Dark Fantasy (song): Difference between revisions
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''Dark Fantasy'' is 4 minutes, 41 seconds long.<ref>{{cite web | author=Kellman, Andy | title=My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/my-beautiful-dark-twisted-fantasy-r2055009| work=[[All music]] | accessdate=2011-04-22}}</ref> The song is introduced with a narrative by [[Nicki Minaj]], elocuting in |
''Dark Fantasy'' is 4 minutes, 41 seconds long.<ref>{{cite web | author=Kellman, Andy | title=My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/my-beautiful-dark-twisted-fantasy-r2055009| work=[[All music]] | accessdate=2011-04-22}}</ref> The song is introduced with a narrative by [[Nicki Minaj]], elocuting in an [[English accent]], that serves as a retelling of writer [[Roald Dahl]]'s poetic rework of "[[Cinderella]]".<ref name="Powers">Powers, Ann (November 23, 2010). [http://www.webcitation.org/5uRaWAv5S Review: ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'']. ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Archived from [http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-kanye-nicki-20101123,0,441598.story the original] on 2010-11-23.</ref> It introduces the album's themes of decadence and hedonism,<ref name="Kot">Kot, Greg (November 17, 2010). [http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2010/11/album-review-kanye-west-my-beautiful-dark-twisted-fantasy.html Review: ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'']. ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. Retrieved on 2010-11-17.</ref> with West musing how "the plan was to drink until the pain was over / But what’s worse, the pain or the hangover?".<ref name="Denney">Denney, Alex (November 19, 2010). [http://www.nme.com/reviews/kanye-west/11723 Review: ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'']. ''[[NME]]''. Retrieved on 2010-11-22.</ref> His lyrics on the track contain various musical and popular culture references, including those to the song "[[Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)]]", the [[Lamborghini Murciélago]] sports car, rapper [[Nas]], fashion designer [[Phoebe Philo]], short story "[[The Legend of Sleepy Hollow]]", the song "[[Sex on Fire]]", singer [[Leona Lewis]], and television character [[Steve Urkel]].<ref name="mtv">Anderson, Kyle (November 15, 2010). [http://newsroom.mtv.com/2010/11/15/kanye-west-my-beautiful-dark-twisted-fantasy-dark-fantasy/ Inside Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: 'Dark Fantasy']. [[MTV News]]. Retrieved on 2010-12-07.</ref> The song samples a portion of "[[In High Places (song)|In High Places]]" by [[Mike Oldfield]], a [[pop rock]] song from 1987.<ref>{{cite web | title=Sample Details | url=http://www.whosampled.com/sample/view/66471/Kanye%20West-Dark%20Fantasy_Mike%20Oldfield-In%20High%20Places/| work=Whosampled | accessdate=2011-04-22}}</ref> |
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==Chart performance== |
==Chart performance== |
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Revision as of 21:24, 29 June 2011
| "Dark Fantasy" | |
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"Dark Fantasy" is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West, from his fifth studio album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The song serves as the opening track of the album, and was written by Kanye West, Ernest Wilson, Jeff Bhasker, Mike Dean and the RZA. It features an opening narrative delivered by Nicki Minaj, contains backing vocals by Teyana Taylor and Bon Iver, and samples "In High Places" by Mike Oldfield. Despite not being released as a single, the hype generated by the release of "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" caused the song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 at 60. The song received positive reviews by music critics, praising West's verses and the production.
Dark Fantasy was also used during the opening sequence of Runaway, a 35 minute music video directed by Kanye West set to music from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.[2][3] The song was used in advertisements for the film The Hangover: Part II.
Composition
Dark Fantasy is 4 minutes, 41 seconds long.[4] The song is introduced with a narrative by Nicki Minaj, elocuting in an English accent, that serves as a retelling of writer Roald Dahl's poetic rework of "Cinderella".[5] It introduces the album's themes of decadence and hedonism,[6] with West musing how "the plan was to drink until the pain was over / But what’s worse, the pain or the hangover?".[7] His lyrics on the track contain various musical and popular culture references, including those to the song "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", the Lamborghini Murciélago sports car, rapper Nas, fashion designer Phoebe Philo, short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", the song "Sex on Fire", singer Leona Lewis, and television character Steve Urkel.[8] The song samples a portion of "In High Places" by Mike Oldfield, a pop rock song from 1987.[9]
Chart performance
Due to the hype generated by the anticipation of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Dark Fantasy debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at 60, without actually being released as a single.[10] The second week it dropped to 83, and by the third week it exited the chart. [10] The song performed similarly in Canada, charting at 67 on the Canadian Hot 100.[11] Other than the four singles released from the album, (Power, All of the Lights, Monster, and Runaway) Dark Fantasy was the only song off the album to chart.[10]
Critical reception
Dark Fantasy has received positive reviews from music critics. The Washington Post's Chris Richards described the song as having "mutant gospel crescendos",[12] and MTV News praised Nicki Minaj's verse, declaring that "it is structured like a nursery rhyme and sets the tone for the song (which is intense and hallucinatory) and the album".[8] Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield wrote the song contained "lethal wit" praising the lyricism, and further wrote "In "Dark Fantasy," he rhymes "mercy, mercy me, that Murcielago" with "diablo," "bravado" and "My chick in that new Phoebe Philo/So much head, I woke up in Sleepy Hollow. It's some genius stuff."[13] David Amidon of PopMatters felt that West's vocals were "layered a baker’s dozen different ways, they’re synthetic".[14] Dan Vidal of URB stated enjoyed Minaj's verse, describing it as a "psuedo-cockney-accented opening narration" and praised the song's arrengement as "spine-tingling".[15] David Browne of Time wrote "Tracks like "Dark Fantasy" and "So Appalled" are built on rumbling tanks of pianos and strings that sound as if West is marching into the apocalypse."[16]
The Song was used in the trailer of The Hangover:Part II.
Chart positions
| Chart (2008) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 60[10] |
| Canadian Hot 100 | 67[11] |
References
- ^ Credits: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-11-21.
- ^ Concepcion, Mariel (2010-10-07). "Kanye West Premieres 35-Minute-Long 'Runaway' Video In London". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2010-10-23.
- ^ Kaufman, Gil (October 7, 2010). "Kanye West Screens 'Runaway' In London". MTV.com. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
- ^ Kellman, Andy. "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy". All music. Retrieved 2011-04-22.
- ^ Powers, Ann (November 23, 2010). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2010-11-23.
- ^ Kot, Greg (November 17, 2010). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 2010-11-17.
- ^ Denney, Alex (November 19, 2010). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. NME. Retrieved on 2010-11-22.
- ^ a b Anderson, Kyle (November 15, 2010). Inside Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: 'Dark Fantasy'. MTV News. Retrieved on 2010-12-07.
- ^ "Sample Details". Whosampled. Retrieved 2011-04-22.
- ^ a b c d "Kanye West - Music Charts". aCharts.us. Retrieved December 24, 2007.
- ^ a b "Kanye West Album & Song Chart History: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard.com. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- ^ Richards, Chris (November 19, 2010). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2010-11-19.
- ^ Sheffield, Rob (November 8, 2010). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2010-11-11.
- ^ Amidon, David (November 22, 2010). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2010-11-22.
- ^ Vidal, Dan (November 23, 2010). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. URB. Retrieved on 2010-12-08.
- ^ Browne, David (November 17, 2010). Review: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Time. Retrieved on 2010-11-18.
