Lesley (Dave song)

Last updated
"Lesley"
Song by Dave featuring Ruelle
from the album Psychodrama
Released8 March 2019
Length11:08
Label Neighbourhood
Songwriters
Producer Fraser T. Smith
Audio video
"Lesley" on YouTube

"Lesley" is a song by British rapper Dave, featuring American singer-songwriter Ruelle, released on 8 March 2019 by Neighbourhood Recordings as the ninth cut of Dave's debut studio album, Psychodrama . [1] Over eleven minutes long, it was produced by Dave's mentor, Fraser T. Smith and marks Dave's longest released song. [1]

Contents

Composition and content

"Lesley" is a British hip hop storytelling track. It's 11:08 long and is the longest song Dave has released. On the track, Dave tells a story about Lesley, a woman he met at Norbury railway station, with whom he had a conversation about her life. Lesley describes to Dave how she feels trapped in an abusive relationship and is pregnant with the abuser, Jason's child. Further into the track, it's revealed that Lesley is struggling to leave her boyfriend before catching Jason cheating on her with her friend, Hannah. [2] On "Drama", the final cut of Psychodrama, Dave reveals that he broke the fourth wall with "Lesley", suggesting that it may be based off one of his family members. [2]

Critical reception

Writing for Complex , Natty Kasambala describes the song as "the challenging 11-minute apex of the album", writing that "the warping of police sirens into melancholic wails add to the chilling atmosphere of the track in the verse breaks". [3] Andre Paine for Evening Standard wrote that the song "plays out like a gritty urban thriller". [4] The Guardian 's Alexis Petridis desribes the track as the album's "centerpiece", writing that it "depicts an abusive relationship and its shattering fallout in harrowing detail". [5] Petridis continued that the subject matter of the song is "unremittingly grim", but it's also "genuinely gripping". [5] Roisin O'Connor and Elisa Bray for the The Independent described the song as "a devastating, nine-minute account of a woman Dave has conversations with on the train, from a different background". [6] Writing for NME , Carl Anka described the song as "grand work" while noting that it "could have easily crossed over to crass or exploitative". [7]

Personnel

Credits and personnel adapted from Tidal. [8]

Musicians

Technical

Charts

Chart performance for "Lesley"
Chart (2019)Peak
position
UK Audio Streaming (OCC) [9] 54

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [10] Silver200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 "Dave Drops Debut Album 'Psychodrama' & Fans Are Losing It Over This Song". Capital Xtra . 8 March 2019. Archived from the original on 14 October 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  2. 1 2 Hunt, El (8 March 2019). "The biggest talking points on Dave's brutally honest and powerful debut, Psychodrama". NME . Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  3. ↑ Kasambala, Natty (11 March 2019). "Review: Dave's 'Psychodrama' Is A Brutally Impressive Examination Of Society". Complex . Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  4. ↑ Paine, Andre (8 March 2019). "Dave – Psychodrama (Neighbourhood)". Evening Standard . ISSN   2041-4404. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  5. 1 2 Petridis, Alexis (8 March 2019). "Dave: Psychodrama review – the boldest and best British rap album in a generation". The Guardian . ISSN   1756-3224. Archived from the original on 9 March 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  6. ↑ O'Connor, Roisin; Bray, Elisa (8 March 2019). "Album reviews: Dave – Psychodrama, and Dido – Still on My Mind". The Independent . ISSN   1741-9743. Archived from the original on 26 March 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  7. ↑ Anka, Carl (11 March 2019). "Dave – 'Psychodrama' review". NME . Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  8. ↑ "Psychodrama / Dave on TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  9. ↑ "Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  10. ↑ "British single certifications – Dave ft Ruelle – Lesley". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 7 January 2026.
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