Heard 'Em Say
Encyclopedia
"Heard 'Em Say" is a song by American
hip hop
artist Kanye West
. It was released on November 8, 2005 as the third single for his second studio album, Late Registration
. The song features Maroon 5
lead vocalist Adam Levine
, who sings its chorus and bridge. Co-produced by Jon Brion
, the song contains excerpts of "Someone That I Used to Love" as performed by Natalie Cole
. The chorus of "Heard 'Em Say" was later recycled for the Maroon 5 song "Nothing Lasts Forever" which appears on their 2007 album It Won't Be Soon Before Long
.
and Adam Levine
had first collaborated together when Maroon 5
commissioned West to remix "This Love." 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 then-upcoming sophomore effort on his iPod
for Levine, West came across the demo
for "Heard 'Em Say", the very first track recorded for the album. "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." West himself initially hesitated slightly, as he felt the R&B
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.
/R&B song. It is set in common time
with a moderate tempo
of 95 beats per minute and composed in the key of F major
. The song begins with a medium tempo followed by its melody
, a cascading piano
medley provided by excerpts of "Someone That I Used To Love" as performed by Natalie Cole
, laced over cluttered beats, warped bass and a slight mix of acoustic guitar
. Its chords are arranged in the progression
of F9-Bbma7-Bb6 Aaug-F. West raps two verses within the song, both followed by a refrain
which he delivers in tandem with Levine. The lyrics of "Heard 'Em Say" are constructed in verse-chorus form
with a brief bridge
after the second chorus. As the composition enters its coda
, it acquires new musical aspects, exhibiting xylophone
flourishes, quivery synth riffs, and twinkling foreign bells before reaching its conclusion.
Lyrically, "Heard 'Em Say" is a "mournfully contemplative" song that "talks about being honest with yourself in a world that is not." The song is conceptually written from the perspective of an afflicted, impoverished American quietly lamenting the fallacies of society and questioning the ways of the world, swiftly touching on various social, economical, and religious issues along the way.
, PopMatters
described 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
", as Kanye preaches, "Nothing's ever promised tomorrow, today." Time
magazine music critic Josh Tyrangiel
listed "Heard 'Em Say" as one of the three best tracks on the album and characterized it as an "atmospheric ballad" which displayed "the stealthy power of West's storytelling." Slant Magazine
music reviewer Eric Henderson likened Adam Levine's falsetto
delivery of the song's "delicate chorus" to that of a "butterfly singing" while Rolling Stone
compared his vocal performance to that of Stevie Wonder
. 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." Robert Christgau
concurred with this sentiment and similarly voiced his approval of the complex yet subtle musicality of the composition, highlighting the Chinese bells and berimbau
found in the coda
.
, the single entered the Billboard
Hot 100 at one hundred and rose to number forty-seven for the issue dated November 19, 2005. Over the next four weeks, the song climbed the chart and eventually reached its peak at number twenty-six on December 17. The single remained in the position for two weeks before relapsing. "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. It peaked at number thirty-four on the Pop 100
chart and at number twelve on Hot Rap Tracks
. "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
.
"Heard 'Em Say" entered the Irish Singles Chart
at number twenty-six on the issue date of December 8, 2005. The next week, the song dropped down eight spaces to number thirty-four. In its third week on the chart, "Heard 'Em Say" it yielded another slot and dropped to number thirty-five. The song experienced a rebound in it fourth week, when it began to rise upwards again and reached number twenty-seven. "Heard 'Em Say" rose once more to reach its peak at number twenty-three on the issue date of January 5, 2006. In the United Kingdom
, "Heard 'Em Say" debuted and peaked at number twenty-two on the issue date of December 11, 2005. On the Australian Singles Chart, the song peaked in the twenty-seventh position on the issue dated January 23, 2006. The song's highest chart performance occurred in Finland
, where it charted at number ten for the issue date of March 1, 2006. 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. "Heard 'Em Say" debuted at number ninety-five on the German Singles Chart on March 20, where it stayed for just one week before relasping.
flagship department store on 34th Street in New York
, the original music video for "Heard 'Em Say" was directed by Michel Gondry
. Having been set to be released near the end of the year, the music video expressed a Christmas
motif. It features Adam Levine as Macy's security guard and Kanye West as a homeless guardian of three young children who stay inside the store overnight. Jon Brion
, co-producer of the song, also made a brief appearance within the video, playing miniature pianos in the store's toy section. Using his signature special effects, Gondry created a surrealistic Christmas story within the seemingly living department store, where among other things, toys come to life, suits dance, and beds can be driven like cars. Shortly before the original video was to be premiered in mid-December, MTV
pulled it from the schedule.
A second music video for "Heard 'Em Say" premiered on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2005 and in the United States on November 21. The animated video was co-directed by Bill Plympton
and Kanye himself and expresses 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. The two later collaborated to create Through the Wire: Lyrics and Illuminations, a graphic book filled with illustrations based on West's song lyrics. To visually reproduce the tone of "Heard 'Em Say," Plympton depicted West as a cab driver working in a bleak, fictional city who picks up troubled passengers and eventually comes across a young boy and his mother. The animated segments are intercut with live-action scenes of West and Levine performing the song. According to Plympton, "The child is meant to represent Kanye as a young boy and the film is about his experiences."
, West performed "Heard 'Em Say" live for an exclusive concert held at Abbey Road Studios
in London, England on September 21, 2005. The performance was recorded and later released on a live album
entitled Late Orchestration
. On October 1, West appeared with Maroon 5
frontman Adam Levine
as a musical guest on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live
where they performed the song together. West 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. He 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 saying it was "my favorite song I ever worked on." West performed the song at Santa Monica High School
on December 5 for a concert promoting higher education sponsored by his charity foundation. 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. Backed only by a DJ and two backup singers, West performed "Heard 'Em Say" during his gig at Wango Tango
on May 8, 2006. West provided a performance of "Heard 'Em Say" during his set at Live Earth 2007
. On October 10, 2007, while Maroon 5 was playing "Nothing Last 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." West included "Heard 'Em Say" within the setlist of his Glow in the Dark Tour
. Near the end of the tour's North American leg, West performed the song during the final night of Lollapalooza 2008 in his hometown of Chicago
, where he co-headlined the festival with Nine Inch Nails
.
A-side
B-side
US CD single
International Maxi-single
UK CD single
European promo single
German CD single
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
artist Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
. It was released on November 8, 2005 as the third single for his second studio album, Late Registration
Late Registration
Late Registration is the second studio album by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released August 30, 2005, on Roc-A-Fella Records. Recording sessions for the album took place over the course of a year at various recording studios located in New York City and Hollywood...
. The song features Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
lead vocalist Adam Levine
Adam Levine
Adam Noah Levine is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the front man and guitarist for the pop rock band Maroon 5. He is also a coach on the American talent show The Voice.-Early life:...
, who sings its chorus and bridge. Co-produced by Jon Brion
Jon Brion
Jon Brion is an American rock and pop multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, composer and record producer.-Early life:...
, the song contains excerpts of "Someone That I Used to Love" as performed by Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole
Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
. The chorus of "Heard 'Em Say" was later recycled for the Maroon 5 song "Nothing Lasts Forever" which appears on their 2007 album It Won't Be Soon Before Long
It Won't Be Soon Before Long
It Won't Be Soon Before Long is Maroon 5's second studio album, released on May 22, 2007. It came almost a full five years after their debut, Songs About Jane. The name was inspired by a phrase the band adopted to keep themselves motivated while on their tour. The album debuted at number one on the...
.
Background
Kanye WestKanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
and Adam Levine
Adam Levine
Adam Noah Levine is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the front man and guitarist for the pop rock band Maroon 5. He is also a coach on the American talent show The Voice.-Early life:...
had first collaborated together when Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
commissioned West to remix "This Love." The two later developed a friendship while sitting together on a flight to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
for the 2004 MTV Europe Music Awards
MTV Europe Music Awards
The MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Networks Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. Originally beginning as an alternative to the American MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards is today a popular celebration of what MTV viewers consider...
. While playing songs from his then-upcoming sophomore effort on his iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
for Levine, West came across the demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
for "Heard 'Em Say", the very first track recorded for the album. "He was rhyming over it, and I had just written a hook
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
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." West himself initially hesitated slightly, as he felt the R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
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.
Music structure and composition
"Heard 'Em Say" is a mid-tempo hip-hopHip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
/R&B song. It is set in common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
with a moderate tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
of 95 beats per minute and composed in the key of F major
F major
F major is a musical major scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat . It is by far the oldest key signature with an accidental, predating the others by hundreds of years...
. The song begins with a medium tempo followed by its melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
, a cascading piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
medley provided by excerpts of "Someone That I Used To Love" as performed by Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole
Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
, laced over cluttered beats, warped bass and a slight mix of acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
. Its chords are arranged in the progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
of F9-Bbma7-Bb6 Aaug-F. West raps two verses within the song, both followed by a refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
which he delivers in tandem with Levine. The lyrics of "Heard 'Em Say" are constructed in verse-chorus form
Verse-chorus form
Verse-chorus form is a musical form common in popular music and predominant in rock since the 1960s. In contrast to AABA form, which is focused on the verse , in verse-chorus form the chorus is highlighted...
with a brief bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
after the second chorus. As the composition enters its coda
Coda (music)
Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...
, it acquires new musical aspects, exhibiting xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
flourishes, quivery synth riffs, and twinkling foreign bells before reaching its conclusion.
Lyrically, "Heard 'Em Say" is a "mournfully contemplative" song that "talks about being honest with yourself in a world that is not." The song is conceptually written from the perspective of an afflicted, impoverished American quietly lamenting the fallacies of society and questioning the ways of the world, swiftly touching on various social, economical, and religious issues along the way.
Critical reception
"Heard 'Em Say" received unanimously positive reviews and is often cited by fans and critics alike as one of West's best songs. In a review of Late RegistrationLate Registration
Late Registration is the second studio album by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released August 30, 2005, on Roc-A-Fella Records. Recording sessions for the album took place over the course of a year at various recording studios located in New York City and Hollywood...
, PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
described 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
Slick Rick
Richard Walters , better known by his stage name Slick Rick is a Grammy-nominated English-American rapper...
's "Children's Story
Children's Story
"Children's Story" is a single by British-born American hip hop artist Slick Rick, from his album The Great Adventures of Slick Rick.-Reception:It's on the list of the top 100 rap songs, and is ranked #61 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop....
", as Kanye preaches, "Nothing's ever promised tomorrow, today." Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine music critic Josh Tyrangiel
Josh Tyrangiel
Josh Tyrangiel is a journalist, and editor of Bloomberg Businessweek. He joined the magazine following its acquisition by Bloomberg L.P. in December 2009. Prior to joining Bloomberg Businessweek, Tyrangiel was deputy managing editor of TIME magazine and managing editor of TIME.com...
listed "Heard 'Em Say" as one of the three best tracks on the album and characterized it as an "atmospheric ballad" which displayed "the stealthy power of West's storytelling." Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
music reviewer Eric Henderson likened Adam Levine's falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
delivery of the song's "delicate chorus" to that of a "butterfly singing" while Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
compared his vocal performance to that of Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
. Virgin Media
Virgin Media
Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
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." Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
concurred with this sentiment and similarly voiced his approval of the complex yet subtle musicality of the composition, highlighting the Chinese bells and berimbau
Berimbau
The berimbau is a single-string percussion instrument, a musical bow, from Brazil. The berimbau's origins are not entirely clear, but there is not much doubt about its African origin, as no Indigenous Brazilian or European people use musical bows, and very similar instruments are played in the...
found in the coda
Coda (music)
Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...
.
Chart performance
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the single entered the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100 at one hundred and rose to number forty-seven for the issue dated November 19, 2005. Over the next four weeks, the song climbed the chart and eventually reached its peak at number twenty-six on December 17. The single remained in the position for two weeks before relapsing. "Heard 'Em Say" debuted on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
at number and reached its peak position in the seventeenth spot on the issue dated December 31. It peaked at number thirty-four on the Pop 100
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...
chart and at number twelve on Hot Rap Tracks
Hot Rap Tracks
Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single...
. "Heard 'Em Say" has since sold over half a million copies in the United States, earning a Gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
certification by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
.
"Heard 'Em Say" entered the Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
at number twenty-six on the issue date of December 8, 2005. The next week, the song dropped down eight spaces to number thirty-four. In its third week on the chart, "Heard 'Em Say" it yielded another slot and dropped to number thirty-five. The song experienced a rebound in it fourth week, when it began to rise upwards again and reached number twenty-seven. "Heard 'Em Say" rose once more to reach its peak at number twenty-three on the issue date of January 5, 2006. In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, "Heard 'Em Say" debuted and peaked at number twenty-two on the issue date of December 11, 2005. On the Australian Singles Chart, the song peaked in the twenty-seventh position on the issue dated January 23, 2006. The song's highest chart performance occurred in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, where it charted at number ten for the issue date of March 1, 2006. In New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, "Heard 'Em Say" made its debut within the top twenty, entering and peaking on the chart at number fifteen on March 6. "Heard 'Em Say" debuted at number ninety-five on the German Singles Chart on March 20, where it stayed for just one week before relasping.
Music videos
Two separate music videos were produced for "Heard 'Em Say," one live-action while the other was animated. Filmed in Macy'sMacy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
flagship department store on 34th Street in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the original music video for "Heard 'Em Say" was directed by Michel Gondry
Michel Gondry
Michel Gondry is an Academy Award winning filmmaker, whose works include being a commercial director, music video director, and a screenwriter. He is noted for his inventive visual style and manipulation of mise en scène. - Life and career :...
. Having been set to be released near the end of the year, the music video expressed a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
motif. It features Adam Levine as Macy's security guard and Kanye West as a homeless guardian of three young children who stay inside the store overnight. Jon Brion
Jon Brion
Jon Brion is an American rock and pop multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, composer and record producer.-Early life:...
, co-producer of the song, also made a brief appearance within the video, playing miniature pianos in the store's toy section. Using his signature special effects, Gondry created a surrealistic Christmas story within the seemingly living department store, where among other things, toys come to life, suits dance, and beds can be driven like cars. Shortly before the original video was to be premiered in mid-December, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
pulled it from the schedule.
A second music video for "Heard 'Em Say" premiered on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2005 and in the United States on November 21. The animated video was co-directed by Bill Plympton
Bill Plympton
William "Bill" Calvin Plympton is an American animator, former cartoonist, director, screenwriter and producer best known for his 1987 Academy Award-nominated animated short Your Face. and his series of shorts Guard Dog, Guide Dog, Hot Dog and Horn Dog.- Biography :Bill Plympton was born in...
and Kanye himself and expresses grayscale
Grayscale
In photography and computing, a grayscale or greyscale digital image is an image in which the value of each pixel is a single sample, that is, it carries only intensity information...
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. The two later collaborated to create Through the Wire: Lyrics and Illuminations, a graphic book filled with illustrations based on West's song lyrics. To visually reproduce the tone of "Heard 'Em Say," Plympton depicted West as a cab driver working in a bleak, fictional city who picks up troubled passengers and eventually comes across a young boy and his mother. The animated segments are intercut with live-action scenes of West and Levine performing the song. According to Plympton, "The child is meant to represent Kanye as a young boy and the film is about his experiences."
Live performances
Accompanied by a seventeen-piece, all-female string orchestraString orchestra
A string orchestra is an orchestra composed solely or primarily of instruments from the string family. These instruments are the violin, the viola, the cello, the double bass , the piano, the harp, and sometimes percussion...
, West performed "Heard 'Em Say" live for an exclusive concert held at Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
in London, England on September 21, 2005. The performance was recorded and later released on a live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
entitled Late Orchestration
Late Orchestration
Late Orchestration is a live album by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released on April 24, 2006 on Mercury Records. The album features recordings of live renditions of songs derived from his first two studio albums. It was recorded at the famed Abbey Road Studios in London, England before an...
. On October 1, West appeared with Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
frontman Adam Levine
Adam Levine
Adam Noah Levine is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the front man and guitarist for the pop rock band Maroon 5. He is also a coach on the American talent show The Voice.-Early life:...
as a musical guest on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
where they performed the song together. West 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
Universal City, California
Universal City is a community in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, that encompasses the 415 acre property of Universal Studios...
, Adam Levine was able to join West onstage to sing his portion of the song. He performed the song for a pre-game concert held during VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Bash on February 2, 2006. Wearing a Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
jacket, West introduced "Heard 'Em Say" by saying it was "my favorite song I ever worked on." West performed the song at Santa Monica High School
Santa Monica High School
Santa Monica High School, informally known as SAMOHI, is located in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 1884, it is one of the oldest high schools in the state....
on December 5 for a concert promoting higher education sponsored by his charity foundation. He played "Heard 'Em Say" during his appearance at the first day of Coachella
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three-day annual music and arts festival, organized by Goldenvoice and held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Inland Empire's Coachella Valley...
2006 in Indio, California
Indio, California
Indio is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, located in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, east of Riverside, and east of Los Angeles. It is about north of Mexicali, Baja California on the U.S.-Mexican border...
, where he later on had A-Trak spin A-Ha
A-ha
A-ha were a Norwegian pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. The band was founded by Morten Harket , Magne Furuholmen , and Pål Waaktaar...
's "Take on Me
Take on Me
"Take on Me" is a song by the Norwegian pop band A-ha. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alan Tarney for the group's first studio album Hunting High and Low, released in 1985...
" while he danced onstage to the delight of the audience. Backed only by a DJ and two backup singers, West performed "Heard 'Em Say" during his gig at Wango Tango
Wango Tango
Wango Tango is an annual day-long concert produced on by local Los Angeles radio station KIIS-FM. The concert series has been staged at various venues around southern California including Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Verizon Wireless...
on May 8, 2006. West provided a performance of "Heard 'Em Say" during his set at Live Earth 2007
Live Earth (2007 concert)
Live Earth is an annual event developed to combat climate change. The first series of benefit concerts were held on July 7, 2007. The concerts brought together more than 150 musical acts in eleven locations around the world which were broadcast to a mass global audience through televisions, radio,...
. On October 10, 2007, while Maroon 5 was playing "Nothing Last Forever" during a sold-out concert held inside Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, 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." West included "Heard 'Em Say" within the setlist of his Glow in the Dark Tour
Glow in the Dark Tour
The Glow in the Dark Tour is a critically acclaimed world concert tour by Kanye West featuring Rihanna, Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D, and Nas. It began on April 16, 2008 in Seattle, Washington and travelled to Latin America, Asia, Europe, New Zealand and Australia through to early December.The tour...
. Near the end of the tour's North American leg, West performed the song during the final night of Lollapalooza 2008 in his hometown of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where he co-headlined the festival with Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
.
Track listings
US 12" singleA-side
- "Heard 'Em Say" (Radio) – 3:27
- "Heard 'Em Say" (LP) – 3:26
- "Heard 'Em Say" (Instrumental) – 3:26
B-side
- "Touch the Sky" (Radio)
- "Touch the Sky" (LP)
- "Touch the Sky" (Instrumental)
US CD single
- "Heard 'Em Say" (Radio Edit) – 3:27
- "Heard 'Em Say" (Instrumental) – 3:26
- "Heard 'Em Say" (Explicit) – 3:26
- "Back to Basics" – 1:40
- "Heard 'Em Say" (Video) – 4:31
International Maxi-single
- "Heard 'Em Say" (Album Version) – 3:26
- "Heard 'Em Say" (Live from Abbey Road) – 4:13
- "Back to Basics" (International Bonus Track) – 1:40
UK CD single
- Heard 'Em Say" (Radio Edit) – 3:27
- Heard 'Em Say" (Album Version) – 3:26
European promo single
- "Heard 'Em Say (Radio Edit) – 3:26
- "Heard 'Em Say (Instrumental) – 3:26
German CD single
- "Heard 'Em Say" – 3:25
- "Heard 'Em Say" (Instrumental) – 3:25
- "Back to Basics" – 1:39
- "Heard 'Em Say" (Video) – 1:39
Personnel
Information taken from Late Registration liner notes.- 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
Chart positions
| Chart (2005/2006) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 27 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
19 |
| European Hot 100 Singles | 71 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 10 |
| German Singles Chart | 95 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
23 |
| Netherlands Singles Chart | 67 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 15 |
| U.S. Bilboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Hot 100 |
26 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
17 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Tracks Hot Rap Tracks Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single... |
12 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
34 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop Songs | 26 |
| 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 ... |
22 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 91 |
Sales and certifications
| Country | Provider | Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
RIAA Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
Gold | 500,000+ |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| North America North America North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas... |
Digital download, CD, 12" | |
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
Digital download, CD | |
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
CD | |
External links
- "Heard 'Em Say" Lyrics at MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....