"Confused!" (stylized in all caps) is a song written and recorded by American musician Kid Cudi, taken from his fifth studio album Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven (2015). The song was officially released on August 1, 2015 as the album's lead single.[4] The song features production, guitar and bass from Cudi.[5]
On April 4, 2015, Cudi announced via Twitter, that he would soon be releasing a new album titled Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven, prior to Man on the Moon III.[6] When speaking on the album in early July 2015, Cudi stated: "This album is 100% the purest form of my artistic self".[7] He also added: "I've ripped my heart out and carved it into tiny pieces of musical madness".[7] On August 6, 2015, Cudi dedicated the album to "everyone struggling with mental disorder all around the world."[8] On July 4, Cudi gave an update on the project, which he announced would be entirely self-produced (with some assistance from Plain Pat), as well as hinting towards a rock album, when he revealed there would be a complete absence of electronic sounds, as the instrumentals will consist entirely of his own guitar and bass playing.[9]
On July 4, 2015, Cudi announced a single for the album would be released "before the end of the month."[10][11] The single, titled "Confused!", was released on August 1, 2015.[4] On September 29, 2015, Cudi released the cover art for "Confused", which he designed himself.[12] On October 2, 2015, Cudi released two new songs, "Wedding Tux" and "Judgmental Cunt".[13][14][15] The songs were originally supposed to be released on iTunes, in a single pack, along with "Confused", however the iTunes release failed to materialize, forcing Cudi to release it via his official SoundCloud page.[16][17]
The album's lead single contains confessional, stream-of-consciousness songwriting. Cudi intones ponderous rhymes over post-punk guitar and clicking percussion.
Upon release, Dean Van Nguyen of NME, wrote "Featuring a heavy, grunge-like guitar riff, the track continues Cudi’s recent move away from his alt-hip-hop origins towards a more rock-orientated sound," referring to his 2012 collaborative effort WZRD, which was also a departure from his previous work.[20] David Jeffries of AllMusic noted "For outsiders, ‘Confused!’ is the track to pick, as it sticks in the head with the ‘Who am I? Who are we?/All I want is to feel complete’ chorus, and then resonates with ‘I hate the drugs but I love the numb.’"[21]
B.R. of the Urban Daily wrote "‘Confused!’ still finds Kid Cudi in his rock star lane, pushing his sobered, dry vocals over a simplistic chord progression. He’s still straying away from hip-hop, but this single is far more accessible than his work on Satellite Flight. ‘Confused’ is a personal track, too: ‘I hate the drugs but I love the numb/ I hate the gun but I want the sun.’"[22] Brennan Carley of Spin wrote "It's much in line with the sound the rapper's been carving out the past couple of years – drawling singing atop melancholic, head-in-hands melodies – but he sounds totally on his game here."[23]
Live performances
Kid Cudi provided a live rendition of "Confused!" on August 1, 2015 during his set at the Lollapalooza music festival.[24][25]
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