7. Januar 2009
Ne-Yo – So Sick

Während sich die Single von Ne-Yo, “So Sick” in Deutschland nur auf Platz 11 platzierte, war sie sowohl in Großbritannien/England, als auch in den USA auf Platz eins und schaffte damit seinen internationalen Durchbruch. Anschließend veröffentlichte er sein Debütalbum “In My Own Words”, welches in den USA mehrfach mit Platin ausgezeichnet wurde.

Ne-Yo – So Sick
http://www.myvideo.de/movie/38419

“So Sick” is an R&B–pop song by American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo. The track was produced by Norwegian production team Stargate for Ne-Yo’s debut album In My Own Words.

The song was released as the second single from the album. It was successful on charts worldwide, reaching number one in the United States and the United Kingdom. It’s also Ne-Yo’s biggest hit so far.

Background

Ne-Yo met Norwegian production team, Stargate, consisting of Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, in a hallway at Sony Music Studios on West 54th Street, New York City after the duo had settled there in the spring of 2005. After finding out they produced R&B-oriented tracks, among others, they started on writing songs for his debut album In My Own Words. They produced six songs, including “So Sick”.

Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen of Stargate composed the music for the song, while Ne-Yo composed the lyrics. “So Sick” centers on a character, who is tired of hearing love songs playing on the radio, as they remind him of his last relationship and breakup. Ironically, the song can be interpreted as a love song about being sick of love songs.

Ne-Yo has said he got the idea for the song from an old girlfriend he used to have. He really did love her but he listened to the advice of his friends and wound up cheating on her. They broke up when she found out but shortly after he started repeatedly hearing a song on the radio that she used to love, which was unusual because the song wasn’t new and it hadn’t had much airplay until that point. Every time he heard the song he was reminded of how he lost his girlfriend by being a twat and wanted to turn the radio off but he would always keep listening to it because it also reminded him of how much he loved her and all the good times they shared.

Reception

“So Sick” received generally positive responses from contemporary critics. Bill Lamb of About stated that the smooth instrumental of the song makes it stand out and appropriate to listen during mid-winter season. He was pleased with the vocals of Ne-Yo, but noted that “more emotional involvement would have made his performance more memorable”, while calling “restrained”. A review from Contactmusic.com echoed the latter’s comment, saying that his vocal rendition is “stunning”, while complimenting the production a “melodic masterpiece”.

Music video

The video for “So Sick”, directed by Hype Williams, saw heavy rotation on BET and MTV. Two versions of the song’s video were shot. The original version of the music video ended up being scrapped for various reasons. The newer version appealed to the current weather conditions of the winter season with the video being filmed in the snowy mountains.

Covers and remixes

There are currently two “So Sick” remixes. One of which is entitled “So Sick (The Emcee Remix)”. One features Jin and another features GeeZe. Another remix is one that features LL Cool J and also samples Michael Jackson’s song, “Human Nature”. This remix is on LL Cool J’s 11th album, Todd Smith. Another remix features labelmate Jay-Z. Another remix which is sung by Ne-Yo’s ex-girlfriend. Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy has also been known to cover the song. In 2007, saxophonist Kim Waters covers the song on Track #1 on You Are My Lady.

Formats and track listings

UK CD

1. “So Sick” (Album version)
2. “Sign Me Up”

UK Vinyl

Side A

1. “So Sick” (Album version)
2. “So Sick” (instrumental)

Side B

1. “Get Down Like That” (remix)