"The Root" is a song by American recording artist

D'Angelo Michael Eugene Archer (born February 11, 1974), better known by his stage name D'Angelo (), is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He first garnered attention after co-producing the single "U Will Know" ...

. It is the eighth track on his second studio album, ''

Voodoo Voodoo may refer to: Religions * African or West African Vodun, practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups * African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo ** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...

'', which was released on January 25, 2000, by

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...

. "The Root" was recorded and produced by D'Angelo at New York's

Electric Lady Studios Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer by 1970. Hendrix spent only ten ...

during sessions for the album. The song was composed by D'Angelo, guitarist

Charlie Hunter Charlie Hunter (born May 23, 1967) is an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. First coming to prominence in the early 1990s, Hunter plays custom-made seven- and eight-string guitars on which he simultaneously plays bass lines, chords, a ...

, and Luther Archer, D'Angelo's brother. "The Root" features intricate musical arrangements and its theme concerns a vengeful lover's effect on the song's narrator whose lament is depicted in the lyrics. It was well received by music critics, who commended its music and lyrical content.

Recording and production

"The Root" was recorded and produced by D'Angelo at

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

during sessions for his sophomore

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

studio album, ''Voodoo'' (2000),

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

(1999). (in English) (

Electronic Press Kit A press kit, often referred to as a media kit in business environments, is a pre-packaged set of promotional materials that provide information about a person, company, organization or cause and which is distributed to members of the media for pr ...

). Press release. which took place during 1998 to 1999.Thompson, Ahmir 'Questlove'.
Review: ''Voodoo''
. ?uestcorner/

Okayplayer Okayplayer is an online hip-hop and alternative music website and community, described by ''Rolling Stone'' as a "tastemaker" and "an antidote to dull promotional Web sites used by most artists". The community was founded by The Roots' drummer ...

: 1999. Archived fro
the original
on 2008-08-09. The song was composed by D'Angelo, guitarist

, and Luther Archer, D'Angelo's brother.Track listing and credits as per liner notes for ''Voodoo'' album According to ''Voodoo''s co-producer and drummer, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson of

The Roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...

, the track serves as part of the album's "virtuoso part", along with "Spanish Joint" and "Greatdayndamornin' / Booty". It features intricate technical arrangements and no overdubbing of live instrumentation or vocals. Charlie Hunter simultaneously plays a bass line and guitar solo for the song.Rhea, Shawn. "Interview with D'Angelo". ''

New Orleans Times-Picayune ''The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate'' is an American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana, since January 25, 1837. The current publication is the result of the 2019 acquisition of ''The Times-Picayune'' (itself a result of th ...

'': March 10, 2000. Hunter came up with the song's guitar and bass parts after being inspired by his jamming with D'Angelo to

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

songs.Video Archive: Elevate Your Mind

Red Bull Music Academy The Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) is a world-traveling series of music workshops and festivals that was founded in 1998 by Red Bull GmbH. The main five-week event is held in a different city each year. The public portion of its program is a festiv ...

. Retrieved on 2008-10-13. He played the guitar and bass sections on "The Root" with a custom 8 string guitar/ bass combo, which features the upper three strings as bass and the lower five as guitar. It also had separate pickups for each set of strings, along with separate outputs for each pickup. To adjust to his playing, ''Voodoo''s

audio engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

Russell Elevado Russell Elevado (born 1966 in the Philippines) is a recording engineer and record producer based in New York City. Accolades Russell Elevado has a catalog of 50 full albums from the over 100 albums in his discography. Elevado earned a Grammy ...

had separate outputs from Hunter's guitar connected to a separate bass and guitar amplifier. Elevado has stated that "there was slight bleeding into each other from the pickups in close proximity to each other, but enough separation for me to manage a good sound on both". Hunter has stated that the session for the song was the most challenging session he has worked on.

Composition

D'Angelo composed the song's vocal and musical arrangements, and he also managed all other instrumentation. A calm

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

track,Stevenson, Jane
Review: ''Voodoo''

Jam! Jam! was a Canadian website which covers entertainment news. It was part of the Canoe.com online portal, formerly owned and operated by Quebecor through its Sun Media division, and now owned by Postmedia Network. Jam! was the only media outlet ...

. Retrieved on 2009-09-02. "The Root" is performed in mid-tempo and its

groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station * ...

-based sound is accompanied by Charlie Hunter's signature guitar riffs,Neal, Mark Anthony
Review: ''Voodoo''

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 ...

. Retrieved on 2009-09-01. which form the crux of the song's winding grooves. PR.
Press Release: ''Voodoo''
. Virgin: January 2000. Archived fro

on 2008-12-20. Hunter's fuzzy guitar lines have been compared to the musical structure of Jimi Hendrix's " Castles Made of Sand" (1967).Columnist.
Review: ''Voodoo''
. '' Fort Wayne News Sentinel'': 11SU. February 26, 2000. A mid-tempo heartbreak song, the lyrics of "The Root" have the narrator lamenting a lost lover; "In the name of love and war, she took my shield and sword ... From the pit of the bottom that knows no floor/Like the rain to the dirt, from the vine to the wine/From the alpha of creation, to the end of all time".Peterson, Andy
Review: ''Voodoo''
. ''

The GW Hatchet ''The GW Hatchet'' is the student newspaper of the George Washington University. Founded in 1904, The Hatchet is the second-oldest continuously-running newspaper in Washington, DC, only behind ''The Washington Post''. The Hatchet is often ranked ...

''. Retrieved on 2009-08-20.Lewis, Miles Marshall
Review: ''Voodoo''
''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

''. Retrieved on 2008-12-25. The final two minutes of "The Root" feature an emphatic refrain of the chorus line. Reveille Magazine's Steve McPherson wrote that the chorus "feeds back into itself over and over again, turning from a hook into a mantra into a gospel affirmation".McPherson, Steve
Warp + Weft: ''Voodoo''
Reveille Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-12-21. In the promotional

EPK A press kit, often referred to as a media kit in business environments, is a pre-packaged set of promotional materials that provide information about a person, company, organization or cause and which is distributed to members of the media for pr ...

for ''Voodoo'', D'Angelo discussed the therapeutic nature of recording "The Root", stating "It was kinda therapeutic for me to do this song. It kinda help me get over, because I'm so pathetic in the song. You know what I mean? That's what 'The Root' is. She got it on me. And I'm just fucked up. It was good for me to get over that. It was hard for me sometimes to do that song. To record it, because when doing it I would have to put myself in that mode you know".

Reception

Music critic

Neil Drumming Neil Drumming is an American journalist and filmmaker. Formerly a producer with the radio show ''This American Life'', in 2020 Drumming became managing editor with Serial Productions, the company that created the podcasts ''Serial'' and '' S-Town' ...

of the ''

Washington City Paper The ''Washington City Paper'' is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The ''City Paper'' is distributed on Thursdays; its average circulation in 2006 was 85,588. The paper's editorial mix is focused ...

'' called "The Root" catchy and sexy.Drumming, Neil
Review: ''Voodoo''
. ''

''. Retrieved on 2009-09-01. ''

The Cavalier Daily ''The Cavalier Daily'' is an independent, student-run daily news organization at the University of Virginia. Founded in 1890, under the name ''College Topics'', ''The Cavalier Daily'' is Virginia's oldest collegiate daily and the oldest daily new ...

'' writer John Bylander stated that the song has "an amazing baseline and chorus".Bylander, John.
Review: ''Voodoo''
. ''

'': February 4, 2000. One writer interpreted the song's theme as "some vengeful woman done worked a root on him". ''

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 ...

'' compared the lyrics, in particular the line "My blood is cold/And I can't feel my legs", to the "weird possession stuff" of the album's

voodoo Voodoo may refer to: Religions * African or West African Vodun, practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups * African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo ** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...

concept.Columnist.
Review: ''Voodoo''
". ''

'': 42. February 14, 2000. Archived fro
the original
on 2009-07-09. Music writer

Stephanie Zacharek Stephanie Zacharek is an American film critic at ''Time'', based in New York City. From 2013 to 2015, she was the principal film critic for ''The Village Voice''. She was a 2015 Pulitzer Prize finalist in criticism. Early life Stephanie Zachare ...

of ''

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

'' stated that D'Angelo "takes pleasure in his very powerlessness in the face of womankind" on the song.Zacharek, Stephanie
Sharps & Flats
. Salon.com. Retrieved on 2009-03-10. ''

'' writer

Miles Marshall Lewis Miles Marshall Lewis (born December 18, 1970) is an American pop culture critic, essayist, literary editor, fiction writer, and music journalist. He is a graduate of Morehouse College, class of 1993. Career Lewis was born in The Bronx, Ne ...

commended Charlie Hunter for his guitar work and D'Angelo for his lyrical substance on the song, writing that its lyrical narrative "can actually be digested and emotionally felt, sadly rare for

Hot 97 WQHT (97.1 FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding and operated by Emmis Communications under a shared service ...

R&B". ''

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 ...

'' magazine's David Peisner wrote that the song suggests "a guy who's seen love's nasty side".Peisner, David.
Body & Soul
. ''

'': 64–72. August 2008. ''

'' called it "inspiring", ''

The Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...

'' described it as "slow and measured",Gray, Christopher
Review: ''Voodoo''
''

''. Retrieved on 2009-09-06. and ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' cited "The Root" as one of ''Voodoo''s "finest moments", and noted the song's "exquisite resignation".Cowie, Del F
Review: ''Voodoo''
''

''. Retrieved on 2009-09-01.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from album booklet liner notes. * Produced by D'Angelo * All vocals performed by D'Angelo * Vocal and musical arrangements by D'Angelo * Bass and guitar: Charlie Hunter * All other instruments: D'Angelo

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Root 2000 songs D'Angelo songs