"Wouldn't Leave" is a song by American rapper

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 eighth studio album, '' Ye'' (2018). The song includes vocals from

PartyNextDoor Jahron Anthony Brathwaite (born July 3, 1993), known professionally as PartyNextDoor (stylized as PARTYNEXTDOOR), is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer. PartyNextDoor was the first artist signed to Drake's OVO Sound record label ...

Ty Dolla Sign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...

and

Jeremih Jeremy Phillip Felton (born July 17, 1987), known professionally as Jeremih ( ), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. In 2009, he signed a record deal with Def Jam Recordings. Jeremih's commercial debut single, "Birthday Sex", ...

. It was produced by West and co-produced by Ty Dolla Sign, while additional production was handled by Mike Dean and Noah Goldstein. A

minimalist In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...

track that includes

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 ...

elements, the song contains a

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...

of "Baptizing Scene", performed by Reverend W.A. Donaldson. The former is a tribute to

Kim Kardashian Kimberly Noel Kardashian (formerly West; born October 21, 1980) is an American socialite, media personality, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the sex ...

, including West addressing her reaction to his "

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

was a choice" statement. In May 2018, the song was revealed by West to be set for release on the album. Ultimately released as the fourth track on ''Ye'' in June 2018, "Wouldn't Leave" received generally mixed reviews 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 ...

. The subject matter was mostly written negatively of by them, with the focus around it being commonly placed on West's performance. However, numerous critics complemented the production and a few praised the thought process behind the song. It reached number 24 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 2018 and charted in numerous other countries, including

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 ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. The song was

interpolated In the mathematical field of numerical analysis, interpolation is a type of estimation, a method of constructing (finding) new data points based on the range of a discrete set of known data points. In engineering and science, one often has a n ...

August Alsina August Anthony Alsina Jr.(April 8, 2013)R&B Singer August Alsina Talks Working With The Dream, Preps Def Jam Debut, ''Life + Times'' (confirms middle name; other sources confirm he is a "junior") (born September 3, 1992) is an American singer f ...

on his track of the same title in October 2018.

Background and recording

"Wouldn't Leave" was produced by West, with co-production from American musician

and additional production from Mike Dean, and Noah Goldstein. As well as Ty Dolla Sign, the song includes vocals from singers

and

. Along with the song, the former of the three contributed vocals to ''Ye'' tracks " All Mine" and "

Violent Crimes A violent crime, violent felony, crime of violence or crime of a violent nature is a crime in which an offender or perpetrator uses or threatens to use harmful force upon a victim. This entails both crimes in which the violent act is the objecti ...

". On June 4, 2018, three days after the album's release, he teased a collaborative album with West. In a phone conversation with ''

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 ...

'' on August 30 of that year, Ty Dolla Sign recalled "going off on the backgrounds, no

Auto-Tune Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. Auto-Tu ...

" when the two worked together. On May 15, 2018, West shared a video of him in the studio that revealed a track list for ''Ye'' on a whiteboard, with West having recorded the album that year. The track list showed "Wouldn't Leave" set to be released on it as the third track.

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 ...

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 ...

later tweeted that the song originated as a collaboration between him and American musician Phil Cook, stating Cook would have performed "piano and

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...

synths A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

," while he was supposed to be "on some op-1

samples." West had sampled Reverend W.A. Donaldson's "Baptizing Scene" in the past on his collaborative single "

Niggas in Paris "Niggas in Paris" ( edited for radio as "In Paris" or simply "Paris"; censored on the album as "Ni**as in Paris") is a song by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West from their collaborative album ''Watch the Throne'' (2011). The song is built ar ...

" (2011), with fellow rapper

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 ...

. In a 2018 interview with

TMZ TMZ is a tabloid news website owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, originally as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. On September 13, 202 ...

, West made a controversial statement that "

was a choice." West was supposed to add more to his referencing of the statement within "Wouldn't Leave", though decided not to because it was "just too sensitive."

Composition and lyrics

"Musically", "Wouldn't Leave" is a gospel track that includes piano, and has been noted for having a

sound. It features a sample of the recording "Baptizing Scene", as performed by Reverend W.A. Donaldson. "Wouldn't Leave" is a tribute to West's wife

, who he appreciates for consistently standing by his side. The opening of the song features PartyNextDoor singing about his feelings of insecurity towards a woman. West's first verse begins after the intro and he mentions his statement about slavery, while also rapping about an aggressive encounter with

Sway Sway may refer to: Places * Sway, Hampshire, a village and civil parish in the New Forest in England ** Sway railway station, serving the village People * Sway (British musician) (born 1983), British hip hop/grime singer * Sway Calloway (born 1 ...

from 2013. The former being referenced by West continues, as he addresses how Kardashian reacted to it, though does not explain the statement itself. Despite not issuing an apology to her, West admits he can be a lot to handle and West presents himself as offering Kardashian to leave him but shows her as declining the offer. The

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

of the song is performed by PartyNextDoor. Later within the song, West defends his behaviour, while citing his messaging style as being the problem. The public image that West presents is expressed by him as being different from the way he behaves in private, with West specifying that the two personas do not overlap. The final chorus features Ty Dolla Sign and a backing choir alongside PartyNextDoor. In the outro of the song, West thanks Kardashian for being loyal to their relationship and dedicates the outro to her as well as other women that possess similar loyalty. Ty Dolla Sign hums "keep that same energy" repeatedly during the outro.

Release and promotion

On June 1, 2018, "Wouldn't Leave" was released as the fourth track on West's eighth studio album ''Ye'', switching position from its originally slated release as the third track. At the 2018

CFDA Fashion Awards The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. (CFDA), founded in 1962 by publicist Eleanor Lambert, and headquartered in Manhattan, is a not-for-profit trade association comprising a membership of over 450 American fashion and accessory des ...

on June 4 of that year, Kardashian revealed that the song was the only one from the album that West didn't play for her properly until "the last minute." She confirmed that there was truth to West's claims of them having fought over his slavery statement, but admitted there are some things the couple do not "put on social media," though Kardashian said she's a fan of "Wouldn't Leave". Kardashian elaborated, saying that her and West, "have different views sometimes, but that's my husband, you know?" American rapper

released his

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

of the same title on October 2, 2018, which

interpolates In the mathematical field of numerical analysis, interpolation is a type of estimation, a method of constructing (finding) new data points based on the range of a discrete set of known data points. In engineering and science, one often has a n ...

the song.

Critical reception

The song was met with generally mixed reviews from

, who often panned the subject matter but praised the production. ''

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 ...

''s Jordan Sargent wrote that the song "feels like the moment when rays begins to peek through the storm clouds" on the album musically, though criticized it for being "a celebration of men abusing the love and compassion extended to them by their wives." Kyle Mullin from ''

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 ...

'' panned West's performance, calling his lyricism nauseating, though praised the song's "stubby, stick-in-your-eardrum beats and glistening vintage synths." ''

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 ...

''s

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 staff of '' XXL'' highlighted the production for being "reminiscent of early Kanye" but panned the lyrical content due to the "lack of an explanation" of West's slavery comments from him. Writing for ''

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 ...

'', Alex Suskind praised West's songwriting, while describing the subject matter of the song as dour. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' critic Andrew Barker called the song "ostensibly introspective" but he slammed the subject matter due to West being self-obsessed and noted that while West's referencing of his slavery comments "offers zero insight into his actual political views, it might provide a window into his thinking." Some reviewers were less divided in their assessments of "Wouldn't Leave". In comparison to West's singles "

Lift Yourself "Lift Yourself" is a song by American rapper Kanye West. West wrote the song alongside James Massie and Ben Winters, and produced it with additional production from Mike Dean. The song was debuted on April 27, 2018, through West's website and ...

" and " Ye vs. the People" from April 2018, the song was described by

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 ...

of ''Rolling Stone'' as West having "even drearier complaints on deck." Jonah Bromwich from ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' wrote in response to the song: "The music is an army of prayer hands, floating on a wave—please and thank you and praise you all at once—all for Kim." Bromwich explained the connection to Kardashian due to West rapping "she wouldn't leave" after having offered her "that exit."

Kitty Empire Kitty Empire is the pen name of a British writer and music critic, currently writing for ''The Observer''. Early life Empire says that she was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1970 and brought up in Canada, Italy and Egypt before arriving in Britai ...

of ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

'' gave the song a negative review, branding it in connection to " Yikes" as being "another track with a superficially twinkly mien" on ''Ye''. In ''

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 ...

'',

Christopher Hooton Christopher Hooton is a journalist, podcaster and filmmaker from London, England. Life and career Hooton started his career in journalism at Metro, before moving to The Independent where he served as the publication's culture editor and later fi ...

stated that the song "chronicles the strain Kanye's recent behaviour put on his marriage" and viewed it as paying tribute to "every damn female that stuck with they dude hen he's been an inconsiderate, unthinking asshole"

Commercial performance

In the week of ''Ye'' being released, "Wouldn't Leave" debuted on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 24. The song also entered the US

Streaming Songs The Streaming Songs chart is released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists each week's top streamed radio songs, on-demand songs and videos on leading online music services in the United States. The chart represents one of the three component ...

chart at number 11, with 26.3 million streams, and reached number 14 on the US

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 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 ...

chart that same week. The song descended 68 places to number 92 on the Hot 100 the following week, becoming the largest declining track from the album. On September 23, 2020, "Wouldn't Leave" was certified

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

by the

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(RIAA) for selling 500,000 certified units in the United States. The song had its best chart performance in New Zealand, reaching number 21 on the

NZ Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...

. Similarly, it charted at number 24 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 ...

. On the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

, the song reached number 27. "Wouldn't Leave" debuted at number 33 and 35 on the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

and Slovakia Singles Digitál Top 100, respectively. The song also reached the top 100 in

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Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, and the Czech Republic.

Credits and personnel

Recording * Recorded at West Lake Ranch,

Jackson Hole, Wyoming Jackson Hole (originally called Jackson's Hole by mountain men) is a valley between the Gros Ventre and Teton mountain ranges in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the border with Idaho, in Teton County, one of the richest counties in the Unite ...

Personnel *

production, songwriter *

co-production, songwriter, vocals * Mike Dean additional production, songwriter, engineering, mixing * Noah Goldstein additional production, songwriter recording engineering *

songwriter, vocals *

Francis Starlite Francis and the Lights is an American pop project led by Francis Farewell Starlite. The term "and the Lights" refers both to the lights on a stage and pixels on a computer screen. Starlite often uses the Francis and the Lights name when credit ...

* Jordan Thorpe songwriter *

songwriter * Kenneth Pershon songwriter *

Malik Yusef Malik Yusef El Shabazz Jones (born April 4, 1971) is an American spoken word artist, poet, rapper, writer, composer, producer and director based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Early life He was raised in Chicago's South Side neighborho ...

songwriter * Reverend W.A. Donaldson songwriter * Terrence Boykin songwriter * Mike Malchicoff engineering * Zack Djurich engineering * Sean Solymar assistant recording engineering * Jess Jackson mixing Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * Tidal (album), ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * ...

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Jeremih 2018 songs Gospel songs Kanye West songs Song recordings produced by Kanye West Song recordings produced by Mike Dean (record producer) Songs written by Jeremih Songs written by Justin Vernon Songs written by Kanye West Songs written by Malik Yusef Songs written by Mike Dean (record producer) Songs written by Pardison Fontaine Songs written by PartyNextDoor Songs written by Ty Dolla Sign Works about American slavery