So Sick

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For other uses, see So Sick (disambiguation).
"So Sick"
Single by Ne-Yo
from the album In My Own Words
Released January 17, 2006[1]
Format 12" single, CD single, digital download
Recorded 2005;
Sony Music Studios,
(New York City)
Genre Pop, R&B
Length 3:27
Label Def Jam
Writer(s) Shaffer Smith, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen
Producer Stargate
Ne-Yo singles chronology
"Stay"
(2006)		 "So Sick"
(2006)		 "When You're Mad"
(2006)

"So Sick" is a 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 on the Billboard Hot 100, and in the United Kingdom. It's also Ne-Yo's biggest hit so far although the single also battled through controversy.

Contents

Background [edit]

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".[2]

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.

Ne-Yo has said that the song is written about an old girlfriend. While he claims that he did love her, he listened to the advice of his friends and ended 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 was not a new release and it hadn't received much airplay until that point. Every time he heard the song, he was reminded of how he lost his girlfriend 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.[citation needed] The artist or title for the sad song has never been confirmed.

Reception [edit]

"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 it "restrained".[3] A review from Contactmusic.com echoed the latter's comment, saying that his vocal rendition is "stunning", while complimenting the production a "melodic masterpiece".[4]

Music video [edit]

The video for "So Sick", directed by Hype Williams. The video was released in December 2005, and 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 [edit]

There are currently five remixes of "So Sick"
  • The official remix was produced by Trackmasters and features rapper LL Cool J. It samples Michael Jackson's song "Human Nature".[5] This remix had been included on LL Cool J's 11th album, Todd Smith (2006).
  • The second remix features Jin.
  • The third remix features labelmate Jay-Z.
  • The fourth remix, which is sung by Patrick Stump, lead singer of 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.
  • A fifth, unofficial cover of the song is featured in the 2008 open-world video game Saint's Row 2. It is sung by one of the principal characters, Pierce Washington, during a car chase.[6]
  • Niall Horan, member of One Direction sang this at his audition for The X Factor in 2010.
  • In 2011, Australian singer Che'Nelle covered it for her cover album Luv Songs.
  • Orlando Dixon sang this at his audition for The Voice (U.S. season 4) in 2013.

Formats and track listings [edit]

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)

Charts [edit]

Chart Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[7] 4
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 21
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 17
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan) 4
Czech Republic (IFPI)[10] 16
Denmark (Tracklisten)[11] 10
European Hot 100 Singles[12] 1
France (SNEP)[13] 11
Germany (Media Control AG)[14] 11
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[15] 7
Ireland (IRMA)[16] 2
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[17] 11
New Zealand (RIANZ)[18] 2
Norway (VG-lista)[19] 10
Slovakia (IFPI)[20] 94
South Korea International Singles (Gaon)[21] 60
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 5
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[23] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[24] 1
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[25] 3
US Pop Songs (Billboard)[26] 1

Year-end charts [edit]

Chart (2006) Position
Australian Singles Chart[27] 28
Hungarian Airplay Chart[28] 37
New Zealand Singles Chart[29] 20
Swiss Singles Chart[30] 46
UK Singles Chart[31] 32
US Billboard Hot 100[32] 17
US Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs[33] 3
US Pop 100[34] 28

Certifications [edit]

Country Certifications
(sales thresholds)
Australia Gold[35]
United States Platinum[36]

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=69239#2006
  2. ^ Sisario, Ben (May 6, 2007). "Wizards in the Studio, Anonymous on the Street". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ Lamb, Bill. "Ne-Yo - So Sick". About. About, Inc. Retrieved 2008-03-14. 
  4. ^ "So Sick, Single Review". Contactmusic. Contactmusic.com Ltd. Retrieved 2008-03-14. 
  5. ^ Ne-Yo feat. LL Cool J – So Sick (Remix). whosampled.com.
  6. ^ "Saints row 2 pierce singing so sick full version". Youtube. Youtube.com. Retrieved 2011-06-05. 
  7. ^ "Australian-charts.com – Ne-Yo – So Sick". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  8. ^ "Ne-Yo – So Sick – Austriancharts.at" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  9. ^ "Ultratop.be – Ne-Yo – So Sick" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  10. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200618 into search. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  11. ^ "Danishcharts.com – Ne-Yo – So Sick". Tracklisten. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  12. ^ "Ne-Yo Album & Song Chart History" European Hot 100 for Ne-Yo. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  13. ^ "Lescharts.com – Ne-Yo – So Sick" (in French). Les classement single. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  14. ^ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, News, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche – musicline.de" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  15. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ – Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  16. ^ "Chart Track". Irish Singles Chart. Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  17. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Ne-Yo – So Sick" (in Dutch). Mega Single Top 100. Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  18. ^ "Charts.org.nz – Ne-Yo – So Sick". Top 40 Singles. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  19. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Ne-Yo – So Sick". VG-lista. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  20. ^ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200637 into search. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  21. ^ "South Korea Gaon International Chart (Week: February 12, 2012 to February 18, 2012)". Gaon Chart. January 5, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2013. 
  22. ^ "Ne-Yo – So Sick – swisscharts.com". Swiss Singles Chart. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  23. ^ "Ne-Yo" UK Singles Chart. Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  24. ^ "Ne-Yo Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Ne-Yo. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  25. ^ "Ne-Yo Album & Song Chart History" Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Ne-Yo. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  26. ^ "Ne-Yo Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Pop Songs for Ne-Yo. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  27. ^ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2006". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2011-04-26. 
  28. ^ "MAHASZ Rádiós TOP 100 2006" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. Retrieved 2011-04-12. 
  29. ^ "Annual Top 50 Singles 2006". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2010-12-08. 
  30. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2006" (in Deutsch). Swiss Music Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2011-05-06. 
  31. ^ "UK Year-End Chart 2006" (pdf). The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2011-05-06. 
  32. ^ "The Billboard Hot 100 Singles & Tracks - 2006 Year End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2010-12-15. 
  33. ^ "The Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles & Tracks - 2006 Year End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 15, 2010. 
  34. ^ "The Billboard Pop 100 - 2006 Year End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 15, 2010. 
  35. ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2006 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2011-04-13. 
  36. ^ "Ne-Yo - So Sick". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2011-04-13. 

External links [edit]

Ne-Yo
Studio albums
Compilation albums
Singles
Featured singles
Promotional singles
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