I Wonder (Kanye West Song)

"I Wonder" is a song by American hip-hop recording artist and record producer Kanye West. It was released as the fourth song on his third studio album ''Graduation'' (2007). The track was produced by West and retains influences from stadium rock, alternative music, and a variety of electronic-music subgenres. It contains a sample from "My Song" by British singer-songwriter, musician, and poet Labi Siffre. A key development in the song's creation was West touring the world the year prior with Irish rock band U2 on their Vertigo Tour. Afterwards, he sought out to compose a hip hop-oriented variation of "City of Blinding Lights," the band's 2005 single. The layered arrangement expresses ambitious orchestrations, with a distorted electronic synthesizer that acts as the driving melodic instrument. The maximalist synths are further supplemented with a sweeping string section as well as winding keyboards. Its experimental musical composition is also notable for West's rapping technique. His lyrical delivery features a fragmented, forceful flow where he raps minimalist verses in an intense staccato vocal style. Lyrically, "I Wonder" is an introspective number, containing a blend of melancholic yet inspirational lines that discuss finding one's dreams.

The song received general acclaim from contemporary music critics, who hailed it as an album highlight. Even though it did not enter charts, the album track has become a cult classic amongst fans and listeners. West himself actually cited "I Wonder" as one of his top three favorite songs from ''Graduation''. At one point, he even contemplated releasing "I Wonder" as the albums' fourth single, but subsequently chose " Flashing Lights" in its place. Nevertheless, "I Wonder" has since been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Although an accompanying music video was never produced for "I Wonder," a special video clip was made for the track. The video clip premiered during an album listening session West held for ''Graduation'' at the New World Stages in New York City. It was one of seven clips that were designed by West and edited by film editor Derrick Lee exclusively for the event. The video clip for "I Wonder" features a montage of scenes from the 1982 science fiction film ''Tron''. West performed the song on the set-list on his worldwide Glow in the Dark Tour (2008).

Background

"I Wonder" was written and produced by American hip-hop recording artist and record producer Kanye West. It was included as the fourth song on the track-listing of his third studio album, Graduation (2007). Although the composition was originally intended to be the album's opening number. The experimental hip-hop production of "I Wonder" represents a musical progression from the sound of West's past work. Its musical style demonstrates a distinctly European aesthetic, introducing diverse elements and influences from stadium rock, alternative music and various forms of electronic-music, all while maintaining its hip-hop essence. Kanye West claimed that more than any other song from his third album, "I Wonder" was the most directly influenced by the Irish rock band U2. After spending the previous year touring the world with the band on their Vertigo Tour, he became inspired by witnessing lead singer Bono open stadium concerts each night to incredible ovations. West then sought out to compose rap songs which could operate just as effectively in similar live venues. During the recording and production of ''Graduation'', West designed tracks in such a way that they would function well when performed in large stadiums and arenas. With "I Wonder" in particular, West intended to create a hip-hop-oriented variation of the rock band's 2005 single "City of Blinding Lights." The song made its live debut on the Vertigo Tour and was used as the opener of the concert set-list.

Prior to the release of his third studio album, West frequently spoke of the desire to write anthemic lyrics that listeners could connect to and personalize with, and "I Wonder" epitomizes this ethos. The song's lyrical content is introspective in nature, as West paints a portrait of his reflective thoughts. His philosophical lyrics talk about chasing after dreams and address his rise to fame. In regards to songwriting, West disclosed that he simplifies some of his lyricism on "I Wonder." On ''Graduation'', he reconditioned his lines to be simpler, more direct, and more autobiographical in order to make them more accessible to listeners and appeal to the broadest audience possible.

For the track, West adopted a slower, fragmented flow to deliver his emotional lyrics. He used similar choppy rapping styles throughout most of the lyrical content on ''Graduation''. He realized after touring with the English rock band The Rolling Stones on their A Bigger Bang concert tour that he could not captivate audiences as well with his most complex lyricism and technical rapping. During an album listening party, West jokingly explained, "I'd be saying my super- raps, and this 50-year-old white lady would be looking like, 'I can’t wait till the Rolling Stones come on.'" He elaborated that it was a conscious effort not to overexert his rapping on ''Graduation''. West imparted that he felt he too often did so in the past on songs such as "Diamonds from Sierra Leone," the lead single of his sophomore effort, ''Late Registration'' (2006). West stated that on his third studio album, he made the decision to cease trying so hard to prove himself as a rapper.

Recording

"I Wonder" was recorded in three different recording studios: The Record Plant and Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, California, and at Sony Music Studios in New York City. Once the recording sessions were complete, the track was then mixed at the Legacy Recording Studios in New York City. "I Wonder" is representative of West's stylistic shift in his approach to record production on his third studio album. The music of ''Graduation'' had mainly been informed by West experiences touring with the rock bands U2 and The Rolling Stones. West had accompanied Irish rock band U2 as a supporting act for several dates of their Vertigo Tour in 2005 and 2006. He would watch the band open concerts with their 2005 single "City of Blinding Lights" to rapturous applause, observe how the band's epic, melodic sound filled stadiums, and then sought out to replicate the effect on "I Wonder."Shipley, Al
Kanye West's 'Graduation': 10 Things You Didn't Know
''Rolling Stone''. Retrieved on 2017-09-11. The song's swelling, anthemic energy is the result of West's channeling the legacy of the rock bands in an attempt to attain a "stadium-status" for his music. In addition to U2 and The Rolling Stones, West also turned the focus of his attention and listening habits towards synth-driven mainstream rock bands such as The Killers, Keane, Radiohead and Coldplay as well as the electronic duo Daft Punk.

To further achieve his "stadium-status" endeavor, West stretched out his production by integrating heavy, layered electronic synthesizers at loud volumes into his hip-hop beats. He fashioned the chord sequence that carries during the song's verses with the use of distorted synth-chords. The layered synthesizers West chose expresses a maximalist aesthetic, were directly inspired by U2's "City of Blinding Lights" and further align with the "stadium status" description he uses on " Big Brother," which bears a similar instrumentation. The liberal use of synthesizers for "I Wonder" is a trait that the recording shares with nearly every track on ''Graduation'', which served as West's foray into electronic-music. West incorporated a wide variety of audio effects into his production, particularly distortion, feedback, dissonance and reverberation.Pytlik, Mark. 2007-09-11
Review: ''Graduation''
Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2009-10-06. The inclusion of these audio components, in addition to modulated electronic noises and rich keyboard tones, contributed towards a harder, denser sonic textures.Greg Kot (2007-08-31)
'Graduation' day arrives: Kanye West exploits his growing pains
. ''Chicago Tribune''. Accessed 2007-10-01. West would continue experimenting with abrasive, electronic production on subsequent records, most prominently with the industrial-inspired albums ''Yeezus'' and ''The Life of Pablo''.

In an interview, West stated that among his primary objectives on his third studio album ''Graduation'' was for his drums to "bang harder in stadiums". A newfound fascination with house-music had an influence on this endeavor to achieve stronger drum beats. West relied less on his signature shuffling rhymthic patterns and placed more emphasis on clipped electro tones, giving his programmed beats more of a punch. The highly pronounced rhythm section of "I Wonder" is structured on a combination of thumping boom-bap bass drum and pounding breakbeats. West buried his snares and kick drums deep beneath the decomposing layers of synths into the bottom of the mix. The snare drum that West uses for "I Wonder" was reportedly heard while he was shopping for furniture at Moss. West was quite meticulous, spending many weeks and roughly ten different recording sessions working on the drum track alone. Yet another stylistic shift West made in his pursuit of sing-along stadium anthems came in his approach to rapping over these beats. When recording his vocals, West placed a significant amount of concentration on speaking at high volumes with fewer words. Inspired by arena tours, he decided to shed his more technical verse- raps in favor of anthemic sloganeering that tens of thousands of fans could chant in unison at concerts. West's sparse array of vocals were also treated with processing, as his staccato delivery is laden with echos. For the track, West utilizes a simplified, halting vocal delivery that is both "electrifying" and "punchy".

Despite its experimental nature, "I Wonder" still happens to be one of a handful of tracks from ''Graduation'' which harbor certain characteristics of West's once trademark musical style. It features a soulful vocal sample from the 1972 recording "My Song" by British singer-songwriter, musician, and poet Labi Siffre. Alongside the nostalgic sample, the orchestration includes elegant piano and lush strings in addition to layered synths.Kellman, Andy. Review: ''Graduation'' Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-10-06. West continued invoking his habit of layering keys and strings in order to coax the melodies out of samples. The track's keyboards were played by ''Late Registration'' collaborator Jon Brion and a full string section was incorporated into the layered, synth-heavy mixes. The lilting melody of the Labi Saffri sample works in tandem with the anthemic ambiance of the lush orchestration and layers of warm yet swelling synths, all over the booming, delay-heavy drums.

Although it retains a soulful sample, "I Wonder" is demonstrative of how the majority of the songs on ''Graduation'' don't express the "chipmunk-soul" once a hallmark of West's productions in the past. West's debut as a hit-making record producer on ''The Blueprint'' in 2001 popularized a distinctive hip-hop production technique which involved manipulating the pitch and tempo of vocal samples from classic soul records. West's influential production work on the acclaimed studio album was responsible for helping to revatlize Jay-Z's career and he would later apply some of the soul-based sampling techniques used on ''The Blueprint'' into his own solo releases. But overtime, West chose to depart from this signature sound and progressively explore different musical avenues. The minor presence of soul samples on ''Graduation'' with tracks such as "I Wonder" and "The Glory" served merely to act as a holdover as to not alienate West's core audience unprepared for his increasingly experimental sonic approach. Though he continued to use looped vocal samples on his third album, West now gleaned them before pushing them underneath the synths, causing their voices to sound trapped within a machine. Furthermore, instead of being high-pitched, sped-up and chopped-up, the Labi Saffi sample for "I Wonder" is used disarmingly straight.

Release

"I Wonder" was first heard by music listeners when the digital radio station BBC Radio 1Xtra hosted an exclusive "Audience With Kanye West" venue at the BBC
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