My Boo (Usher and Alicia Keys song)
February 21, 2004
4:44 ( album version )
My Boo is a song by the American singer Usher, which he recorded together with the U.S. singer Alicia Keys. The song was the fourth single from Usher's third studio album, Confessions, and was released on September 21, 2004 by LaFace Records. The song reached number one in the States of the charts and became Usher's fourth single from his album, which succeeded in this for Keys, it was her second number -one hit after the successful fallin ' from the year 2001.
At the Grammy Awards of 2005, the song was nominated in two categories, among others, and won the Grammy for best " R & B / Soul Single".
Background and music style
Usher and Alicia Keys worked previously together on the remix version of Hit Keys If I Is not Got You from 2004. During the production of Usher's fourth album Confessions, the producers sought out some singers after that could accompany him on a song, including Solange Knowles was also in the wish list. A demo recording of the song, which took up Usher with Solange, was released on the Internet. However, her singing is often confused with her older sister Beyonce. Jermaine Dupri, who wrote the previous number one hits for Usher, but thought of Alicia Keys as a singer and was sure she and Usher would work well together, also were Keys and Usher friends on the remix version of their cooperation, thus eventually Keys selected as Usher's duet partner.
The song was written from the perspectives of Keys and Usher, and is about their relationship in the past. According to Dupri, Usher and Keys sing about how their love and feelings arose and how they feel about it now. For Keys, the song about the first person for whom you have real feelings are felt. " When you meet new people, do you still remember nevertheless to the first person for whom you really felt feelings, or what have you really loved. "
My Boo is a typical Contemporary R & B song with hip-hop and slow jam influences. The lyrics are constructed in verse - chorus - verse - chorus form. Usher starts the introduction to the song, then Keys starts with her rap verse, Usher acts during Alicia's rap as a background singer and performs the first verse then ended. Next, Keys sings the first chorus, and brings the song into a dialogue form. She also sings the second verse and Usher follows in the chorus, where finally Keys takes care of the backing vocals. After Keys repeats her chorus again. At the end of the song through singing together Usher and Keys, and finally finished the song Alicia with the repetition of their Rapverses with which they initiated the song at the beginning.
Criticism
Music critic Azeem Ahmad of OMH Media criticized My Boo, when he saw the song as a contest between Usher and Alicia Keys, who sings best about the "R & B- hip- hop beat ." Jon Caramanica of Rolling Stone described the duet as "pleasant".
Music Video
The music video was filmed to My Boo by Usher and Chris Robinson in New York City. The music video reflects the content of the song.
The music video begins in a living room where Usher music video look at his song Bad Girl. A short time later, he turns the TV off and lays down on the couch. After a brief moment of calm he begins with the introduction of the song. Then you see Usher and Alicia in different rooms, where they sing their parts of the song. Then Usher goes on the streets of New York and Keys drives a car, after a short time the two meet and fall in love. Both walk and then go together to Times Square, where they cuddle and hug, show emotions and kissing. In the end they confess to each other their love.
The music video had its premiere on American television on 16 September 2004.