Rolling Stone, the lyrics talk about "letting go of hang-ups and finding freedom".[5] On the chorus, Keys "croons": “No we can’t rewind/Life ain’t no time machine. But once you free your mind/There is beauty in everything”.[13][5] Nick Smith from musicOMH described the song as having a "backdrop of retro-funk and sitars" and according to him, the song "advocates mindfulness and forward thinking, rather than overanalysing and harking back to the past".[14]

Critical reception[]

Rap-Up described the song as a "retro-funk bop".[15] Vulture described the song with the words "smooth, old-school" and "throwback".[7] According to New Music Weekly, the song "celebrates the freedom that comes with letting go".[1] Micheal Saponara from Billboard noted that the production of the song is "a stark change compared to the heavy key-laden records we've become accustomed to from Keys recently".[16] Writing for Rated R&B, Anders Hare opined that the "haunting" song "steadily grows in intensity as Keys delivers some of the best vocals to date".[13] musicOMH's Nick Smith in his review of the Alicia album found Keys' vocals on the song "divine".[14] According to Shakeena Johnson from Clash, the song "takes you back to the sound of the 80s"[17]

Music video[]

The music video was released on November 20, 2019. It was directed by Art Johnson and Keys’ brother Cole Cook and filmed at World on Wheels in Los Angeles.[5]

Live performances[]

Keys performed "Time Machine" along with "Underdog" (2020), "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart" (2009), Billie Eilish song "Everything I Wanted" (2019) and "Fallin'" (2001) at BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge on February 6, 2020.[18] Keys performed the song at a concert to promote the Alicia album held at Bush Hall in London on February 7, 2020.[19] Keys performed the song during the Alicia Keys Rocks New Year's Eve concert on BBC One on December 31, 2020.

Track listings[]

  • Digital download[12]
  1. "Time Machine" – 4:30

  • Digital download (Remixes)[20]
  1. "Time Machine" (Cedrick Gervais Remix) – 3:01
  2. "Time Machine" (MK Remix) – 3:38
  3. "Time Machine" (KC Lights 6am Remix) – 4:08

Charts[]

Chart (2020) Peak
position
UK Download (OCC)[21] 90
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[4] 25

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Alicia Keys Glows In New Music Video For "Time Machine"". New Music Weekly. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  2. ^ "Music / Singles - Time Machine". AliciaKeys.com. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  3. ^ Meier, Sam (2020-02-05). "Alicia Keys' 'Time Machine' Gets A Host Of Remixes". Promotionmusicnews.com. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Alicia Keys Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Legaspi, Althea (2019-11-20). "Alicia Keys Finds Freedom at a Roller Rink in New 'Time Machine' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  6. ^ Grein, Paul (2019-11-13). "Alicia Keys to Return as Grammy Awards Host in 2020". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Murphy, Chris (2019-11-21). "Grammy Hostess Alicia Keys Tears Up the Roller Rink in 'Time Machine' Video". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  8. ^ "Grammy Awards 2020: Full list of nominees". CBS News. 2019-11-20. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  9. ^ Price, Joe (2019-11-20). "Alicia Keys Goes Retro for Her "Time Machine" Video". Complex. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  10. ^ Jones, Marcus (2019-11-20). "Behind the scenes of Alicia Keys' dreamy, roller skating-inspired 'Time Machine' video". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  11. ^ "Alicia Keys & Splice Launch "Time Machine" Remix Contest For Chance At Official Release, Two GRAMMY Tickets & More". Grammy.com. 2019-12-19. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b "Time Machine - Single". Apple Music. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b Hare, Anders (2019-11-22). "Alicia Keys Shares New Song 'Time Machine'". Rated R&B. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b Smith, Nick (2020-09-18). "Alicia Keys – Alicia". musicOMH. Archived from the original on 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  15. ^ "Alicia Keys Debuts New Single 'Time Machine'". Rap-Up. 2019-11-20. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  16. ^ Saponara, Michael (2020-11-20). "Alicia Keys Hits the Roller Rink in Hazy 'Time Machine' Video Starring Tierra Whack". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  17. ^ Johnson, Shakeena (2020-09-19). "Alicia Keys – Alicia". Clash. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  18. ^ "Radio 1's Live Lounge - Alicia Keys". BBC Radio 1. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  19. ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (2020-02-10). "Alicia Keys in London — intimate glimpses of her new album". Financial Times. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  20. ^ "Time Machine (Remixes)". Apple Music. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  21. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2021-07-17.

External links[]

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