So Done
by Alicia Keys (featuring Khalid)

Album: Alicia (2020)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Over finger snaps and acoustic guitar, Alicia Keys sings of being done with changing herself for the sake of others.

    I lost control over all my energy
    Done so much damage to my heart
    I've given in, I've changed my identity
    I didn't mean to go so far


    Keys has tired of being crippled by fear of what others think of her. She is now living her life the way she wants.
  • Khalid joins Keys on the track; we learn that he too was getting jaded by trying to be a people pleaser.

    Hmm, livin' the way
    Wonder how I could let you get in the way


    Now, Khalid is also doing his own thing.
  • Keys and Khalid created the song with Ludwig Göransson, who is Childish Gambino's main producer. None of them had written together before, which for Keys was a challenge; she doesn't normally write with people she doesn't know because "it's such an intimate space." However, the New Yorker told Billboard she could zone in once the three started conversing "about being over fixing yourself and changing yourself for other peoples' benefits."

    Keys and Khalid shared stories from their personal lives; she said her favorite thing about Khalid "is that he's so unafraid to be vulnerable, and to talk about those parts that are maybe not even talked about as much as a young man, as a human and as a person."

    Thanks to Khalid's openness, Keys found it easy to vibe with the Texan and "So Done" was born out of their session.
  • Andy Hines (Keith Urban's "Coming Home," Lizzo's "Tempo") directed the video. The clip finds Keys and Khalid as the singers at a school dance where American Honey actress Sasha Lane is feeling out of place. She eventually decides she's "done" with her classmates and rides off into the night with some bikers.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Ed Roland of Collective Soul

Ed Roland of Collective SoulSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Shine," "December," "The World I Know" and other Collective Soul hits.

Joe Ely

Joe ElySongwriter Interviews

The renown Texas songwriter has been at it for 40 years, with tales to tell about The Flatlanders and The Clash - that's Joe's Tex-Mex on "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

The Real Nick Drake

The Real Nick DrakeSong Writing

The head of Drake's estate shares his insights on the late folk singer's life and music.

Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles

Timothy B. Schmit of the EaglesSongwriter Interviews

Did this Eagle come up with the term "Parrothead"? And what is it like playing "Hotel California" for the gazillionth time?

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton HeatSongwriter Interviews

The Reverend rants on psychobilly and the egghead academics he bashes in one of his more popular songs.