Father (Ms. Dynamite song)
Encyclopedia
"Father" is the first single taken from Ms. Dynamite's
second studio album Judgement Days
. "Father" was released on 26 September, 2005 as a double A-side single with "Judgement Day". The single became her fourth solo consecutive top 30 hit, reaching number 25 in the UK Singles Chart
.
Ms. Dynamite expessed, "I wrote that song a year ago, and it surprised me, the anger in the song," she says. "I have no bad feelings against my dad now. But I think it was me cleaning out any bad issue I had inside - consciously and subconsciously."
As "Father" is such a personal track, Ms. Dynamite announced that she would only ever do one live performance of it. This performance of "Father" was broadcast on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
on 7 October, 2005.
gave "Father" a mixed review. They stated, "...if you think the lyrics are strong on that ("Judgement Day") wait till you here "Father" the second cut on the single. Lyrics like "I spent 23 years trying to be what you wanted to me be though it seemed that you never see me until I picked up the mic and I was on the TV now your ringing of my phone like every week" and "How can you call yourself a man when you can't love your own unless you can control them". Both of these tracks make great album cuts but I just think the UK will find it hard to deal with such lyrics in a pop single no matter how urban / street the artist is. Ms Dynamite is back and she is more than living up to her name via the lyrical content. The overall double A-side single was rated 3/5.
on 28 September, 2005 at 11pm and was described as playing "like a short film". In the aforementioned interview with The Mirror, the video was described as "Featuring an inner-city estate entirely abandoned by adults, it shows kids swarming over an ice cream van, smoking drugs, smashing phone boxes and being attacked with baseball bats, all through the eyes of a frightened young boy. In the final scene, youths throw a firework at a child in a wheelchair."
Ms. Dynamite commented, "I don't appear in the video at all because I wanted it to be a song related to by everyone, not just about me and my dad... Of course, it is a very personal song, but by putting all those kids in the video - black, white, disabled, able-bodied - I wanted to make it about more than just me. There are lots of kids growing up without a dad or without a mum or anyone who cares about them. I wanted to make a video for them."
Digital download
Promo CD
Ms. Dynamite
Niomi Arleen McLean-Daley , who performs as Ms. Dynamite, is a double BRIT Award and three time MOBO Awards winning UK garage, R&B and hip hop singer and rapper.-Biography:...
second studio album Judgement Days
Judgement Days
Judgement Days is the second studio album by English R&B/hip hop singer and rapper Ms. Dynamite, released in 2005 on Polydor Records. Chink Santana, Stephen Marsden, Christian Karlsson, and Lil Wayne collaborated on several tracks.-Reception:...
. "Father" was released on 26 September, 2005 as a double A-side single with "Judgement Day". The single became her fourth solo consecutive top 30 hit, reaching number 25 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Background
In an article featured in the The Mirror in 2005, the background of "Father" was explained. The Mirror related that "Niomi and her brother Kingslee were abandoned by their father, Eyon, as young children - a painful time which is the poignant subject of her single Father... The double A-side with Judgement Day contains the hard-hitting lines: "I spent 23 years trying to be the f***ing man you should be/Taking care of your responsibility/Wanted clothes on our back and shoes on our feet/No help, but you always had your bag of weed."Ms. Dynamite expessed, "I wrote that song a year ago, and it surprised me, the anger in the song," she says. "I have no bad feelings against my dad now. But I think it was me cleaning out any bad issue I had inside - consciously and subconsciously."
As "Father" is such a personal track, Ms. Dynamite announced that she would only ever do one live performance of it. This performance of "Father" was broadcast on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
on 7 October, 2005.
Critical Reception
In their critique, Contactmusic.comContactmusic.com
Contactmusic.com is a Leeds UK based entertainment magazine/webzine. The site was launched in April 2000 by a small team and has now expanded to 12 fulltime staff and many freelance contributors from across the globe...
gave "Father" a mixed review. They stated, "...if you think the lyrics are strong on that ("Judgement Day") wait till you here "Father" the second cut on the single. Lyrics like "I spent 23 years trying to be what you wanted to me be though it seemed that you never see me until I picked up the mic and I was on the TV now your ringing of my phone like every week" and "How can you call yourself a man when you can't love your own unless you can control them". Both of these tracks make great album cuts but I just think the UK will find it hard to deal with such lyrics in a pop single no matter how urban / street the artist is. Ms Dynamite is back and she is more than living up to her name via the lyrical content. The overall double A-side single was rated 3/5.
Music Video
Ms. Dynamite does not feature in the video for "Father". It was premiered on Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
on 28 September, 2005 at 11pm and was described as playing "like a short film". In the aforementioned interview with The Mirror, the video was described as "Featuring an inner-city estate entirely abandoned by adults, it shows kids swarming over an ice cream van, smoking drugs, smashing phone boxes and being attacked with baseball bats, all through the eyes of a frightened young boy. In the final scene, youths throw a firework at a child in a wheelchair."
Ms. Dynamite commented, "I don't appear in the video at all because I wanted it to be a song related to by everyone, not just about me and my dad... Of course, it is a very personal song, but by putting all those kids in the video - black, white, disabled, able-bodied - I wanted to make it about more than just me. There are lots of kids growing up without a dad or without a mum or anyone who cares about them. I wanted to make a video for them."
Formats and track listings
CD single- "Judgement Day" - 4:23
- "Father" - 3:56
Digital download
- "Judgement Day" - 4:23
- "Father" - 3:56
- "Self Destruct" - 4:49
Promo CD
- "Father" (Clean Version) - 3:56
- "Father" (Album Version) - 3:56
Credits and personnel
- Lead vocals – Ms. DynamiteMs. DynamiteNiomi Arleen McLean-Daley , who performs as Ms. Dynamite, is a double BRIT Award and three time MOBO Awards winning UK garage, R&B and hip hop singer and rapper.-Biography:...
- ProducerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s – Chink Santana - LyricsLyricsLyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
– Chink Santana, Niomi McLean-Daley - LabelRecord labelIn the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
: Polydor RecordsPolydor RecordsPolydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
Charts performance
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... ) |
25 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | September 26, 2005 | CD single, Digital Download | Polydor Records Polydor Records Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone... |