"Best of Me" is a song by American singer and songwriter
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
. It was written by Keys, Andrew Hale,
Helen Adu,
Raphael Saadiq
Raphael Saadiq (; born Charles Ray Wiggins; May 14, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He rose to fame as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! In addition to his solo and group ...
and
Stuart Matthewman
Stuart Colin Matthewman (born 18 August 1960), also known as Cottonbelly, is an English songwriter, record producer and musician. With Sade Adu, Paul S. Denman, and Andrew Hale, he gained worldwide fame as the guitarist/saxophonist of the band Sa ...
. Keys released two versions of the song, "Originals", produced by Keys, and "Unlocked", produced by Keys and
Mike Will Made It, through
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
on October 28, 2021. The song serves as the second single from Keys' eighth studio album ''
Keys
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
''.
Background and release
Keys announced the song on social media on September 28, posting the single's cover art. In an interview with ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'', Keys commented that:
Additionally, in November 2021, Keys released a lullaby version of the song on ''Sweet Dreams'' extended play.
Composition
The song samples "
Cherish the Day
"Cherish the Day" is a song by English band Sade from their fourth studio album, ''Love Deluxe'' (1992). It was released as the album's fourth and final single in the United Kingdom on 19 July 1993.
Critical reception
Justin Chadwick from Alb ...
" by
Sade
Sade may refer to:
People
* Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), French aristocrat, writer, and libertine
* Sade (singer) (born 1959, Helen Folasade Adu), British Nigerian musician and lead singer of the eponymous band
* Sade Baderinwa (born 1969), WAB ...
.
''Rap-Up'' described the song as a "slow-burning groove"
while
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles (born October 25, 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''.The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' described it as having "steady, diligent beat".
Critical reception
Writing for ''The New York Times'', Pareles found that "the track is hypnotic and open-ended, fading rather than resolving, as if it could go on and on".
In his review of the album, Liam Inscoe-Jones from ''
The Line of Best Fit
''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music.
It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...
'' wrote that the “broody” song “conjures an ice-cold vibe through clattering, propulsive drums and a deep bed of whirring synths; it’s simple, but conjures one hell of a mood with it”.
[ He also commented that the remix version of the song “change so little that you have to squint to spot the difference”.]
Live performances
Keys performed the song at ''Mercedes-EQ
Mercedes-EQ is a series of battery electric vehicles manufactured by Mercedes-Benz. The first model was previewed at the Paris Motor Show in 2016 with the Generation EQ concept vehicle. Mercedes-Benz intends to produce ten EQ models by 2022, thre ...
Concert Experience'' at Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
Manhattan on November 6, 2021. Keys performed the song at Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...
for Sirius XM Small Stage Series. On December 10, Keys performed the song at Expo 2020
Expo 2020 ( ar, إكسبو 2020) was a World Expo hosted by Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Originally scheduled for 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 ...
in Dubal, United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
. Keys performed the song on ''Today
Today (archaically to-day) may refer to:
* Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now''
* Current era, present
* The current calendar date
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 A ...
'' on December 14, 2021.
Track listing
*Streaming
Music video
Keys released a music video for the original version on October 29, 2021.
Charts
Release history
Notes
References
{{Alicia Keys singles
2021 songs
Alicia Keys songs
Songs written by Alicia Keys
Song recordings produced by Alicia Keys