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Through the Wire
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Through the Wire
| cover = Through the Wire Polaroid Snapshot.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Kanye West
| album = The College Dropout
| B-side = Two Words
| released = September 30, 2003
| recorded = November 2002
| studio = The Record Plant
(Los Angeles, California)
| genre = Hip hop
| length =
* (album version)
* (single version)
| label =
* Roc-A-Fella
* Def Jam
| writer =
* David Foster
* Tom Keane
* Cynthia Weil
| producer = Kanye West
| prev_title = Welcome 2 Chicago
| prev_year = 2002
| next_title = Slow Jamz
| next_year = 2003
| misc =
}}
"'Through the Wire'" is the debut single by American rapper Kanye West, who wrote and recorded the song with his jaw wired shut after a car accident in October 2002. The song samples Chaka Khan's 1985 single "Through the Fire" and was released on the last day of September 2003 as the lead single from his debut album 'The College Dropout' (2004).
"Through the Wire" peaked at number 15 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 and received positive reviews from music critics. It was certified Platinum and Gold in the United States and United Kingdom, respectively. The song was nominated for a 2005 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance, but lost to Jay-Z's "99 Problems". The music video was financed by West, who was inspired by an Adidas advertisement. It won Video of the Year at the 2004 Source Hip Hop Awards.
Background
On October 23, 2002, West was in a California recording studio producing music for Beanie Sigel, Peedi Crakk, and The Black Eyed Peas. After leaving the studio at around 3 a.m. in his rented Lexus, he had a near-fatal accident when he was cut off by a car, ran head-on into traffic, and collided with another car near the W Hotel.Rosario, Boo (March 2003). "Story to Tell". 'The Source' magazine, p. 60.Reid, Shaheem (October 23, 2002). "[http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1458308/20021023/jay_z.jhtml Kanye West Injured in L.A. Accident]". MTV. Accessed October 23, 2007.Jones, Steve (August 21, 2005). "[https://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2005-08-21-kanye-west-inside_x.htm Kanye West, hip-hop's writer-in-residence]". 'USA Today'. Accessed October 23, 2007. He was taken to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, mentioned in the song as "the same hospital where Biggie Smalls died," and had his jaw wired to his face in reconstructive surgery. Two weeks after being admitted to the hospital, he recorded the song at the Record Plant Studios with his jaw still wired shut.Album notes for 'The College Dropout' (2004) by Kanye West. Roc-A-Fella Records (986 173-9).Reid, Shaheem (December 10, 2002). "[http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459071/20021209/west_kanye.jhtml Kanye West Raps Through His Broken Jaw, Lays Beats for Scarface, Ludacris]". MTV. Accessed October 23, 2007. Consequence recalls West started rapping the lyrics to the song three days after the accident.
The song's title refers to the wires used to hold his broken jaw together. When asked about how the incident changed his music, West stated:
The song originally appeared on West's mixtape 'Get Well Soon...' where his wired jaw was incredibly noticeable, before being re-recorded and released as the first single from 'The College Dropout' in late 2003.Reid, Shaheem (December 10, 2002). "[http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459071/kanye-west-raps-through-broken-jaw.jhtml Kanye West Raps Through His Broken Jaw, Lays Beats For Scarface, Ludacris]". MTV. Accessed October 23, 2007.Sanneh, Kelefa (February 9, 2004). "[https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/09/arts/music/09CHOI.html The College Dropout Review]". 'The New York Times'. Accessed August 3, 2007. Although he initially had trouble convincing Roc-A-Fella Records executives to let him make his own album as a rapper, he was able to change their minds after the song's release.Eliscu, Jenny (August 19, 2007). "[http://159.54.226.237/07_issues/070819/070819kanye_west.html Genius Is As Genius Does]". 'USA Weekend'. Accessed October 23, 2007.
Composition
"Through the Wire" was inspired by the 2002 car accident and West has provided a comedic account of his difficult recovery. West samples a pitch-shifted and sped up version of Chaka Khan's 1985 single "Through the Fire".Kellman, Andy (2004). "[https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-college-dropout-mw0000326741 The College Dropout Review] ". Allmusic. Accessed June 6, 2018. Coodie, one of the music video's directors, reported that Khan wouldn't initially allow the sample to be cleared until the video was shown to her son and he told Khan about it, leading to the sample being cleared about two weeks later.Zwerling, Jared (2003). "[http://www.espn.com/blog/music/post/_/id/4151/coodie-breaks-down-his-music-videos Director Coodie & Chike talk about their music videos] ". ESPN. Accessed February 8, 2019. Khan later expressed her love for the track, calling West a "sweetheart, truly adorable" and the way he used the sample "so clever". However, in June 2019, Khan criticized West's unorthodox, highly pitchshifted use of the sample, calling it "stupid". West did not receive writing credit for the song, which instead went to David Foster, Tom Keane, and Cynthia Weil, who wrote "Through the Fire". West's rapping is described as "a Snoop-meets-Hova flow, twisting up his words with the patented 'izz' inflection."D., Spence (April 19, 2004). "[http://au.music.ign.com/articles/507/507402p1.html The College Dropout]". IGN. Accessed October 24, 2007.
Release and reception
Dave Heaton of 'PopMatters' called it "as riveting and moving as everyone says it is" and it "may be the album's most startling personal horror story (though it's also a song of hope and gratitude)".Heaton, Dave (March 12, 2010). "[https://www.popmatters.com/westkanye-college-2496110889.html The College Dropout Review]". PopMatters. Accessed June 6, 2018. AllMusic's Andy Kellman said it was "a daring way to introduce himself to the masses 'as an MC'" and it "couldn't have forged his dual status as underdog and champion any better." Kellman described the content as "heartbreaking and hysterical" and that despite his "inevitable slur, his words ring loud and clear".
'The New York Times' Kelefa Sanneh described him as "a wounded hero beating the odds" and it "gave him a chance to prove that he was the exception to the rule that producers can't rap." 'Stylus Magazine' called it "a poignant, pop-culture-packed account of Kanyes near-fatal run-in with Chaka Khan"."[https://web.archive.org/web/20060524062815/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/kanye-west/the-college-dropout.htm The College Dropout Review]". 'Stylus' magazine. Accessed February 2, 2019. By rapping with his jaw sewed up, 'The Source' noted that West used "the element of surprise to his advantage".Rosario, Robert "Boo" (March 2010). "Record Report". 'The Source' magazine, p. 157. HipHopDX listed the track as one of "the classics that created" the album's hype,"[http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/reviews/id.377/title.kanye-west-college-dropout Kanye West - College Dropout]". HipHopDX. Accessed August 3, 2010. and Pitchfork Media stated it was "chock-full-of-clever".Mitchum, Rob (February 13, 2010). "[http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/8767-the-college-dropout/ The College Dropout Review]". Pitchfork Media. Accessed March 27, 2014. 'Vibe' magazine wrote that "West's sideways approach to music making stands out" on the track and the "raw, teeth-clenching narrative falls in line with his gutwrenching soul beats."Frosch, Dan (October 16, 2010). "[https://web.archive.org/web/20031129235449/http://www.vibe.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=95 Kanye West-College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)]". 'Vibe' magazine. Accessed October 24, 2010. At the 2005 Grammy Awards, the track was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance, which was won by Jay-Z's "99 Problems"."[http://www.rockonthenet.com/grammy/rapperf.htm Grammy Awards: Best Solo Rap Performance]". Rock on the Net. Accessed October 24, 2010. The track was one of the Award Winning Songs at the 2005 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards.
As West's debut single, "Through the Wire" has been recognized as a jump-start for his career after the song was played on MTV. Director for the music video, Coodie, would say "The night of when he did the 'Through the Wire' premiere party at 40-40 Club, that was the night that was like, 'Oh shit.' That's when Def Jam started recognizing him. Everybody was blown away by the video and it just kept building from there. Then after that show on SOBs on October 1st, he was bonafide. He was popping. It was full-on Kanye season." Consequence would say to 'Complex' on 'The College Dropout'
Commercial performance
"Through the Wire" debuted at number ninety-four on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 and peaked at number fifteen for five weeks. It remained on the chart for twenty-one weeks. It performed better on the urban contemporary charts, reaching number eight on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and number four on the Hot Rap Tracks. In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number nine on the UK Singles Chart where it peaked for two weeks and exited the chart after nine weeks. The track charted lower in other European countries, where it reached the top thirty in Ireland, Sweden, and the Netherlands, the top fifty in Belgium and Switzerland, and number sixty-one in Germany. Its maximum peak time in those countries lasted one week. The single entered the New Zealand Singles Chart at number twenty-four and peaked at number sixteen.
On July 14, 2017, "Through the Wire" was certified Silver in the UK, nearly fourteen years after the single's release."[https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/14409-2991-1 Award - Kanye West - Through the Wire]". bpi. Accessed December 7, 2018. It was certified Gold on September 10, 2021, over 4 years later and almost 18 years after its initial release. The single was certified Platinum in the US on November 20, 2018, fifteen years after its release."[https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Kanye+West&ti=Through+the+Wire#search_section Gold & Platinum - Kanye West - Through the Wire]". RIAA. Accessed December 7, 2018.
Music video
The music video was directed by Coodie and Chike and it premiered on August 3, 2003."[http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=39522 Through the wire]". mvdbase. Accessed August 3, 2007. It is a slideshow of videos and pictures of West producing and his accident seen through the frames of Polaroid pictures. West, who financed the video, conceived ideas for the clip after seeing an Adidas advertisement in 'BlackBook' magazine. He stated, "I don't like gettin' ideas from direct shit ... I like to pull ideas from all the way over here. Sometimes my vision can't be explained in words, 'cause I couldn't have even told you in words how I envisioned that video ending up.""[http://www.xxlmag.com/Features/2004/0204.SetUp/index.html The Set Up] ". 'XXL' magazine (March 2004). Accessed August 3, 2007.Ryan, Chris (February 9, 2004). "[http://www.spin.com/features/magazine/2004/02/kanye_west/ Kanye West] ". 'Spin' magazine. Accessed August 3, 2007. Chike recalled the making of the clip, saying, "one day Coodie calls me out the blue about a concept he and Kanye had for a video revolving around Polaroid snapshots. I was leaving work at 7 PM only to come back at 10 PM, work all night then go home at 7 AM".Bolden, Jane (November 28, 2005). "[https://web.archive.org/web/20080607004731/http://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/7917 Kanye West's Video Directors Coodie and Chike]". SOHH. Accessed April 26, 2010. Coodie stated that "If we would have wrote a treatment" for the video, "they would have shot that down. They had to see it to understand. Otherwise they'd have said, 'No, Kanye should be rapping at a party, with lots of girls poolside'". It was awarded the Video of the Year at the 2004 Source Hip Hop Awards."[http://www.blackfilm.com/20050715/features/nooniegstorynews.shtml The Noonie G. Story]". Black Film (July 19, 2005). Accessed August 3, 2007.
Track listing
'CD single'"[https://web.archive.org/web/20160113002345/http://www.mtv.com/artists/kanye-west/discography/739548/ Kanye West | Through the Wire | Album]". MTV. Archived January 13, 2016. Accessed October 24, 2007.
#"Through the Wire"
#"Through the Wire" (instrumental)
#"Two Words" (main)
#"Two Words" (clean)
#"Two Words" (instrumental)
'UK CD single'"[https://web.archive.org/web/20160113002345/http://www.mtv.com/artists/kanye-west/discography/754869/ Kanye West | Through the Wire UK CD | Album]". MTV. Archived January 13, 2016. Accessed October 24, 2007.
#"Through the Wire" (radio edit)
#"Two Words" (radio edit)
#"Through the Wire" (instrumental)
#"Through the Wire" (multimedia track)
Personnel
Information adapted from 'The College Dropout' liner notes.
*Songwriters: Kanye West, David Foster, Tom Keane, Cynthia Weil
*Record producer: Kanye West
*Recording engineer: Francis Graham
*Mix engineer: Manny Marroquin
*Bass guitar: Scott Ward
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
Notes
References
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