Only One- new song by Kanye West, featuring Paul
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toris:
Nancy R:
Bruce M.:
yankeefan7:
rich n:
I have a rather sad admission...I can't even hear Paul's contribution in this song
I had to strain to hear it also so you are not alone. I assume he did backup vocal but it is hard to hear him and the piano playing is very soft also.
You might want to have your hearing checked. His keyboard playing is quite obvious, and then there is that lengthy outro that's only Paul's keyboard. Did you miss that, too?
I was thinking the same thing! Hey--did anyone hear the mix of the song with drums on it? You can barely hear Paul's keyboard playing!
I can barely even hear Mr. Kardashian singing with those drums beating his vocal out of proceedings! ... well, to be fair, I stopped listening after a minute.
You made it 30 seconds longer than me!
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Nancy R:
toris:
Nancy R:
Bruce M.:
yankeefan7:
rich n:
I have a rather sad admission...I can't even hear Paul's contribution in this song
I had to strain to hear it also so you are not alone. I assume he did backup vocal but it is hard to hear him and the piano playing is very soft also.
You might want to have your hearing checked. His keyboard playing is quite obvious, and then there is that lengthy outro that's only Paul's keyboard. Did you miss that, too?
I was thinking the same thing! Hey--did anyone hear the mix of the song with drums on it? You can barely hear Paul's keyboard playing!
I can barely even hear Mr. Kardashian singing with those drums beating his vocal out of proceedings! ... well, to be fair, I stopped listening after a minute.
You made it 30 seconds longer than me!
Ha ha!
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toris:
Far from the "collaboration" I was expecting. Paul barely has his fingerprints on it.
that's my thoughts on it too
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Bruce M.:
yankeefan7:
rich n:
I have a rather sad admission...I can't even hear Paul's contribution in this song
I had to strain to hear it also so you are not alone. I assume he did backup vocal but it is hard to hear him and the piano playing is very soft also.
You might want to have your hearing checked. His keyboard playing is quite obvious, and then there is that lengthy outro that's only Paul's keyboard. Did you miss that, too?
LOL. I have hearing aids and hear quite well. Others have said they barely hear McCartney vocal so it is just not me. I did not say I did not hear him playing the piano/keyboard, just that it was soft not very loud IMO.
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toris:
Nancy R:
Bruce M.:
yankeefan7:
rich n:
I have a rather sad admission...I can't even hear Paul's contribution in this song
I had to strain to hear it also so you are not alone. I assume he did backup vocal but it is hard to hear him and the piano playing is very soft also.
You might want to have your hearing checked. His keyboard playing is quite obvious, and then there is that lengthy outro that's only Paul's keyboard. Did you miss that, too?
I was thinking the same thing! Hey--did anyone hear the mix of the song with drums on it? You can barely hear Paul's keyboard playing!
I can barely even hear Mr. Kardashian singing with those drums beating his vocal out of proceedings! ... well, to be fair, I stopped listening after a minute.
I think that was the entire point!
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yankeefan7:
Bruce M.:
yankeefan7:
rich n:
I have a rather sad admission...I can't even hear Paul's contribution in this song
I had to strain to hear it also so you are not alone. I assume he did backup vocal but it is hard to hear him and the piano playing is very soft also.
You might want to have your hearing checked. His keyboard playing is quite obvious, and then there is that lengthy outro that's only Paul's keyboard. Did you miss that, too?
LOL. I have hearing aids and hear quite well. Others have said they barely hear McCartney vocal so it is just not me. I did not say I did not hear him playing the piano/keyboard, just that it was soft not very loud IMO.
You actually said "I can't even hear Paul's contribution," but you just acknowledged that you could. It's not a duet, and there have been mixed reports as to where Paul sings at all -- the primary backing vocals are apparently someone else. But he's also reported to be co-writer, and if so you're hearing Paul's contribution when Kanye sings.
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Bruce M.:
yankeefan7:
Bruce M.:
yankeefan7:
rich n:
I have a rather sad admission...I can't even hear Paul's contribution in this song
I had to strain to hear it also so you are not alone. I assume he did backup vocal but it is hard to hear him and the piano playing is very soft also.
You might want to have your hearing checked. His keyboard playing is quite obvious, and then there is that lengthy outro that's only Paul's keyboard. Did you miss that, too?
LOL. I have hearing aids and hear quite well. Others have said they barely hear McCartney vocal so it is just not me. I did not say I did not hear him playing the piano/keyboard, just that it was soft not very loud IMO.
You actually said "I can't even hear Paul's contribution," but you just acknowledged that you could. It's not a duet, and there have been mixed reports as to where Paul sings at all -- the primary backing vocals are apparently someone else. But he's also reported to be co-writer, and if so you're hearing Paul's contribution when Kanye sings.
Rich said that...not yankeefan. Maybe glasses are in someone's future? joking
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I want to chime in again with some thoughts, but mostly echoing what others have already expressed so well. Firstly, I think Only One is a lovely song. Fantastic. But I find it sad that a lot of the attention is not on the song, but on what I might call, the peripheral issues. As to the question of collaboration, I think it's a completely inane non-issue. Paul co-wrote the song, he plays the ONLY instrument heard on the track(although someone else is co-credited with helping out on keyboards, too). I find it very narrow-minded to suggest that you have to hear Paul's voice front and centre to qualify as a collaboration. In fact, I'm relieved that it's not the typical A-list type of musical collaboration that's become so cliched over the years: huge, over-the-top productions with the singers belting out alternating lyrics, stroking their superstar egos. I think it's wonderful that Kanye and Paul put the song first, ahead of their egos. It's a gentle ballad, and it doesn't call for big superstar posturing. I also greatly admire the audacity of the arrangement. The minimalist approach isn't exactly "hit song" commercialism. People who are baffled that the song sounds unfinished or like a demo are missing the brilliance of it. The "meandering" outro gives it an intimacy and warmth.....like we are privy to a personal moment. Great stuff. I'll add that I'm a Paul fan first and a casual Kanye fan second. I greatly admire his work, but I admit that it's not easy separating the guy from the music. His d-bag antics make me roll my eyes (but I cheered him on for his Katrina stand). But as someone else wisely pointed out with examples of bad boy actors, talented people are not always the most well behaved people. I'm glad that Paul is working with someone who is at the top of their talents. Others have suggested other collaborators, but most of them I find are artists way beyond their peak talents. I don't want Paul to mix it up with artists who are not "on". Sure, I would love for Paul to have worked with Prince, for example......but only if it was Prince in 1984 at his creative peak. That said, I'm still nervous for what's coming next from this latest collaboration. The rumoured track with Rihanna and Kanye sounds like it's up next. The potential for something cringe-worthy still remains for me, but I hope whatever it is next builds on the success of Only One. I hope Paul fans are celebrating these special days! This is the dawn of his first top 10 hit (maybe #1?) in a million years
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ZodiakFool:
I want to chime in again with some thoughts, but mostly echoing what others have already expressed so well. Firstly, I think Only One is a lovely song. Fantastic. But I find it sad that a lot of the attention is not on the song, but on what I might call, the peripheral issues. As to the question of collaboration, I think it's a completely inane non-issue. Paul co-wrote the song, he plays the ONLY instrument heard on the track(although someone else is co-credited with helping out on keyboards, too). I find it very narrow-minded to suggest that you have to hear Paul's voice front and centre to qualify as a collaboration. In fact, I'm relieved that it's not the typical A-list type of musical collaboration that's become so cliched over the years: huge, over-the-top productions with the singers belting out alternating lyrics, stroking their superstar egos. I think it's wonderful that Kanye and Paul put the song first, ahead of their egos. It's a gentle ballad, and it doesn't call for big superstar posturing. I also greatly admire the audacity of the arrangement. The minimalist approach isn't exactly "hit song" commercialism. People who are baffled that the song sounds unfinished or like a demo are missing the brilliance of it. The "meandering" outro gives it an intimacy and warmth.....like we are privy to a personal moment. Great stuff. I'll add that I'm a Paul fan first and a casual Kanye fan second. I greatly admire his work, but I admit that it's not easy separating the guy from the music. His d-bag antics make me roll my eyes (but I cheered him on for his Katrina stand). But as someone else wisely pointed out with examples of bad boy actors, talented people are not always the most well behaved people. I'm glad that Paul is working with someone who is at the top of their talents. Others have suggested other collaborators, but most of them I find are artists way beyond their peak talents. I don't want Paul to mix it up with artists who are not "on". Sure, I would love for Paul to have worked with Prince, for example......but only if it was Prince in 1984 at his creative peak. That said, I'm still nervous for what's coming next from this latest collaboration. The rumoured track with Rihanna and Kanye sounds like it's up next. The potential for something cringe-worthy still remains for me, but I hope whatever it is next builds on the success of Only One. I hope Paul fans are celebrating these special days! This is the dawn of his first top 10 hit (maybe #1?) in a million years
Well said. Yes, I admit that the upcoming Rihanna track has the potential to be, let's say, unwise, but I think her stuff is okay in general. So far, it seems that Paul's instincts are good on this project. I despise the whole Kardashian phenomenon, but I don't judge Kanye's music for that. While Paul was with his less-than-pleasant second wife, he made the towering achievement (in my eyes) of Chaos and Creation in the Backyard.
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ZodiakFool:
I want to chime in again with some thoughts, but mostly echoing what others have already expressed so well. Firstly, I think Only One is a lovely song. Fantastic. But I find it sad that a lot of the attention is not on the song, but on what I might call, the peripheral issues. As to the question of collaboration, I think it's a completely inane non-issue. Paul co-wrote the song, he plays the ONLY instrument heard on the track(although someone else is co-credited with helping out on keyboards, too). I find it very narrow-minded to suggest that you have to hear Paul's voice front and centre to qualify as a collaboration. In fact, I'm relieved that it's not the typical A-list type of musical collaboration that's become so cliched over the years: huge, over-the-top productions with the singers belting out alternating lyrics, stroking their superstar egos. I think it's wonderful that Kanye and Paul put the song first, ahead of their egos. It's a gentle ballad, and it doesn't call for big superstar posturing. I also greatly admire the audacity of the arrangement. The minimalist approach isn't exactly "hit song" commercialism. People who are baffled that the song sounds unfinished or like a demo are missing the brilliance of it. The "meandering" outro gives it an intimacy and warmth.....like we are privy to a personal moment. Great stuff. I'll add that I'm a Paul fan first and a casual Kanye fan second. I greatly admire his work, but I admit that it's not easy separating the guy from the music. His d-bag antics make me roll my eyes (but I cheered him on for his Katrina stand). But as someone else wisely pointed out with examples of bad boy actors, talented people are not always the most well behaved people. I'm glad that Paul is working with someone who is at the top of their talents. Others have suggested other collaborators, but most of them I find are artists way beyond their peak talents. I don't want Paul to mix it up with artists who are not "on". Sure, I would love for Paul to have worked with Prince, for example......but only if it was Prince in 1984 at his creative peak. That said, I'm still nervous for what's coming next from this latest collaboration. The rumoured track with Rihanna and Kanye sounds like it's up next. The potential for something cringe-worthy still remains for me, but I hope whatever it is next builds on the success of Only One. I hope Paul fans are celebrating these special days! This is the dawn of his first top 10 hit (maybe #1?) in a million years
Interesting points. And I agree with some of them. I do disagree with your take on Paul and other collaborators who are "way beyond their peak talents." The same could be said about McCartney. I don't think Paul's voice has to be heard for it to be a collaboration. He can play a supporting role or co-write to collaborate. What is inane, however, is to think the public at large will hear this song and say, "What a great Paul McCartney song! It's a return to form for the hit maker!" The ONLY reason anyone outside of these fan forums knows Paul has anything to do with this song is because of the peripheral issues you lament. I suspect many Paul fans, who live and breath Paul every day, will get very excited with the success of this song. And it is a good song, IMO. And a good thing too for Paul! But to me, it's not a return to the top of the charts in the same vein as Paul writing a song, or co-writing a song, and singing it and having it go top ten.
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oobu24:
Bruce M.:
yankeefan7:
Bruce M.:
yankeefan7:
rich n:
I have a rather sad admission...I can't even hear Paul's contribution in this song
I had to strain to hear it also so you are not alone. I assume he did backup vocal but it is hard to hear him and the piano playing is very soft also.
You might want to have your hearing checked. His keyboard playing is quite obvious, and then there is that lengthy outro that's only Paul's keyboard. Did you miss that, too?
LOL. I have hearing aids and hear quite well. Others have said they barely hear McCartney vocal so it is just not me. I did not say I did not hear him playing the piano/keyboard, just that it was soft not very loud IMO.
You actually said "I can't even hear Paul's contribution," but you just acknowledged that you could. It's not a duet, and there have been mixed reports as to where Paul sings at all -- the primary backing vocals are apparently someone else. But he's also reported to be co-writer, and if so you're hearing Paul's contribution when Kanye sings.
Rich said that...not yankeefan. Maybe glasses are in someone's future? joking
Thanks, you beat me to it - lol.
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RMartinez:
ZodiakFool:
I want to chime in again with some thoughts, but mostly echoing what others have already expressed so well. Firstly, I think Only One is a lovely song. Fantastic. But I find it sad that a lot of the attention is not on the song, but on what I might call, the peripheral issues. As to the question of collaboration, I think it's a completely inane non-issue. Paul co-wrote the song, he plays the ONLY instrument heard on the track(although someone else is co-credited with helping out on keyboards, too). I find it very narrow-minded to suggest that you have to hear Paul's voice front and centre to qualify as a collaboration. In fact, I'm relieved that it's not the typical A-list type of musical collaboration that's become so cliched over the years: huge, over-the-top productions with the singers belting out alternating lyrics, stroking their superstar egos. I think it's wonderful that Kanye and Paul put the song first, ahead of their egos. It's a gentle ballad, and it doesn't call for big superstar posturing. I also greatly admire the audacity of the arrangement. The minimalist approach isn't exactly "hit song" commercialism. People who are baffled that the song sounds unfinished or like a demo are missing the brilliance of it. The "meandering" outro gives it an intimacy and warmth.....like we are privy to a personal moment. Great stuff. I'll add that I'm a Paul fan first and a casual Kanye fan second. I greatly admire his work, but I admit that it's not easy separating the guy from the music. His d-bag antics make me roll my eyes (but I cheered him on for his Katrina stand). But as someone else wisely pointed out with examples of bad boy actors, talented people are not always the most well behaved people. I'm glad that Paul is working with someone who is at the top of their talents. Others have suggested other collaborators, but most of them I find are artists way beyond their peak talents. I don't want Paul to mix it up with artists who are not "on". Sure, I would love for Paul to have worked with Prince, for example......but only if it was Prince in 1984 at his creative peak. That said, I'm still nervous for what's coming next from this latest collaboration. The rumoured track with Rihanna and Kanye sounds like it's up next. The potential for something cringe-worthy still remains for me, but I hope whatever it is next builds on the success of Only One. I hope Paul fans are celebrating these special days! This is the dawn of his first top 10 hit (maybe #1?) in a million years
Interesting points. And I agree with some of them. I do disagree with your take on Paul and other collaborators who are "way beyond their peak talents." The same could be said about McCartney. I don't think Paul's voice has to be heard for it to be a collaboration. He can play a supporting role or co-write to collaborate. What is inane, however, is to think the public at large will hear this song and say, "What a great Paul McCartney song! It's a return to form for the hit maker!" The ONLY reason anyone outside of these fan forums knows Paul has anything to do with this song is because of the peripheral issues you lament. I suspect many Paul fans, who live and breath Paul every day, will get very excited with the success of this song. And it is a good song, IMO. And a good thing too for Paul! But to me, it's not a return to the top of the charts in the same vein as Paul writing a song, or co-writing a song, and singing it and having it go top ten.
"But to me, it's not a return to the top of the charts in the same vein as Paul writing a song, or co-writing a song, and singing it and having it go top ten." Exactly, people getting excited about this being in the top 10 for McCartney make me shake my head. Yes, it will officially credit McCartney but to me it is not the same as if a song like "Queene Eye" made the the top 10.
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yankeefan7:
Ok, I will give it a shot. How about McCartney get "funky" and do some jazz with George Benson.
Paul McCartney, George Benson, Al Jarreau
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yankeefan7:
RMartinez:
ZodiakFool:
I want to chime in again with some thoughts, but mostly echoing what others have already expressed so well. Firstly, I think Only One is a lovely song. Fantastic. But I find it sad that a lot of the attention is not on the song, but on what I might call, the peripheral issues. As to the question of collaboration, I think it's a completely inane non-issue. Paul co-wrote the song, he plays the ONLY instrument heard on the track(although someone else is co-credited with helping out on keyboards, too). I find it very narrow-minded to suggest that you have to hear Paul's voice front and centre to qualify as a collaboration. In fact, I'm relieved that it's not the typical A-list type of musical collaboration that's become so cliched over the years: huge, over-the-top productions with the singers belting out alternating lyrics, stroking their superstar egos. I think it's wonderful that Kanye and Paul put the song first, ahead of their egos. It's a gentle ballad, and it doesn't call for big superstar posturing. I also greatly admire the audacity of the arrangement. The minimalist approach isn't exactly "hit song" commercialism. People who are baffled that the song sounds unfinished or like a demo are missing the brilliance of it. The "meandering" outro gives it an intimacy and warmth.....like we are privy to a personal moment. Great stuff. I'll add that I'm a Paul fan first and a casual Kanye fan second. I greatly admire his work, but I admit that it's not easy separating the guy from the music. His d-bag antics make me roll my eyes (but I cheered him on for his Katrina stand). But as someone else wisely pointed out with examples of bad boy actors, talented people are not always the most well behaved people. I'm glad that Paul is working with someone who is at the top of their talents. Others have suggested other collaborators, but most of them I find are artists way beyond their peak talents. I don't want Paul to mix it up with artists who are not "on". Sure, I would love for Paul to have worked with Prince, for example......but only if it was Prince in 1984 at his creative peak. That said, I'm still nervous for what's coming next from this latest collaboration. The rumoured track with Rihanna and Kanye sounds like it's up next. The potential for something cringe-worthy still remains for me, but I hope whatever it is next builds on the success of Only One. I hope Paul fans are celebrating these special days! This is the dawn of his first top 10 hit (maybe #1?) in a million years
Interesting points. And I agree with some of them. I do disagree with your take on Paul and other collaborators who are "way beyond their peak talents." The same could be said about McCartney. I don't think Paul's voice has to be heard for it to be a collaboration. He can play a supporting role or co-write to collaborate. What is inane, however, is to think the public at large will hear this song and say, "What a great Paul McCartney song! It's a return to form for the hit maker!" The ONLY reason anyone outside of these fan forums knows Paul has anything to do with this song is because of the peripheral issues you lament. I suspect many Paul fans, who live and breath Paul every day, will get very excited with the success of this song. And it is a good song, IMO. And a good thing too for Paul! But to me, it's not a return to the top of the charts in the same vein as Paul writing a song, or co-writing a song, and singing it and having it go top ten.
"But to me, it's not a return to the top of the charts in the same vein as Paul writing a song, or co-writing a song, and singing it and having it go top ten." Exactly, people getting excited about this being in the top 10 for McCartney make me shake my head. Yes, it will officially credit McCartney but to me it is not the same as if a song like "Queene Eye" made the the top 10.
No, it's not the same at all, I agree with you and RMartinez on that, and I'm not saying "What a great Paul McCartney song!". But it does count on Billboard, and it does get his name out there, on the lips and in the minds of younger people who might go and check out his latest album to see what else he's up to lately (and no, I don't expect the "New" album to hit the charts again!), or his older music for sure. It's not the ideal way for him to have a hit, but I'll take it!
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HaileyMcComet:
yankeefan7:
Ok, I will give it a shot. How about McCartney get "funky" and do some jazz with George Benson.
Paul McCartney, George Benson, Al Jarreau
Cool, I didn't know about this!!
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Not one of his more controversial collaborations.
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just listened to the song for the first time, it's pretty I like the lyrics, the auto-tune effects I could do with out. I don't really hear Paul in the background, but I am guessing he played the keyboard or helped write the song? anyway, i like that the collaboration is for this type of song rather than the usual-rapper-singer song (you know the one where the rapper raps the verses and a singer sings the chorus). I am curious of the next collaboration between Paul, Kanye and Rihanna will be. I like that this song gets people talking about Paul, which is nice, though the "who is Paul McCartney?" quips on Social Media got old very quickly. :
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favoritething:
HaileyMcComet:
yankeefan7:
Ok, I will give it a shot. How about McCartney get "funky" and do some jazz with George Benson.
Paul McCartney, George Benson, Al Jarreau
Cool, I didn't know about this!!
This totally missed my radar! Super cool!
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More chart tidbits that I'm sure you'll all love: "Only One" reached #35 in its debut on the Hot 100, as you know (the highest debut of the week). But it's also #10 on the Digital Songs chart. It hit #1 on the Billboard + Twitter Trending 140 (one of their newer charts). And it is the #1 song on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, the first time Paul has hit that chart since "Say Say Say". Counting his time in the Beatles, Paul now has the longest span of time from oldest to newest appearances in the Top 40 ever: 50 years, 11 months, and 3 weeks. One chart feat we missed: "Hope For The Future" spent one week on the Hot Rock Songs chart, at #44, on December 27. http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6436360/kanye-west-paul-mccartney-debut-in-hot-100s-top-40-with-only-one http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6436407/kanye-west-paul-mccartney-debuts-hot-rb-hip-hop-songs Oh, and an important note confirmed in these articles: Paul does not sing at all on this song, so it's just his keyboard playing (and writing credit).
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How the people here missed the billboard chart from 27 december chart "hot singles chart"because at number 3 was "hope for the future"!!!!!!!!I even take a copy of the chart!