There is none more controversial or outspoken an artist than the likes of Kanye West, but regardless of his antics, you can’t deny the musicality of his work.
With hits like 2012’s Mercy, Ni–as In Paris, and his newest album released in 2013, Yeezus, fans are always excited to see what Kanye will do next. So when word broke out that Kanye was working with famed former Beatle, Paul McCartney, people were left wondering what exactly would come from the somewhat odd pairing.
“Only One” album art featuring Kanye West and daughter, North West taken by Inez and Vinoodh
Released on December 31, 2014 and reaching number 35 on Billboard’s Top 100 by January 17, 2015 , Only One is a tender and heartfelt song sung by Kanye through the perspective of his late mother, Donda West, who passed away in 2007.
The song itself opens with a soft keyboard melody that lasts throughout the whole song, contributed by Paul McCartney. Kanye comes in with autotuned vocals, putting a twist on what would be a simple ballad. The lyrics are incredibly touching, with empowering lines like “Remember who you are, no you’re not perfect but you’re not your mistakes” and “And if you knew how proud I was you’d never shed a tear, have a fear, no you wouldn’t do that. And though I didn’t pick the day to turn the page I know it’s not the end every time I see her face” given the listener some perspective on how Kayne feels about what his late mother would be telling him if she could speak to him in that moment. The track finishes with the repeated phrase “Tell Nori about me”, which we can infer is Kanye’s mother telling him to tell his daughter about her and how much she would have loved her.
Kanye West and Paul McCartney by Inez and Vinoodh
The song doesn’t feature anything elaborate, just soft, smooth keyboard sounds accompanied by autotuned background and main vocals. It would be interesting to know why Kanye chose to have his vocals autotuned, and not fully give a bare bones rendition of the song, personally I feel like it may have taken away from the overall emotion of the message but the lyrics are so beautifully written that it doesn’t really matter in the grand scope of things.
Only One‘s music video was released January 29, 2015 directed by Spike Jonze is simple as well, just featuring Kanye and his daughter, North on a country back road in the rural town of L’Erable, Illinois where Kanye grew up. The song in the video has some minor changes, and is different than the actual studio version of the track. You can hear Kanye singing through the video with the track and not just having the studio audio overlap the video at all.
Overall, this single from Kanye West is incredibly personal, touching and beautifully written. It tugs at all your heartstrings and shows a different side of the artist that we usually don’t get to see, if not at all. This song is definitely worth checking out, and a wonderful precursor to Kanye’s next studio album.
Niana Gutierrez
Check out the song and music video below
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