Sober (Childish Gambino song)

"Sober"
Single by Childish Gambino
from the album Kauai
Released	September 14, 2014 (2014-09-14)
Recorded	2014
Genre	Neo soul tropical-pop [1] R&B [1]
Length	4:12
Label	Glassnote
Songwriter(s)	Donald Glover Ludwig Göransson
Producer(s)	Childish Gambino Ludwig Göransson
Childish Gambinosingles chronology
"Sweatpants" (2014) "Sober" (2014) "Together" (2016)

"Sober" is the first single from American recording artist Childish Gambino's 2014 EP Kauai .

Music video

The song's music video features Donald Glover dancing in a take-out restaurant while intoxicated, trying to impress a woman (Amber-Lauren Jones) waiting for her food. It explores themes similar to Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel" music video, but with a different outcome. ^[2] On March 21, 2015, "Sober" won the mtvU Woodies Award for Best Video Woodie. ^[3] As of May 2022 ^[update] , "Sober" has accumulated over 110 million views on YouTube.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2015) Peak position US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard ) [4] 29 US Rhythmic ( Billboard ) [5] 32

Year-end charts Chart (2015) Position US Hot R&B Songs (Billboard) [6] 49

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [7]	Platinum	70,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [8]	Platinum	30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [9]	Silver	200,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Ahlgirm, Carrie (December 13, 2019). "The 113 best songs of the past decade, ranked". Insider . Retrieved December 30, 2022. As an exquisite blend of tropical pop and R&B...
2. Harris, Aisha (January 9, 2015). "Childish Gambino's Great, Weird Video for "Sober" Is Anything But". Slate. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
3. "Woodies 2015 Winners". MTV. 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2017.^{[ dead link ‍]}
4. "Childish Gambino Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
5. "Childish Gambino Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
6. "Hot R&B Singles: Year-End 2015". Billboard. Billboard.com. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
7. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2018 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved November 22, 2021.
8. "New Zealand single certifications – Childish Gambino – Sober". Radioscope. Retrieved January 26, 2025.Type Sober in the "Search:" field.
9. "British single certifications – Childish Gambino – Sober". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved November 27, 2022.

External links

• Music video on YouTube