"U Remind Me" is a song by American singer Usher. It was written by Edmund "Eddie Hustle" Clement and Anita McCloud and produced by Clement along with duo Jimmy Jam &Terry Lewis for Usher's third studio album 8701 (2001). A mid-tempo R&B track,the song is about a man who meets a woman who seems like a nice catch,but he decides not to enter a relationship with her because she looks too much like an ex-girlfriend with whom he had a bad breakup.
The song served as the lead American single from 8701 following the release of previous single "Pop Ya Collar",which was only included in some editions of the album. "U Remind Me" topped the US Billboard Hot 100 on July 7,2001,and also reached the top five in Australia,Belgium,France,the Netherlands,New Zealand,and the United Kingdom. The song won Usher his first Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2002. Its accompanying music video features Chilli of TLC as one of the female leads.
Background
"U Remind Me" was written by Edmund "Eddie Hustle" Clement and his sister Anita McCloud and planned to be recorded by Clement's Hustle Child at one time or another.[2] When his manager Mark Pitts,then vice president of A&R at Arista Records,began shopping their demo of the song,it fell into the hand of L.A. Reid who thought it would be an excellent song for Usher's third studio album.[2] While Clement acknowledged that it was "tough to let the song go," Reid guaranteed them the song would be selected as the album's first single from 8701,[2] and sent the track to Jimmy Jam &Terry Lewis to revamp parts of it.[3] In an interview with MTV News,Jimmy Jam commented:"It wound up being the perfect song for Usher. The beat and all that was already cool. All we did was try to bring the vocal up to par. I wanted people to hear Usher sing and go,'This boy can sing. He's a singer.' We already know he can dance,and he's got the style and that whole thing. But I want people to just go,'He can sing'."[3]
Composition
"U Remind Me" is a contemporary R&B song[4] written in the key of G♭ major,and is set in common time with a moderate tempo of 92 beats per minute. The song follows the chord progression of E♭m7-A♭m7-B♭m7,and the piano ranges from the low note of E♭2 to the high note of A♭5,while Usher's vocal range stretches from B♭2 to A♭5.[5] The song's lyrics are based on meeting a woman who reminds the singer of an ex-girlfriend,and therefore cannot comfortably date her.[6][7]
Critical reception
"U Remind Me" earned largely positive reviews form music critics. Billboard called the song a "return to form" for Usher,further describing it as a "laid-back,catchy summertime head-nodder. Trading his trademark quick-fire rap/sung delivery for some straight-up riffing and singing,this should earn Usher respect at R&B radio and beyond,helping him keep step with the no-frills old school production that."[8] Sal Cinquemani from Slant called the song a "smash" with an" "instantly recognizable hook and admirable exploration of a conflicted emotional terrain."[9] James Poletti of Yahoo! Music noted the song as the best track on 8701,dubbing it the 2001 version of Craig David's "Fill Me In".[4]Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine also chose it as a highlight from its parent album.[10]NME called "U Remind Me" not "the most obvious follow-up to the storming "Pop Ya Colla," but you've got to give this one time to digest. Not quite a ballad,"U Remind Me" [...] is a intriguing tale about how,despite your obvious gorgeousness,Usher can't roll with you cos he's still suffering from a visit from the ghost of the ex."[6]
A music video for "U Remind Me" was directed by Dave Meyers and filmed in Los Angeles in April 2001.[15] The video features look-a-likes for singers Mýa,Brandy,and Tamia (actress Natashia Williams),while featuring the real Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas of girl group TLC at the end to show the theme of the women reminding him of his past relationships.[6] While subsequent videos for 8701 further singles were filmed by director Little X,the story in "U Remind Me" would be continued in "U Got It Bad" and "U Don't Have to Call," with Thomas reprising her role in both videos.[16] The music video on YouTube has received over 100 million views as of May 2024.[17]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
↑ U Remind Me (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Usher. Arista Records. 2001. 07822-15024-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ U Remind Me (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Usher. Arista Records. 2001. 07822-15038-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
1 2 U Remind Me (European CD single liner notes). Usher. Arista Records, BMG. 2001. 74321 85876 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ U Remind Me (UK cassette single sleeve). Usher. Arista Records, BMG. 2001. 74321 86338 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ U Remind Me (UK CD single liner notes). Usher. Arista Records, BMG. 2001. 74321 86338 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ U Remind Me (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Usher. Arista Records, BMG. 2001. 74321 86338 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ U Remind Me (Australian CD single liner notes). Usher. Arista Records. 2001. 74321 85877 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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