Heartless (Kanye West song)

"Heartless" is a song by American recording artist Kanye West from his fourth studio album, "808s & Heartbreak" (2008). The song was produced by West, while co-produced by No I.D. It was passed on to West from the recording of Jay-Z's eleventh studio album, "The Blueprint 3" (2009). After debuting the song at the 2008 Democratic National Convention (DNC), West shared an unmastered version via his blog on October 15. The song was later serviced to US rhythmic contemporary radio stations as the second single from "808s & Heartbreak" on October 28, 2008, through Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam. A pop song with influences of hip hop and R&B, it features synthesizers.
In the lyrics of the song, West reflects on his break-up with Alexis Phifer. "Heartless" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who mostly complimented West's performance. They often placed emphasis on his subject matter, while some critics praised the song's composition. At the 2010 BMI Pop Awards, it stood among the Award Winning Songs. The song reached number two on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, becoming West's third highest charting release on the chart. It further attained top 10 positions in Canada, New Zealand, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Having been certified septuple platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the song stands as one of the highest certified digital singles in the US. It has also received platinum and gold certifications in Australia and the UK by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and British Phonographic Industry (BPI), respectively.
The song's music video, released on November 7, 2008, is a tribute to Ralph Bakshi's 1981 film "American Pop". The video is animated, with it showcasing West expressing sadness over breaking up with Phifer. Critics gave the video favorable reviews, generally praising the animation. At the 2009 BET Awards, it received a nomination for the Video of the Year award. West performed "Heartless" at the 36th Annual American Music Awards and the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2008 and 2011, respectively.
A cover version of "Heartless" was debuted by the Fray on the Live Lounge for BBC Radio 1 in February 2009, before being released as a single on April 17. A pop rock ballad, it reworks the original. The cover received mixed to positive responses from critics, some of whom praised the musical direction. It charted at number 79 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. An accompanying music video was released on August 18, 2009, which shows moving doodles that appear from a boy's notebook. Kris Allen also covered the song, premiering his version in May 2009 with a performance for season eight of "American Idol", which he was the winner of. The performance gathered strong verdicts from the judges, including Simon Cowell. The cover was released as a single in May 2009, and it charted at number 16 on the Hot 100.
Background and recording.
After Kanye's mother Donda West died, his mentor No I.D. was contacted by American rapper Malik Yusef, who asked him to spend time with the artist. No I.D. initially rejected the decision due to their differing personalities, though later began communicating with Kanye West more after persuasion from Malik Yusef. West and No I.D. then travelled to Hawaii to work with rapper Jay-Z on his eleventh studio album "The Blueprint 3" (2009), before West decided on transferring to recording for "808s & Heartbreak" in the state once "Heartless" had been made. The recording took place at Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu, Hawaii, and at Glenwood Studios in Burbank, California. The song was produced by West, with co-production from No I.D. In a November 2014 interview for the Juan Epstein show, No I.D. recalled that the song was intended for "The Blueprint 3" until West stopped during its recording and said, "No." Replying to him, No I.D. asked, "No what?"; West insisted: "No way! This is my record!" No I.D. begged him to complete the song for the album, to which West expressed assurance about it being for "808s & Heartbreak" instead.
West premiered "Heartless" with a performance at the 2008 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in August, before he confirmed its release as the album's second single at a concert of rapper T.I. on October 5. A snippet of the song experienced an internet leak on October 12, 2008. Three days later, West posted a full unmastered version of the song on his blog for download and streaming, blogging that he had "no words". Alongside the post, he shared NSFW photographs of fuzzy faced, nude models that had been displayed at a listening party for "808s & Heartbreak" on October 14, 2008. "Heartless" was eventually released as a single on October 28, before West shared a newly mixed and mastered version to his blog on November 8, 2008 for download and streaming. West simultaneously called for the attention of DJs, requesting them to play the new version instead. The song is the only one on the album that contains rapping from West, while rap features are contributed to "Amazing" and "See You in My Nightmares" by Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy, respectively. In an interview with Kiss FM, West revealed that "Heartless" was one of the first two tracks that he created once he went "into album mode" after the success of his third studio album "Graduation" (2007). The song was recorded during the three week period that West worked on the entirety of "808s & Heartbreak" in 2008. For seeking out a minimalist direction sonically, West directed his team to bring unique drum machines to Avex Recording Studio. They were sampled and reprogrammed into West's Roland TR-808 drum machine at the studio.
Composition and lyrics.
Musically, "Heartless" is an upbeat pop song, with hip hop and R&B influences. According to the sheet music on Musicnotes.com, the song is set in the time signature of common time. It is composed in the key of A minor with a moderate R&B tempo of 90 beats per minute and West's vocal range varies from a low of G3 to a high of F5. The structure of the song is constructed around percussion, while synthesizers are prominently featured. The song includes the Roland TR-808 and piano stabs, the latter of which were contributed by Ken Lewis. Organs accompany the chorus, whereas keyboards appear in the background of the verses, played by West collaborator Jeff Bhasker. The song also contains a bassline, as well as Auto-Tuned melodies. West sings in auto-tune throughout the song, with him heavily utilizing the effect on the chorus. The song also includes rapping from West briefly.
Lyrically, "Heartless" features West's forceful and direct reflection on breaking up with his ex-fiancé Alexis Phifer. He expresses honesty and self-pity on the chorus: "The coldest story ever told / Somewhere far along this road / He lost his soul / To a woman so heartless". West also asks a question angrily twice before the chorus finishes: "How could you be so heartless?" Self-doubt is expressed on the song by West, who raps that despite having "homies", he is ultimately "still so lonely". West goes on to shed light on the post-breakup phase, assuming that Phifer will realize she is never going to find anybody better than him after two months.
Release and reception.
On October 28, 2008, the song was released to US rhythmic contemporary radio stations as the album's second single by West's record labels Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam. That same year, the labels issued a two-track CD single for it. On November 24, 2008, "Heartless" was included as the third track on West's fourth studio album "808s & Heartbreak". The song was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, many of whom praised West's performance. The staff of NBC4 Washington hailed the song as a perfect blend of "the cold, metallic 80s synth sound [West]'s been known for [as] of late" and "his older bouncing more straight forward Hip-Hop style", detailing that it is able to be upbeat alongside remaining melancholy as West sings in his "auto-tuned robotic croon" that T-Pain popularized. They continued, moderately comparing West's referencing of Phifer to rapper Eminem insulting his ex-girlfriend Kim Mathers, before assuring West's subject matter "makes good fodder for this super-slick space age, ragga-tinged gem" that you should download, then "pop it in your car and take a late night drive down Sunset Blvd". In a review of the song for Digital Spy, David Balls mildly asserted that it is not "exactly a warm and cosy affair"; he called the song a "dark, introspective slice of minor key pop". Balls elaborated by writing that even though creating the album "seems to have served as an alternative form of therapy" for West, the "terrific" song demonstrates how "the soul-bearing has propelled him to new creative peaks". Alex Macpherson from "The Guardian" pointed out how the song includes a "solipsistic and clumsy" take on "the solitude of the superstar", noticing West provides a "testament to his talent" by ultimately executing it. Reviewing the album for "Entertainment Weekly", Leah Greenblatt commented that the "stuttering" song is among its understandably dominant "mournful tales of heartbreak", noting a confession from West.
The staff of "NME" viewed the song as fulfilling the promise of West "leading the assault" on the planet undertaken by "scowling hip-hop androids", which he makes on the previous track "Welcome to Heartbreak". They explained, citing how the former is the only track to include rapping from him and saying the "cathedral organs and lava-lamp rhythmic thuds underscore a dancehall-style tormented chorus that impacts with flooring intensity". Writing for "Vibe", Jozen Cummings emphasised how the song's "clunky piano punches and throbbing bass line" lay "the sound bed" for the best break up track in rap since Jay-Z's "Song Cry" (2001). Jesal 'Jay Soul' Padania from "RapReviews" considered the song to be "ultra-catchy". "USA Today"s Steve Jones picked the song as one of tracks from "808s & Heartbreak" to download, an opinion that was shared by the staff of "The Observer" and Alfred H. Leonard, III of "IGN". For "Spin", Charles Aaron felt the song possesses the potential to "end up on a greatest-hits comp one day and be accepted as Kanyeezy standards". In a lukewarm review at "Pitchfork", Scott Plagenhoef characterized "Heartless" as a "very good" song that is a surprisingly appropriate fit for "the car radio" while naming it merely a "second-tier" single from West. Wilson McBee from "Slant Magazine" described the song as having all the qualities "of a classic, minor-key club anthem, darkly swaggering and indulgent of love's travails", though wished that it was performed by Usher instead. AllMusic editor Andy Kellman held a negative opinion, being surprised that the song's "synthetic calliope" is "unnerved".
Accolades.
On "Pitchfork" writer Ryan Dombal's list of the best tracks of 2008, he placed "Heartless" at number 23. The track was voted in at number 55 on "The Village Voice"s Pazz & Jop poll for 2008, garnering 10 mentions. In 2020, "Highsnobiety" named it as West's eighth best song. That same year, the track was ranked by "Teen Vogue" as the 47th best breakup song for the newly single, with Kristi Kellogg estimating that it will be played repeatedly "when you're in the post-breakup anger phase". The track was nominated for seven industry awards and won six of them, including being one of the Award Winning Songs at the 2010 BMI Pop Awards. In the same year, it was awarded as one of the Most-Performed Urban Songs at the BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards.
Music video.
Background.
An accompanying music video was directed and produced by Hype Williams, being set as a homage to Ralph Bakshi's film "American Pop" (1981); West admitted that inspiration was taken from the film after Williams showed him it. Before the technique of rotoscoped animation was used for the video, Williams shot the footage of West. The technique included 65 animators in Hong Kong drawing over every cell, after real people were recorded. West and Williams developed the video concept, while editorial and post-production house Chomet and visual effects company handled post-production, Stephan Zlotescu served as Art Director/VFX Supervisor, and Vlad Caprini was the Project Coordinator.
Michael Chomet explained that Williams approached the post-production house "with an almost impossible challenge: after picture-lock we had 10 days to deliver the goods". He emphasized the challenge as "a daunting task" that over 3,000 frames of hand-drawn animation and backgrounds were utilized for, though said that they managed "to pull it off in a record of 10 days working around the clock" with assistance from "a very talented team". Williams expressed his position for the video, asserting that him and West desired "to do something ... that was unexpected" and said they "needed a visual effects team that would deliver in terms of style, quality, and timing". He finalized by recalling having "worked with Stephan and Michael before", believing "that we could depend on them to pull it off". During his appearance at the 2008 American Music Awards, West premiered footage from the visual. On November 7, 2008, the music video was released.
Synopsis.
Throughout the animated music video, West expressing grief about his break-up with Phifer is interspersed with scenes of various women. The women are rotoscoped over West at times, with them having been drawn on top of the footage by hand. West wanders around a city while backed by the night sky at first, before he sits in a car's back seat. At one point, a portrait of Andy Warhol's artwork "Campbell's Soup Cans" is displayed. The locations that West appears in during the video are highly stylized, including a Miami street scene and a space-age version of Times Square. He briefly breaks his character, smoking a cigarette. At the end, West demonstrates frustration in an apartment while portraits of animated sitcom "The Jetsons" can be seen in the background.
Reception.
The music video was well received by critics. Scratch from "XXL" said West hired "Hype 'Big Budget' Williams to "draw" upon ... Rotoscoping to keep our eyes glued to the screen", finalizing that the video is "is an amazing work of art" and deservant of being "experienced on a big screen" while shining disappointment on West and Def Jam having "few outlets and opportunities for people to actually see [it]". Cesar Cueva of "Art of the Cartoon" felt both surprised and pleasured about the music video being animated, revealing himself to have instantly found the rotoscope style impressive. Cueva further wrote that after sensing a homage "to something I had seen before" with the video and having this confirmed by West citing inspiration from "American Pop", he appreciated it more, and praised the sitcom portraits. For the "Miami New Times", Jonathan Cunningham affirmed that the video "isn't bad" and he "can't complain about [West and Williams'] choice to go with an animated look rather than the standard video route", concluding by suggesting it is "mind-numbing entertainment to get you through the last day of the week". Larry Fitzmaurice of "Vice" named the visual a "Great video", viewing it as "no exception" to West's "cool-ass-looking videos" from the "808s & Heartbreak" period and "a trippy cel-shaded experience stuffed with pop art and pop culture references" that was released simultaneously with West becoming "inextricably enmeshed in pop culture's DNA".
In 2012, the clip was listed by "Rolling Stone" as one of the greatest animated music videos of all time. "Complex" named the music video as West's 16th best six years later, directing praise towards the rotoscoping for making the cartoons "surprisingly lifelike in their motions". The visual was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2009 BET Awards, ultimately losing to Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". The former received a nomination for International Video Of The Year – Artist at the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards, as well as being nominated for the awards of Best Hip-Hop Video and Best Male Video at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards Japan.
Commercial performance.
For the chart issue dated November 13, 2008, "Heartless" entered the US "Billboard" Hot 100 at number four, selling 201,000 downloads. It became West's 3rd top 5 entry of the year, as well as the 12th song overall to debut in the top 4 of the Hot 100 in the 21st century. After having fallen down the chart, the song reached number three on the Hot 100 for the issue date of January 15, 2009, simultaneously standing as the fastest growing track at radio. The song peaked at number two on the Hot 100 the following week, being blocked from the top position by Eminem's Dr. Dre and 50 Cent−featuring single "Crack a Bottle" and becoming West's third highest charting single in the United States. For 2008, "Heartless" ranked ninth on the year-end Hot 100 chart. The song lasted for 30 weeks on the chart overall. As of May 31, 2018, the song ranks as West's fourth biggest hit of all time on the Hot 100.
The track debuted at number 13 on the US "Billboard" Pop 100 chart issue dated November 22, 2008, standing as the highest entry of the week. In its eighth week on the chart, the track entered the top 10 at number seven, before peaking at number four on March 7, 2009. The track peaked at the summit of both the US "Billboard" Hot Rap Songs and Rhythmic charts, as well as reaching number three on both the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Mainstream Top 40. It ranked seventh on the Rhythmic year-end chart for 2008. By September 2012, the track had surpassed 3,000,000 digital sales in the US, becoming West's third track to achieve this milestone and his second to do so as a lead artist. On September 23, 2020, "Heartless" was certified septuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for amassing 7,000,000 certified units in the US, making it one of the best-selling digital singles in the country by certification.
In Canada, the song opened at number eight on the Canadian Hot 100 for the issue dated November 22, 2008, becoming the week's highest entry. "Heartless" spent 22 weeks on the Hot 100. Elsewhere, the song debuted at number 36 on the New Zealand Singles Chart for the issue date of December 1, 2008. The song steadily rose up the chart during the succeeding nine weeks, which finished with it peaking at number six on the chart issue dated February 2, 2009. On July 12, 2009, the song was certified gold by Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ) for selling over 7,500 units in New Zealand. "Heartless" peaked at number 40 on the ARIA Singles Chart, and it had been certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments of over 70,000 copies in Australia by December 31, 2015. In Turkey, the song entered the Türkiye Top 20 at number 14 on the issue date of January 19, 2009, before peaking at number 2 in its 7th week on the chart. The song peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, and lasted for 20 weeks on it. As of October 24, 2019, the song ranks as West's 17th most successful track of all time on the chart. On January 25, 2019, "Heartless" was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for selling 400,000 units in the United Kingdom. The song further reached the top 40 in Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany, with it receiving a gold certification by IFPI Denmark for 45,000 shipments in the third of the five countries. The song peaked at number 36 on the European Hot 100 Singles chart, while it ranked as the ninth biggest digital song of 2009 worldwide, with sales of 5,500,000.
Live performances.
West first performed a portion of the song live in August 2008 for the ONE Campaign concert at the DNC in Denver, Colorado. Before his performance of "Heartless" for T.I.'s Myspace sponsored concert at the Key Club, Los Angeles, in October 2008, West announced that "808s & Heartbreak" had been finished in Hawaii and the song would be released as a single. He abruptly ended the performance, complaining about not wanting it to end up on YouTube. West finished his appearance at the 2008 American Music Awards by performing the song. He wore a blue and red two-tone Pastelle varsity jacket for the performance, being accompanied by a neon back-drop. West transitioned from a performance of the song into one of fellow album track "Pinocchio Story" for "Saturday Night Live (SNL)" on December 13, 2008. On January 20, 2009, West performed the former at the Be the Change Youth Ball for the first inaugaration of 2009–2017 US president Barack Obama. During an instrumental break in the song, Kanye West proclaimed that he "feels so good to be standing here" and Donda "would be so proud right now" in seeing "her baby boy performing the #1 song in the country for our new African-American president". West also said that his grandfather "drove the first car in the marches out of Oklahoma" to see the ball, before he sang an altered version of the song's chorus in tribute to both the civil rights struggle and Obama: "In the night I hear them talk/ The greatest story ever told, [...] Somewhere far along this road, a new soul: Obama ..."
West performed a medley of the song and "Pinocchio Story" as the eight number of his February 2009 VH1 show, which was later issued as his second live album "VH1 Storytellers" in January 2010. At the 2009 iTunes Festival, Mr Hudson brought out West for a performance of "Heartless", with West hugging the former's mainman Ben Hudson at the end of the song. West performed the song during his headlining set at the 2011 Coachella Festival, with the concert's programmer Laura Escudé handling the pitch shifting for enabling him to be heard as the auto-tune was turned on and off. He performed a remixed version at the 2013 Governors Ball that added feral growls. On February 25, 2014, West performed a five minute medley of his greatest hits in chronological order by album on "Late Night with Seth Meyers", which included "Heartless". West delivered a performance of the song in a low tempo for his headlining set at the 2015 Glastonbury Festival, beginning from the set's 38:04 mark. For West's two night concert of "808s & Heartbreak" in full at the Hollywood Bowl in September 2015, him and Kid Cudi performed the song as the set's third track. West wore loose garments in white and off-white shades while performing, with backing from a small band and a medium-sized orchestra. Kid Cudi strengthened West's vocal runs when singing them, and the pair moved around the stage during the performance.
Track listing.
CD single
Credits and personnel.
Information taken from "808s & Heartbreak" liner notes.
Recording
Personnel
The Fray version.
During their appearance for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on February 16, 2009, American rock band the Fray performed their 2008 single "You Found Me" and a cover of "Heartless", marking the latter's debut. The following day, West shared a link to the cover over his blog. After its premiere, "Heartless" received a large amount of airplay at radio. There was also an overwhelming public demand for a release, leading the Fray to record a studio version of the cover during 2009. The cover eventually experienced a single release in April of that year. Musically, "Heartless" is a pop rock ballad. The cover reworks the original, with no auto-tune being applied to the vocals. Lead vocalist Isaac Slade desperately makes breathy pleas, echoing West's emotion on the original.
The cover was released for digital download as a single on April 17, 2009. In August 2009, it was revealed that the band were set to release an accompanying digital extended play (EP). The EP was subsequently released digitally on September 27, consisting of three tracks. On November 10, 2009, "Heartless" was included on the second disc of the deluxe edition of the Fray's eponymous second studio album. During 2009, the cover was a frequent part of the Fray's live shows.
Reception.
A writer for BBC Radio 1 saw "Heartless" as great, while MTV's Colin Schoenberger chronicled how the "aching, earnest pop-rock ballad" adopts "a sold life of its own" and believed the Live Lounge performance "begat other fantastic covers". Greenblatt affirmed that the Fray are equivalent to West in terms of vulnerability and angst; she called the cover "Vulnerable Angst Squared" and said "Slade's desperate, breathy pleas sound like the last gasp of someone with fatal emotional angina". In a negative review for MusicRadar, Ben Rogerson pinpointed the strangeness of the cover lacking the original's "Auto-Tuned vocal" and sounding "more human" as a whole, yet "com[ing] off significantly less powerful and soulful". "Idolator" critic noah derided the cover for being somewhat messy, complaining about Slade "blaaating all over an instrumental accompaniment that seems to be beamed in from a different galaxy". The cover entered the "Billboard" Hot 100 at number 79 for the issue dated May 30, 2009, based solely on downloads. It later peaked at number 26 on both the US "Billboard" Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Rock Airplay charts, and had sold over 125,000 downloads in the US by August 2009.
Music video.
On August 18, 2009, a music video for "Heartless" was released, which Hiro Murai directed. The video shows a classroom of elementary school students, focusing on a boy staring at his notebook. As he looks at a sheet of paper on it, moving doodles appear. These include creatures and the Fray, with the former being depicted as performing the song. The boy stares at a girl during various points and goes on to throw the sheet onto the floor, before the drawings transport themselves across the classroom to the blackboard. A tale of a heart being broken is told, with a bleeding heart being present to imply that the girl hurt her classmate.
Credits and personnel.
Credits adapted from VideoStatic.
Filming
Personnel
Kris Allen version.
On May 12, 2009, American musician Kris Allen performed a sparse solo acoustic cover of the song as his personal pick for the Top 3 night of the eighth season of "American Idol". Allen played a flamenco–style beat, while he rocked a shirt covered with glitter. As Allen began to perform the final chorus, he made a grin that indicated self-satisfaction with his cover. The performance was reacted to with cries of applause from the female crowd members, as well as heavy praise from the show's judges. Simon Cowell admitted that after he had previously written Allen out of the competition, his verdict "changed with that performance". Randy Jackson declared the cover "better than the original", while Kara DioGuardi saw it as "bold, brave, [and] fearless". Allen's performance also qualified him for the finale of the eighth season, which he ultimately won.
In May 2009, shortly after Allen's performance for "American Idol", a studio version of the cover was released for digital download as a single. The version is a largely sentimental number, with a smooth jazz style. Following the lack of positive reactions towards the cover, Allen decided on re-recording it for his self-titled debut studio album. Allen sought out record producer Salaam Remi for the new version's production, creating a sleeker version that recalls the heavily delicate and light soundscapes of Phil Collins' 1981 hit "In the Air Tonight". When asked by MTV about his biggest defeat throughout the process of debuting after the performance, Allen hesitantly answered that it was "Heartless". Allen explained this was due to the version being "a little bit different" for him, rather than not wanting to include the cover on the album. He also cited Remi as the one responsible for recalling "In the Air Tonight", while announcing the version as very different from his first one.
On November 17, 2009, "Heartless" was included as the 13th track on "Kris Allen", being added as a bonus track. In a phone call with "Vulture", Allen cast light on a "small discussion" he had about the cover being removed from the album following West's incident at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Allen assured not everything should be based on West's actions, recalling that the discussion quickly ended. Even though he lacked enthusiasm about the cover, Allen acknowledged his fans' positive opinions and smiled as he praised how his brother likes it. The cover peaked at number 16 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, on which it spent three weeks. On the Canadian Hot 100, the cover reached number 39 and lasted for two weeks.