"Dark Fantasy" is a song by American hip hop recording artist and producer

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

from his fifth studio album, ''

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records on November 22, 2010, following a period of public controversy for West. Re ...

'' (2010). The song serves as the opening track of the album, and was written by West, Ernest Wilson,

Jeff Bhasker Jeff Bhasker (born March 4, 1974) is an American record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. He was awarded the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year in 2016 and nominated in 2013. An accomplished producer, he ...

, Mike Dean and Robert Diggs. It features an opening narrative delivered by rapper

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...

, and singers

Teyana Taylor Teyana Me Shay Jacqueli Shumpert ( Taylor; born December 10, 1990) is an American singer, actress, dancer and choreographer. In 2005, she signed a record deal with Pharrell Williams' Star Trak Entertainment imprint. Afterwards, she choreographe ...

and

Justin Vernon Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon (born April 30, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the primary songwriter and frontman of indie folk band Bon Iver. Known for his distinct falsetto voic ...

contribute to the song's hook and provide background vocals. The track heavily samples " In High Places" by

Mike Oldfield Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...

(sung by

Jon Anderson John Roy Anderson (born 25 October 1944) is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer of the progressive rock band Yes, which he formed in 1968 with bassist Chris Squire. He was a member of the band across thre ...

). The song introduces several of the themes presented on the album and features numerous

pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * Pop (Gas al ...

references, a

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

-inspired production style, and piano-driven composition. The song received acclaim from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, who praised the song as a strong opener to ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'', complementing West's vocal delivery and the song's production. Despite not being released as a single, the hype generated by the release of ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' caused the song to enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at position 60. It was the opening song of West's 2011 setlist at the

Coachella Music Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert ...

, and was performed at the '

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...

Presents

GOOD Music GOOD Music (also known simply as GOOD, stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label signed an exclusive long-term worldwide label agreement with t ...

' musical venue. "Dark Fantasy" was utilized in the opening sequence of West's

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

'' Runaway'', in an extended scene where West drives down an atmospheric forest road.

Background

Like the majority of ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'', the song was recorded in

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

.Callahan-Bever, Noah (2010-12-12)
Kanye West: Project Runaway
. ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

''. Retrieved on 2010-11-30. Following several media controversies, West decided to record his next album in a reclusive manner only working with artists he considered himself familiar with.Rodriguez, Jayson (2010-05-25)
Kanye West's 'Power' Producer Explains How Song Happened

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2006), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Par ...

Retrieved on 2010-11-30. Justin Vernon of the group

Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, ''For Emma, Forever Ago,'' independently in July 2007. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon ...

appears on backing vocals of the track and is the first voice heard on the album. West was a fan of Bon Iver's album ''

For Emma, Forever Ago ''For Emma, Forever Ago'' is the debut studio album by American indie folk band Bon Iver. It was first self-released in July 2007, and later saw wide release on the Jagjaguwar label in February 2008. The album is principally the work of singer-son ...

'' and invited him down to Hawaii to record with him. While working there, the two became friends and reportedly produced 10 songs during their sessions together. Vernon described the process as highly artistic in nature, stating that the fourteen-hour day recording schedule allowed for a lot of fun and creativity. The song features production by RZA of the hip-hop group

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...

, who commented that "Dark Fantasy" was one of the many compositions that he and West collaborated on.Gill, Andy (2010-11-19)
Review: ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy''
''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

''. Retrieved on 2010-11-19. According to him, West had a "stack of beats" and that he tried to be as productive as possible with so much material already recorded. The style of composition is deeply influenced by producer RZA, who introduces his "bring-the-ruckus" aesthetic to the song production. Nicki Minaj was asked to open the song with a spoken word introduction, a favor she was excited to perform because she was a fan of

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

, a rapper who West was recording with at the time. Minaj described both Jay-Z and West as "icons", and stated that she was blessed to be working with them. Producer

No I.D. Ernest Dion Wilson (born June 23, 1971), professionally known as No I.D. (formerly Immenslope), is an American hip hop and R&B producer from Chicago, Illinois. Wilson is also a disc jockey (DJ), music arranger and former rapper, having relea ...

spoke about the history of the beat, and noted that it was offered to both

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

and Jay-Z before West finally decided to use it himself. According to him, producers RZA and

Pete Rock Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapping, rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned alongs ...

had already recorded certain portions of the song, and that he and West recorded the chorus parts. Following that, he mused "then Nicki did the intro and it went crazy. That’s one of my favorite records, just because of all the emotions that came with it.”

Composition

The song is introduced with a contribution from one of Minaj's alter egos; Martha Zolanski, who appears to be a rewording of the introduction to writer

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter ace of Norwegian descent. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has be ...

's poetic rework of "

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

".Powers, Ann (2010-11-23)
Review: ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy''
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

''.

Tribune Company Tribune Media Company, also known as Tribune Company, was an American multimedia conglomerate headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Through Tribune Broadcasting, Tribune Media was one of the largest television broadcasting companies, owning 39 ...

Retrieved 2010-11-22 West begins his verse with the refrain "I fantasized 'bout this back in Chicago".Barber, Andrew (2012-12-07)
Kanye West "Dark Fantasy" (2010)
''Complex''. Retrieved on 2010-11-30. It introduces themes referenced on the majority of ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'', including comments on decadence and hedonism, with West musing how "the plan was to drink until the pain was over / but what's worse, the pain or the hangover?".Kot, Greg (2010-11-17)

''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

''. Retrieved 2010-11-17.Denney, Alex (2010-11-19)
Review: ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy''
''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

''. Retrieved 2010-11-22. His lyrics on the track contain numerous musical and cultural references, including those to the song "

Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" is the second single from Marvin Gaye's 1971 album, '' What's Going On''. Following the breakthrough of the title track's success, the song, written solely by Gaye, became regarded as one of popular music's most poi ...

", the

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sports car, rapper

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

, fashion designer

Phoebe Philo Phoebe Philo OBE (born 1 January 1973) is a British fashion designer. She was the creative director of fashion brands Céline from 2008 to 2018 and Chloé from 2001 to 2006. Early life and education Philo was born in Paris to British parents wo ...

, short story "

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a gothic story by American author Washington Irving, contained in his collection of 34 essays and short stories titled ''The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.'' Written while Irving was living abroad in Birm ...

", the band the

Kings Of Leon Kings of Leon is an American rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, and their cousin Matthew Followill. The band's early music was a blend of Southern rock and gar ...

and their song "

Sex on Fire "Sex on Fire" is the first single released from American rock band Kings of Leon's fourth studio album, ''Only by the Night''. The song gave Kings of Leon their first number-one single in Australia, Finland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, chart ...

", singers

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

and

Leona Lewis Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and activist. Born and raised in the London Borough of Islington, she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieved nationa ...

, and television character

Steve Urkel Steven Quincy Urkel is a fictional character on the American ABC/ CBS sitcom ''Family Matters'', portrayed by Jaleel White. Originally slated to be a one-time-only character on the show, he broke out to be its most popular character and gradual ...

.Anderson, Kyle (2010-11-15)
Inside Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: 'Dark Fantasy'

MTV News MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...

. Viacom Retrieved 2010-12-07. The song contains the line "too many Urkels on your team / that's why your wins low", a

double entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...

. The "Winslows" were the family Urkel lived with on the show ''

Family Matters ''Family Matters'' is an American television sitcom that debuted on ABC on September 22, 1989, and ended on May 9, 1997. However it moved to CBS, where it was shown from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-off of '' Perfect Strangers ...

'', with the alternative meaning touching upon how his opponents' "wins are low". The chorus contains the line "can we get much higher?", another inquiry that is brought up during much of the proceeding album. The song samples a portion of "In High Places" by

, a

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

song from 1983 from the album ''

Crises A crisis ( : crises; : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affair ...

''. West raps in a highly melodic manner, almost singing some of his verses, over the brooding production style.TC (2010-10-23)
Kanye West - Dark Fantasy
. Smoking Section. Retrieved 2010-11-22. The production style has been defined as having several similarities with West's prior composition styles.Paine, Jake (2010-10-04)
Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
. HipHopDX. Retrieved on 2010-11-27.

AbsolutePunk ''AbsolutePunk'' was a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate (the most recent CEO). The website mainly focused on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it was known to fea ...

's Drew Beringer stated felt that the song sounded like West was "sampling his own source material" on the song, and felt that West embraced a "baroque instrumentation" on the track.

Critical reception

"Dark Fantasy" received acclaim by critics. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''s Chris Richards described the song as having "mutant

crescendos" and called it epic in nature.Richards, Chris (2010-11-19)
Review: ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy''
''

''. Retrieved 2010-11-19.

praised the delivery of Minaj's verse, calling it structured like a

nursery rhyme A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and many other countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes. From t ...

, musing that it "sets the tone for the song (which is intense and hallucinatory) and the album". ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' writer

Rob Sheffield Robert James Sheffield (born February 2, 1966) is an American music journalist and author. He is a long time contributing editor at ''Rolling Stone'', writing about music, TV, and pop culture. Previously, he was a contributing editor at ''Blen ...

praised the lyricism, describing it as witty, and wrote "in 'Dark Fantasy,' West rhymes " mercy, mercy me, that Murcielago" with " diablo," "bravado" and "My chick in that new

/ So much head, I woke up in Sleepy Hollow. It's some genius stuff."Sheffield, Rob (2010-11-08)
Review: ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy''
''

''. Retrieved 2010-11-11. David Amidon of

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

felt that West's vocals were "layered a baker’s dozen different ways" and described the production as synthetic in nature.Amidon, David (2010-11-22)
Review: ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy''

. Retrieved 2010-11-22. Dan Vidal of '' URB'' stated that he enjoyed Minaj's verse, describing it as a "pseudo-cockney-accented opening narration" and praised the song's arrangement as "spine-tingling".Vidal, Dan (2010-11-23)
Review: ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy''
. '' URB''. Retrieved 2010-12-08. David Browne of ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' wrote "tracks like 'Dark Fantasy' and '

So Appalled "So Appalled" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his fifth studio album, '' My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' (2010). The song was produced by West, along with No I.D. and Mike Dean, and features verses by Jay-Z, Cy ...

' are built on rumbling tanks of pianos and strings that sound as if West is marching into the

apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...

."Browne, David (2010-11-17)
Review: ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy''
''

''.

Time Inc. Time Inc. was an American worldwide mass media corporation founded on November 28, 1922, by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden and based in New York City. It owned and published over 100 magazine brands, including its namesake ''Time'', ''Sports Illu ...

Retrieved 2010-11-18. Andrew Martin of Prefix Magazine stated that the song restored his admiration for West, and that the track lived up to the hype behind it, writing "most of it is rather epic and damn good, especially this track with its classic RZA production and assistance from No I.D.."Martin, Andrew (2010-10-24)
Kanye West: "Dark Fantasy" (Prod. RZA, No I.D. & Kanye West)
Prefix Magazine. Retrieved on 2011-04-30. J. Tinsley of The Smoking Section commented that the song served as a successful opener, viewing it as a "boisterous firestarter combining sharp lyrics, a spurious Nicki Minaj English accent and an enormous chorus."Tinsley, J(2010-11-22)
Hell of a Life - Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
. Smoking Section. Retrieved 2010-11-22. Chris Martins of ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' complimented West's lyricism and use of double entrendres, and mused that the track was the album's "beyond luxe opener".Martins, Chris (2010-11-11)
Review: ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy''
''

''. Retrieved on 2010-11-11. Jonah Weiner ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

'' commented that West pulled off an impressive balancing act, and cited the song as an example of "his marvelous, hungry ear".Weiner, Jonah (2010-11-12)
Review: ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy''
''

''. Retrieved on 2011-01-29. Andrew Barber of ''

'' compared the impact of the beat to that of a cannon, calling the production team of the song a "dream team", describing the track as powerful in nature.

Promotion

At the 'Vevo Presents GOOD Music' musical presentation, the song was performed by both West and Taylor. The performance began with West's silhouette pressed against a glowing background, dressed in all black. During his set at the

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...

, West performed "Dark Fantasy" as the opening track. The song was also featured as the opening track in ''Runaway'', a 35-minute music video directed by West set to music from ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy''. The scene which the track is played during features West driving his

MTX Tatra V8 The Metalex MTX Tatra V8 also known as the Metalex MTX V8 GT 3900 in Western Europe was a Supercar, super-sports car produced by MTX (automobile), MTX in cooperation with Tatra (company), Tatra in 1991. It was designed by Czech automobile design ...

through the forest when he crashes into a

meteorite A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or Natural satellite, moon. When the ...

, which according to '' GQ'', paralleled West's car accident that was the inspiration for "

Through the Wire "Through the Wire" is the debut single by American rapper and producer Kanye West, who wrote and recorded the song with his jaw wired shut after a car crash in October 2002. The song samples Chaka Khan's 1985 single " Through the Fire" and was rel ...

". The song was used in advertisements for the film ''

The Hangover Part II ''The Hangover Part II'' is a 2011 American comedy film produced by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the sequel to the 2009 film ''The Hangover'' and the second installment in ''The Hangover'' trilogy. Directed ...

''. Most notably, the song is featured during the farewell montage at the climax of ''

The Hangover Part III ''The Hangover Part III'' is a 2013 American action comedy film and the sequel to ''The Hangover Part II'' (2011), both produced by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the third and final installment in ''The Hang ...

'', particularly the verse "The plan was to drink until the pain over, but what's worse, the pain or the hangover?" as it coincidentally relates to the story arc of the trilogy.

Commercial performance

Due to the hype generated by the anticipation of ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'', ''Dark Fantasy'' debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at 60, without actually being released as a single. The second week it dropped to 83, and by the third week it exited the chart. The song performed similarly in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, charting at 67 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

. Other than the four singles released from the album, ("

Power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may a ...

", "

All of the Lights "All of the Lights" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, released as the fourth single from his fifth studio album, ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' (2010). It was produced by West and features additional vocals from several other record ...

", "

Monster A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...

", and " Runaway") "Dark Fantasy" was the only song off the album to chart. The song debuted at position 10 on the

Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

as reported by ''Billboard''. It also appeared at position 80 on the South Korean Gaon Chart, and at 189 the following week.

Legacy

In 2022, the song gained a resurgence in popularity due to an

internet meme An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...

involving characters from the Japanese manga series ''

One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual chapte ...

''. The meme involves a scene in the anime adaptation where the character Whitebeard shouts "The One Piece... The One Piece is real!" followed by a montage of edited images depicting him and several other ''One Piece'' characters (including

Tony Tony Chopper is a fictional character in the manga series ''One Piece'' by Eiichiro Oda. He is the fifth member to join and the doctor of the Straw Hat Pirates. Chopper is frequently featured on official merchandise, serving as a mascot for the series. The ...

Monkey D. Luffy , also known as , is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''One Piece'' manga series, created by Eiichiro Oda. Luffy made his debut as a young boy who acquires the properties of rubber after accidentally eating one of the devil f ...

, and Portgas D. Ace), sometimes with drawn-on large penises, while the song plays in the background. The scene or audio of Whitebeard shouting is sometimes replaced with ''

Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...

'' actor

Patrick Fabian Patrick Fabian (born December 7, 1964) is an American film, stage, and television actor. He is known for his role as attorney Howard Hamlin in ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–2022). His film roles include '' End Game'' (2006), ''The Last Exorcism' ...

reading the line instead.

Personnel

- vocals, production * Mike Dean - piano, additional production, mixing *

- keyboards, additional production *Chris "Hitchcock" Chorney - cello *

- vocals (sample) *

- background vocals *

Amber Rose Amber Rose Levonchuck (born October 21, 1983) is an American model and television personality. She first gained attention after she appeared in the music video for Young Jeezy and Kanye West's single " Put On". In 2008, Rose began a high-profil ...

- additional vocals *

- additional vocals * RZA - production * Andrew Dawson - mixing

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

* (34:33) {{authority control 2010 songs Kanye West songs Song recordings produced by Kanye West Songs written by Kanye West Song recordings produced by No I.D. Songs written by No I.D. Songs written by Jeff Bhasker Songs written by Mike Oldfield Songs written by Jon Anderson Song recordings produced by Jeff Bhasker Song recordings produced by RZA Songs written by RZA Songs written by Mike Dean (record producer) Internet memes introduced in 2022