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"Heard 'Em Say" is a song by American rapper
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
from his second studio album, ''
Late Registration ''Late Registration'' is the second studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on August 30, 2005, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. West recorded the album over the course of a year during sessions held a ...
'' (2005). The song features a guest appearance from
Adam Levine Adam Noah Levine ( ; born March 18, 1979) is an American musician who is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist and sole continuous member of the pop rock band Maroon 5. Levine began his musical career in 1994 with the band Kara's Flowers, for ...
. It was produced by West with
Jon Brion Jon Brion (born December 11, 1963) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and composer. He performed with the Excerpts, the Bats, 'Til Tuesday and The Grays (band), the Grays before becoming an established pro ...
, the former of which served as a songwriter alongside Levine, while
Michael Masser Michael William Masser (March 24, 1941 – July 9, 2015) was an American songwriter, composer and producer of popular music. Early life Born to a Jewish family in Chicago to Ester Huff and William Masser, he attended the University of Illinois ...
and
Gerry Goffin Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the US No.1 hits " Will You L ...
also received credit due to the
sample Sample or samples may refer to: * Sample (graphics), an intersection of a color channel and a pixel * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of something * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample ...
of "
Someone That I Used to Love "Someone That I Used to Love" is a torch song written by Michael Masser and lyricist Gerry Goffin that first became a success for Natalie Cole in 1980. Unreleased Bette Midler recording When the song was newly written, Masser and Goffin persona ...
". When West played Levine an early version of the song during a flight to Rome in 2004, the singer felt he had a
chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...
written that would work perfectly. West lacked certainty about collaborating with Levine before hearing him in rehearsal at the
47th Annual Grammy Awards The 47th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2005, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2003, through September 30, 2004. They were hosted by Queen Lat ...
, after which the two recorded the song quickly with assistance from Brion. It marked the first song recorded for the album and originally, West sang the chorus. On October 24, 2005, "Heard 'Em Say" was released on a
12" vinyl The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12) is a type of vinyl (polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a "single" or a few related sound tracks on each surface, compar ...
as the third single from ''Late Registration'' by
Roc-A-Fella Roc-A-Fella Records was an American record label and music management company founded in 1994 by record executives and entrepreneurs Jay-Z, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem Burke, Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Carter issued his debut album, ...
and
Def Jam Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...
. A
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
, it relies on excerpts of
Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...
's "Someone That I Used to Love" and features a subdued instrumentation, which includes keyboards and piano
chords Chord or chords may refer to: Art and music * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord, a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * The Chords (British band), 1970s British mod ...
. The song contains a
lullaby A lullaby (), or a cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies, they are used to pass down cultural knowl ...
tone, as well as an R&B chorus and elements of
art rock Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an ar ...
. Lyrically, West laments the socioeconomical issues facing African-Americans while reminding listeners to appreciate the present, taking the perspective of a struggling citizen confused by the world. "Heard 'Em Say" received widespread 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 ...
, who generally appreciated the musical style. Some praised Levine's vocal performance, while numerous critics appreciated West's lyrical talent. The song garnered a nomination for Best Hip-Hop Song Collaboration at the 2006 Groovevolt Music and Fashion Awards. In the United States, it debuted at the last position of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 while West's single "
Gold Digger A gold digger is a person, typically a woman, who engages in a type of transactional sexual relationship for money rather than love. If it turns into marriage, it is a type of marriage of convenience. Etymology and usage The term "gold di ...
" was at number one, making him the seventh artist to
bookend A bookend is an object tall, sturdy, and heavy enough that is placed at either end of a row of upright books to support or buttress them. Heavy bookends—made of wood, bronze, marble, and even large geodes—have been used in libraries, sto ...
the chart. The former marked a
crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...
success for West and Levine, and peaked at number 26 on the Hot 100. The song also reached the top 40 in Australia, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. It has been certified
platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
in the US and the UK by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) and
British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI), respectively. The song's first
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
was directed by Joe DeMaio and
Michel Gondry Michel Gondry (; born 8 May 1963) is a French filmmaker and producer noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. Along with Charlie Kaufman, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as one o ...
, who took two years to be persuaded by West to collaborate; it was filmed in October 2005 and aired in December. The visual was shot
live-action Live action is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live action with animation to create a live-action animated feature film. Live action is used to define film, video games or ...
, depicting West keeping watch of his children inside the
Macy's Herald Square Macy's Herald Square (originally named the R. H. Macy and Company Store) is a department store building on West 34th Street (Manhattan), 34th Street at Herald Square in New York City, New York (state), New York, United States. It was designed b ...
store as they play around. After West felt dissatisfied with the visual, he commissioned
Bill Plympton Bill Plympton (born April 30, 1946) is an American animator, graphic designer, cartoonist, and filmmaker best known for his 1987 Academy Award–nominated animated short '' Your Face'' and his series of shorts featuring a dog character starting ...
to shoot an alternate video, which premiered in November 2005. The music video features extensive use of pencil-sketch
animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...
and casts West as a taxicab driver picking up passengers in a fictional city, until a lit cigarette match starts a fire that kills him. The first video won Best Hip-Hop Video at the 2006 Music Video Production Awards, while the second one was very well-received by critics. West performed "Heard 'Em Say" at the
Coachella Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music festival, music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valle ...
and
Global Gathering Global Gathering was an annual dance music festival by Angel Festivals Limited. Festivals are held in countries such as the UK, Poland, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and feature leading electronic music artists from around the globe. The festival ran ...
festivals in 2006 and 2008, respectively. A cover version of the song was performed for
BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts Black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been ...
in March 2016 by
G-Eazy Gerald Earl Gillum (born May 24, 1989), better known by his stage name G-Eazy, is an American rapper. Based in Oakland, California, he began his career in 2006 and released two independent studio albums before signing with RCA Records to releas ...
, who censored certain lyrics.


Background

West enlisted
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...
band
Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, d ...
's frontman Adam Levine to sing the
chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...
of "Heard 'Em Say". He and Levine had first collaborated when Maroon 5 commissioned West to remix their 2004 single " This Love", spending time recording it in the studio together. Later on, the two developed a friendship when sitting together on a flight to Rome for the
2004 MTV Europe Music Awards The 2004 MTV Europe Music Awards were held at Tor di Valle Racecourse, Rome, Italy. As in 2003, the awards ceremony was held in a 6,000-capacity big top arena constructed specifically for the main event, called Valhalla Tensile 1, designed by Ma ...
. While playing songs from ''Late Registration'' on his
iPod The iPod is a series of portable media players and multi-purpose mobile devices that were designed and marketed by Apple Inc. from 2001 to 2022. The iPod Classic#1st generation, first version was released on November 10, 2001, about mon ...
for Levine, West previewed an undeveloped version of "Heard 'Em Say", the very first track recorded for the album. As Levine recalled, "He was rhyming over
he track He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter call ...
and I had just written a hook that was so perfect for it. It was one of those natural collaborations where you're so excited because it's all very pure and very easy." West himself initially went back and forth on collaborating with Levine, feeling that the singer may be too popular for him while being appreciative of his vocal talent. He explained that Levine's popularity "takes away from the illness of having him", yet ultimately decided to work with him because his voice sounds "so ill" that it resembles "a fucking instrument". Levine would later appropriate "Heard 'Em Say" for the Maroon 5 song " Nothing Lasts Forever" in 2007. For ''Late Registration'', West collaborated with film score composer and multi-instrumentalist
Jon Brion Jon Brion (born December 11, 1963) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and composer. He performed with the Excerpts, the Bats, 'Til Tuesday and The Grays (band), the Grays before becoming an established pro ...
. Through layered arrangements and a meticulous attention to songwriting, Brion's involvement is evident on "Heard 'Em Say" and throughout the album, for which him and West managed to craft sophisticated,
baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
. West's sonic reference points ranged outside the realm of mainstream hip hop artists, drawing from British
trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...
band Portishead,
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
,
Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
, and
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...
. He recruited Brion to dress the record with lush, orchestral arrangements that fit his widening musical vision. Brion's orchestral arrangements and
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
flourishes filled the song with a high sense of drama, while channeling vulnerability across the record. The tone of "Heard 'Em Say" and other songs from ''Late Registration'' would lay out the foundation for West's maximalist approach to music. This style became a trademark of the rapper's subsequent works, most prominently his fifth studio album ''
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' is the fifth studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records on November 22, 2010. Retreating to a self-imposed exile in Hawaii after a period of ...
'' (2010) and the
GOOD Music GOOD Music (often stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American independent record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label entered an exclusive long-term worldwide music distribution, distributi ...
compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...
'' Cruel Summer'' (2012). The song was written by West alongside Levine, with additional songwriting credits for
Michael Masser Michael William Masser (March 24, 1941 – July 9, 2015) was an American songwriter, composer and producer of popular music. Early life Born to a Jewish family in Chicago to Ester Huff and William Masser, he attended the University of Illinois ...
and
Gerry Goffin Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the US No.1 hits " Will You L ...
due to them having written the sampled work "
Someone That I Used to Love "Someone That I Used to Love" is a torch song written by Michael Masser and lyricist Gerry Goffin that first became a success for Natalie Cole in 1980. Unreleased Bette Midler recording When the song was newly written, Masser and Goffin persona ...
" (1977) by American singer
Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...
. West co-produced the track with Brion. Although "Heard 'Em Say" is the first full song on ''Late Registration'', it is preceded by an intro entitled "Wake Up Mr. West" that features a reprisal of West's sociable inner voice. The intro is a
skit Skit may refer to: * * A short segment in a performance, such as: ** Sketch comedy ** Hip hop skit ** Puppet skit ** Promo (professional wrestling) * Skit note, parody of a banknote * "Skit", a song by Bad Gyal from '' La joia'', 2024 See als ...
that continues where West's debut studio album ''
The College Dropout ''The College Dropout'' is the debut studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. In the years leading up to its release, West had received praise for his p ...
'' finished, spoken by comedian
DeRay Davis Antoine DeRay Davis (born February 26, 1982) is an American stand-up comedian and actor.Todd Davis (February 2, 2008)Steph Jones: Heart & Soul ''HHNLive''. Accessed July 18, 2008. He is known for his role as Ray the Hustle Guy in the '' Barb ...
, who plays a school administrator still unsatisfied with West's classroom performance. The college teacher exclaims, "I knew I was gon' see you again!" in an impersonation of comedian
Bernie Mac Bernard Jeffrey McCullough (October 5, 1957 – August 9, 2008), better known by his stage name Bernie Mac, was an American stand up comedian, actor and film producer. He joined fellow comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L. H ...
and questions, "Where your goddamn book bag at?" As the piano instrumental rises in the background, West falls asleep in class, until a yell of the "Wake up Mr. West!" refrain wakes him from his stupor. This setting ends with the refrain echoing, fading into the beginning of "Heard 'Em Say". The phrase and its accompanying piano melody purposefully bleeds into the album's full opening track. Similarly to West exploring a new style with ''The College Dropout'', he opted to take rap lyricism in a different direction on ''Late Registration'' by experimenting with ideas beyond the dominant gangsta lifestyle and attitude of mainstream hip hop. While some of ''Late Registration'' is celebratory, "Heard 'Em Say" stands among the songs that follow a contemplative political path. "Heard 'Em Say" is one of many
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
-oriented songs from the album that represent a wide scope of human experience, which contain political dissatisfaction and the personal trauma that caused it. Atop a spare, compulsive backing track, West delivers lyrics which take a dissective view of American life, taking on the perspective of a downtrodden citizen and depicting an anxious youth.


Recording

"Heard 'Em Say" was the very first track that West recorded for ''Late Registration''. The song went through several revisions to prior to release.Tannenbaum, Rob. "''Playboy'' Interview: Kanye West." ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
'' (March 2006), 49.
Its recording sessions took place at
Sony Music Studios Sony Music Studios was an American music recording and mastering facility in New York City. The five-story building was a music and broadcasting complex located at 460 W. 54th Street, at 10th Avenue, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhat ...
in New York City (NYC) and Grandmaster Recording Studios in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
, California, and were hosted by Andrew Dawson and Tom Biller, respectively. The track's mixing was then done at the Chalice Recording Studios in Hollywood by Mike Dean, who had assistance from Taylor Dow, Nate Connelly, and Mike Mo. For the track, West employs poignant excerpts taken from Cole's "Someone That I Used To Love". He combines hip hop beats with a piano melody, alongside restrained
electronics Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...
. West's understated record production is driven by the piano line, which uses tumbling delayed beats throughout that are laced with a synthesized
bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...
, in addition to subtle interjections of
acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...
. The
soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
production style that characterized ''The College Dropout'' was furthered on ''Late Registration'' by the rapper, who incorporated a much broader array of instrumentation. West opted in favor of a more symphonic orchestration to serve as a backdrop for his evolving lyricism. While elements of his trademark
looped ''Looped'' is a play by Matthew Lombardo about an event surrounding actress Tallulah Bankhead. It had a Broadway run in 2010, after two previous productions in 2008 and 2009, all three of them featuring Valerie Harper. Plot Based on a real eve ...
samples remained present, the album marked a shift for West towards a heavier reliance on keyboards,
string section The string section of an orchestra is composed of bowed instruments belonging to the violin family. It normally consists of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. It is the most numerous group in the standard orchestra. In ...
s, and boisterous yet at times haunting horns. Additionally, elongated and vibrant outros were integrated into most tracks, providing them with more time to breathe and settle into listener's ears. On ''Late Registration'', West progressively moves past his previous musical limitations in terms of contextualization and deployment. The song's elongated outro was arranged by Brion, who produced several of the album's tracks alongside West. Best known for his quirky,
baroque pop Baroque pop (sometimes called baroque rock) is a fusion genre that combines rock music with particular elements of classical music. It emerged in the mid-1960s as artists pursued a majestic, orchestral sound and is identifiable for its appropria ...
film soundtracks like the ones for ''
I Heart Huckabees ''I Heart Huckabees'' (stylized as ''i ♥ huckabees''; also ''I Love Huckabees'') is a 2004 philosophical comedy-drama film directed and produced by David O. Russell, who cowrote the screenplay with Jeff Baena. A self-described "existential ...
'' (2004) and ''
Punch-Drunk Love ''Punch-Drunk Love'' is a 2002 American Absurdist fiction, absurdist Romance film, romantic comedy drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, and starring Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It follows an entrepr ...
'' (2002), as well as his musical collaborations with singer-songwriter
Fiona Apple Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. She released five albums from 1996 to 2020, all of which reached the top 20 on the U.S. Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 chart. As of 2021, she has sold over ...
and
Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released ten studio albums as a solo artist. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyrics about dark subjects, often d ...
, Brion added his melancholy touch to "Heard 'Em Say". West was exposed to Brion's work while watching the 2004 film ''
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ''Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' is a 2004 American surrealist science fiction romantic drama film directed by Michel Gondry and written by Charlie Kaufman from a story by Gondry, Kaufman, and Pierre Bismuth. Starring Jim Carrey a ...
'', for which Brion had composed music. He had also been listening to songs Brion produced for '' When the Pawn...'' (1999), the second studio album by Fiona Apple, who was another one of the rapper's favorite artists and sources of musical inspiration for ''Late Registration''.Brown, pp. 121–122 West was introduced to Brion via record producer
Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (, ; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is a co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popularize hip hop by produci ...
, a mutual friend of theirs. At the time, Brion had no background in hip hop music nor any prior experience in creating those records. Nevertheless, he and West soon found that they could productively work together after their first afternoon in the studio, discovering that neither confined his musical knowledge and vision to a specific genre.Brown, p. 124 West commented that he appreciated the broader range of instrumentation that Brion brought to his music. The rapper went in pursuit of a more enriching sound for ''Late Registration''. With the assistance of Brion, West widens his musical vision and expands the sound of his
hip hop production Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music in a recording studio. While the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music creation, including recording the rapping of an MC, a turntablist or DJ providing a beat, playing samples and " ...
beyond his trademark sped-up soul samples. Brion integrated an entirely new third element into West's hit-making combination of soulful hooks and rhythm tracks. He supplemented a thematic, orchestral feeling to the album, elevating West's signature sound to take on a more polished package. West and Brion's collaborative work involved building melodies with synths, guitars, and other live instruments around looped samples and
drum programming Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices and computer software, such as sequencers and workstations or hardware synthesizers, sampler and sequencers, to generate sounds of musical instruments. These mu ...
. West developed the beats and melodies for the album, before requesting Brion to suggest instrumental
colors Color (or colour in Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though color is not an inherent property of matter, color perception is related to an object's light absorpt ...
. Brion would then arrange the music to move in correspondence with the rhymes, pushing the musicality of uncharted hip hop territory. Rather than simple and direct, West took a more complex, subtle musical approach when it came to composing "Heard 'Em Say". He equipped the track with session musicians, strengthening the hook while descending into a winding, progressive orchestral passage. This enabled grooves to breathe and expand in ways differing from typical rap songs. Production wise, West sought out new styles in regards to his choices of sounds and musical collaborations on ''Late Registration''. "Heard 'Em Say" features a duet between West and Levine, the latter of which's
tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...
singing voice punctuates the introspective tone. In a ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
'' interview, West revealed that he himself sang on the original version of "Heard 'Em Say". Although he considers the imperfection of his singing to be a relatable quality, West felt in this particular case that it was hampering the track. Levine's contribution stands as one of the many
guest appearance The term guest appearance generally denotes the appearance of a guest in an artistic or pop-culture setting. The guests themselves (referred to as guest artists, featured artists, guest stars, or guest fighters, depending on context), are disting ...
s that West worked into the album. West was able to contact the singer and utilize him for a record after Rubin gave him his number. Levine had already come up with a chorus when West played the track on their way to the 2004 MTV Europe Music Awards, but was hesitant to use it because he was uncertain how his fans would feel about the R&B style, though he maintained interest in contributing to "Heard 'Em Say". Levine recalled, "He started playing me stuff on his iPod — which was far fancier than my iPod — all this new material for his record, and I was really excited about it in general. Then he played me this song that was kind of what 'Heard 'Em Say' eventually became." West expressed a similar sentiment, remembering that after he played the song, the singer stated the song reminded him "of a song that I wrote but I don't know if my band will want to do it". West finalized the situation by replying to Levine's insistence on recording the song: "Yo, we should work together." Levine also recounted, "He was just getting big too. And he played me this record. Like, 'Hey, I've got this record. Do you want to write a song together?' On a plane. You know? And I said, 'Yeah, sure.' And that was it. The next thing I knew we were in the studio making the record and it was that easy." West was unsure about the collaboration at first, until he heard Levine rehearsing as part of Maroon 5 at the
47th Annual Grammy Awards The 47th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2005, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2003, through September 30, 2004. They were hosted by Queen Lat ...
in 2005: "They were so big that I thought they'd be less ill, but I heard them rehearsing backstage at the Grammys and he was hitting all them mockingbird notes and I said, 'I have to get him in the studio.'" The singer came to the recording studio right after the ceremony and sang the song, with West discovering that his melody fit perfectly. "Heard 'Em Say" was recorded rather quickly, as Levine had only a couple of hours available. Since the singer had a vocal that the pair had already discovered meshed well with West's track, Brion was able to translate the two pieces in a few hours. The composer explained, "Adam had something, Kanye loved it and the three of us went at it like banshees, and there it was." West distinguished the results and circumstances surrounding the collaboration as something of a gift from
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
. In retrospect, Levine described recording "Heard 'Em Say" by saying, "It was really a cool, organic process. Kanye's lyrics were beautiful."Hiatt, Brian (August 11, 2005)
Kanye West works on sophomore album, 'Late Registration.'
. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
''. August 11, 2005. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
The musical collaboration left a strong impression of West on Levine, who opined that the rapper "is a genius", even if "he causes different reactions in people. But the bottom line is that he's brilliant. Love him or hate him, he's brilliant. He's a really pure, creative person. I really respect that about him. Everything with him is very legitimate and very real. I love that dude."


Composition and lyrics

Musically, "Heard 'Em Say" is a
mid-tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given composition, and is often also an indication of the composition's character or atmos ...
hip hop
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
that has a length of 3 minutes and 23 seconds (3:23). The elegant and simple musical composition is primarily built on piano excerpts of Cole's "Someone That I Used To Love", which are used for the cascading melody that features lush
chords Chord or chords may refer to: Art and music * Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously ** Guitar chord, a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning * The Chords (British band), 1970s British mod ...
over tumbling delayed hip hop beats. Alongside the beats, a parping bass synth and a few interjections of delicate acoustic guitar are present. The song harbors a soothing
lullaby A lullaby (), or a cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies, they are used to pass down cultural knowl ...
tone, with a moody atmosphere and soulful undertones, as well as a melodic R&B chorus and elements of
art rock Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an ar ...
. It has a subdued instrumentation, which features piano chords, restrained,
experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...
electronics Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...
reminiscent of late-1990s
post-rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...
, and a coda that includes various bells, whistles, and keyboards. According to the
sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece. Like its analogs – printed Book, books or Pamphlet, pamphlets ...
published at Musicnotes.com by
Universal Music Publishing Group Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) is a global music publishing company and is part of the Universal Music Group. Universal Music Publishing has been ranked the #1 music publisher in market share by Billboard for multiple consecutive quart ...
, the song is written in the
time signature A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...
of
common time A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates the ...
, with a moderate
tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
of 95 beats per minute. "Heard 'Em Say" is composed in the key of
F major F major is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat.Music Theory'. (1950). United States: Standards and Curriculum Division, Training, Bureau of Naval Personnel. 28. Its relati ...
, while Levine's
vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...
spans one
octave In music, an octave (: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is an interval between two notes, one having twice the frequency of vibration of the other. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referr ...
and three
notes Note, notes, or NOTE may refer to: Music and entertainment * Musical note, a pitched sound (or a symbol for a sound) in music * ''Notes'' (album), a 1987 album by Paul Bley and Paul Motian * ''Notes'', a common (yet unofficial) shortened versi ...
, from a low of F4 to a high of B5. The song follows a basic sequence of F7–Bmaj7–F7–Bmaj7–Faug/G–F/A–F6/A–B/D–F6/A–B/D during the verses and coda, and F7–Bmaj7–F7–Bmaj7–Faug/A at the chorus during its
chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...
. At the beginning of the song, the phrase "Wake up Mr. West!" and its piano melody are present. West then begins
rapping Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...
his lyrics that are intertwined with a twinkling piano melody, until the composition is elevated by three additional keyboards. West raps the song's two verses and a
pre-chorus Song structure is the arrangement of a song, and is a part of the songwriting process. It is typically section (music), sectional, which uses repeating forms in songs. Common piece-level musical forms for vocal music include bar form, thirty-two-ba ...
, the latter of which shifts into a delicate refrain delivered by Levine, who gently croons in a
falsetto Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ...
. The singer's smooth
tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...
delivery and gentle cooing punctuate the introspective tone. Later on, additional keyboards appear as the musical composition enters an orchestral passage on the outro and Levine's vocals fade out. The outro also expresses jangling
berimbau The berimbau (, borrowed from Kimbundu ''mbirimbau'') is a traditional Angolan musical bow that is commonly used in Brazil. It is also known as ''sekitulege'' among the Baganda and Busoga. It consists of a single-stringed bow attached to a gourd ...
percussion, various bells, whistles, warped bass, and wailing
synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
s. Despite sounding light-hearted, the subject matter of "Heard 'Em Say" is soulful and straight from the heart. In the introspective lyrics of the song, West laments the socioeconomical issues besetting the African-American community while reminding listeners to appreciate the present. It follows a brooding political path, with the stream-of-conscious verses being conceptually written from the perspective of an impoverished citizen questioning the ways of the world.Brown, 2006. p. 573 West illustrates the concept of an anxious youth, who are faced with a lack of opportunities and social issues, such as poverty, racism, the
minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. List of countries by minimum wage, Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation b ...
,
AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
, religion, and policing.Beaumont, 2015. pp. 172-173 The song also highlights the condition of those in poverty watching images of rappers flaunt their material goods on television, deluded into thinking that wealth and fame are closer than they actually are. West raps with appreciation rather than arrogance, seemingly acknowledging the success he achieved with ''The College Dropout''. As the opening track of ''Late Registration'', "Heard 'Em Say" reiterates themes established on its predessecor, including West's gratitude for still being alive, brutal honesty, and faith in God. Essentially, it is a "mournfully contemplative" number, which discusses maintaining honesty in a world that lacks this quality.


Release and promotion

On August 30, 2005, "Heard 'Em Say" was included as the first full track on West's second studio album ''Late Registration'', preceded by the intro "Wake Up Mr. West". The song was issued on a
12" vinyl The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12) is a type of vinyl (polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a "single" or a few related sound tracks on each surface, compar ...
in the United States by
Roc-A-Fella Roc-A-Fella Records was an American record label and music management company founded in 1994 by record executives and entrepreneurs Jay-Z, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem Burke, Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Carter issued his debut album, ...
and
Def Jam Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...
as the third single from ''Late Registration'' on October 24, 2005, with fellow album track " Touch the Sky" as the
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
. On November 1, "Heard 'Em Say" was sent to US
mainstream radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...
stations by the aforementioned labels. It was later released for digital download on March 1, 2006. "Heard 'Em Say" was one of the tracks that West played while hosting a listening session for the album at Sony Music Studios on June 15, 2005. The session was held in a small room for a large crowd, which included fellow rappers
Common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...
and
Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after ...
, and West played a guessing game in which he asked the attendees who was on the song's hook. One of them guessed it was
Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. He was the founder and frontman of the pioneering Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he ...
, though West confirmed Levine to be the performer of the hook. He clarified that he chose to work with the singer because it was "ill" and "keeping it real", yet recalled people being surprised by their collaboration. The rapper also revealed that after Levine added his vocals to "Heard 'Em Say" and "girls start liking the record", he selected it as the album's third single. At the time of the listening event, ''Late Registration'' had not been finished, nor were all of the completed songs previewed and some were not played in their entirety. Nevertheless, West declared that he wanted to take the opportunity "to play he albumand show off" his work.


Critical reception

"Heard 'Em Say" was met with widespread 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 ...
. ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' writer Marco Cibola saw the song as representative of West's musical growth on the album, opining that its keys "twinkle a bit brighter" than any of the material on ''The College Dropout''. Likewise, Murjani Rawls from ''Substream Magazine'' stated that the soulful undertones of "Heard 'Em Say" marked a different type of inspiration for West. While maintaining the belief that ''Late Registration'' has its misfires, Kyle Ryan of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
'' declared that these are outweighed by stronger moments like the song, complimenting its "elegant simplicity". The staff of
Virgin Media Virgin Media Limited is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, television and internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, England. It is owned by Virgin Media O2, a 50:50 ...
rated the song four stars out of five, observing "an accomplished piece of production". They commented that the "poignant sample" of "Someone That I Used To Love" is used for "the cascading piano melody" throughout, accompanied by "tumbling delayed beats, a parping
bass synth Keyboard bass (shortened to keybass and sometimes referred as a synth bass) is the use of a smaller, low-pitched keyboard with fewer notes than a regular keyboard or pedal keyboard to substitute for the deep notes of a bass guitar or double bas ...
", and hints of a "subtle acoustic guitar". At ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'', veteran critic
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
concurred with this sentiment, approving of the complex yet subtle musicality of the composition, highlighting the Chinese bells and berimbau. Bansky Gonzalez from
Uproxx Uproxx Studios (stylized as ''UPROXX'') is an American music, entertainment and popular culture website and content studio. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater. The website was acquired in 2014 by Woven Digital (which later ...
remarked that the record's sonic versatility provides "an exhilarating ride", distinguishing the song as "somber and painstakingly thoughtful". In the ''Music Times'', Joey DeGroot named "Heard 'Em Say" as being one of a few hip-hop songs that he considers to be "straight up beautiful". He compared it to the 1994 tracks " C.R.E.A.M." by
Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, O ...
, " One Love" by
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 (S ...
, and " Juicy" by
the Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap tradi ...
Writing for ''
The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...
'', Amos Barshad cited the track as being among a "suite of nested aural pleasures" on the album, asserting that the "delicate plinking" and Levine's feature were "undercut with the bitter sting of a politicized shoulder shrug". ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' music critic
Josh Tyrangiel Josh Tyrangiel is an American journalist. He was previously the deputy managing editor of ''TIME'' magazine and an editor at ''Bloomberg Businessweek''.Stephanie Clifford (November 17, 2009"Josh Tyrangiel Named Editor of BusinessWeek"/ref> In Ju ...
listed "Heard 'Em Say" as one of the three best tracks on ''Late Registration''. He characterized it as an "atmospheric ballad" that demonstrates "the stealthy power of West's storytelling". Steve Jones from ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' highlighted how Levine's "smooth tenor" punctuates the introspective song. Sean Fennessey, for ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'', remarked that the track "might be the most bandied about joint" on the album due to Levine's presence, though mentioned he "sounds great". Fennessey affirmed that while he is off-key and "blue-eyed selling his soul", Levine's "syrupy pop works" like the majority of the album's risks. Jozen Cummings 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, ...
'' summarized the song by saying the "sweet piano chords and Levine's gentle cooing" make it "probably the best hip-hop
lullaby A lullaby (), or a cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies, they are used to pass down cultural knowl ...
" since
Slick Rick Richard Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965), better known as Slick Rick, is an English-American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence as part of Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew in the mid-1980s. His songs " The Show" and ...
's "
Children's Story "Children's Story" is a song recorded by British-American hip hop artist Slick Rick. Taken as the second single from his album ''The Great Adventures of Slick Rick'', the song was a Top 5 hit on both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot R&B Singles a ...
" (1989). Ross Bonaime from ''
Paste Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to: Science and technology * Adhesive or paste ** Wallpaper paste ** Wheatpaste, a liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water * Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves as ...
'' asserted that Levine's contribution to "Heard 'Em Say" might be one of the best things the singer has ever done, while calling the song "a soothing lullaby with some bite". ''Stereogum''s Michael Nelson was impressed by the "beautiful and understated opener" managing "to wring actual human emotion" out of the "hit-making robot" Levine. For ''
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 ro ...
'', Ben Mathis-Lilley affirmed that the singer "has an indisputably fantastic voice for the wistful soul of 'Heard 'Em Say'". ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
'' reviewer Vadim Rizov saw "Heard 'Em Say" as a "vulnerable song" that redeemed Maroon 5. Eric Henderson from the same publication likened Levine's delicate delivery of the chorus to a "butterfly singing". ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' senior writer Brian Hiatt positively compared his performance to the work of
Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
. Cat Warner from
Capital Xtra Capital XTRA (formerly Choice FM) is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Global. It broadcasts on 96.9 and 107.1 FM in Greater London, and nationally on DAB, Global Player and television platforms. It specialises in hip ho ...
complimented the usage of his polished vocals and implored listeners: "Turn this up loud." On behalf of ''
MSN Music ''MSN Music'' was a part of MSN's web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. The website also served as a digital music store from 2004 to 2008. History ...
'', writer Sam Greszes quipped that the "bitingly political and scathing collaboration between Adam Levine and Kanye West" leaves nothing "not to like". Chris Deville of ''
Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...
'' described "Heard 'Em Say" as a "gorgeously graceful opening song", in which West's rhetoric comes across as controversial. ''
HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of Hip hop music, hip hop music criticism and news. ''HipHopDX'' has over 3.5M monthly readers, the website encompassing hip hop news, interviews, music, and reviews. The website's founder and CEO is Sharath C ...
''s Ural Garret encapsulated the song's verses as "an in-depth introspective look into everyday hood aspirations" and credited West's songwriting for feeling grounded. Alex Heigl, for ''
People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
'', commended West's lyrical skill, noting that he offers a "clear-eyed, sober look at poverty and income inequality". Greg Cochrane from ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' declared that "boast nga trilogy of brilliance like 'Heard Em Say,' 'Touch The Sky' and '
Gold Digger A gold digger is a person, typically a woman, who engages in a type of transactional sexual relationship for money rather than love. If it turns into marriage, it is a type of marriage of convenience. Etymology and usage The term "gold di ...
'" makes ''Late Registration'' "a winner".


Accolades

''Pitchfork'' named "Heard 'Em Say" the 10th best song of 2005, with Fennessey opining that West pulls off the tough task of making Levine sound like
Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
, alongside praising the composition and the rapper's lyricism. It was nominated for Best Hip-Hop Song Collaboration at the 2006 Groovevolt Music and Fashion Awards. In 2015, a columnist from ''Paste'' bestowed "Heard 'Em Say" with much acclaim and ranked it as West's 53rd best album track, declaring: "''Late Registration'' starts with Kanye waking up, but 'Heard 'Em Say' plays like a soothing lullaby with some bite to it." The following year, ''
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 ...
'' named the track as West's 82nd best song, writing that the "luscious piano chords" are accompanied by Levine "gently crooning" and even though the song sounds like "a hip-hop lullaby, Kanye was kicking that real shit" with its content. It was pointed to by Capital Xtra as one of the 18 songs "for fans who miss the old Kanye".


Commercial performance

In the US, the song entered the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at the last position for the issue date of October 29, 2005. West's previous single "Gold Digger" was atop the Hot 100 at the time of the entry, giving him the rare coincidental feat of bookending the chart. The rapper stands as the seventh artist to score this achievement as of September 17, 2010; a mere .003% of the 2,721 weekly Hot 100 charts up to this point had been bookened by an artist. The song also marked Levine's first appearance on the chart outside of Maroon 5 material, while becoming a significant
crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...
success for both West and the singer. It peaked at number 26 on the Hot 100 for the issue date of December 17, 2005, remaining at this position for two weeks. The song lasted for 16 weeks on the chart. "Heard 'Em Say" debuted at number 49 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 ...
simultaneously with its Hot 100 entry and later peaked at number 17 on the issue dated December 31, 2005. The song further reached numbers 12 and 36 on the US
Hot Rap Songs Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...
and
Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009. It ranked songs based on airplay on Mainstream Top 40 radio stations, singles ...
charts, respectively. On September 23, 2020, "Heard 'Em Say" was certified
platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) for pushing 1,000,000 certified units in the US. The song was most successful in Finland, charting at number 10 on the Official Finnish Singles Chart. "Heard 'Em Say" peaked at number 23 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 ...
. In the United Kingdom, "Heard 'Em Say" performed similarly by debuting and peaking at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart. Overall, the song spent 14 weeks on the chart. On August 12, 2022, the song was awarded a silver certification by the
British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI) for shelving 200,000 units in the UK. Elsewhere, it entered the
New Zealand Singles Chart The Official Aotearoa Music Charts, formerly the Official New Zealand Music Chart (), 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 M ...
at number 15. The song experienced lesser success in Australia, reaching number 27 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 ...
.


Music videos


Background

As was the case with West's 2004 single "
Jesus Walks "Jesus Walks" is a song by American rapper Kanye West. It was released on May 25, 2004, as the fourth single from his debut album ''The College Dropout'' (2004). The song contains a sample of "Walk with Me" as performed by the ARC Choir. "Jesus ...
", more than one
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
was produced to accompany the song. Filmed overnight in
Macy's Macy's is an American department store chain founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. The first store was located in Manhattan on Sixth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, south of the present-day flagship store at Herald Square on West 34 ...
flagship department store on
34th Street 34th Street most commonly refers to 34th Street (Manhattan) 34th Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It runs the width of Manhattan Island from the West Side Highway on the West Side to FDR Drive on t ...
in NYC, West enlisted
Michel Gondry Michel Gondry (; born 8 May 1963) is a French filmmaker and producer noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. Along with Charlie Kaufman, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as one o ...
and Joe DeMaio to direct the original music video for "Heard 'Em Say", a
live-action Live action is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live action with animation to create a live-action animated feature film. Live action is used to define film, video games or ...
visual. Because the single was originally planned to be released for
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
, Gondry directed the clip inside a Macy's store during the winter season in NYC.Brown, 2006. p. Despite shooting the visual being highly expensive, West was unsatisfied with the results and commissioned
Bill Plympton Bill Plympton (born April 30, 1946) is an American animator, graphic designer, cartoonist, and filmmaker best known for his 1987 Academy Award–nominated animated short '' Your Face'' and his series of shorts featuring a dog character starting ...
to create a new music video in one week. The
animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...
music video expresses the use of raw, hand-drawn animation that West said he used for something new and "refreshing", as well as to express "how natural the song feels, how organic the song is" through a video. The first version of the music video for "Heard 'Em Say" was filmed live-action by Gondry. In the video, West plays a homeless man watching over three fictional children, who sneak into Macy's and stay overnight. Gondry had become well known for his innovative music videos, including ones for
the White Stripes The White Stripes were an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (guitar, keyboards, piano, vocals) and Meg White (drums, percussion, vocals). They were a leading group of 2000s indi ...
and
Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...
, and his film ''
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ''Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' is a 2004 American surrealist science fiction romantic drama film directed by Michel Gondry and written by Charlie Kaufman from a story by Gondry, Kaufman, and Pierre Bismuth. Starring Jim Carrey a ...
''. The director started out directing small music videos in Paris, after which he spent decades constantly renewing ideas to become famous. West was the one who took the initiative to track Gondry down, insisting that they work together. According to Gondry, West begged him to work a music video for two years before he eventually accepted. Even though "Heard 'Em Say" marked the first music video directed by Gondry for West, it was not the first time that the two had collaborated with each other. West had provided a live performance during his appearance in Gondry's 2005 documentary film ''
Dave Chappelle's Block Party ''Dave Chappelle's Block Party'' (also known as ''Block Party'') is a 2005 American documentary-concert film starring comedian Dave Chappelle at the height of his early mainstream success and cultural influence. Directed by Academy Award-winning f ...
''. In addition, the director played live drums on "
Diamonds From Sierra Leone "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" (originally "Diamonds") is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his second studio album, ''Late Registration'' (2005). The song was released as a bonus track on May 31,2005. The song was produced by West, Jon ...
", the lead single for ''Late Registration''. However, it was the first collaboration between Levine and Gondry. Levine imparted, "I've been dying to work with him forever. I was just blown away that I got the opportunity. Then I read the treatment and I found out that I would being a little bit of, you know, video acting, which is funny." The filming of the music video took place in October 2005 at
Macy's Herald Square Macy's Herald Square (originally named the R. H. Macy and Company Store) is a department store building on West 34th Street (Manhattan), 34th Street at Herald Square in New York City, New York (state), New York, United States. It was designed b ...
, the flagship of the department stores chain. The visual was filmed inside the store while it was closed down for the night, with work being done over this period. Regarding his role, Levine recalled, "This sounds weird, but it's kind of a surrealistic Christmas world that Macy's becomes. I let Kanye and his family in, after hours, to spend the night. And he's got three kids with him and they're running around and I'm chasing them. It's so weird! There's dancing suits in the men's section, all kinds of craziness, but I'm excited about it." On his part, West had little rehearsal time due to being scheduled for various public appearances. He was set to perform the very next day at the University of Miami Convocation Center in Miami, Florida, for the kickoff of his Touch the Sky Tour (2005–06). West reportedly provided Gondry with $500,000 for the music video's production budget. Gondry, who has said that he prefers "to be more in the physical world", created the video with basic technology by stylistically molding objects. He filmed it frame-by-frame, shooting by recranking the camera and re-exposing the film various times. Utilizing his signature special effects, Gondry created a fantasy world inspired by the 1964 film ''
Mary Poppins Mary Poppins may refer to: * Mary Poppins (character), a nanny with magical powers * Mary Poppins (franchise), based on the fictional nanny ** Mary Poppins (book series), ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fanta ...
'', situated inside a department store where inanimate objects and appliances come to life. Gondry declared that doing fanciful high-budget conceptual music videos is not his main occupation, saying he does ones with "zero budget" a lot more than those with an average budget. Working with a large budget, he gave the visual a slick, colorful treatment. Gondry originally wanted to fill a department store with homeless people, a "hardcore" idea that led to West desiring something "more family-oriented, something sweet". The result was a high-concept video depicting West having fun with fictional children inside a deserted Macy's store, for which Levine transformed into a security guard. West personally found the original concept too hardcore, having concerns it may "alienate his audience" during the Christmas season. The video aired in the US on the week of December 19, 2005. Regarding the shoot, Levine described it as "an experience, culturally — and being there doing what we were doing was just so fun. It's inspirational to push yourself past what you're used to. It's nice to be a little bit uncomfortable if it can yield more interesting, unique results." However, West changed his mind about the video less than two weeks to prior to its due date at
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
. When the release date for the single was pushed back to a later date, he actually decided to drop the music video. West dismissed Gondry, choosing to contact a different type of filmmaker in Plympton. Gondry claims that West shot a second video due to being overwhelmed by his indecision regarding the first. The director said that despite West's unhappiness with the results, the two remained fans of each other, remarking, "His music is amazing." West would eventually send a message to Gondry expressing his adoration of his music video. The second music video for "Heard 'Em Say" features extensive use of hand-drawn animation. According to West, the visuals express "how natural the song feels, how organic the song is". West commissioned Plympton for the alternate video. The
Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...
-nominated cartoonist had become well known for the body-morphing animated
short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...
s ''25 Ways to Quit Smoking'' and ''How to Kiss'' that were shown on MTV in the late 1980s, as well as his debut animated film ''
Your Face ''Your Face'' is a 1987 animated short film by Bill Plympton. It involves a man seated in a chair crooning about the face of his lover, and as he sings, his own face starts to distort in various ways. His song ends abruptly when a mouth opens ...
'' (1987). Simultaneously, Plympton was also working on the half-hour documentary on the 1786
Shays' Rebellion Shays's Rebellion was an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts and Worcester, Massachusetts, Worcester in response to a debt crisis among the citizenry and in opposition to the state government's increased efforts to collect taxes on both in ...
in Massachusetts for
The History Channel History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the General Entertainment Content division of The Wa ...
and a clip for singer
"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing Comedy music, comedy songs that often Parody music, parody specific songs by contempo ...
's "
Don't Download This Song "Don't Download This Song" is the first single from "Weird Al" Yankovic's 12th studio album '' Straight Outta Lynwood''. The song was released exclusively on August 21, 2006 as a digital download. It is a style parody of "We Are the World", " Vo ...
". The music video for "Heard 'Em Say" was the third Plympton had done, while arguably the most high-profile one. The artwork of Plympton's cartoons has often harbored a warped, morbid aspect, which he defended by calling himself a "normal guy" that does "crazy artwork" while asserting those who create "normal artwork are crazy". West felt that his generally naive, whimsical style of illustrations complemented his idiosyncratic artistry. The rapper had loved Plympton's work since his youth, saying that his images were important to him as a child and expressing curiosity about his creative process. West remembered seeing Plympton's films in Chicago when he was young, having watched them at the Spike & Mike and Tournée of Animation shows. He very much appreciated the films and selected Plympton's name out of them. West and Plympton later collaborated to create ''Through the Wire: Lyrics and Illuminations'' (2009), a book filled with illustrations based on the rapper's song lyrics. During a 2015 interview with ''
The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...
'', Plympton spoke for the first time about working with West on the music video. Plympton had known West was a very popular hip hop artist, but lacked awareness of his true level of fame. The night after attending an October 2005 exhibition for the art of German illustrator
Heinz Edelmann Heinz Edelmann (20 June 1934 – 21 July 2009) was a Czech-German illustrator and designer. His art direction and character designs for the Beatles' 1968 animated film '' Yellow Submarine'' brought him additional recognition around the world. ...
at the
School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by Silas ...
, he received a phone call from the rapper. Plympton recalled, "Three or four years ago, estcalled me out of the blue and said, 'I need a music video. Will you do one for me?'" West also asked, "Is this Bill Plympton? This is Kanye West. Are you the animator guy? I want to hire you to do my next music video." Plympton ultimately agreed to shoot a video, saying: "Yeah, sure." According to Plympton, Gondry's music video "wasn't exactly what Kanye wanted" and he sought out a creative take, recruiting the director for one more to his liking. West needed to premiere the second music video on MTV in a week, a period that Plympton managed to create it in. The rapper instructed Plympton to spend a low amount of money on the video, after Gondry had used his budget of $500,000 on his version. Plympton agreed to this and delivered a
storyboard A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of simple illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding proce ...
of how he visualized the narrative, which West adored. The director recalled that West travelled to his studio for two days, looking over "my shoulder as I was drawing" and criticizing the work. Plympton however understood West's viewpoint because he had the right to criticize after paying him a lot of money; he complied with the rapper's statement, "I look more handsome than that – make me more handsome!" He further spoke of West: "He has really a lot of talent in terms of design and visual flourishes and I respect him so I did what he asked me to do." After Plympton discovered that West had been watching his animated comedy film '' I Married a Strange Person!'' (1997) in his spare time and expressed fond memories of attending one of his concerts, the two began the shoot. To visually capture the tone of "Heard 'Em Say", Plympton portrayed West as a
taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...
cab driver in a fictitious city, where he picks up troubled passengers, such as a young child and his mother. Plympton explained that the youngster "is meant to represent Kanye as a young boy and the film is about his experiences" and on the other hand, he desired "the mother to be very sexy, so we did that, too". Plympton described working with West as being quite different from working with Weird Al Yankovic. He imparted from an honest standpoint that "Weird Al doesn't have a big budget for his music videos. He kind of just said, 'Here's a song. Send me the film when you're done.' Whereas Kanye was very hands-on." Plympton assured that West is "a real showman", even compared to the singer. He continued, "And he was always curious. He would call me from all over the place: 'Oh Bill, I'm watching ''I Married a Strange Person'' right now. How did you do this and that?'" As the premiere date neared, Plympton worked over the weekend with Biljana, Lisa, and Kerry. Afterwards, West came by and fine-tuned all of the art. Plympton revealed that West wanted to close the music video with a scene showing his character visiting the
pearly gates ''Pearly gates'' is an informal name for the gateway to Heaven (Christianity), Heaven according to some List of Christian denominations, Christian denominations. It is inspired by the description of the New Jerusalem in : "The twelve gates were ...
to
Heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...
, which he turned down. The director informed West that due to having only one day of filming left, shooting the gates correctly "would be almost impossible", an explanation he understood. In the end, they narrowly made the deadline for the video, with West paying Plympton out of his pocket. As a show of generosity, West insisted on Plympton adding an animated credit for himself at the end of the music video. During the video's release party, West dubbed the director as the "
Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...
of Animation". The music video was debuted for
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
in the UK on November 12, 2005, while it aired on MTV's ''
Total Request Live ''Total Request Live'' (commonly abbreviated as ''TRL'') is an American television program that premiered on MTV on September 14, 1998. The early version of ''TRL'' featured popular music videos played during its countdown and was also used as ...
'' nine days later. West's creative involvement left a good impression for Plympton, who said that he heavily respects him and trusted his opinion. The director declared that West is "a smart guy" and "very visual", mentioning his potential to be a
theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...
. Plympton later presented the video for the sold-out second annual
New York Comic Con The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to comics, Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, Film, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. With an attendance of 200,00 ...
at the
Javits Convention Center The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, commonly known as the Javits Center, is a large convention center on Eleventh Avenue (Manhattan), Eleventh Avenue between 34th Street (Manhattan), 34th Street and 38th Street in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, ...
on February 23, 2007. After offering a brief summary of his career, including his childhood drawings and his time working as an
editorial cartoonist An editorial cartoonist, also known as a political cartoonist, is an artist who draws editorial cartoons that contain some level of political or social commentary. Their cartoons are used to convey and question an aspect of daily news or current ...
, Plympton initiated the program by screening the video. He explained how West believed "Gondry's piece was too wimpy", telling Plympton that he "had one week to do it and Gondry had spent all the money".


Synopsis

The visually elaborate live-action music video for "Heard 'Em Say" harbors a distinct
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
theme. Gondry created a surrealistic story set inside the Herald Square Macy's store, which is fantasy styled. West plays a homeless single father monitoring his three fictional children, who sneak into the store and stay overnight sometime around the Christmas season. Levine plays the role of a guard, granting entry to West and his children after store opening hours. They spend time overnight in the store, which turns into a magical playground. West and the children make the most of their time, running around the area as Levine sings his lines on "Heard 'Em Say" and chases them. West does some shopping while the youngsters play around the store, which comes to life. Within the store, suits dance in the Men's section, Christmas dinners are cooked,
sofa bed A sofa bed or sofa-bed (in the US often called a sofabed, hide-a-bed, bed-couch, sleeper-sofa, or pullout sofa) is a multifunctional furniture typically consisting of a sofa or couch that, underneath its seating cushions, hides a metal frame an ...
s fold and unfold to the rhythm of the music, a continuous race track comes together piece-by-piece in seconds, and the children drive around on a police bed only to be confronted by the security guard. A cameo appearance is made by Brion, who plays the song's piano melody on a miniature piano in the toy section. With the alternate video, Plympton managed to fully reproduce the visuals that West had in mind, echoing the tone of the song. Messy, hand-drawn animation is utilized in the video, appearing at numerous points. The
black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...
visuals harbor a mixture of fantasy and reality, conveying a setting that is both whimsical and dreary. West's verses are translated into a faithful rendition of cartoon
vignette Vignette may refer to: * Vignette (entertainment), a sketch in a sketch comedy * Vignette (graphic design), decorative designs in books (originally in the form of leaves and vines) to separate sections or chapters * Vignette (literature), short, i ...
s, with unique flourishes characteristic of Plympton's style. The rapper is depicted as a mythical underpaid urban driver of an oversized taxicab, picking up passengers that include a mother and her young boy, the latter of whom represents him as a child. The child traverses a depressing urban landscape, becoming aware of the harsh realities of the US on his journey. His eyes are drawn with exaggerated largeness as he looks at advertisements of diamonds and jewelry. Sequences of the child are interspersed with footage of West and Levine providing vocal performances, appearing behind an all-white background. The video also features completely literal and animated interpretations of selected lyrics from the song, while West morphes into both
Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
and the devil as they are mentioned in his lines. The video begins with a wealthy woman and her pet poodle exiting West's taxicab. Upon requesting his tip, she offers him a nickel. The next scene focuses on a small family of chain smokers, showing a young boy packing his suitcase with the aid of his mother and grandmother, both of whom have cigarettes in their mouths. The visual narrative follows West transporting the child and his mother. A long stream of heavy smoke follows the child and his mother, who enter West's cab and travel through the fictional city as he continues picking up passengers. Throughout the video, the child's wide, impressionable eyes express his developing social sense as he observes the world that he sees around him, trying to comprehend and copy it. The cab eventually arrives at a
fuel station A filling station (also known as a gas station [] or petrol station []) is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Fuel dispensers are used to ...
and as the mother runs in there to purchase lottery tickets, the child spots her cigarettes on the cab seat and grabs them. He tries one and then throws the lit match out of the window into a nearby puddle of gasoline. The car erupts in flames, resulting in the boy and West dying. It shoots up into the sky, where West and the child grow pairs of angel wings each. Following the boy's death, his mother is left to dwell in anguish on Earth as he moves on and remains in Heaven. Meanwhile, West's angel returns to Earth to continue his job as a cab driver, a living
purgatory In Christianity, Purgatory (, borrowed into English language, English via Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman and Old French) is a passing Intermediate state (Christianity), intermediate state after physical death for purifying or purging a soul ...
of sorts.


Reception

Amid Amidi Amid Amidi is a journalist. He is the publisher and editor-in-chief of the ''Cartoon Brew Cartoon Brew is an animation news website created by Amid Amidi and animation historian Jerry Beck that was launched on 15 March 2004. Cartoon Dump It ...
of ''
Cartoon Brew Cartoon Brew is an animation news website created by Amid Amidi and animation historian Jerry Beck that was launched on 15 March 2004. Cartoon Dump It also created '' Cartoon Dump'', a weekly podcast showing poorly made TV cartoons featuring ' ...
'' was not impressed by "Gondry's slick, candy-colored treatment" for the first music video, commenting that it heavily misses the point of "Heard 'Em Say" and merely screams, "Look, how big my budget was!" The second music video was very well received by critics. A writer for ''
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
'' called the video "excellent". John Hugar from Uproxx declared that the visual features a juxtaposition he found intriguing, remarking, "It's a fascinating mixture of fantasy and reality that manages to be whimsical and dreary at the same time". Amidi asserted that it adds an "entirely new layer of meaning and effect to the song", noting that the hand-drawn animation expresses the earthy tone more honestly than the first music video. He also wrote that hand-drawn animation is suddenly "hip and exciting" instead of
computer animation Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating Film, moving images. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both still images and moving images, while computer animation refers to moving images. Virtu ...
, welcoming "the raw messy esthetic of Plympton's drawing style" as a "change of pace" from the "endless parade of mathematically perfect CG
model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...
s and animation", finalizing the video as a proper example of the technique from someone like West who is intelligent enough to know its strengths and the appropriate places for usage. At the 2006 Music Video Production Awards, the first music video won the award for Best Hip-Hop Video. On their 2018 list of West's best music videos, ''Complex'' placed it at number 13, with the staff writing, "The fantasy world of the department store perfectly embodies the nostalgic yet uplifting sounds of the track." The second video was popular in the press, garnering much airplay on MTV and
BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...
. On ''Complex''s list of West's best videos, the visual was ranked at number 31.


Personnel

;Live-Action Video *
Michel Gondry Michel Gondry (; born 8 May 1963) is a French filmmaker and producer noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. Along with Charlie Kaufman, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as one o ...
director *Peter Sluszka animation director *Partizan Entertainment production company *Julie Fong executive producer *Ivan Abel stop motion DP *Julianna Cox additional animator *Tim MacDonald props & rigging *Blanca Li choreographer *Heidi Bivens wardrobe stylist *
Roc-A-Fella Roc-A-Fella Records was an American record label and music management company founded in 1994 by record executives and entrepreneurs Jay-Z, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem Burke, Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Carter issued his debut album, ...
record label *
Island Def Jam Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG) was an American record label group formed on December 31, 1998, by Universal Music Group. Before 2014, IDJMG encompassed labels originally established under the umbrella of Island Records and Def Jam Recording ...
record label ;Animated Video *
Bill Plympton Bill Plympton (born April 30, 1946) is an American animator, graphic designer, cartoonist, and filmmaker best known for his 1987 Academy Award–nominated animated short '' Your Face'' and his series of shorts featuring a dog character starting ...
director, animator *Joe DeMaio director *Roc-A-Fella record label


Live performances

A remote performance of "Heard 'Em Say" taped in Los Angeles was broadcast on a video screen in Foxborough, Massachusetts for an audience of over 40,000 fans during a pre-game concert held on September 3, 2005, at
Gillette Stadium Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States. The stadium is southwest of Downtown Boston and 18 miles (29 km) northeast of Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and admi ...
. After Maroon 5 played their 2002 single " Harder to Breathe", West performed on a red-white-and-blue stage, which received a poor audience response. On September 29, 2005, West performed the song at
Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...
in London for his first
live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...
''
Late Orchestration ''Late Orchestration'' is a live album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released on April 24, 2006, through Mercury Records in Europe and Asia. The album features recordings of live renditions of songs derived from his first two studio albu ...
'' (2006), accompanied by singer
John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He began his musical career working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Every ...
. Two days later, West appeared with Levine as a musical guest on the season premiere of ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
(SNL)'', for which they performed the song together backed by a live orchestra. For the performance, West wore a brown leather jacket and white-framed sunglasses, reminiscent of an outfit he had recently worn at the
2005 MTV Video Music Awards The 2005 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2005, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. The show was hosted by Diddy at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. The big winner of the night was Green Day, who ...
. West performed the song at
Santa Monica High School Santa Monica High School, officially abbreviated to Samohi or SMHS, is a public high school in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 1891, it changed location several times in its early years before settling into its present campus at 601 Pico Bo ...
on December 5 for a concert promoting higher education, sponsored by his eponymous charity foundation. He included "Heard 'Em Say" on the setlist of his Touch the Sky Tour (2005–06). On December 3, 2005, Levine joined West onstage to sing his portion of the song for the tour's stop at
Universal City, California Universal City is an unincorporated area within the San Fernando Valley. Approximately within and immediately outside the area is the property of Universal Pictures NBCUniversal's film studio, one of the five major film studios in the United ...
. West performed the song for a pre-game concert held during
VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
's Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Bash on February 2, 2006. Wearing a
Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
jacket and accompanied by a seven-piece string orchestra, two backup singers, and a DJ, he introduced "Heard 'Em Say" by telling the audience it was "my favorite song I ever worked on". West provided a performance of "Heard 'Em Say" at St. James Theatre in Auckland, New Zealand on March 17, 2006, which was well received by the audience. He wore a glittery
Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...
jacket and large sci-fi shades, before pausing to change into a bolero jacket and switching to a preppy white shirt later on. West presented an embellished live arrangement, utilizing a string section, back-up singers, and a DJ, with accompaniment from Common. West performed the song at the 2006
Coachella Festival Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorad ...
, for which he wore a T-shirt in tribute to
Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...
, jeans, and a red bandana. With backing from a DJ and two additional singers, West performed "Heard 'Em Say" for
KIIS-FM KIIS-FM (102.7 FM broadcasting, FM, "102.7 KIIS FM") is a commercial radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, United States, and broadcasts to the Greater Los Angeles area. The station airs a contemporary hit radio format. Owned by i ...
's
Wango Tango iHeartRadio Wango Tango, commonly referred to as simply Wango Tango, is an annual day-long concert produced by local Los Angeles radio station KIIS-FM. The concert series has been staged at various venues around southern California including Dod ...
concert on May 8. During his headlining concert on the second day of
Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...
2006 in his hometown of Chicago, West delivered a performance of the song to an audience of 60,000 people, which included scratches by DJ
A-Trak Alain Macklovitch (born March 30, 1982), known professionally as A-Trak, is a Canadian DJ, record producer, and record executive. He came to prominence in the late 2000s as an international club DJ and remix artist, known for incorporating highl ...
. West jumped across the stage at Live Earth 2007 as he performed a medley of eight hits, beginning with "Heard 'Em Say". On October 10, while Maroon 5 was playing " Nothing Lasts Forever" at a sold-out concert inside
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
in NYC, Levine announced that he was to introduce "a good friend" to the stage, followed by a surprise guest appearance from West. To the delight of the audience, the two segued into a live rendition of "Heard 'Em Say". West included "Heard 'Em Say" as the third number of the set list for his
Glow in the Dark Tour The Glow in the Dark Tour was the third concert tour by American rapper Kanye West, in support of his third studio album, ''Graduation (album), Graduation'' (2007). West shared the first tour dates across the United Kingdom in September 2007, wh ...
, which began on April 16, 2008, at the
KeyArena Climate Pledge Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is located north of downtown Seattle in the entertainment complex known as the Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World's Fair, for which it wa ...
in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, Washington.Beaumont, 2015. p. 257 For the start of a stop at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on the tour, he was pulled to a standing position as the opening strains of "Wake Up Mr. West" from ''Late Registration'' played. This was followed a computer named Jane informing West that the Earth had lost all its creativity and he needed to save the human race from a banal existence. The various compositions performed by West served to form a
space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes Space warfare in science fiction, space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, i ...
storyline that details the story of how a stranded space traveler struggles for over a year making attempts to escape from a distant planet while on a creative mission. He performed on a small, elaborate stage that was spread into a desert sand dune shrouded in billowing smoke before an enormous
LED screen A LED display is a flat panel display that uses an array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as pixels for a video display. Their brightness allows them to be used outdoors where they are visible in the sun for store signs and billboards. In ...
depicting a skyline where
shooting star A meteor, known colloquially as a shooting star, is a glowing streak of a small body (usually meteoroid) going through Earth's atmosphere, after being heated to incandescence by collisions with air molecules in the upper atmosphere, creating a ...
s reappear as pumping blue cells, the latter of which appeared for the song. West spent the entire performance onstage alone, rapping and singing the lyrics as his band played in a pit at the foot of the sloping stage. Like most songs from West's early albums, "Heard 'Em Say" was provided an
electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...
rendition that integrated with both the synthesizer quality of tracks from his third studio album ''
Graduation A graduation is the awarding of a diploma by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it, which can also be called Commencement speech, commencement, Congregation (university), congregation, Convocat ...
'' (2007) and the sci-fi theme of his conceptual concert. He wore jeans, a sweater with one missing sleeve, shoulder pads, and a red windbreaker tied around his waist for the performance. Near the end of the Glow in the Dark Tour's North American leg, West performed the song for a crowd of around 100,000 during the final night of
Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...
in Chicago that he headlined on August 3, 2008. The live venue was a slightly more stripped-down version of his standard Glow in the Dark Tour concert. Even though the high-budget stage did not feature
hologram Holography is a technique that allows a wavefront to be recorded and later reconstructed. It is best known as a method of generating three-dimensional images, and has a wide range of other uses, including data storage, microscopy, and interf ...
s or lunar landscapes, it was still equipped with blinding strobes, moody lighting, and rolling fog. He performed with a space-age backing band, consisting of a percussionist/DJ setup, robo-suited guitarists, and futuristic female singers wearing foot-high shoulder pads. "Heard 'Em Say" was among the songs performed by West during a 90-minute set when he headlined the 2008
Global Gathering Global Gathering was an annual dance music festival by Angel Festivals Limited. Festivals are held in countries such as the UK, Poland, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and feature leading electronic music artists from around the globe. The festival ran ...
festival, becoming the very first hip-hop artist to do so. After teasing the audience with a snippet of his 2007 track " Stronger", West appeared in a cloud of smoke and delivered the performance. He performed to a crowd of 50,000, wearing a black jacket and a bright T-shirt. A live rendition of "Heard 'Em Say" was performed during West's secret
black-tie Black tie is a semi-formal wear, semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and North American conventions for clothing, attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdoc ...
show at The Box nightclub on
Chrystie Street Chrystie Street is a street on Manhattan's Lower East Side and Chinatown, running as a continuation of Second Avenue from Houston Street, for seven blocks south to Canal Street. It is bounded on the east for its entirety by Sara D. Roosevelt ...
in Manhattan, NYC on August 13, 2010. The rapper held the late-night function that he dubbed "Rosewood", accompanied by Legend and performing to slightly over 200 select attendees for 90 minutes. A simplistic stage set-up was used, which consisted of a baby
grand piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
that Legend sat at, a
Roland TR-808 The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 808, is a drum machine manufactured by Roland Corporation between 1980 and 1983. It was one of the first drum machines to allow users to program rhythms instead of using preset patterns. ...
drum machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A d ...
, a keyboard, and two microphones that include one utilized solely for
Auto-Tune Auto-Tune is audio processor software released on September 19, 1997, by the American company Antares Audio Technologies. It uses a proprietary device to measure and Pitch correction, correct pitch in music. It operates on different principles ...
. After they opened with a performance of West's 2008 single "
Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States and Canada. United St ...
", he instructed Legend to take it back to old times, leading into them performing the song. As their duet progressed, the singer started slowly stroking the piano keys and singing
Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...
and
Tammi Terrell Thomasina Winifred Montgomery (April 29, 1945 – March 16, 1970), professionally known as Tammi Terrell, was an American singer-songwriter, widely known as a star singer for Motown Records during the 1960s, notably for a series of duets with ...
's "
If This World Were Mine "If This World Were Mine" is a 1967 song by soul duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell from their album '' United''. Written solely by Gaye, it was one of the few songs they recorded without Ashford & Simpson writing or producing. When it was rele ...
" (1967). On October 19, 2013, West performed "Heard 'Em Say" as part of an
encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers at the conclusion of a show or concert, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford Universi ...
for
The Yeezus Tour The Yeezus Tour was the fifth concert tour by American rapper Kanye West, in support of his sixth studio album, '' Yeezus'' (2013). Announced with a promotional poster in September 2013, it served as West's first solo concert tour since the Gl ...
's kickoff show at the KeyArena. During the performance, West wore a black mask and stopped rapping at points. On January 6, 2019, the first Sunday of the year, West and his group
Sunday Service Choir The Sunday Service Choir (commonly referred as Sunday Service) is an American gospel group led by rapper Kanye West and conducted by choir director Jason White. Beginning in January 2019, and initially produced by Jack and Michael Skolnick, the g ...
performed a
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
rendition of "Heard 'Em Say" to open the first installment of the group's weekly concerts. For the performance, blue and red lighting shined down while the Sunday Service Choir bounced and clapped as they wore Yeezy jumpsuits.


Cover versions and other usage

Jesse Boone released a cover of "Heard 'Em Say" for his 18th birthday in 2013, marking the first number he recorded. This gave birth to his rap stage name of Huey Supreme, a combination of a high school nickname and an
Xbox Live The Xbox network, formerly known and commonly referred to as Xbox Live, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Gaming for the Xbox brand. It was first made available to the origina ...
username. Rapper
G-Eazy Gerald Earl Gillum (born May 24, 1989), better known by his stage name G-Eazy, is an American rapper. Based in Oakland, California, he began his career in 2006 and released two independent studio albums before signing with RCA Records to releas ...
performed a cover of "Heard 'Em Say" for
BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts Black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been ...
's
Live Lounge The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cott ...
on March 15, 2016. For the chorus, G-Eazy enlisted English singer-songwriter Anne-Marie in place of Levine. The cover was faithful to the original, apart from the rapper adding in a few censors and a line, "From the
Bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...
, like 40 and
Dre DRE may refer to: * ''Dre'' (album), 2010 by American rapper Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, 2010 * Dre (given name) **Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, recor ...
." Alongside the performance, G-Eazy dubbed West "the greatest". Having sung on the original "Heard 'Em Say", Levine later appropriated the refrain for Maroon 5's "Nothing Lasts Forever", which was released on their second studio album ''
It Won't Be Soon Before Long ''It Won't Be Soon Before Long'' is the second studio album by American pop rock band Maroon 5. It was released on May 16, 2007, by A&M Octone Records, as the follow-up to their debut album, '' Songs About Jane'' (2002). The name was inspired by ...
'' in 2007. English hip hop artist
Loyle Carner Benjamin Gerard Coyle-Larner (born 6 October 1994), known professionally as Loyle Carner, is an English hip hop musician. After supporting various rappers during their tours, he released his debut album, '' Yesterday's Gone'', in 2017, which g ...
performed a stripped-down rendition of "Heard 'Em Say" as the last number of his two-track live set for
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
's Piano Sessions on October 7, 2015, presented by
Huw Stephens Huw Meredydd Stephens (born 25 May 1981) is a Welsh radio and television presenter, currently broadcasting on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 6 Music. Stephens founded the Sŵn music festival with John Rostron and the yearly s ...
. Carner added a
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
touch to the song and reworked the lyrics in a personal style, delivering an ode to his mother. Australian comedian and rapper
Matt Okine Matthew Okine (born 12 April 1985) is a stand-up comedian, author and radio presenter from Brisbane, Australia. Okine is of Ghanaian and European descent, born to his father, Mack Okine, and his mother Roslyn, who died of breast cancer when he ...
performed a version of "Heard 'Em Say" with altered verses for the UnderCover event at Giant Dwarf Theatre in Sydney, Australia in February 2016. He began his performance with a comical impression of West and stage banter, before touching on contemporary divisions within Australian society, including prominent
Islamophobia Islamophobia is the irrational fear of, hostility towards, or hatred against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general. Islamophobia is primarily a form of religious or cultural bigotry; and people who harbour such sentiments often stereot ...
and the injustices of
Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet and raising of the Flag of Great Britain, Union Flag of Great Britain by Arthur Phillip at Sydney Cove, a ...
. On April 12, 2016, London-based rapper
Little Simz Simbiatu "Simbi" Abisola Abiola Ajikawo (born 23 February 1994), better known by her stage name Little Simz, is a British Rapping, rapper and Acting, actress. She rose to prominence with the independent release of her first three albums: ''A Cur ...
asked if she could share a track on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
and subsequently released a freestyle over the instrumental of "Heard 'Em Say" to
SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...
. Little Simz raps for around three minutes and starts the freestyle by promising to "speak from the heart", prior to delivering introspective lyricism about subjects including
fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...
politicians and the importance of speaking the truth. G-Eazy interpolates lines from "Heard 'Em Say" on the interlude of his song "Charles Brown", which reuses the new line from his cover version. West received songwriting credit on the track, which was released on G-Eazy's fourth studio album '' The Beautiful & Damned'' in 2017. Fellow rapper
Logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...
included a song named after "Heard 'Em Say" on his sixth studio album '' No Pressure'', released in July 2020.


Track listings

US 12" vinyl ;A-side # "Heard 'Em Say" feat
Adam Levine Adam Noah Levine ( ; born March 18, 1979) is an American musician who is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist and sole continuous member of the pop rock band Maroon 5. Levine began his musical career in 1994 with the band Kara's Flowers, for ...
(Radio) # "Heard 'Em Say" feat Adam Levine (Main) # "Heard 'Em Say" feat Adam Levine (Instrumental) ;B-side # "Touch the Sky" feat
Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, record producer and Music education, music educator. Born and raised in Chicago, he gained mainstream recognition for his gue ...
(Radio) # "Touch the Sky" feat Lupe Fiasco (LP) # "Touch the Sky" feat Lupe Fiasco (Instrumental) US CD single # "Heard 'Em Say" (Album Version) # "Heard 'Em Say" (Ft
John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He began his musical career working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Every ...
) (Live from
Abbey Road ''Abbey Road'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 26 September 1969, by Apple Records. It is the last album the group recorded, although '' Let It Be'' (1970) was the last album completed before th ...
) # "Back to Basics" (International Bonus) UK CD single # "Heard 'Em Say" – Album Version # "Heard 'Em Say" featuring John Legend – (Live from Abbey Road) – 4:13 # "Back to Basics" – International Bonus # "Heard 'Em Say" – CD-Rom Video


Credits and personnel

Information taken from ''Late Registration'' liner notes. Recording * Recorded at
Sony Music Studios Sony Music Studios was an American music recording and mastering facility in New York City. The five-story building was a music and broadcasting complex located at 460 W. 54th Street, at 10th Avenue, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhat ...
(NYC) and Grandmaster Recording Studios (Hollywood, CA) * Mixed at Chalice Recording Studios (Hollywood, CA) Personnel *
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
songwriter, producer *
Adam Levine Adam Noah Levine ( ; born March 18, 1979) is an American musician who is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist and sole continuous member of the pop rock band Maroon 5. Levine began his musical career in 1994 with the band Kara's Flowers, for ...
songwriter *
Michael Masser Michael William Masser (March 24, 1941 – July 9, 2015) was an American songwriter, composer and producer of popular music. Early life Born to a Jewish family in Chicago to Ester Huff and William Masser, he attended the University of Illinois ...
songwriter *
Gerry Goffin Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the US No.1 hits " Will You L ...
songwriter *
Jon Brion Jon Brion (born December 11, 1963) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and composer. He performed with the Excerpts, the Bats, 'Til Tuesday and The Grays (band), the Grays before becoming an established pro ...
producer * Andrew Dawson recorder * Tom Biller recorder * Mike Dean mix engineer * Taylor Dow assistant engineer * Nate Connelly assistant engineer * Mike Mo assistant engineer * Tony "Penafire" Williams additional vocals


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


Notes and references

Notes References


Bibliography

* * * {{authority control 2000s ballads 2005 songs 2005 singles Adam Levine songs Kanye West songs Song recordings produced by Kanye West Music videos directed by Michel Gondry Songs written by Adam Levine Songs with lyrics by Gerry Goffin Songs written by Kanye West Song recordings produced by Jon Brion Music videos directed by Bill Plympton Music videos directed by Kanye West Animated music videos Natalie Cole songs Roc-A-Fella Records singles Songs written by Michael Masser