Lost in the World
Encyclopedia
"Lost in the World" is a song by American hip hop
recording artist Kanye West
from his studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The song features vocals by Justin Vernon of Bon Iver
, and also heavily samples his 2009 work, "Woods". It also contains portions of "Soul Makossa
" written by Manu Dibango
, contains a sample of "Think (About It)
" as performed by Lyn Collins
, and contains samples of "Comment No. 1" performed by Gil Scott-Heron
. It was produced by West and Jeff Bhasker, who also wrote the song with Vernon and Malik Jones. The song was initially released on September 29 and was 5 minutes, 54 seconds, but the version on the album was shortened with its ending becoming a new track, "Who Will Survive in America".
The song received strong reviews from critics and was considered one of the strongest tracks of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The song was prominently featured during the closing credits
of Runaway
, a 35 minute music video directed by Kanye West set to music from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Before being released a single, the song charted at 104 the South Korean Gaon Chart
. "Lost in the World" was sampled in several freestyles
and remixes, including one with West's fellow GOOD Music
lablemate Pusha T
.
West first performed the song live at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
and has performed the song at several notable music festival
s, including the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
and the The Big Chill
, where it was first announced as a single by West himself.
previewed "Lost in the World" at the offices of Facebook
in July of 2010 by rapping the first verse of it. Rolling Stone
, who reported the event, wrote "in an unorthodox move, Kanye West debuted verses from three new songs a cappella for employees at Facebook's headquarters in Palo Alto, California
, yesterday. The rapper, who will reportedly release his fifth album this fall, performed a new poem called 'Mama's Boyfriend' along with new tracks 'My Chain Heavy,' 'Sweat on My Face' and 'Lost in the World'". The song was leaked
onto the internet on September 29 of the same year. At the time however, it was unknown whether or not the song would appear on West's upcoming fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The version that leaked was not yet finished, and clocked in at around 6 minutes. In October of the same year, it was confirmed the song would appear on the album, thought the leaked version was to be split into two different songs, with the ending becoming "Who Will Survive in America". It was announced that Justin Vernon of Bon Iver
had met West in Hawaii
and be featured on the song. Speaking about his involvement, Venon told Pitchfork Media
, "That whole first week I was there we worked on the "Woods" song, which is called "Lost in the World". We were just eating breakfast and listening to the song on the speakers and he's like, "Fuck, this is going to be the festival closer." I was like, "Yeah, cool." It kind of freaked me out." On August 7 of 2011, West announced during his performance at The Big Chill
music festival
that the song would be the fifth single from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. In an interview with MTV
, West explained the song:
's "Woods", a song originally written about alienation, applied by West "as the centerpiece of a catchy, communal reverie" on the album. It features several musical changes, beginning with Iver's faint vocals, followed by 4/4 drums, gospel
-styled chorus, and increased tempo, and a final measured tempo. "Lost in the World" transitions into the closing track "Who Will Survive in America". It serves as the album's coda and is built on a sample of Gil Scott-Heron
's "Comment No. 1", a blunt, surrealist piece delivered by Scott-Heron in spoken word about the African-American experience and the fated idealism of the American dream. Scott-Heron's original speech, which criticized the 1960s Revolutionary Youth Movement
for failing to recognize the more basic needs of the African-American community, is edited to a reduced version on the track that, according to music writer Greg Kot
, "retains its essence, that of an African-American male who feels cut off from his country and culture". In contrast, Sean Fennessey interprets it as "a too-serious denouement for an album that is more about the self’s little nightmares than some aching societal rejection".
felt that "'All of the Lights
,' 'Lost In The World,' 'Power
' - there is a zest for life in these songs that is really quite beautiful, and it is great to see that Kanye is still able to have plenty of fun without losing any of his creativity." Dan Vidal of URB felt "sonically, the joy comes from the triumphant, painstaking arrangement that undoubtedly went into the production". MTV
wrote "the denouement of Fantasy is a rollicking effort, thundering in its production and chock-full of proclamations from West that lead to more questions than answers after an hour of listening. The track caps off an exhilarating audio experience that's sonically groundbreaking and lyrically thrilling." Knightnews wrote “Lost In The World opens rather softly, with a layered, quietly intimate vocal from Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. But soon enough, Kanye transforms Bon Iver’s melody into the most boisterous finale Kanye has ever unleashed, an elaborate epic boasting pulse-pounding rhythms, tribal chants, and a fiercely bipolar verse from Kanye". The Washington Post
s Chris Richards mused, "the drums come avalanching on Lost in the World, the grand finale this album deserves. Joined by Justin Vernon, the helium-throated warbler better known as indie-folk act Bon Iver, West serves up high drama at a breakneck tempo, with pining melodies crying out for a redemptive moment. But there's no final act of contrition. West is too 'lost in this plastic life.'" Slant Magazine
commented "nearly as accomplished—and equally as obsessed with the vocoder—is "Lost in the World," Kanye's much-anticipated reworking of Bon Iver's "Woods." It's astounding how he takes the strangest sample on the album and crafts it into a defiantly giddy dance number, complete with tribal drumming in the verses and group choruses that sound massive. It's a mad stroke of brilliance to take Justin Vernon's solitary ode to alienation and use it as the centerpiece of a catchy, communal reverie. It's experimental, to be sure, but it's also the closest the album comes to pure pop indulgence."
. According to Rap Up, "clad in a black peacoat, fur vest, shiny gold shirt, gold chains, and headband, the rapper lipsynched (as most do) the words to his Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album closer Lost in the World.” Due to the controversy of stemming from the MTV Video Music Awards, it was reported West was booed
during the performance which garnered press coverage. During his set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
, West performed the song towards the end of his performance. Justin Vernon joined Kanye during the performance, and it was described as " one of the most memorable performances in Coachella history." The song remains a regular song during West's live sets, and was also performed notably at the The Big Chill
music festival. Dutch electronic musician Tiësto
has performed a remix of "Lost in the World" live.
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...
recording 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...
from his studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The song features vocals by Justin Vernon of Bon Iver
Bon Iver
Bon Iver is a Grammy nominated folk band founded in 2007 by American indie folk singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. It includes Michael Noyce, Sean Carey, and Matthew McCaughan. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago independently in July 2007. The majority of that album was...
, and also heavily samples his 2009 work, "Woods". It also contains portions of "Soul Makossa
Soul Makossa
"Soul Makossa" is a 1972 single by Cameroonian makossa saxophonist Manu Dibango. It is often cited as one of the first disco records. In 1972 David Mancuso found a copy in a Brooklyn West Indian record store and often played it at his Loft parties. The response was so positive that the few copies...
" written by Manu Dibango
Manu Dibango
-External links:*...
, contains a sample of "Think (About It)
Think (About It)
"Think " is a funk song recorded by Lyn Collins and released as a single on James Brown's People Records in 1972. The recording was produced by Brown and featured instrumental backing from his band The J.B.'s...
" as performed by Lyn Collins
Lyn Collins
Lyn Collins was an African American soul singer best known for working with James Brown in the 1970s. Contrary to some reports, she is not related to Bootsy Collins, nor Catfish Collins....
, and contains samples of "Comment No. 1" performed by Gil Scott-Heron
Gil Scott-Heron
Gilbert "Gil" Scott-Heron was an American soul and jazz poet, musician, and author known primarily for his work as a spoken word performer in the 1970s and '80s...
. It was produced by West and Jeff Bhasker, who also wrote the song with Vernon and Malik Jones. The song was initially released on September 29 and was 5 minutes, 54 seconds, but the version on the album was shortened with its ending becoming a new track, "Who Will Survive in America".
The song received strong reviews from critics and was considered one of the strongest tracks of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The song was prominently featured during the closing credits
Closing credits
Closing credits or end credits are added at the end of a motion picture, television program, or video game to list the cast and crew involved in the production. They usually appear as a list of names in small type, which either flip very quickly from page to page, or move smoothly across the...
of Runaway
Runaway (2010 film)
Runaway is a 35-minute short film directed by and starring Kanye West. It serves as the music video for a compilation of songs from West's album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It is inspired by other music-related films such as Purple Rain, Pink Floyd The Wall and Michael Jackson's Thriller...
, a 35 minute music video directed by Kanye West set to music from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Before being released a single, the song charted at 104 the South Korean Gaon Chart
Gaon Chart
The Gaon Chart is a national record chart of South Korea. It is complied by the Korea Music Content Industry Association and sponsored by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism; with an aim to create a national chart for Korea similar to the Billboard charts and Oricon charts...
. "Lost in the World" was sampled in several freestyles
Freestyle rap
Freestyle rap commonly refers to rap lyrics which are improvised through a acapella or with instrumental beats, i.e. performed with no previously composed lyrics, or "off the top of the head"...
and remixes, including one with West's fellow GOOD Music
GOOD Music
GOOD Music is a record label and management firm founded by music producer and artist Kanye West. "GOOD" is an acronym for "Getting Out Our Dreams".-History:...
lablemate Pusha T
Pusha T
Terrence Thornton better known by his stage name Pusha T is an American recording artist, occasional actor and one half of the critically acclaimed hip hop duo Clipse. He is also the co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Re-Up Records along with his brother Gene 'Malice' Thornton...
.
West first performed the song live at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, often shortened to Macy's Day Parade, is an annual parade presented by Macy's. The tradition started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States along with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, and four years younger than...
and has performed the song at several notable music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
s, including the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
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...
and the The Big Chill
The Big Chill (music festival)
The Big Chill is an annual festival of alternative, dance and chill-out music and comedy, held in the grounds of Eastnor Castle during early August...
, where it was first announced as a single by West himself.
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...
previewed "Lost in the World" at the offices of Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
in July of 2010 by rapping the first verse of it. 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...
, who reported the event, wrote "in an unorthodox move, Kanye West debuted verses from three new songs a cappella for employees at Facebook's headquarters in Palo Alto, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, yesterday. The rapper, who will reportedly release his fifth album this fall, performed a new poem called 'Mama's Boyfriend' along with new tracks 'My Chain Heavy,' 'Sweat on My Face' and 'Lost in the World'". The song was leaked
Internet leak
An Internet leak occurs when a party's confidential information is released to the public on the Internet. Various types of information and data can be, and have been, "leaked" to the Internet, the most common being personal information, computer software and source code, and artistic works such...
onto the internet on September 29 of the same year. At the time however, it was unknown whether or not the song would appear on West's upcoming fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The version that leaked was not yet finished, and clocked in at around 6 minutes. In October of the same year, it was confirmed the song would appear on the album, thought the leaked version was to be split into two different songs, with the ending becoming "Who Will Survive in America". It was announced that Justin Vernon of Bon Iver
Bon Iver
Bon Iver is a Grammy nominated folk band founded in 2007 by American indie folk singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. It includes Michael Noyce, Sean Carey, and Matthew McCaughan. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago independently in July 2007. The majority of that album was...
had met West in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and be featured on the song. Speaking about his involvement, Venon told Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
, "That whole first week I was there we worked on the "Woods" song, which is called "Lost in the World". We were just eating breakfast and listening to the song on the speakers and he's like, "Fuck, this is going to be the festival closer." I was like, "Yeah, cool." It kind of freaked me out." On August 7 of 2011, West announced during his performance at The Big Chill
The Big Chill (music festival)
The Big Chill is an annual festival of alternative, dance and chill-out music and comedy, held in the grounds of Eastnor Castle during early August...
music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
that the song would be the fifth single from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. In an interview with 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....
, West explained the song:
That was the last song on the album and emotionally it just fit the crescendo of everything that I was saying and what I wanted to say to this girl. And it's also my favorite eight bars that I've ever written in my life. I think it's one of the greatest pieces of writing, that verse: 'You're my devil, you're my angel/ You're my heaven, you're my hell/ You're my now, you're my forever/ You're my freedom, you're my jail/ You're my lies, you're my proof/ You're my war, you're my truce,' and the last line is, 'You're my stress, you're my masseuse.' "
Composition
"Lost in the World" is 4 minutes, 16 seconds long. It features tribal drums and samples Bon IverBon Iver
Bon Iver is a Grammy nominated folk band founded in 2007 by American indie folk singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. It includes Michael Noyce, Sean Carey, and Matthew McCaughan. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago independently in July 2007. The majority of that album was...
's "Woods", a song originally written about alienation, applied by West "as the centerpiece of a catchy, communal reverie" on the album. It features several musical changes, beginning with Iver's faint vocals, followed by 4/4 drums, gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
-styled chorus, and increased tempo, and a final measured tempo. "Lost in the World" transitions into the closing track "Who Will Survive in America". It serves as the album's coda and is built on a sample of Gil Scott-Heron
Gil Scott-Heron
Gilbert "Gil" Scott-Heron was an American soul and jazz poet, musician, and author known primarily for his work as a spoken word performer in the 1970s and '80s...
's "Comment No. 1", a blunt, surrealist piece delivered by Scott-Heron in spoken word about the African-American experience and the fated idealism of the American dream. Scott-Heron's original speech, which criticized the 1960s Revolutionary Youth Movement
Revolutionary Youth Movement
The Revolutionary Youth Movement was the section of Students for a Democratic Society that opposed the Worker Student Alliance of the Progressive Labor Party...
for failing to recognize the more basic needs of the African-American community, is edited to a reduced version on the track that, according to music writer Greg Kot
Greg Kot
Greg Kot is an American writer and journalist. Since 1990, Kot has been the music critic at the Chicago Tribune, where he has covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and business issues...
, "retains its essence, that of an African-American male who feels cut off from his country and culture". In contrast, Sean Fennessey interprets it as "a too-serious denouement for an album that is more about the self’s little nightmares than some aching societal rejection".
Reception
"Lost in the World" received positive reviews from music critics and was noted as a highlight of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Channing Freeman of SputnikmusicSputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
felt that "'All of the Lights
All of the Lights
"All of the Lights" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, released January 18, 2011, as the fourth single from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy...
,' 'Lost In The World,' 'Power
Power (Kanye West song)
"Power" is a single by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, released as the lead single from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The song features additional vocals by Dwele and is co-produced by Kanye West and Symbolyc One...
' - there is a zest for life in these songs that is really quite beautiful, and it is great to see that Kanye is still able to have plenty of fun without losing any of his creativity." Dan Vidal of URB felt "sonically, the joy comes from the triumphant, painstaking arrangement that undoubtedly went into the production". 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....
wrote "the denouement of Fantasy is a rollicking effort, thundering in its production and chock-full of proclamations from West that lead to more questions than answers after an hour of listening. The track caps off an exhilarating audio experience that's sonically groundbreaking and lyrically thrilling." Knightnews wrote “Lost In The World opens rather softly, with a layered, quietly intimate vocal from Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. But soon enough, Kanye transforms Bon Iver’s melody into the most boisterous finale Kanye has ever unleashed, an elaborate epic boasting pulse-pounding rhythms, tribal chants, and a fiercely bipolar verse from Kanye". The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
s Chris Richards mused, "the drums come avalanching on Lost in the World, the grand finale this album deserves. Joined by Justin Vernon, the helium-throated warbler better known as indie-folk act Bon Iver, West serves up high drama at a breakneck tempo, with pining melodies crying out for a redemptive moment. But there's no final act of contrition. West is too 'lost in this plastic life.'" 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 :...
commented "nearly as accomplished—and equally as obsessed with the vocoder—is "Lost in the World," Kanye's much-anticipated reworking of Bon Iver's "Woods." It's astounding how he takes the strangest sample on the album and crafts it into a defiantly giddy dance number, complete with tribal drumming in the verses and group choruses that sound massive. It's a mad stroke of brilliance to take Justin Vernon's solitary ode to alienation and use it as the centerpiece of a catchy, communal reverie. It's experimental, to be sure, but it's also the closest the album comes to pure pop indulgence."
Live performances
To promote West's new album, it was reported he would perform the new song live at Macy's Thanksgiving Day ParadeMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, often shortened to Macy's Day Parade, is an annual parade presented by Macy's. The tradition started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States along with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, and four years younger than...
. According to Rap Up, "clad in a black peacoat, fur vest, shiny gold shirt, gold chains, and headband, the rapper lipsynched (as most do) the words to his Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album closer Lost in the World.” Due to the controversy of stemming from the MTV Video Music Awards, it was reported West was booed
Booing
Booing is an act of showing displeasure for someone or something, generally an entertainer, by loudly yelling boo! or making other noises of disparagement, such as hissing. People may make hand signs at the entertainer, such as the thumbs down sign...
during the performance which garnered press coverage. During his set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
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...
, West performed the song towards the end of his performance. Justin Vernon joined Kanye during the performance, and it was described as " one of the most memorable performances in Coachella history." The song remains a regular song during West's live sets, and was also performed notably at the The Big Chill
The Big Chill (music festival)
The Big Chill is an annual festival of alternative, dance and chill-out music and comedy, held in the grounds of Eastnor Castle during early August...
music festival. Dutch electronic musician Tiësto
Tiësto
Tijs Michiel Verwest, , known as Tiësto , is a Dutch musician, DJ and record producer of electronic dance music. Although he has used many aliases in the past, he is best known for his work as DJ Tiësto...
has performed a remix of "Lost in the World" live.
Chart performance
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| South Korea (Gaon Chart Gaon Chart The Gaon Chart is a national record chart of South Korea. It is complied by the Korea Music Content Industry Association and sponsored by South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism; with an aim to create a national chart for Korea similar to the Billboard charts and Oricon charts... ) |
104 |