"Swimming Pools (Drank)" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by Kendrick Lamar | ||||
from the album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City | ||||
B-side | "Remixes" (12") | |||
Released | July 31, 2012 | |||
Recorded | 2012 | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length |
| |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | T-Minus | |||
Kendrick Lamar singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Swimming Pools (Drank)" on YouTube | ||||
Audio sample | ||||
A sample of the song,the line before the chorus says Kendrick takes a few sips then a very inebriated man says he needs to "Get a swimming pool full of liquor and dive in it". |
"Swimming Pools (Drank)" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on July 31,2012 as the lead single (second overall) from his major-label debut studio album Good Kid,M.A.A.D City (2012),by Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE),Aftermath and Interscope. The song was written by Lamar and Tyler "T-Minus" Williams,the latter of whom also produced the song. The song,mixed by Dr. Dre and Top Dawg's engineer Derek "MixedByAli" Ali,propelled Lamar to mainstream popularity. The song peaked at number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100,in its thirteenth week of charting,after gradually climbing up the chart. It debuted on the Hot 100 at number 100 and progressed from number 55 and 32 to its peak. "Swimming Pools (Drank)" also serves as Lamar's first entry on the UK Singles Chart,where it debuted at number 63.
A music video was released to accompany the song in August 2012. It was featured in the 2013 game Saints Row IV ,the 2014 re-release of the game Grand Theft Auto V ,and on a 2013 episode of Grey's Anatomy . On January 26,2013,Lamar performed the song along with the third single "Poetic Justice" on Saturday Night Live . [1] The music video was nominated for Best Male Video and Best Hip-Hop Video at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. The song was later nominated for Best Rap Performance at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.
The single is an introspective regarding Lamar's family and social life,alcoholism,and the peer pressure that accompanies it amongst his friends. In the first verse,he remembers his grandfather's drinking and resulting death, [2] and the reasons that led Lamar himself to drinking. [3]
The song garnered acclaim from music critics upon its release. Rolling Stone ranked the song the 34th best of 2012. [4] XXL named it one of the top five hip hop songs of 2012. [5]
Lamar performed "Swimming Pools (Drank)" at every show on The Damn Tour. [6]
In its first week of release,the song debuted at number 100 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained within the chart for another week then fell,but two weeks later re-entered the Hot 100 and climbed up each week,progressing from the top 90 to number 81,71 and 61. In its tenth week,"Swimming Pools (Drank)" climbed up to number 55 and the following week,entered the top 40 of the Hot 100 at number 32,moving up to 25 and peaking at number 17. On the UK Singles Chart,the song entered at number 63,remaining in the top 100 for one week. The song is Lamar's sixth highest-charting solo single on the Billboard Hot 100 behind "DNA." which debuted and peaked at number four and "HUMBLE." which debuted at number two and peaked at number one (though his features on "Fuckin' Problems" and "Bad Blood" reached the top 10 in the United States) and on the UK Singles Chart. [7]
The music video,directed by Jerome D,premiered August 3,2012 on 106 &Park . A review by the magazine Rolling Stone shared a summary of the video stating:"In his new video for 'Swimming Pools (Drank),' Kendrick Lamar defies gravity,floating and tumbling in suspended space as liquor bottles fly upwards and smash into the ceiling. The rapper gets introspective on a woozy beat,considering the highs and lows of alcohol consumption and the sense of confidence it bestows upon the drinker. Lamar spends most of the video rapping alone,but color-filtered shots of a booze-soaked rager poke through the more contemplative scenes."
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Swimming Pools (Drank)" |
| T-Minus | 4:07 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
9. | "Swimming Pools (Drank)" (Extended Version) |
| T-Minus | 5:13 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
17. | "Swimming Pools (Drank)" (Main Version) |
| T-Minus | 4:07 |
19. | "Swimming Pools (Drank)" (Black Hippy Remix) |
| T-Minus | 5:14 |
The official remix featuring his Black Hippy cohorts – Ab-Soul, Jay Rock and Schoolboy Q was included as a bonus track on the Target deluxe edition of Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. [8] On March 14, 2013, producer Dev Hynes uploaded a reinterpreted rendition of the track by British girl group, Sugababes to his official SoundCloud page. The track, entitled "Lay Down in Swimming Pools", features an interpolation of the original Lamar song. Hynes later commented saying: "Just finished recording new music with Mutya, Keisha and Siobhan, and the girls felt like having a bit of fun at the end of the last session – enjoy!!". The song was later rearranged for their 2022 album release The Lost Tapes . [9] In 2023, Tori Amos' cover of the track was included in Trevor Horn's album Echoes: Ancient and Modern . [10]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [29] | 7× Platinum | 490,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [30] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [31] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
Germany (BVMI) [32] | Gold | 150,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [33] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [34] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [35] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Country | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | July 31, 2012 | Digital download | [36] | |
United Kingdom | September 30, 2012 |
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City is the second studio album by the American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on October 22, 2012, by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album features guest appearances from Drake, Dr. Dre, Jay Rock, Anna Wise and MC Eiht. It is Lamar's first major label album, after his independently released first album Section.80 in 2011 and his signing to Aftermath and Interscope the following year.
"Drank in My Cup" is a song by American rapper Kirko Bangz, released by Warner Records on September 9, 2011 as the lead single from his mixtape, Progression 2: A Young Texas Playa. Produced by the Houston-based production duo Sound M.O.B., it remains Kirko Bangz's only song to enter the Billboard Hot 100—where it peaked at number 28—and received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), signifying sales of 1,000,000 units domestically. Lyrically, the song discusses Bangz's ability to satisfy an adulterous woman's libido, while the title refers to purple drank, a codeine-promethazine cocktail served in Sprite, a drink symbolic of Houston's hip-hop scene and associated with chopped and screwed music.
"Poetic Justice" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his major-label debut studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). The song, produced by American record producer Scoop DeVille, features a verse from Canadian rapper Drake. The song was released as the album's fourth official single, due to its positive response.
"Fuckin' Problems" is a song by American rapper ASAP Rocky featuring Canadian rapper Drake and fellow American rappers 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar. It was released on October 24, 2012, as the second single from Rocky's debut studio album Long. Live. ASAP (2013), and was later released to radio on November 27, 2012.
"M.A.A.D City" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his second studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). The song, which appears as the eighth track on the album, features a guest appearance from fellow Compton native and West Coast rapper MC Eiht. The song was produced by Top Dawg in-house producers THC and Sounwave for the first part of the instrumental, and Terrace Martin for the second part. The song peaked at number 75 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" edited for radio as "Trick, Don't Kill My Vibe" or simply "Don't Kill My Vibe", is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his major-label debut studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). The song, produced by frequent collaborator Sounwave of Top Dawg Entertainment in-house production team Digi+Phonics, heavily samples "Tiden Flyver", by Danish electronic group Boom Clap Bachelors. It was originally intended to be a collaboration with American singer Lady Gaga, but her contributions were ultimately excluded from the final recording due to timing issues. A remix of "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" featuring American rapper Jay-Z was sent to radio as the album's fifth single on March 21, 2013, with the original version and another remix featuring British singer Emeli Sandé later being released.
"Backseat Freestyle" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It debuted on October 15, 2012 in the United Kingdom as the third single from Lamar's second studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). It was released in the United States with the album's release on October 22, 2012. "Backseat Freestyle" was written by Lamar and Chauncey Hollis and produced by Hollis under his stage name Hit-Boy.
"Money Trees" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, taken from his major label debut studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). The song, which appears as the fifth track on the album, features a guest appearance from his Black Hippy cohort, fellow American rapper Jay Rock, and was produced by DJ Dahi. It entered the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart at number 19 due to high downloads, following the album's release. The song, mixed by Top Dawg engineer Derek "MixedByAIi" Ali, features background vocals from American singer Anna Wise of Sonnymoon. Money Trees samples the Beach House song "Silver Soul", from their 2010 album Teen Dream, as well as vocals from Lamar's "Cartoon and Cereal" and interpolates lyrics from E-40's "Big Ballin' With My Homies".
"Collard Greens" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Schoolboy Q, released on June 11, 2013 as the lead single from his third studio album Oxymoron (2014). The song, produced by production team THC and co-produced by Gwen Bunn, features a guest appearance from his Black Hippy cohort, Top Dawg Entertainment labelmate, and fellow American rapper Kendrick Lamar. The song has since peaked at number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 36 on the UK R&B Chart. It was met with generally positive reviews from music critics.
"I" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar featuring Ronald Isley of The Isley Brothers. It was released on September 23, 2014 as the lead single from Lamar's third studio album To Pimp a Butterfly. The song uses music from "That Lady", written by and originally performed by R&B group The Isley Brothers, elements from which were re-recorded rather than being directly sampled from the original record. "I" won two awards at the 2015 Grammy Awards: Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song.
"Untitled 02 | 06.23.2014." is a song by the American rapper Kendrick Lamar, featured on his compilation album, Untitled Unmastered. The song was produced by Cardo and Yung Exclusive.
"Untitled 07 | 2014–2016" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kendrick Lamar, taken from his 2016 compilation album, untitled unmastered. On March 23, 2016, "untitled 07 | levitate" was released separately on the iTunes Store as the compilation's lead single.
"Humble" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on March 30, 2017, along with its music video, by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The song was written by Lamar and producers Mike Will Made It and Pluss. The lyrics are a call to humility. It was provided to rhythmic contemporary radio as the lead single from Lamar's fourth studio album, Damn.
"Element" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his fourth studio album Damn, released on April 14, 2017. The fourth track on the album, the song was written by Lamar, Sounwave, James Blake, and Ricci Riera and produced by Sounwave, Blake, and Riera, with additional production by Tae Beast and Bēkon. The song charted in multiple countries in 2017.
"Love" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar featuring American singer Zacari, taken from the former's fourth studio album Damn (2017). It was released to US rhythmic contemporary radio by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records on October 2, 2017, as the third and final single from the album. Lamar and Zacari wrote the song with its producers Teddy Walton, Sounwave, Greg Kurstin, and Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith.
"Loyalty" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar featuring Barbadian singer Rihanna from the former's fourth studio album Damn, released on April 14, 2017. The song was later sent to urban and rhythmic radio June 20, 2017, as the second single from the album. The sixth track on the album, the song was written by the artists alongside producers DJ Dahi, Sounwave, Terrace Martin, and Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Performance.
"All the Stars" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar and American singer SZA. Written alongside Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith and producers Sounwave and Al Shux, the song was released on January 4, 2018, as the lead single to the soundtrack album of the film Black Panther. Its release coincided with Top Dawg Entertainment's announcement that Tiffith and Lamar would be producing the Black Panther soundtrack album. Marvel Studios confirmed the news and revealed that Lamar was hand-picked by Black Panther's director Ryan Coogler to produce the soundtrack album. The song appeared in the movie's end credits.
Matthew Dean Burdette, known professionally as Blxst, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles, California. His record label Evgle partnered with Red Bull Records for the release of his debut EP No Love Lost on September 4, 2020, spawning the hit single "Chosen". He released his debut mixtape Before You Go on April 22, 2022.
"Family Ties" is a song by American rappers Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar. The song was released on August 27, 2021, by Columbia Records and pgLang. The song serves as the fourth single from Keem's debut album, The Melodic Blue. The song also serves as Lamar’s first musical release under pgLang, a production company he co-founded in March 2020.
The American rapper Kendrick Lamar has released 71 singles and five promotional singles. 28 of those singles were as a lead artist, while 43 were as a featured artist. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Lamar's digital singles registered 41 million certified units, based on sales and on-demand streaming, as of June 2024.
...playing on the word swimming pool. him drowning in a pool of liquor in Chicago
This song is about me reminiscing about my years a kid witnessing a housing that indulged adults in alcohol. So much alcohol that it could fill a swimming pool.