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So Sick
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Wikipedia article
"'So Sick'" is a song by American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo. It was written by Ne-Yo, Mikkel S. Eriksen, and Tor Erik Hermansen for his debut studio album 'In My Own Words' (2006), while production was helmed by Eriksen and Hermansen under their production moniker Stargate. The song was released as the second single from the album on November 21, 2005. "So Sick" peaked at number one on the US 'Billboard' Hot 100 and topped the UK Singles Chart, where it beat "Nature's Law" by Embrace to number one.
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 early 2005. After finding out they produced R&B-oriented tracks, among others, they started on writing songs for his debut studio album 'In My Own Words' (2006) for which they produced six songs, including "So Sick".
While Eriksen and Hermansen composed the music for the song, Ne-Yo penned the song's 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. Ne-Yo later confirmed that he got the idea for the song from a former girlfriend: "It's about the first time I fell in love with a girl in a way that I completely screwed it up. So it was a story that I didn't have to think really hard about putting it together. A lot of heartbreak went into that song, so that's why I think a lot of people dug it the way they did because you can feel it."
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 Ne-Yo's vocals, 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 Stargate production, defining it as a "melodic masterpiece".
Music video
The music video for "So Sick" was directed by Hype Williams and filmed in Aspen, Colorado. Shot in the snow as well as inside a mansion, Ne-Yo commented on filming: "The house we rented out was ridiculous. The walls turned, and there were heated floors. It was crazy." It saw heavy rotation on music video networks BET and MTV.
Two music videos were shot for the song, the discarded version featured an urban imagery different to the winter-snow scenario of the original one.Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/TLBydk-zcdM Ghostarchive] and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20211002104445/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLBydk-zcdM Wayback Machine]:
Covers, remixes and samples
There are five "So Sick" remixes. The official remix was produced by Trackmasters and features rap vocals by LL Cool J and sampled Michael Jackson's song "Human Nature". This remix first appeared on LL Cool J's eleventh album, 'Todd Smith'. One features Jin. Another remix features labelmate Jay Z. There is also a remix with rapper Joe Budden. Another remix which is sung by Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy has also been known to cover the song. In 2007, saxophonist Kim Waters covered the song on track one on 'You Are My Lady'. There is also one with Tupac Shakur. There is also a version that uses the "Seasons" riddim.
The song's instrumental was sampled on Luh Kel's song "Pull Up" in 2019. Rapper The Kid Laroi released a reworked cover called "Need You Most (So Sick)", on his debut mixtape, 'F*ck Love'.
The song was sampled by Pop Smoke and Chris Brown for their 2021 song "Woo Baby" contained in Pop Smoke's second album 'Faith'.
Track listings
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
Category:2000s ballads
Category:2005 songs
Category:2006 singles
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Contemporary R&B ballads
Category:Def Jam Recordings singles
Category:European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles
Category:Music videos directed by Hype Williams
Category:Ne-Yo songs
Category:Pop ballads
Category:Songs written by Ne-Yo
Category:Torch songs
Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles
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