"Nobody Gets Me" | ||||
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Single by SZA | ||||
from the album SOS | ||||
Released | January 6, 2023 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:00 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | ||||
SZA singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Nobody Gets Me" on YouTube |
"Nobody Gets Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA and the fourth single from her second studio album, SOS (2022). It was sent to Italian radio on January 6, 2023, and US contemporary hit radio four days later. The song peaked at number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the Canadian Hot 100, and the Official New Zealand Music Chart.
SZA released her debut studio album, Ctrl , in 2017. Primarily an R&B album that deals with themes like heartbreak, it received widespread acclaim for SZA's vocal performance, the musical style, and the songwriting. The album brought SZA to mainstream fame, and critics credit it with establishing her as a major figure in contemporary pop and R&B music and pushing the boundaries of R&B. [note 1] Her next studio album was highly anticipated, [8] [9] and she alluded to its completion as early as August 2019, [10] [11] during an interview with DJ Kerwin Frost. [12]
Commenting on the creative process behind the album, SZA stated it would be just as candid and personal as Ctrl: "This next album is even more of me being less afraid of who am I when I have no choice? When I'm not out trying to curate myself and contain." [13] When SZA collaborated with Cosmopolitan for their February 2021 issue, she spoke about her creative process for the album: "this album is going to be the shit that made me feel something in my...here and in here", pointing to her heart and gut. [14]
From April to May 2022, SZA told media outlets that she had recently finished the album in Hawaii and said it was her most relatable or "unisex" body of work as of then. [15] During an interview with Complex , she described the album's composition: "I have no idea what it sounds like to anybody else. I really don't know. It's so bizarre. It's weird that I can't put my finger on it. It's a little bit of everything", and she added that certain tracks on the album had a soft or balladic sound. [16] SZA, in a Consequence cover story, further commented on her plans to experiment with various genres. She asserted it was "lazy" to reduce her to an R&B artist: "Black music doesn't have to just be R&B [...] Why can't we just be expansive and not reductive?" [17]
During a Billboard cover story published in November, SZA revealed that the title of her second album was SOS , and it was scheduled for release sometime the following month. [18] On December 3, 2022, she announced it would be released on December 9, and two days later, she posted the track list on Twitter. Out of 23 songs, "Nobody Gets Me" appears as the album's 14th track. [19] [20] The same day, SZA posted a snippet of the song on her YouTube account. [21]
SZA and Punch, president of her record label Top Dawg Entertainment, spoke in length about SOS's sound during an interview with Rolling Stone . The album's composition is eclectic; SZA incorporated elements of "traditional" R&B into the album, but she also took inspiration from several artists in jazz, hip hop, alternative rock, and country music. About the wide range of musical styles incorporated into SOS, Punch commented: "It's a new chapter. She's not scared to try certain things now." [22] "Nobody Gets Me", a ballad backed by an acoustic guitar, [23] combines two of these genres—alternative rock and country [24] [25] —with a contemporary folk musical style. [26] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times wrote that the composition leaned towards alternative country. [27]
In the lyrics, SZA recalls memories she made with her ex-fiancé, narrates all the events that strained their relationship and led to their break-up, and explains how she has felt in the aftermath. SZA spoke about the song's story in a radio interview prior to the album's release; she told the host that breaking up with him was like banishing herself to hell for the rest of her life because he was the only person whom she thought could understand her feelings. She tried rekindling their relationship, but she turned out to regret her decision, and she also compared the experience to going to hell. [28]
The first verse recounts a drunken argument they had at the MGM Grand shortly after they had sex: "you were balls deep, now we beefin'". [29] [30] She talks about how she screamed "fuck that" towards him, saying that even though she could barely remember it because she was drunk, she meant what she told him. [31] Writing for The Quietus , CJ Thorpe-Tracey argued that the line was the lyric that best summarized SOS, because to him it aptly captured a recurring theme in the album in which SZA gets into several arguments with her ex-partners and tries to get over them quickly using coping mechanisms like sex. [30] She returns to the present in the next few lines, urging him to "stick it in 'fore the memories get to kicking in" knowing that they both will regret it. [32]
Vulture and The Sydney Morning Herald praised the song's vocals, [24] [33] whereas Variety praised the melodic arrangement. [25]
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of SOS. [34]
Recording and management
Personnel
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [62] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [63] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada) [64] | Platinum | 80,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [65] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [66] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Italy | January 6, 2023 | Radio airplay | Sony Music | [67] |
United States | January 10, 2023 | Contemporary hit radio | [68] |
Solána Imani Rowe, known professionally as SZA, is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained recognition through her self-released extended plays (EPs), See.SZA.Run (2012) and S (2013), which helped her become the first female artist to sign with Top Dawg Entertainment. Her third EP, Z (2014), was her first project to be released to digital retailers and reached the top-ten on the US Independent Albums chart.
Ctrl is the debut studio album by American singer SZA. It was released through Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records on June 9, 2017. The album features guest appearances from Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, James Fauntleroy, and Isaiah Rashad. Production was handled by Craig Balmoris, Frank Dukes, Carter Lang, Scum, and ThankGod4Cody, among others. The album was supported by five singles: "Drew Barrymore", "Love Galore", "The Weekend", "Broken Clocks", and "Garden ", all of which are certified Platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"Love Galore" is a song by American singer SZA featuring fellow American singer and rapper Travis Scott. It was released through Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records as the second single from her debut studio album, Ctrl, on April 28, 2017. SZA the artists wrote the song alongside TDE President Punch and producers Scum, Lang, and ThankGod4Cody. "Love Galore" received widespread acclaim from music critics and a Grammy nomination at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. An alternate version of the song was included on the deluxe edition of Ctrl, released on the fifth anniversary of the album's release on June 9, 2022, which features an additional verse from SZA that replaces Scott's verse.
The discography of American singer SZA consists of two studio albums, three extended plays (EPs), one live album, and 16 singles.
"The Weekend" is a song by American singer SZA from her debut studio album, Ctrl (2017). It was written by SZA and its producer ThankGod4Cody. The song samples "Set the Mood (Prelude)" from FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006), written by Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, and Danja, who also received writing credits for "The Weekend". "The Weekend" is an R&B and neo soul record that uses a synth-line, hi-hats, drums, a high-pitched vocal sample and clocking key thumps. SZA sings about knowingly being her partner's mistress, comparing herself to the weekend.
"Good Days" is a song by American singer SZA. It was released through Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA on December 25, 2020, as the lead single from her second studio album, SOS (2022). SZA wrote the song alongside Jacob Collier, who provides background vocals, and with producers Carter Lang, Los Hendrix, and Nascent.
"Shirt" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA and the third single from her second studio album, SOS (2022). It was released through Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records on October 28, 2022, and teased two years beforehand; its previewed snippets spawned a viral dance challenge on TikTok, a video-sharing application. Originally untitled, the song was given two names by fans: the official title and the alternative "Bloodstain". "Shirt" is a song that combines R&B with elements of trap music, incorporating glitchy hi-hat drums and Roland TR-808 beats. In the lyrics, SZA sings of a former toxic relationship to which she is enticed to return.
"I Hate U" is a song by American singer SZA. It was released through Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records on December 3, 2021, as the second single from SZA's second studio album, SOS (2022). It was originally released on SoundCloud on August 22, 2021. "I Hate U" is an electro-R&B song with a "crunching", light instrumental, containing a relaxed, "ethereal" chorus, and hip hop-influenced verses. A break-up song, it finds SZA detailing what went wrong in a past relationship, expressing resentment towards an ex-partner but acknowledging that she still misses them.
"TwoAM" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA. It is a remix of PartyNextDoor's 2016 single "Come and See Me" featuring Drake, whom SZA briefly dated in 2009. A downtempo song with an R&B instrumental, "TwoAM" is about a dysfunctional couple portrayed in "Come and See Me" and is written from the perspective of the woman in the relationship. She sings about her conflicted feelings for a neglectful boyfriend who values her only for sex; on one hand, she recognizes she must leave him, but on the other, she cannot bring herself to stop being attracted to him.
"Blind" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA and the sixth track on her second studio album, SOS (2022). An R&B and folk-pop song. it was produced by Carter Lang, Rob Bisel, Will Miller and Margaux Alexis Rosalena Whitney and written by Solana Rowe and her producers. The song's lyrics discuss how the toxicity of her previous relationships has negatively affected her reputation and self-esteem and was even claimed to be part of the best lyrics from 2022. "Blind" charted on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Global 200.
"PSA" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from Lana (2024), the upcoming reissue of her second studio album, SOS (2022). The song is backed by vocal harmonies, soft piano, and harps. On it, SZA raps with braggadocio, demanding people call her "number one", telling them to serve her, and angering someone to amuse herself.
SOS is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter SZA. It was released through Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records on December 9, 2022. The album features guest appearances from Don Toliver, Phoebe Bridgers, Travis Scott, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. SZA worked with a variety of record producers and songwriters such as Babyface, Jeff Bhasker, Rob Bisel, Benny Blanco, Darkchild, DJ Dahi, Ant Clemons, and Lizzo. It serves as the follow-up to SZA's previous album Ctrl (2017).
"Kill Bill" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA and the fifth single from her second studio album, SOS (2022). It is a pop and R&B murder ballad, built around a midtempo, groovy rhythm and a detuned melody. Guitars, a bassline, and a flute that was sampled from a Prophet-6 synthesizer constitute the song's production, which is influenced by the boom bap subgenre of hip hop. Mirroring the plot of the Kill Bill film duology after which the song is named, the lyrics discuss a fantasy to kill an ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend out of jealousy, and they employ humorous irony alongside violent imagery that contrasts with SZA's soft vocals. "Kill Bill" was sent to US radio on January 10, 2023, after achieving success on streaming services.
"Snooze" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second studio album, SOS (2022). It was sent to rhythmic contemporary and urban contemporary radio as the sixth single from the album on April 25, 2023. SZA wrote the song with producers Babyface, the Rascals, and BLK. The acoustic version features Canadian singer Justin Bieber, who stars in the official music video of the song's original version, and was released on September 15, 2023.
"Ghost in the Machine" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second studio album, SOS (2022), featuring guest vocals by singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. It won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 66th ceremony.
"Special" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second studio album, SOS (2022).
"Low" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second album, SOS (2022). The song features adlibs from American rapper Travis Scott. It charted in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, with a number 24 peak on the Billboard Global 200. The song received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 66th ceremony.
"F2F" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second studio album, SOS (2022). "F2F" is a rock song that draws influence from genres such as country, pop rock, and grunge. SZA wrote the song with Lizzo, who provides background vocals, and producers Rob Bisel and Carter Lang. The song was one of around five rock-inspired songs SZA created for SOS, out of a desire to experiment with various genres outside of her usual R&B music. The song begins with acoustic guitar strums before transitioning into a chorus backed by drums and power chords from electric guitars. The lyrics talk about having sex with someone to cope with breaking up with a former partner.
"Smoking on My Ex Pack" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second studio album, SOS (2022). The second of the album's three rap tracks, it is a boom bap song with a chipmunk soul production style, fusing hard-hitting drum beats with a sped-up sample of Webster Lewis's "Open Up Your Eyes" (1981). Before SOS, SZA had been known as an R&B artist who made "sad girl" music, a narrative she wanted to dispel because she viewed it as reductive. Particularly, she believed her being categorized strictly as R&B was racially insensitive. As such, she wanted to experiment with "aggressive" hip hop music for SOS, leading to the conception of "Smoking on My Ex Pack". Its producer was Jay Versace, to whom SZA credited her first attempts at rap music.
"Open Arms" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second studio album, SOS (2022), featuring American rapper Travis Scott. It is a ballad backed by an acoustic guitar, conceived as part of an effort to explore soundscapes outside of SZA's usual R&B-leaning music. The lyrics are addressed to a former lover, whom the narrator leaves for the sake of her self-esteem despite her persistent feelings of attachment to him. A tribute to SZA's deceased grandmother, Norma Rowe, begins the song, done in the form of a skit. Rowe's vocals featured prominently on SZA's debut album, Ctrl (2017); "Open Arms" is the only SOS track on which she appears.