F2F (song)
"F2F" | |
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Song by SZA | |
from the album SOS | |
Released | December 9, 2022 |
Genre | |
Length | 3:06 |
Label | |
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Lyric video | |
"F2F" on YouTube |
"F2F" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA from her second studio album, SOS (2022). "F2F" is a rock song that draws from genres such as country, pop rock, and grunge. SZA wrote the song with Lizzo, who provides background vocals, and producers Rob Bisel and Carter Lang. The song was one of around five rock-inspired songs SZA created for SOS, conceived out of a desire to experiment with various genres outside of her usual R&B works. The song begins with acoustic guitar strums before transitioning into a chorus backed by drums and power chords from electric guitars. The lyrics talk about having sex with someone to cope with breaking up with a former partner.
The song had a positive reception for its experimentation with rock. "F2F" was one of 20 tracks from SOS that debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100, bolstered by around 13.7 million streams. Consequently, it became SZA's first song to debut atop Billboard's Alternative Streaming Songs chart.
Background and release
SZA released her debut studio album, Ctrl, in 2017. Primarily an R&B album that deals with themes like heartbreak, Ctrl was widely acclaimed by critics for its vocal performances, as well as the relatability, emotional impact, and candid nature of its songwriting. The album solidified her status as one of the most well-known R&B artists of her time.[1][2]
SZA alluded to potentially releasing her second album as early as August 2019 during an interview with DJ Kerwin Frost.[3][4] Commenting on the creative process behind the album, she stated it would be as candid and personal as Ctrl: "This next album is even more of me being less afraid of who am I when I have no choice? When I'm not out trying to curate myself and contain."[5] When SZA collaborated with Cosmopolitan for their February 2021 issue, she spoke about her creative process behind the album's conception. She told the magazine, "this album is going to be the shit that made me feel something in my...here and in here", pointing to her heart and gut.[6]
During interviews in 2020 and 2022, SZA said the album's composition was eclectic; while some tracks were balladic or soft, certain parts of the album had an "aggressive" sound. She stated: "I have no idea what it sounds like to anybody else. I really don't know. It's so bizarre. It's weird that I can't put my finger on it. It's a little bit of everything." The album, apart from exploring "traditional" R&B that had been a staple of SZA's past works, also drew from genres such as alternative rock and country. Punch, CEO of SZA's record label Top Dawg Entertainment, commented on the new musical direction by saying "it's a new chapter. She's not scared to try certain things now."[7][8]
From April to May 2022, SZA told media outlets that she had recently finished the album in Hawaii, saying it was her most relatable or "unisex" body of work she had made to date.[9] In a Consequence cover story, she further commented on her plans to experiment with various genres. She asserted it was "lazy" to reduce her to an R&B artist: "I love making Black music, period. Something that is just full of energy. Black music doesn't have to just be R&B. We started rock 'n' roll. Why can't we just be expansive and not reductive?"[10] In October, she said that she had written around 100 songs for the album and added that the album could be released "any day now".[11] During a Billboard cover story published in November, SZA revealed that the title of her second album was SOS, scheduled for release sometime next month.[12][13] On December 3, 2022, she appeared on Saturday Night Live and announced it would be released on December 9. Two days later, she posted the track list on Twitter. Out of 23 songs, "F2F" appears as the album's 13th track.[14][15]
Recording and composition
Originally titled "Charlatan",[16] "F2F" was one of around five rock songs that SZA created for SOS. She explained to Rolling Stone that these songs contained heavily confessional lyrics that demonstrated several versions of herself: "They were all terrible in terms of, like, saying bad things about what I've done to people, but it sounded cool, and I think that's what all those songs are really about. Just being super honest and letting that out."[17][18] Rob Bisel and Carter Lang, producers of "F2F", revealed that American singer and rapper Lizzo was coincidentally in the same studio as SZA when she recorded the song.[16] They added that it was one out of several songs on which the two collaborated during recording sessions; a few days prior, it was announced that Lizzo would feature on a song from the deluxe edition of SOS titled "Boy from South Detroit".[19]
According to music journalists, "F2F" can be classified under stadium rock,[20][21] pop rock,[22][23] pop punk, grunge,[24] and country.[21][25] The first verse demonstrates its country influences—in it, SZA sings over acoustic guitar strums—after which drums and power chords from electric guitars appear for the chorus to indicate its punk and rock elements.[1][21] Critics found the song reminiscent of rock music from the late 1990s to the early 2000s,[26][27] drawing comparisons to artists like Avril Lavigne,[28][29] Fefe Dobson,[30][31] Paramore,[32][33] and Liz Phair.[34]
To create "F2F", SZA freestyled or improvised lyrics over an initial version of the beat with Lizzo, who helped write the song's bridge and provided pitched-up background vocals.[16] She originally had a verse in the song, but it was removed for unspecified reasons.[35] The lyrics discuss having sex with people to cope with a rebound, or a period of time after the end of a romantic relationship.[36]
Reception
After the release of SOS, 20 tracks from the album debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, the United States's main record chart for songs. Among of them was "F2F", which was the 16th highest charting track; it debuted at number 55 and helped increase SZA's total amount of chart entries to 37.[37] It was bolstered by around 13.7 million streams in its first opening week; with these streaming numbers, the song debuted atop Billboard's Alternative Streaming Songs chart, her first number 1 there.[38] Alternative Songs is a component chart of Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, on which "F2F" peaked at number 3.[39]
The song received a positive response from fans and critics for its rock-infused production, which was a departure from the R&B sound of SZA's earlier works.[40] Isabella Sarmiento, writing for NPR, picked "F2F" as one of the best songs of 2022.[41]
Charts
Chart (2022) | Peak position |
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Australia (ARIA)[42] | 87 |
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[43] | 54 |
Global 200 (Billboard)[44] | 69 |
Portugal (AFP)[45] | 182 |
US Billboard Hot 100[46] | 55 |
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[39] | 3 |
References
- ^ a b Curto, Justin (December 9, 2022). "SZA Finally Unleashed Her Inner Rock Star". Vulture. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ Mitchell, Ashlee (December 13, 2022). "5 Takeaways From SZA's New Album SOS". The Recording Academy. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ Robinson, Ellie (June 7, 2021). "SZA reveals she "burst into tears" during a rehearsal of '20 Something'". NME. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ "SZA is Dropping a New Album This Year but when is Beyond Her 'CTRL'". MTV.
- ^ Schatz, Lake (August 20, 2022). "SZA Says New Album Coming 'Soon as F*ck'". Consequence. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ Kenneally, Cerys (January 5, 2021). "SZA Says New Album Will Feature Material That Made Her Feel Something in Her Heart and Gut". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ Carmichael, Emma (February 26, 2020). "The Rebirth of SZA". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ Blake, Cole (October 16, 2022). "SZA Confirms 'Shirt' Music Video Is on the Way: 'It's Turned In'". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ Kenneally, Cerys (April 4, 2022). "SZA says new album is "finished" and describes it as her "most unisex" project yet". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
- ^ Paige, Deasia (December 13, 2022). "On SOS, SZA Proves She's One of This Generation's Best Songwriters". Elle. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Richard, Will (October 19, 2022). "SZA has written 100 songs for her new album, which could arrive "any day" now". NME. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
- ^ "SZA Is 'Currently Stressed' About Releasing New Album S.O.S.". MTV News. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ Panaligan, E. J. (December 5, 2022). "SZA Reveals SOS Track List, with Phoebe Bridgers, Travis Scott, Don Toliver and Ol' Dirty Bastard Features". Variety. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Curto, Justin (December 5, 2022). "SZA Puts Fans on Alert, Announces New Album S.O.S". Vulture. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ Paul, Larisha (December 5, 2022). "SZA Taps Phoebe Bridgers, Travis Scott for S.O.S Album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ a b c Conteh, Mankaprr; Hiatt, Brian (December 19, 2022). "SOS Secrets: SZA Reveals Unheard Lizzo Collaborations, Plus More Rock Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ Abraham, Mya (December 19, 2022). "SZA Teases Additional Lizzo Collabs and More Rock for SOS Deluxe". Vibe. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ Richards, Will (December 22, 2022). "There's a Hidden Lizzo Feature on SZA's SOS – And They've Recorded More Songs Together". NME. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ "SZA and Lizzo have recorded multiple tracks together". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ UK, Rolling Stone; Reilly, Nick (December 9, 2022). "3 albums you need to hear this week". Rolling Stone UK. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ a b c Petridis, Alexis (December 9, 2022). "SZA: SOS review – R&B innovator's long-awaited return is an eclectic sprawl". The Guardian. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (December 9, 2022). "SZA: SOS Review — Long-Awaited Second Album from R&B Perfectionist". Financial Times. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Robinson, Otis (December 9, 2022). "SZA – SOS". DIY. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Ragusa, Paolo (December 9, 2022). "Song of the Week: SZA Goes Grunge on "F2F"". Consequence. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ Shepherd, Julianne Escobedo (December 9, 2022). "SOS: SZA". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Fondren, Precious (December 16, 2022). "SZA SOS Reveals Everything We've Wanted to Know for 5 Years". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Hakimian, Rob; McMullen, Chase; Sentz, Tim; Pickard, Joshua; Wohlmacher, John; Finlayson, Ray; Amen, John; Kohner, Kyle; Early, J. T. (December 15, 2022). "BPM's Top 50 Albums of 2022". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Assaly, Richie; Grant, Demar; Ejiofor, Annette; Smirlies, Justin; Vega, Manuela; Wong, Madison; Murphy, Aisling; Passafiume, Alessia (December 17, 2022). "Star Tracks: Our 24 Favourite Albums of 2022". The Toronto Star. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Frank, Jason P. (December 9, 2022). "SZA Lights Up and Spits Fire in 'Smoking on My Ex Pack'". Vulture. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Madden, Sidney (December 14, 2022). "SZA, 'F2F'". NPR. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ Kaplan, Ilana; DeCaro, Alessandro; Bell, Sadie; Hardman, Neville (December 9, 2022). "Paramore, SZA and Mod Sun Are Our Tracks of the Week". Alternative Press. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Sanchez, Chelsey (December 19, 2022). "Why Can't We Let SZA Be Sad?". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Thompson, Stephen; Harris, Aisha; Madden, Sidney; Katzif, Mike; Wood, Rommel; Reedy, Jessica (December 15, 2022). "On SOS, SZA Both Surprises and Delivers Exactly What We've Been Waiting For" (Audio upload and transcript). NPR. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Wood, Mikael (December 9, 2022). "On the Dazzling SOS, SZA Spares No One, Least of All Herself". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Myers, Owen (December 20, 2022). "SZA on SOS, the Story Behind Her SNL Bop 'Big Boys,' and Her Favorite Kill Bill Character". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Wicker, Jewel (December 12, 2022). "SZA Is Trying to Save Herself". Consequence. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Zellner, Xander (December 20, 2022). "SZA Debuts 20 Songs from SOS on Hot 100, Rules Artist 100 for First Time". Billboard. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Rutherford, Kevin (December 22, 2022). "SZA Scores Her First Streaming Songs No. 1 with 'Kill Bill'". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ a b "SZA Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- ^ "Fousheé Channeled New Jersey Into The Punk Aggression Of 'softCORE'". Uproxx. December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ "The Best Music of 2022: NPR Staff Picks". NPR. December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 19 December 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1711. Australian Recording Industry Association. December 19, 2022. p. 4.
- ^ "SZA Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- ^ "SZA Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- ^ "SZA – F2F". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
- ^ "SZA Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2022.