Album: Surf (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This upbeat, piano-driven song is a collaboration between Chance the Rapper, his frequent collaborators Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment and vocalist Jamila Woods. Chance said: "It's my curation, but then bringing it to the table with all these beautiful people and including them in their own way. Jamila sang on that hook, then I brought it to the collective. Peter (Cottontale) added some great layers of texture and helped produce, Nate (Fox) added a bunch of drums, tons of our friends from Chicago played instruments and added their ideas."
  • The song's retro one-shot music video was directed by Chicago filmmaker Austin Vesely ("Everybody's Something") from a concept by Chance The Rapper. According to the rapper, it's all "in honor of teamwork and positivity and grandmas."
  • The video was shot in one day, but the sets took about two weeks to build. The dancers in the clip are from Save Money, a Chicago troupe that the video's director Austin Vesely worked with on the Vic Mensa/Nico Segal video for "Clear Eyes."

    Chance the Rapper wanted something theatrical after seeing The Lion King on Broadway, and with that in mind, they came up with the continuous-shot concept set around the candy shop. The benchmark for one-shot videos is OK Go (especially their treadmill video for "Here It Goes Again"), so Vesely and Chance spoke with Tim Nordwind from that group to get insights. Thanks to rigorous preparation, they needed just eight takes to get it right.
  • Chance The Rapper performed this song with Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment during his debut Saturday Night Live appearance on December 12, 2015. The Chicago rapper, who also premiered a new song, "Somewhere in Paradise," made history by becoming the first unsigned artist to perform on the show.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dean Pitchford

Dean PitchfordSongwriter Interviews

Dean wrote the screenplay and lyrics to all the songs in Footloose. His other hits include "Fame" and "All The Man That I Need."

David Sancious

David SanciousSongwriter Interviews

Keyboard great David Sancious talks about his work with Sting, Seal, Springsteen, Clapton and Aretha, and explains what quantum physics has to do with making music.

Roger McGuinn of The Byrds

Roger McGuinn of The ByrdsSongwriter Interviews

Roger reveals the songwriting formula Clive Davis told him, and if "Eight Miles High" is really about drugs.

Francis Rossi of Status Quo

Francis Rossi of Status QuoSongwriter Interviews

Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.

Dan Reed

Dan ReedSongwriter Interviews

Dan cracked the Top 40 with "Ritual," then went to India and spent 2 hours with the Dalai Lama.

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"They're Playing My Song

It wasn't her biggest hit as a songwriter (that would be "Bette Davis Eyes"), but "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" had a family connection for Jackie.