"I Wonder" is the fourth track of Kanye West's third studio album Graduation (2007).[1] The song samples "My Song" by Labi Siffre and "Ambitionz Az A Ridah" by 2Pac.[2]
I Wonder is the third largest song on the album following right behind Stronger and Flashing Lights. The song did not chart, but is considered by Kanye himself to be one of his favorite tracks off of Graduation.[3] On June 15, 2018, the song became certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of half a million paid digital downloads. It stood as the first track on the album that managed to be certified without debuting as a single pre or post-release.[4]
Lyrics[]
[Intro]
Find your dreams come true
And I wonder if you know
What it means, what it means
And I wonder if you know
What it means, what it means
And I wonder if you know
What it means to find your dreams
And I wonder
[Verse 1]
I've been waitin' on this my whole life (And I wonder)
These dreams be wakin' me up at night (And I wonder)
You say I think I'm never wrong (And I wonder)
You know what? Maybe you're right, aight?
[Chorus]
And I wonder if you know
What it means, what it means
And I wonder if you know
What it means to find your dreams
And I wonder
[Verse 2]
You say he get on your fuckin' nerves (And I wonder)
You hope that he get what he deserves—word! (And I wonder)
Do you even remember what the issue is?
You just tryin' to find where the tissue is
You can still be who you wish you is
It ain't happen yet, and that's what intuition is (And I wonder)
When you hop back in the car
Drive back to the crib, run back to they arms
The smokescreens, the chokes and the screams
You ever wonder what it all really means?
[Chorus]
And I wonder if you know
What it means, what it means
And I wonder if you know
What it means to find your dreams
And I wonder
[Verse 3]
And I'm back on my grind
A psychic read my lifeline, told me in my lifetime
My name would help light up the Chicago skyline
And that's why I'm (And I wonder)
Seven o'clock, that's primetime
Heaven'll watch, God callin' from the hotlines
Why he keep givin' me hot lines?
I'm a star, how could I not shine? (And I wonder)
How many ladies in the house? (If you know)
How many ladies in the house without a spouse? (What it means)
Somethin' in your blouse got me feelin' so aroused (What it means)
What you about? (And I wonder)
On that independent shit (If you know)
Trade it all for a husband and some kids (What it means)
You ever wonder what it all really mean?
You wonder if you'll ever find your dreams?
(To find your dreams come true)
[Instrumental Outro]
Credits[]
- Performed by Kanye West
- Produced by Kanye West and Larry Gold
- Keyboards from Jon Brion
- Piano & synthesizer from Omar Edwards
- Violins from Emma Kummrow, Igor Szwec, Gloria Justen, Olga Konopelsky, Luigi Mazzochi & Charles Parker
- Viola from Peter Nocella & Alexandra Leem
- Cello from Jennie Lorenzo
- Bass from Tim Ressler
- Mixed by Andrew Dawson
- Engineered by Anthony Kilhoffer, Greg Koller, Bram Tobey, Jason Agel, Nate Hertweck & Dale Parsons
- Samples "Ambitionz Az A Ridah" by 2Pac
- Samples "My Song" by Labi Siffre
Trivia[]
- The fourth track on each of the records of the Graduation series is consistently one of the bigger tracks, with Gold Digger and All Falls Down being the most streamed on Late Registration and The College Dropout. While there are several tracks on Graduation that are more streamed than I Wonder, I Wonder is the third biggest track on the record.
- Kanye's son, Saint West would later remix these songs by speeding them up and slowing them down on his YouTube channel.[5]
References[]
- ↑ https://open.spotify.com/album/4SZko61aMnmgvNhfhgTuD3?si=J896qtm0Rd-vZtNpvag6Uw
- ↑ https://www.whosampled.com/Kanye-West/I-Wonder/
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Wonder_(Kanye_West_song)#:~:text=In%20an%20October%20interview%20with,more%20of%20an%20emotional%20pull.
- ↑ https://www.riaa.com/gold-%20platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Kanye+West&ti=I+wonder&lab=&genre=&format=&date_option=release&from=&to=&award=&type=&category=&adv=SEARCH#search_section
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6srILR0VrVg
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